2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season began on February 10, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and will end with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18 of that same year. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup will begin with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. It had been believed that Sprint's merger with NEXTEL would result in a name change for the 2007 season, but Sprint has announced that no name change will take place until at least 2008. [1]

Top Stories

Changes in the points system and The Chase

It was officially announced on January 22 at the annual NASCAR Media Tour in Charlotte, North Carolina that two changes have been made for the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

The first is that wins will are now more important. The driver who finishes first now receives 185 points instead of 180. Including the five-point bonus for leading a lap, and the possible five bonus points for leading the most laps, a driver can now get a maximum of 195 points for winning a race.

The other changes involve the actual Chase. The top twelve drivers after the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 will automatically qualify. Additionally, each driver will have their points reset to 5,000, plus ten points for each win during the first 26 races.

Controversies

Several major controversies have appeared early in the 2007 campaign.

AT&T, Inc. vs. NASCAR

The first involves the sponsorship of several cars in the series that have cellular telephone connections. BellSouth's Cingular brand, sponsor of Richard Childress Racing's #31 car, was purchased by AT&T, and has been phased out. This is not allowed under the grandfather clause in the original sponsorship agreement between the former Nextel Communitions (now Sprint Nextel) with NASCAR, and on March 16, it was announced that AT&T had filed suit in Atlanta Federal Court seeking to overturn said grandfather clause because of this and allow AT&T decals on the car. A judge ruled that RCR was allowed to put AT&T decals on the car on May 18, and the decals made their debut the following night in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. NASCAR originally had a stay when the judge ruled in RCR's favor, but that was later rescinded.

Robby Gordon & Motorola

Motorola is an associate sponsor on Robby Gordon's #7 car, however when his self-owned team tried to put a Motorola decal on the car for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway March 18, NASCAR ruled that this was in breach of the exclusivity clause with Sprint Nextel because NASCAR noticed this deal was part of Cellco Partnership (a joint partnership of Verizon and Vodafone) sponsorship of Gordon's Busch Series car (which is legal). NASCAR and Sprint later relented when it was decided to allow Motorola's Audio Products Division to be the car sponsor.

Shell logo controversy

Another controversy surrounds Shell and Sunoco. Sunoco is the exclusive gasoline supplier to NASCAR, yet RCR has signed Shell and their Pennzoil brand to the #29 car, driven by Kevin Harvick, winner of the Daytona 500 as that car had large Shell sponsorship decals during that race as well as large Shell logos on team uniforms in the pit crew and on Harvick himself. Pennzoil became the primary sponsor at following week's race in California. This was more than likely done at Sunoco's request, as a rival gasoline sponsored a car winning NASCAR's premier race, taking away publicity from an official sponsor.[2]

Mark Martin schedule

The other concerns the part-time schedule being undertaken by Mark Martin. Through the spring Atlanta race, Martin held the points lead. Because he is taking a part-time schedule in the #01 Ginn Racing U.S. Army ride, Martin has reiterated that he will not run in all 36 races on the circuit this season, despite finishing second in the Daytona 500. He relinquished the lead by passing on the spring races at Bristol and Martinsville. Rookie driver Regan Smith is driving the #01 car in those races, as owner points had that car an exempt team for Bristol (from 2006) and Martinsville. However, Martin is extending his schedule to include a few more points races, but will again not race the full season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Free Agent

On May 10, 2007, it was announced that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would be leaving the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet following the conclusion of the season as he could not get a contract extension with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the driving team his father founded and run by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. Speculation according to WFXT in Boston has him going to Richard Childress Racing where the "unretirement" of the #3 car that his father drove to six then-Winston Cup championships and the 1998 Daytona 500 championship could happen [3]. Other rumors have him going to Joe Gibbs Racing or start a NEXTEL Cup team with the organization he owns that fields Busch Series cars, JR Motorsports. Rumors of Junior going to Hendrick Motorsports were promptly denied within that team, citing that they are happy with their teams set up as is. Italic text

The Season

Teams

Each NEXTEL Cup race has a field of 43 cars.

For the first five races of 2007, the top 35 teams in owners points (not drivers' points) in 2006 earned an exemption into each race. If a driver went to a new team, he did not have a guaranteed starting spot, but his old team did, except if that new team was an exempt team. If a past champion is not driving for an exempt team (outside the top 35 in owner points), he may be eligible to use a past champions' provisional to enter the race. The provisional guarantees a spot to the most recent champion not exempt, but those who are former champions will be limited to six for the entire 2007 season.

Teams not exempt must "race" their way in during qualifying - if 47 cars are attempting to make the race, and no one is using a provisional, then there are 12 cars racing for eight spots, and the eight fastest cars will make the race. (The Daytona 500, which uses a different qualifying procedure, is the only exception to this rule, though the top 35 are still locked in.)

Starting with the sixth race in 2007, the current top 35 teams are awarded exemptions for the next race.

Full time entries

These 49 teams are expected to attempt all 36 NEXTEL Cup races. Those who need to qualify on time have their current owners points bolded.

Number	Driver(s)	Sponsor(s)	Make	Team	2007 Owners Points
00	David Reutimann (R)	Domino's Pizza / Burger King	Toyota	Waltrip-PPI Racing	43rd
1	Martin Truex Jr.	Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	18th
01	Mark Martin / Regan Smith (R)	U.S. Army / Principal Financial Group	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing	5th
2	Kurt Busch	Miller Lite	Dodge	Penske Racing	11th
4	Ward Burton	State Water Heaters	Chevrolet	Morgan-McClure Motorsports	44th
5	Kyle Busch	Kellogg's / Carquest / Cheez-It	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	9th
6	David Ragan (R)	AAA	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	27th
7	Robby Gordon	Jim Beam / Mapei / Menards / Robby Gordon Off Road	Ford	Robby Gordon Motorsports	28th
07	Clint Bowyer	Jack Daniel's / DIRECTV / Camping World	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	12th
8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Budweiser	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	14th
9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers / UAW	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports	31st
10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline / Stanley Tools	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports	37th
11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing	6th
12	Ryan Newman	Alltel / Mobil / Kodak	Dodge	Penske Racing	24th
13	Joe Nemechek	CertainTeed / Ginn Resorts	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing	26th
14	Sterling Marlin	Waste Management / Panasonic / Ginn Resorts	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing	30th
15	Paul Menard (R)	Pittsburgh Painters / Menards / Quaker State / Turtle Wax	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	38th
16	Greg Biffle	Ameriquest / 3M / Jackson Hewitt / Coast Guard	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	17th
17	Matt Kenseth	DeWALT / Carhartt / R+L Carriers / USG Sheetrock / Arby's	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	3rd
18	J. J. Yeley	Interstate Batteries	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing	21st
19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge Dealers / UAW	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports	16th
20	Tony Stewart	The Home Depot	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing	7th
21	Ken Schrader / Bill Elliott * / Jon Wood (R)	Little Debbie / US Air Force / Motorcraft / Delimex /Ore-Ida	Ford	Wood Brothers/JTG Racing	39th
22	Dave Blaney	Caterpillar	Toyota	Bill Davis Racing	36th
24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont / Nicorette / Pepsi / Lay's	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	1st
25	Casey Mears	National Guard / GMAC	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	35th
26	Jamie McMurray	Crown Royal / Irwin Industrial Tools / Sharpie Pens / Sharp Aquos / 3M	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	8th
29	Kevin Harvick	Shell / Pennzoil	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	10th
31	Jeff Burton	AT&T / Sylvania / Prilosec OTC / Lenox Industrial Tools	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	2nd
36	Jeremy Mayfield	360 OTC	Toyota	Bill Davis Racing	46th
37	Kevin Lepage / John Andretti	RoadLoans.com	Dodge	Front Row Motorsports	48th
38	David Gilliland	M&M's	Ford	Robert Yates Racing	25th
40	David Stremme	Coors Light / Tums	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing	15th
41	Reed Sorenson	Target / Tums / Energizer / Fujifilm	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing	29th
42	Juan Pablo Montoya (R)	Texaco / Havoline / Big Red	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing	19th
43	Bobby Labonte	Cheerios / Betty Crocker / Hamburger Helper / Pillsbury / Chex	Dodge	Petty Enterprises	20th
44	Dale Jarrett	UPS	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing	40th
45	Kyle Petty / John Andretti / Chad McCumbee	Wells Fargo / Marathon / Coca-Cola / NTB	Dodge	Petty Enterprises	33rd
48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports	4th
49	Mike Bliss	Obovo.com	Dodge	BAM Racing	45th
55	Michael Waltrip	NAPA Auto Parts	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing	49th
66	Jeff Green	Best Buy	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing	23rd
70	Johnny Sauter	Yellow Transportation	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing	32nd
78	Kenny Wallace	Furniture Row	Chevrolet	Furniture Row Racing	42nd
83	Brian Vickers	Red Bull	Toyota	Team Red Bull	41st
84	A. J. Allmendinger (R)	Red Bull	Toyota	Team Red Bull	47th
88	Ricky Rudd	Snickers	Ford	Robert Yates Racing	34th
96	Tony Raines	Texas Instruments DLP HDTV	Chevrolet	Hall of Fame Racing	22nd
99	Carl Edwards	Office Depot	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing	13th

Note: Dale Jarrett has used all of his championship provisionals through the spring race at Talladega.

(*) - Has past champions provisionals.

Part-time entries

These cars are expected to attempt several NEXTEL Cup races, but not all 36. Because it is highly unlikely any of the part-time teams will be in the top 35 in owners' points, they will have to race their way in to all events.

Number	Driver(s)	Sponsor(s)	Make	Team	2007 Owners' Points
03	Todd Bodine	Germain Racing	Toyota	Germain Racing	N/A
08	Trevor Boys	Industro Tools	Chevrolet	H&K Motorsports	N/A
09	Mike Wallace	Miccosukee Indian Gaming	Chevrolet	Phoenix Racing	53rd
23	Mike Skinner	Oscar Meyer / Toyota Camry	Toyota	Bill Davis Racing	66th
27	Kirk Shelmerdine	Lilly Trucking of Virginia	Chevrolet	Kirk Shelmerdine Racing	65th
33	Scott Wimmer	Holiday Inn	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing	54th
34	Chad Chaffin / Bill Elliott / John Andretti	Huddle House	Dodge	Front Row Motorsports / R&J Racing	52nd
39	Regan Smith (R)	Ginn Resorts	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing	60th
46	Johnny Benson	Toyota Racing Development	Toyota	Wyler Racing	51st
47	Marcos Ambrose / Ken Schrader / Jon Wood	Team Australia / Aussie Vineyards	Ford	Wood Brothers/JTG Racing	62nd
58	James Hylton	GrahamFest / Retirement Living TV	Chevrolet	Hylton Motorsports	63rd
60	Boris Said	SoBe/No Fear energy drink	Ford	No Fear Racing	50th
74	Derrike Cope	Sundance Vacations	Dodge	McGlynn Racing	57th
80	Aric Almirola	Joe Gibbs Driven	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing	55th
89	Morgan Shepherd	Victory in Jesus Racing Ministries	Dodge	Faith Motorsports	N/A

Rookies

• A. J. Allmendinger, #84 Red Bull Toyota (Team Red Bull)
• Paul Menard, #15 Menards Chevy (Dale Earnhardt Inc.)
• Juan Pablo Montoya, #42 Texaco / Havoline Dodge (Chip Ganassi Racing)
• David Ragan, #6 AAA Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
• David Reutimann, #00 Domino's Pizza / Burger King Toyota (Michael Waltrip Racing)
• Regan Smith, #01 U.S. Army Chevy (Ginn Racing) §
• Jon Wood, #21 Little Debbie Ford (Wood Brothers/JTG Racing) §

§ - Smith and Wood will be running partial seasons, though they will be eligible for the rookie of the year award. The two have not annouced they will be running for the award, however.

Driver Standings

Currently eligible for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup

Standings as of May 6, 2007.

Drivers marked with (R) = Rookie Contender

+/- = Gain/Loss in position from previous race

Poles = Number of first place starting positions, decided in qualifying

Rank	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
1		Jeff Gordon	1691	Leader	10	5	3	9	10
2	(+)2	Jimmie Johnson	1480	(-)211	10	0	4	7	7
3		Matt Kenseth	1431	(-)260	10	0	1	5	7
4	(+)1	Denny Hamlin	1359	(-)332	10	1	0	4	5
5	(-)3	Jeff Burton	1352	(-)339	10	0	1	5	6
6	(+)2	Kyle Busch	1229	(-)462	10	0	1	3	6
7	(-)1	Tony Stewart	1225	(-)466	10	0	0	2	6
8	(+)1	Kevin Harvick	1203	(-)488	10	0	1	2	5
9	(+)1	Kurt Busch	1198	(-)493	10	0	0	2	3
10	(+)1	Clint Bowyer	1159	(-)532	10	0	0	0	4
11	(+)1	Carl Edwards	1131	(-)560	10	0	0	0	2
12	(-)5	Jamie McMurray	1099	(-)592	10	0	0	2	5
13	(+)4	Mark Martin #	1038	(-)653	7	0	0	4	5
14	(+)2	Greg Biffle	1037	(-)654	10	0	0	1	2
15		Elliott Sadler	1022	(-)669	10	0	0	0	1
16	(-)3	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	1018	(-)673	10	0	0	1	3
17	(-)3	David Stremme	1009	(-)682	10	0	0	0	2
18	(+)2	Bobby Labonte	1001	(-)690	10	0	0	0	1
19	(+)5	Ryan Newman	998	(-)693	10	1	0	0	3
20	(-)2	Martin Truex Jr.	987	(-)704	10	0	0	0	3
21	(-)2	Juan Montoya (R)	986	(-)705	10	0	0	1	2
22	(-)1	J.J. Yeley	977	(-)714	10	0	0	0	0
23	(-)1	Tony Raines	951	(-)740	10	0	0	0	0
24	(-)1	Jeff Green	934	(-)757	10	0	0	0	2
25	(+)1	David Ragan (R)	895	(-)796	10	0	0	1	1
26	(+)3	Reed Sorenson	868	(-)823	10	0	0	0	1
27	(+)3	Sterling Marlin	862	(-)829	10	0	0	0	0
28	(-)3	David Gilliland	855	(-)836	10	1	0	1	2
29	(-)2	Robby Gordon	846	(-)845	10	0	0	0	0
30	(-)2	Joe Nemechek	844	(-)847	9	0	0	0	1
31	(+)2	Kyle Petty #	812	(-)879	10	0	0	0	0
32	(-)1	Kasey Kahne	801	(-)890	10	1	0	0	1
33	(-)1	Johnny Sauter	779	(-)912	9	0	0	0	1
34	(+)1	Casey Mears	772	(-)919	10	0	0	0	1
35	(-)1	Ricky Rudd	763	(-)928	10	0	0	0	0
36		Scott Riggs	729	(-)962	10	0	0	0	1
37	(+)1	Dave Blaney	658	(-)1033	9	0	0	0	0
38	(+)2	Paul Menard (R)	595	(-)1096	7	0	0	0	0
39	(-)2	Dale Jarrett	591	(-)1100	9	0	0	0	0
40	(-)1	Ken Schrader #	499	(-)1192	7	0	0	0	0
41		Brian Vickers	425	(-)1266	4	0	0	0	1
42	(+)1	David Reutimann (R)	424	(-)1267	7	0	0	0	0
43	(-)1	Kenny Wallace	407	(-)1284	6	0	0	0	0
44		Mike Bliss	325	(-)1366	4	0	0	0	0
45	(+)1	Ward Burton	311	(-)1380	5	0	0	0	0
46	(-)1	Regan Smith #	269	(-)1422	3	0	0	0	0
47		Boris Said #	208	(-)1483	2	0	0	0	0
48		Jeremy Mayfield	203	(-)1488	3	0	0	0	0
49		Mike Wallace #	160	(-)1531	1	0	0	1	1
50		A.J. Allmendinger (R)	159	(-)1532	3	0	0	0	0
51		Jon Wood #	76	(-)1060	1	0	0	0	0
52		Johnny Benson #	70	(-)1621	1	0	0	0	0
53	(-)1	John Andretti #	61	(-)1630	1	0	0	0	0
54	(-)1	Aric Almirola #	40	(-)1651	1	0	0	0	0
55	(-)1	Michael Waltrip	(-)27	(-)1718	1	0	0	0	0

# - Denotes driver not running full time schedule.

2007 Season Races

All races are held in the USA. Race names are subject to change. See List of 2007 NASCAR races for a list and schedule of the 2007 season races.

Budweiser Shootout

This non-points race, which involves the previous season's pole winners and past Shootout winners, was held on Saturday, February 10, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway officially kicking off Speedweeks. Two-time series champion Tony Stewart took the checkered flag, but as he did so, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made contact with the back bumper of Elliott Sadler, causing a five-car wreck less than 1000 feet from the start/finish line.

One of the biggest headlines for the Shootout was that it would be the first NEXTEL Cup race to feature Toyota, and in the draw for starting spots, Dale Jarrett, a Toyota driver, drew the pole position. However, he slid to the back within four laps of the start, and stayed there for most of the race. Brian Vickers, the other Toyota driver in the event, started fourth, and though he went back-and-forth through the field, finished eighth.

Top Ten Results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	#38	David Gilliland	Ford	Robert Yates Racing
3	#2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
4	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
6	#01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
7	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8	#83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
9	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10	#10	Scott Riggs	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports

Daytona 500

Main article: 2007 Daytona 500

Qualifying and Gatorade Duel

Qualifying for the front row of the 2007 Daytona 500 took place on February 11, 2007. Robert Yates Racing swept the front row with the #38 Ford Fusion of David Gilliland winning the pole and the #88 of teammate Ricky Rudd finishing second.

Rule-breaking tactics, however, swirled around the qualifying. Five teams were slapped with suspensions, fines and points deductions for illegal modifications. The hardest hit was Michael Waltrip, whose #55 team was the most harshly punished, having their race director and crew chief suspended indefinitely, fined $100,000 (US) and the docking of 100 owners and drivers points for a gelatin-like substance found in the intake manifold during inspections before the qualifying, and in a replacement manifold after qualifying. The substance was revealed by NASCAR, during the announcement of the penalties, to be an unspecified oxygenate compound that was blended with the fuel, possibly in an attempt to defeat the effect of the restrictor plate. ESPN.com reported that Waltrip is expected to fire said crew chief for the unauthorized change that neither he or anyone else authorized. The #17 Matt Kenseth team of Roush Racing and the #9 Kasey Kahne team from Evernham Motorsports had their crew chiefs suspended for the first four races, fined $50,000 and had 50 driver and owner points taken away for illegal modifications discovered in post-qualifying inspections. All three teams also had their qualifying times for the pole positions disqualified, and Waltrip's original car was impounded by NASCAR, forcing him to go to a back-up auto for the first qualifying race.

Additionally, two other Evernham teams - the #10 of Scott Riggs and the #19 of Elliott Sadler - had their crew chiefs suspended for the first two races of the season, slapped with $25,000 fines and deductions of 25 owner and driver points. Unlike the other three teams, their times were allowed to stand and kept their starting positions for the qualifying doubleheader as those violations were found in pre-qualifying inspections.

Gilliland sat on the pole for the first of the Gatorade Duel races on February 15, 2007, which establishes the starting order for the Super Bowl of NASCAR Racing, while Rudd was on the point for the second race, which both aired on Speed as part of the new NASCAR TV package.

Top ten results:

Race One:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
2	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
3	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4	#38	David Gilliland	Ford	Robert Yates Racing
5	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	#07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7	#1	Martin Truex Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8	#55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota	Michael Waltrip Racing
9	#25	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10	#21	Ken Schrader	Ford	Wood Brothers/JTG Racing

Race Two:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1	#24	Jeff Gordon §	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2	#2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
3	#40	David Stremme	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
4	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6	#18	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
7	#99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8	#12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
9	#13	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
10	#96	Tony Raines	Chevrolet	Hall of Fame Racing

NOTE: First race was extended by three laps (157.5 miles) due to green-white-checker finish.
§ — During post-race inspection, it was discovered that Jeff Gordon's car was one inch too low due to misaligned bolts on a shock absorber. Gordon would keep the win, but had to start 42nd in the Daytona 500.

The race

The race was hotly contested by many, with many stories abound. From Toyota attempting to emotionally rebound after Michael Waltrip's loss of not only his crew chief and VP of Competition, but also losing 100 driver and owner points. Other stories were Jeff Gordon's disqualification after winning his Gatorade Duel, and Tony Stewart's Speedweeks domination, attempting to win the Bud Shootout, the Duel, and the Daytona 500. The first few laps were incident free except for a spin by road racing veteran Boris Said. The race was dominated by Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. Both combined for a total of 130 of 200 laps. However, with just under a quarter of the laps to go, Tony got loose in Turn 4 while Kurt was unable to avoid Stewart and turned him into the wall in a crash that looked like the one that killed Dale Earnhardt in 2001. From that point on, it was a game of survival of the fastest as defending race winner Jimmie Johnson, outside polesitter Ricky Rudd, and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. were taken out in incidents throughout the day. A red flag was brought out in a crash involving Jamie McMurray. At the time of the flag, Mark Martin, who had not won the Great American Race in 22 tries, was in the lead with his ex-teammates behind him. On the restart, everyone attempted to pass Mark on the low line, but he successfully blocked. However, charging up the outside was Kevin Harvick who came from 34th to take the lead heading into the fourth turn. However, the Big One would finally occur on the last lap as Kyle Busch hit the apron and spun, causing a chain reaction crash. Despite the incidents, NASCAR officials did not freeze the field and let Harvick and Martin duke it out in the last hundred yards. In one of the closest 500s since the inaugural in 1959, Kevin Harvick passed Mark Martin to the stripe by 0.020 seconds, becoming the 31st different winner of the Great American Race.

Top ten results (202 laps/505 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2	#01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
3	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
4	#09	Mike Wallace	Chevrolet	Phoenix Racing
5	#6	David Ragan (R)	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6	#19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports
7	#9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports
8	#38	David Gilliland	Ford	Robert Yates Racing
9	#13	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
10	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

Failed to Qualify:

• Duel Race #1:Mike Bliss (#49), Kenny Wallace (#78), Stanton Barrett (#30), Bill Elliott (#37), Ward Burton (#4), Brandon Whitt (#72), A. J. Allmendinger (#84), James Hylton (#58), Jeremy Mayfield (#36)
• Duel Race #2:Mike Skinner (#23), Brian Vickers (#83), Frank Kimmel (#71), Derrike Cope (#74), Kevin Lepage (#34), Regan Smith (#39), Kirk Shelmerdine (#27), Paul Menard (#15), Eric McClure (#04).

Auto Club 500

Main article: 2007 Auto Club 500

The Auto Club 500, NASCAR's second points race of the season, and what many people consider "the first real race of the season" (without the restrictor plates run at Daytona) was held at California Speedway on February 25, 2007. This race was the first run in NEXTEL Cup series history with unleaded gasoline, as all three major series began running Sunoco 260 GT Plus, a 112-octane racing fuel, starting with this race. Jeff Gordon won his first pole of the season. Matt Kenseth swept the Busch and Cup Series races at Fontana, and Toyota gained its first top-10 in the NEXTEL Cup Series.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
2.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4.	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5.	#01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
6.	#07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7.	#2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing South
8.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
9.	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10.	#83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull

Failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip (#55), Ward Burton (#4), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), A. J. Allmendinger (#84), Brandon Whitt (#72), Mike Bliss (#49), Kenny Wallace (#78), Kevin Lepage (#34)

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

Main article: 2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, NASCAR's third race of the season, was held at the newly refurbished Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11, 2007. Kasey Kahne won the pole.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
4.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
5.	#01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
6.	#99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
8.	#12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing South
9.	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
10.	#26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to qualify: A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Mike Bliss (#49), John Andretti (#37), Brian Vickers (#83), David Reutimann (#00), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Brandon Whitt (#72), Kevin Lepage (#34), Michael Waltrip (#55), Ken Schrader (#47).

NOTE: Regan Smith was to have qualified in the #39 car, but the car was withdrawn prior to qualifying.

Kobalt Tools 500

Main article: 2007 Kobalt Tools 500

The fourth race of the season, the Kobalt Tools 500, was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18, 2007. Ryan Newman won the pole, his seventh at Atlanta, but started 43rd after blowing an engine in Saturday practice.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
3.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
4.	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5.	#42	Juan Montoya (R)	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
6.	#07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7.	#99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8.	#1	Martin Truex Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
9.	#41	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
10.	#01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing

Failed to qualify: Scott Wimmer (#33), Ward Burton (#4), John Andretti (#37), Michael Waltrip (#55), Kenny Wallace (#78), Kevin Lepage (#34), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), A. J. Allmendinger (#84)

Food City 500

Main article: 2007 Food City 500

The fifth race of the season, the Food City 500, was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 25, 2007. This was the first race to feature the Car of Tomorrow and the last before the fabled high banks are repaved with new concrete for the August race under the lights with progressive banking.

Jeff Gordon won the first CoT Pole Position in NASCAR history, but this race was the first race without Joe Nemechek participating in five years as he failed to qualify on speed as his #13 Ginn Racing team missed the show. However, Jeremy Mayfield (Bill Davis Racing #36) and A.J. Allmendinger (Team Red Bull #84) both started their first race of the season.

Top ten results: (504 laps/252 miles due to green-white-checkered rule.)

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
3.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
4.	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5.	#16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6.	#66	Jeff Green	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
7.	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8.	#07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
9.	#26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10.	#25	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

Failed to qualify: Kevin Lepage (#37), David Reutimann (#00), Michael Waltrip (#55), Paul Menard (#15), Joe Nemechek (#13), Johnny Sauter (#70)

Goody's Cool Orange 500

Main article: 2007 Goody's Cool Orange 500

The Goody's Cool Orange 500, the sixth race of the season was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 1, 2007, as this race was the second race to feature the Car of Tomorrow and the first of the season to use the 2007 owners' points to lock in the Top 35 teams for qualification. Denny Hamlin won the pole for this race, and Jimmie Johnson was the race winner.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
4.	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5.	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
6.	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
8.	#10	Scott Riggs	Dodge	Evernham Motorsports
9.	#26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
10.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip (#55), Paul Menard (#15), Kenny Wallace (#78), Kevin Lepage (#34), Brian Vickers (#83), Ward Burton (#4)

Samsung 500

Main article: 2007 Samsung 500

The Samsung 500, the seventh race of the season was held at Texas Motor Speedway on April 15, 2007. Qualifying was cancelled due to a wild tornado outbreak and the field was set by current owners' points, as a result Jeff Gordon started from the pole. He finished a respectable fourth place, but the race was won on turn 2 of the final lap by Jeff Burton, who overtook Matt Kenseth for the lead in a classy finish.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
3.	#01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
4.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5.	#26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6.	#16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
7.	#1	Martin Truex Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8.	#42	Juan Montoya (R)	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
9.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
10.	#40	David Stremme	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing

Did not qualify due to qualifying cancelation: David Reutimann (#00), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), John Andretti (#37), A. J. Allmendinger (#84), Michael Waltrip (#55), Ward Burton (#4), Kevin Lepage (#34), Scott Wimmer (#33)

Subway Fresh Fit 500

Main article: 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500

The eighth race of the season, the Subway Fresh Fit 500, was held at Phoenix International Raceway on April 21, 2007. This was the third race to feature the Car of Tomorrow, as well as the season's first night race. Jeff Gordon captured his third pole of the season, tying him for fourth on the all-time poles list with Darrell Waltrip. Near the end of the race, he pulled away from Tony Stewart, won the race and tied Dale Earnhardt's 76 wins. In the eyes of his son, Jeff Gordon pulled a class act and drove a "Polish Victory Lap" with the flag of his father's famous #3, but fans of "The Imtimidator" threw cans and bottles of beer on the track (mainly Earnhardt, Jr.'s sponsor Budweiser), and were criticized by the driver of the #8 car in the post-race news conference. Tony Stewart, who was leading when Jeff Gordon passed him following a caution was so irate about the outcome (even going as far to criticize that NASCAR "fixes" races much like professional wrestling on his satellite radio show later that week) blew off the manditory appearance at the post-race media session, and was fined $10,000 (US) for doing so.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
3.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
4.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6.	#66	Jeff Green	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
7.	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
8.	#43	Bobby Labonte	Dodge	Petty Enterprises
9.	#70	Johnny Sauter	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
10.	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

Failed to qualify: Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Michael Waltrip (#55), John Andretti (#37), Brian Vickers (#83), A. J. Allmendinger (#84), Mike Bliss (#49), Brandon Ash (#02)

Aaron's 499

Main article: 2007 Aaron's 499

The Aaron's 499, the ninth race of the season, was held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 29, 2007. Jeff Gordon won his second consecutive pole over David Gilliland who clocked an identical qualifying time by virtue of his higher standing in the owner points. Gordon broke his tie with Dale Earnhardt, while fourteen fans were arrested for throwing more beer cans at Gordon, despite being warned prior to the race. Those fans were banned from buying tickets from Talladega for life, but a loophole was found that would have those fans buying tickets from third-party companies and attend races in Alabama. Wood Brothers/JTG Racing missed their first race since the May 2000 event at California Speedway as they were out of the Top 35 in points.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3.	#2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
4.	#38	David Gilliland	Ford	Robert Yates Racing
5.	#26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6.	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
7.	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
8.	#40	David Stremme	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
9.	#12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
10.	#1	Martin Truex Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip (#55), Brian Vickers (#83), Dave Blaney (#22), A. J. Allmendinger (#84), Ken Schrader (#21), Mike Wallace (#09), Kevin Lepage (#34), John Andretti (#37), Mike Bliss (#49)

Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400

Main article: 2007 Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400

The tenth race of the season, the Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400, was scheduled to be held at Richmond International Raceway on May 5, 2007, but was postponed due to rain to May 6th. This was the fourth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow. The race was named after Jim Stewart of Houma, Louisiana who won an essay contest during the festivities leading up to the Daytona 500 sponsored by Crown Royal. The contest was so popular, it is being repeated in 2008. Jeff Gordon captured his third straight pole by .01 second over second place qualifier Carl Edwards. Dale Jarrett failed to qualify and missed his first Nextel Cup Race since the 1994 fall race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#5	Kyle Busch	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
4.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
5.	#2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	Penske Racing
6.	#12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
7.	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
8.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
9.	#07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing

Failed to qualify: Brian Vickers (#83), Michael Waltrip (#55), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Ken Schrader (#21), Dale Jarrett (#44), Kevin Lepage (#37), Mike Bliss (#49)

Dodge Avenger 500

Main article: 2007 Dodge Avenger 500

The Dodge Avenger 500, NASCAR's eleventh race of the season, was held at Darlington Raceway on May 13, 2007, after rain forced the scheduled race date (May 12) to be postponed to the following afternoon. This was the fifth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow. Clint Bowyer won his first career pole when he earned the pole position in qualifying. Jeff Gordon won the race, albeit his radiator was acting up. This was also the first daytime race at Darlington since the last spring 400-mile event in March 2004. Following the race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had been docked 100 drivers points, his owner, Teresa Earhardt (his stepmother) had 100 owners points taken away from the #8 team and was fined $100,000 and crew chief Tony Eury, Jr. was suspended until July 4th for illegal bolts on the wing of the Chevy Impala Car of Tomorrow.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
3.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Mororsports
4.	#12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing
5.	#99	Carl Edwards	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
6.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
7.	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8.	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Incorporated
9.	#07	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
10.	#31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing

Failed to qualify: Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Ward Burton (#4), Mike Bliss (#49), Michael Waltrip (#55), Dale Jarrett (#44), Scott Riggs (#10)

NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge

Main article: 2007 Nextel All-Star Challenge

The 23rd annual NEXTEL Open and All-Star Challenge, the second and final non-points event of the season, was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 19, 2007. As part of the new NASCAR television package, these events were broadcast on Speed after six years on FX. New formats were used for not only the All Star itself, but also for the Open and the Pit Crew Challenge. in the first rule changes since the "Survivor" theme was eliminated from the event (then known as The Winston) after the 2003 season. Matt Kenseth earned the pole for the main event, while Martin Truex, Jr. and Johnny Sauter overtook a fading pole sitter Carl Edwards to win the NEXTEL Open, and Kenny Wallace (a/k/a "Herman the German") voted in by the fans, but it was Kevin Harvick in the end winning the final quarter over defending champion Jimmie Johnson and the $1 million first prize.

Top Ten Results

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
3	01	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	Ginn Racing
4	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Richard Childress Racing
5	20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
6	70	Johnny Sauter	Chevrolet	Haas CNC Racing
7	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	Roush Fenway Racing
8	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	Penske Racing South
9	8	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Inc.
10	1	Martin Truex, Jr	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Coca-Cola 600

Main article: 2007 Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's twelveth Nextel Cup race of the season, will be held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 27, 2007. This is the longest race run by NEXTEL Cup (600 miles), and marks the official one-third mark of the season. Ryan Newman led a group of three Dodges that will lead the field to the green flag. One of the main factors of the 600 is not only the physical condition of the drivers, but the legend that Lowe's has of being an ever changing racetrack.

The "first phase" of the 600 was wild and crazy, with 2 cautions involving 21 cars in all. FOX commentator Darrell Waltrip even said that the race had a higher attrition rate than Bristol.The first wreck saw 5 time Lowe's winner Jimmie Johnson lose his tire tread and start a multi car pileup behind him. The second crash was more spectacular. The car of Tony Raines got loose and turned the car of Jeff Gordon into the grass. As Gordon came back across the track, the oncoming car ofA.J. Allmendinger hit the right side door, jacking Gordon's car off the ground. Although Penske Racing had the front row, their dominance of the day would end in the night with a crash by Kurt Busch and a blown engine from Ryan Newman. Toyota, who had been struggling through the first third of the season, had only lead a total of 15 laps. However, not only would both of Team Red Bull's cars make the race, but Brian Vickers would carry the day for the manufacturer, leading 72 laps before power steering problems hit, but rallied for the marquee's first top 5 in NEXTEL Cup competition. Somehow, in the end, the longest race of the season would come down to who could go the longest on 19 gallons of fuel. It would be Casey Mears, who had not won in 154 previous attempts, to snap his losing streak and join teammate Jeff Gordon on the list of first time winners of the Coke 600.

Top ten results:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Car	Team
1.	#25	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports
2.	#18	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
3.	#45	Kyle Patty	Dodge	Petty Enterprises
4.	#41	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	Chip Ganassi Racing
5.	#83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	Team Red Bull
6.	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
7.	#88	Template:Country data Viginia Ricky Rudd	Ford	Robert Yates Racing
8.	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Dale Earnhardt Incorporated
9.	#11	Denny Hamlin	Chevrolet	Joe Gibbs Racing
10.	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Hendrick Motorsports

Failed to qualify: Paul Menard (#15), Michael Waltrip (#55), Ward Burton (#4), Kevin Lepage (#37), Mike Bliss (#49), David Reutimann (#00)

Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa

Main article: 2007 Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa

The Autism Speaks 400 presented by Visa, the thirteenth race of the season will be held at Dover International Speedway on June 3, 2007. This will be the sixth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow, as well as the last race broadcast by FOX in 2007. The race also serves as the halfway mark for the battle for entry into the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Pocono 500

The fourteenth race of the season will be held at Pocono Raceway on June 10, 2007. It will be the first of six 2007 races broadcast by TNT.

Citizens Bank 400

The fifteenth race of the season will be held at Michigan International Speedway on June 17, 2007.

Toyota/Save Mart 350

The sixteenth race of the season will be held at Infineon Raceway on June 24, 2007. This will be the seventh race to feature the Car of Tomorrow, and the first road course race of 2007.

Lenox Industrial Tools 300

The seventeenth race of the season will be held at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 1, 2007. This will be the eighth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow.

Pepsi 400

The eighteenth race of the season will be held at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2007. The race officially marks the halfway point of the season.

USG Sheetrock 400

The nineteenth race of the season will be held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2007. This will be the last 2007 race to be broadcast by TNT.

Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

The twentieth race of the season will be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 29, 2007. It will be the first NEXTEL Cup race to be broadcast by ESPN since the 2000 NASCAR season when they carried the NAPA 500 from Atlanta.

Pennsylvania 500

The twenty-first race of the season will be held at Pocono Raceway on August 5, 2007.

NASCAR Nextel Cup at the Glen

The twenty-second race of the season will be held at Watkins Glen International on August 12, 2007. This will be the ninth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow, and will be the second and final road course race of the season.

3M Performance 400 presented by Post-It Picture Paper

The twenty-third race of the season will be held at Michigan International Speedway on August 19, 2007. The race sponsor moves from the June race to the August race in 2007.

Sharpie 500

The twenty-fourth race of the season will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 25, 2007. This will be the tenth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow.

California 500

The twenty-fifth race of the season will be held at California Speedway on September 2, 2007. This will be ESPN's final race telecast.

Chevy Rock & Roll 400

The twenty-sixth race of the season will be held at Richmond International Raceway on September 8, 2007. This will be the eleventh race to feature the Car of Tomorrow, the first race to be broadcast on ABC and more importantly, the last race before the Chase to the NEXTEL Cup.

Chase for the NEXTEL Cup

Main article: 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup

All ten of the races in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup will air on ABC. The ten races will be evenly split between the regular stock car and the Car of Tomorrow, with the COT running at New Hampshire, Dover, Talladega, Martinsville and Phoenix.

Sylvania 300

The first race of the 2007 Chase will be held at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 16, 2007. This will be the twelfth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow.

Dover 400

The second race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Dover International Speedway on September 23, 2007. This will be the thirteenth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow.

Kansas 400

The third race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Kansas Speedway on September 30, 2007.

UAW-Ford 500

The fourth race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Talladega Superspeedway on October 7, 2007. This will be the fourteenth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow, but it will be the first to use them with restrictor plates.

Bank of America 500

The fifth race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 13, 2007.

Subway 500

The sixth race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Martinsville Speedway on October 21, 2007. This will be the fifteenth race to feature the Car of Tomorrow.

Georgia 500

The seventh race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 28, 2007.

Dickies 500

The eighth race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2007.

Checker Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil

The ninth race of the 2007 Chase will be held at Phoenix International Raceway on November 11, 2007. This will be the sixteenth and final 2007 race to feature the Car of Tomorrow.

Ford 400

The 2007 NEXTEL Cup season will come to a close with the tenth race of the 2007 Chase at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2007. The race will also be the last utilizing the current templates, as NASCAR announced the full time use of the Car of Tomorrow for the 2008 season, announced on May 22, 2007.

Television Coverage

The 2007 season marks the start of a new television package. The contracts are for eight seasons, running until 2014. NBC and FX both egressed after the 2006 season, and ESPN and ABC have returned after a six-year absence, with ESPN last broadcasting the series' NAPA 500 from Atlanta in November of 2000, and ABC telecasting the Brickyard 400 in August of that same year.

FOX

FOX will carry the first part of the season beginning with Speedweeks at Daytona, and continue coverage up through the June race held at the Dover International Speedway, with Fox-owned Speed Channel carrying the Gatorade Duel At Daytona qualifying races and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge/NEXTEL Open doubleheader. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip will return to the broadcast booth for FOX. FOX will also carry two Craftsman Truck Series races March 31 and May 26, with Speed carrying the remainder of the series.

TNT

TNT will carry six mid-season races in June and July including the Pepsi 400. The commentators will include current announcers Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach. Kyle Petty will replace the late Benny Parsons, and will also drive and do commentary from his car during the June 24 race at Sonoma. Petty is driving only a part-time schedule in 2007, as Chad McCumbee will drive Petty's #45 car in the June Pocono race, and John Andretti, who drove the #43 car for Petty Enterprises, and won a race with them at Martinsville in 1999, will drive in the remaining races except for Sonoma.

ESPN/ABC

ESPN and ABC will carry all races beginning with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in late July on ESPN running up through the Labor Day weekend race at California and ABC picking up their part of the package with the final pre-chase race at Richmond and the entire Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. The commentators will be Jerry Punch and Rusty Wallace. Punch last worked for the network as a pit reporter on IRL events such as the Indianapolis 500, and has also filled in on the play-by-play of NASCAR races prior to 2001, mostly during coverage of NASCAR Busch Series races, which ESPN2 and ABC will carry full time starting in 2007 (see 2007 in NASCAR Busch Series). Wallace is the 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion. They will be joined by newcomer Andy Petree, a former team owner and Dale Earnhardt's crew chief in 1993 and 1994. Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber will serve as the hosts on both ESPN and ABC. Rock legends Aerosmith will kick off each broadcast with a live version of their big 1970s FM hit "Back in the Saddle" that was filmed in concert in Las Vegas.

Et cetera

Test schedule

NASCAR's 2007 NEXTEL Cup Series testing schedule consists of seven venues that provide the cup teams a chance to prepare for the various track layouts and surfaces that they will face over the course of the 2007 cup season. In 2006, NASCAR instituted a new track testing policy that set a schedule for when and where NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tests were conducted. These scheduled tests are the only opportunities that the cup teams will have to test their cars at NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tracks. All test reports are being telecast on SPEED.

Date	Venue	Rain Date	Track	TV Times	Type of car
January 8 - 10th	Daytona International Speedway*	January 11	2.5 mi.; Tri-Oval	7PM	Standard / CoT
January 15 - 17th	Daytona International Speedway**	January 18	2.5 mi.; Tri-Oval	6:30 PM	Standard / CoT
January 29 & 30th	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	January 31	1.5 mi.; Quad-Oval	7 PM	Standard / CoT
February 28≈	Bristol Motor Speedway	None	0.533 mi.; Oval	7 PM	CoT
April 3 & 4th	Richmond International Raceway	April 5	0.75 mi.; D-shaped Oval	None	CoT
May 7 & 8th	Lowe's Motor Speedway	May 9	1.5 mi.; Quad-Oval	None	Standard
September 10 & 11th	Talladega Superspeedway	September 12	2.66 mi.; Tri-Oval		CoT

(*) - Even numbered finishers in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup standings.
(**) - Odd numbered finishers in the 2006 NEXTEL Cup standings.
(≈) - Only one day was used as this was extended by NASCAR to three sessions due to an oncoming rainstorm on March 1st.
CoT — Car of Tomorrow.
NOTE: The scheduled tests for Dover International Speedway on May 14 and 15 were cancelled due to the rainout of the Dodge Avenger 500 from May 12 to May 13.

See also

• 2007 in NASCAR Busch Series
• 2007 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
• 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup
• List of current NASCAR races
• List of 2007 NASCAR races
• List of NASCAR all-time cup winners
• 2007 in sports
• 2007 Indy Car Series
• 2007 in Champ Car

External links and sources

• Official NASCAR site
• RacingOne
• Jayski's Silly Season Site
• Speed Channel
• ThatsRacin.com
• Rudd Won't Drive #28