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The 2007 Nextel Open and Nextel All-Star Challenge was a professional auto race held on May 19, 2007, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. [1] North Carolina native and former NBA MVP Michael Jordan was the grand marshal of the event.
NASCAR's All-Star Challenge is an exhibition race which uses a different format. Similarly to the All-Star games in other North American sports leagues, it does not affect the championship standings. Race winners (either drivers or teams) in the 2006 and the first eleven races of the 2007 seasons, plus former Winston/Nextel Cup Champions and All-Star event winners from the past decade, automatically qualify for the main event. On restarts of the race after caution flags, the cars line up in a double file restart, akin to the start of a regulation race. A description of how the race was reformatted for the 2007 running can be found here.
Qualifying for this event is different from qualifying in NASCAR. Those entered for the main event take 3 timed qualifying laps, instead of the usual two laps used in all sanctioned oval races, but they must take a required pit stop for four tires after either the first or second lap, coming in at the pit road speed (in the case of LMS, 45 miles per hour), with no speed limit on exits. Infractions will also incur time penalties. Starting in 2007, the selection of the pit boxes used by teams was made after the annual Pit Crew Challenge event to be held three days earlier at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, won by the Ryan Newman No. 12 team. In the qualifying, Matt Kenseth won the pole. Kevin Harvick was bumper-to-bumper with Jimmie Johnson coming to the start/finish line to win the race.
All other drivers or teams that are in the Nextel Cup Top 50 owners or drivers points that do not automatically qualify for the All-Star Challenge are entered into a 40-lap, a two-half event called the Nextel Open. Only the top two drivers, plus one additional driver on the lead lap that is voted in by fans on the World Wide Web via Sprint/Nextel's website, their customers, and attendees of the race, join the elite field. Standard qualifying rules applied for those in this event, which saw Carl Edwards win "P-1" (a.k.a. the pole position), edging fellow Roush-Fenway teammate David Ragan. The Nextel Open was won by Martin Truex Jr. Johnny Sauter finished second.
Before the All-Star Challenge, a new preliminary race was held between Nextel Cup crew chiefs—the Kobalt Tools Crew Chief Race. [2] The race comprised eighteen crew chiefs driving small Legends Thunder Roadster cars on the quarter-mile oval in front of the main track's grandstand and was televised in the United States on Speed. [2] NASCAR on ESPN color commentator and former crew chief, Andy Petree won the main event, earning a $10,000 donation for any charity of his choice. [2] [3] The charities he decided to donate the race winnings to were Motor Racing Outreach and Mud Creek Baptist Church. [2]
The following drivers qualified after they won at least one race in the 2006 or 2007 seasons, in order of their qualifying win:
The following drivers qualified as a result of driving a car that won a race in 2006 with a different driver:
The following drivers qualified as a result of being a former Nextel Cup champion (since 1997):
The following drivers qualified as a result of being a former winner of the Nextel All-Star Challenge (since 1997):
The following drivers qualified via the Nextel Open:
Also qualifying, the 2007 Fan Vote Winner:
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 6 | David Ragan (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | 38 | David Gilliland (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 5 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 6 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 8 | 84 | A. J. Allmendinger (R) | Red Bull Racing | Toyota |
| 9 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 15 | Paul Menard (R) | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 13 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge |
| 17 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 21 | Jon Wood (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 19 | 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan-McClure Racing | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chverolet |
| 21 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 24 | 18 | J. J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford |
| 26 | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 27 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 28 | 00 | David Reutimann (R) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 29 | 34 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge |
| 30 | 37 | Boris Said | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge |
| 31 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 32 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 4 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Gillet Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 12 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 13 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 14 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing | Toyota |
| 15 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 16 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 01 | Mark Martin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr.* | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 70 | Johnny Sauter** | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 78 | Kenny Wallace*** | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet |
* - Won the Showdown
** - Showdown runner up
*** - Fan Vote winner
Martin Truex Jr. won the Nextel Open, which was the first win for Truex of any kind in a Nextel Cup race. Johnny Sauter edged out Carl Edwards for the second transfer spot in this race.
The 40-lap race was stopped four times due to caution, including a 10-car incident halfway through lap 1 in which, among other things, the hoods of the cars driven by David Gilliland and Juan Pablo Montoya collided.
Kenny Wallace won the fan vote, partly due to a large Get out the vote campaign mounted by Speed Channel, where he worked as an analyst.
Kevin Harvick passed Jeff Burton at the start of the fourth and final segment and won the event for the first time in his career. Harvick won $1,031,539, which at the time was the largest amount awarded to an all-star race winner. Jimmie Johnson finished second, and Mark Martin finished third.
Burton had inherited the lead from Matt Kenseth, who was sent to the tail end of the longest line due to speeding on pit road during the break between segments three and four. During this break, teams had to visit the pits at least once, but no service was required. Kenseth decided on the visit and also won the first segment. Kyle Busch was first at the end of the second segment.
It was the fourth win for Richard Childress Racing after three wins by Dale Earnhardt.
This race was also notable for a crash between brothers Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch. They touched entering turn 1 with 18 laps to go, sending both into the wall rear-first. In an interview after the incident, Kurt Busch joked that he would not "be eating Kellogg's anytime soon," referring to Kyle Busch's sponsor.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Marin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet | 40 | 3 | running |
| 2 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 3 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 40 | 37 | running |
| 4 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 40 | 0 | running |
| 5 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 40 | 0 | running |
| 6 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 7 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 8 | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 40 | 0 | running |
| 9 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 10 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 40 | 0 | running |
| 11 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 40 | 0 | running |
| 12 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 13 | 18 | J. J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 40 | 0 | running |
| 15 | 84 | A. J. Allmendinger (R) | Red Bull Racing | Toyota | 40 | 0 | running |
| 16 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford | 40 | 0 | running |
| 17 | 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 18 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | running |
| 19 | 34 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | 40 | 0 | running |
| 20 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 38 | 0 | running |
| 21 | 00 | David Reutimann (R) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 33 | 0 | electrical |
| 22 | 6 | David Ragan (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 20 | 0 | crash |
| 23 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 20 | 0 | crash |
| 24 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 20 | 0 | crash |
| 25 | 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge | 9 | 0 | crash |
| 26 | 37 | Boris Said | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | 9 | 0 | crash |
| 27 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 1 | 0 | crash |
| 28 | 38 | David Gilliland (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 0 | 0 | crash |
| 29 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 0 | 0 | crash |
| 30 | 15 | Paul Menard (R) | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | crash |
| 31 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | crash |
| 32 | 21 | Jon Wood (R) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 0 | 0 | crash |
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 20 | running |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 3 | 01 | Mark Martin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 4 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 5 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 6 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 7 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 80 | 36 | running |
| 8 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 80 | 0 | running |
| 9 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 10 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 12 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 80 | 0 | running |
| 13 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing | Toyota | 80 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 80 | 0 | running |
| 15 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 80 | 0 | running |
| 16 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running |
| 17 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 | crash |
| 18 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 63 | 0 | crash |
| 19 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 62 | 0 | crash |
| 20 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 62 | 0 | crash |
| 21 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 41 | 0 | crash |
