2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500

Last updated
2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500
Race details
Race 8 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season
Phoenix-international-raceway-2011.svg
Map of the Phoenix International Raceway
Date April 21, 2007 (2007-04-21)
Location Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds up to 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) [1]
Average speed 107.71 miles per hour (173.34 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 27.040
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 132
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

The 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 was the eighth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season, and it ran on April 21, 2007, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

Contents

Summary

This race was 500 kilometers (310 mi), one of a few of NASCAR events that use kilometers instead of laps or miles. The race also served as the first night race of the season, and the third race to use the Car of Tomorrow template. In the end, Jeff Gordon scored a historic victory.

Race

Pit stops taking place during the race. 2007nascarphoenixpit.JPG
Pit stops taking place during the race.

The third CoT race of the season would be the first test of the new car's aerodynamics. Previously, the CoT definitely kept the racing closer as evidenced by the two half car length finishes. Joe Gibbs Racing's Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin would be seeking out the team's first victory with the new car. From the drop of the green, Gordon, Stewart, and Hamlin established themselves as the dominant cars of the race. Stewart, despite leading 132 of the 312 laps, would not find victory circle on Saturday night. Hamlin would not fare as well as his teammate as a speeding penalty put him on the tail end of the lead lap. Luck and pit strategy would eventually play a factor in the race. All of that came together during a series of green-flag pit stops on lap 283. Gordon was on pit road when the caution came out. However, quick work by Gordon's pit crew enabled him to stay on the lead lap before a dominant Tony Stewart lapped him. On the lap 298 restart, Tony Stewart made an incredible pass for the lead going 3-wide between Gordon and the tail end car of Martin Truex Jr. However, Gordon would pass Stewart again on lap 300 and would hold on for the win.

The weekend was historic for Jeff Gordon, as the win not only was his first at Phoenix, but it would also be his 76th career victory, tying Dale Earnhardt for 6th on the all-time win list. After the race, Gordon carried a flag with Earnhardt's car number, 3, emblazoned on it during the victory lap. [2]

Gordon was also the first Nextel Cup race winner at Phoenix from the pole position. [2]

Qualifying

Gordon won his third pole of the year, and 59th of his career, tying Darrell Waltrip on the all-time list. His winning lap was 133.136 miles per hour. Michael Waltrip, Darrell's brother, missed his seventh straight race after making the Daytona 500 to start the year.

Tribute

All teams carried decal stickers in memory of the 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech massacre the previous Monday; the stickers consisted of the athletic department's logo. In addition, Morgan-McClure Motorsports altered the look of the #4 car driven by Ward Burton to include the logo on the hood of the car. (Burton is from nearby South Boston, Virginia, and Morgan-McClure is based in Abingdon.) Many drivers, including Gordon, Stewart, and Hamlin, wore VT hats throughout the weekend, and PIR displayed the school flag.

In addition, many mechanics are from the school; most notable of these is Darian Grubb of the #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala.

Race results

FinStDriverCar No.MakePointsBonusLapsWinnings
11 Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 1905312$251,411
29 Tony Stewart 20 Chevrolet 18010312$209,411
33 Denny Hamlin 11 Chevrolet 1705312$158,150
45 Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 160312$158,046
517 Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 155312$149,766
614 Jeff Green 66 Chevrolet 150312$124,283
724 Kyle Busch 5 Chevrolet 146312$97,875
826 Bobby Labonte 43 Dodge 142312$118,561
942 Johnny Sauter 70 Chevrolet 138312$79,925
108 Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 1395312$126,261
1128 Carl Edwards 99 Ford 130312$83,625
1220 Mark Martin 1 Chevrolet 127312$98,183
1331 Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet 124312$109,266
1423 Tony Raines 96 Chevrolet 121312$81,925
1527 Reed Sorenson 41 Dodge 118312$93,208
1616 Joe Nemechek 13 Chevrolet 1205312$65,275
1718 Greg Biffle 16 Ford 112312$83,075
186 Kurt Busch 2 Dodge 109312$103,108
1915 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 Chevrolet 106312$110,058
207 Martin Truex Jr. 1 Chevrolet 103311$95,920
2122 J. J. Yeley 18 Chevrolet 100311$97,883
2212 Clint Bowyer 7 Chevrolet 97311$75,950
232 Jamie McMurray 26 Ford 94310$77,175
247 Robby Gordon 38 Ford 91310$67,475
2533 Paul Menard *15 Chevrolet 88310$65,350
2639 Ricky Rudd 88 Ford 85310$98,658
2737 Sterling Marlin 14 Chevrolet 875309$78,558
2834 Ken Schrader 21 Ford 79309$86,889
2943 Dale Jarrett 44 Toyota 76309$63,350
3040 Kyle Petty 45 Dodge 785309$76,347
3110 Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge 70309$110,266
3225 David Reutimann *0 Toyota 67309$65,925
3336 Juan Pablo Montoya *42 Dodge 64309$101,325
3421 Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 61308$83,520
3530 David Gilliland 38 Ford 58308$89,764
3635 Ward Burton 4 Chevrolet 55305$63,150
3713 Casey Mears 25 Chevrolet 52303$70,275
3819 Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 49301$94,200
3911 Dave Blaney 22 Toyota 46281$70,000
4029 Kenny Wallace 78 Chevrolet 43279$61,850
4132 David Ragan *6 Ford 40264$97,530
424 Scott Riggs 10 Dodge 37250$69,780
4341 David Stremme 40 Dodge 34248$61,736

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References

  1. Weather information for the 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 "Memorable Moments: Phoenix". NASCAR . November 7, 2013. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
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