2007 Food City 500
Encyclopedia
The Food City 500
was the fifth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, and was run on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway
in Bristol, Tennessee
.
vehicle template, which was tested on February 28 at this facility, as the test was extended due to an impending rainstorm and three sessions were held in one day, including a nighttime session. Because of the success in those tests, NASCAR is considering making the CoT permanent in the 2008 season. Additionally, in all CoT events, two brands will switch models, as Dodge
will use the Avenger
and Chevrolet
will utilize the Impala brand.
The event was the last to be run on the original concrete surface as resurfacing started following the race, using specially designed resurfacers that will lay a new concrete surface for the Sharpie 500
event in August. In addition, the 36-degree turns will be altered to progressive banking.
The race was also the last for the Top 35 teams in the 2006
Owner's points to be "locked in" for the race. Starting with the next race, the Goody's Cool Orange 500
, the current standings was used.
Jeff Gordon
won the pole. Dale Jarrett
, who had used a provisional the past four races, qualified 30th. A.J. Allmendinger and Jeremy Mayfield
will make their season debuts after failing to qualify for the previous four races (qualifying 43rd and 23rd, respectively).
Kevin Lepage
(#37), David Reutimann
(#00), Michael Waltrip
(#55), Joe Nemechek
(#13), Johnny Sauter
(#70), and Paul Menard
(#15)
Of these drivers, Nemechek (who missed his first race in over five years when he was released by Travis Carter because of a lack of sponsorship in 2002) and possibly Sauter could still end up locked into the top-35 after this race, despite missing this race (both had made the previous four races, but drive for new teams with no previous owner points to fall back on). With the car owner points provision for failing to qualify, however, both the Ginn #13 and the Haas CNC #70 remained in the top 35 in owner points, which meant both teams were awarded exemptions for the next race.
The other teams are guaranteed to be out of the top 35.
The #37 team has now missed four of the first five points races, Reutimann and Menard have missed two races, and Waltrip has missed four straight races.
teammate, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin would hold the lead until with 16 laps to go, Kyle Busch stole the lead from the sophomore. It appeared as though Kyle would sail off with his first win of 2007, but a spin by rookie David Ragan set up a green white checkered finish with Hendrick Motorsports holding the first two spots. That would not last long however, as on the restart, Jeff Burton
steered his #31 Cingular Chevy to the outside of Jeff Gordon and attempted to chase down Kyle, but would end up in second by a half car length behing Kyle Busch.
Busch's victory was a historic one in many ways. Not only it being the first victory for the Car of Tomorrow, but it was also the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports
, the 600th victory for Chevrolet in NASCAR, and the 61st victory for the Chevrolet Impala nameplate, the last one coming in 1964 when Wendell Scott
became the first and so far only African-American to win in NASCAR. The first win for the Impala came in 1959 when Bob Welborn
won in Daytona. In a post-race ceremony, former 12-time Bristol winner and current NASCAR on Fox
commentator Darrell Waltrip
, who dropped the green flag for this race, jack-hammered a piece of the original concrete to begin the reconstruction of the track.
Food City 500
The Food City 500 is a 500 lap race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on the track at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Irwin Tools Night Race, and is considered one of NASCAR's best races...
was the fifth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, and was run on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
in Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State...
.
Overview
The race was historic as this marked the competitive debut of NASCAR's Car of TomorrowCar of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
vehicle template, which was tested on February 28 at this facility, as the test was extended due to an impending rainstorm and three sessions were held in one day, including a nighttime session. Because of the success in those tests, NASCAR is considering making the CoT permanent in the 2008 season. Additionally, in all CoT events, two brands will switch models, as Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
will use the Avenger
Dodge Avenger
The Dodge Avenger is a front-wheel drive, mid-size sedan, built by the Chrysler Corporation for the Dodge marque. In its initial debut, the Avenger was produced from 1995 to 2000 as a 2-door coupe...
and Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
will utilize the Impala brand.
The event was the last to be run on the original concrete surface as resurfacing started following the race, using specially designed resurfacers that will lay a new concrete surface for the Sharpie 500
Sharpie 500
The Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is one of two Sprint Cup races held at Bristol, the other being the Food City 500, but it is by far the more popular of the two...
event in August. In addition, the 36-degree turns will be altered to progressive banking.
The race was also the last for the Top 35 teams in the 2006
2006 in NASCAR
The 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Bud Shootout and ended on Sunday, November 19 with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17 at New Hampshire...
Owner's points to be "locked in" for the race. Starting with the next race, the Goody's Cool Orange 500
2007 Goody's Cool Orange 500
The 2007 Goody's Cool Orange 500, the sixth race of the 2007 Nextel Cup Series, was held on Sunday, April 1 of that year at the 0.526 mile Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, the circuit's shortest oval....
, the current standings was used.
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
won the pole. Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
, who had used a provisional the past four races, qualified 30th. A.J. Allmendinger and Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas...
will make their season debuts after failing to qualify for the previous four races (qualifying 43rd and 23rd, respectively).
Failed to qualify
The following drivers failed to qualify:Kevin Lepage
Kevin Lepage
Kevin Lepage is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #52 car, for Jimmy Means Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Lepage is the only NASCAR driver from Vermont to qualify for the Daytona 500.-Early career:...
(#37), David Reutimann
David Reutimann
Emil David Reutimann is the driver the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine/Tums/Best Western Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
(#00), Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
(#55), Joe Nemechek
Joe Nemechek
Joseph Frank Nemechek III is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports. He won the 1992 Busch Series championship...
(#13), Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
(#70), and Paul Menard
Paul Menard
Paul Menard is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #27 Menards Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing and runs part-time for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is the son of Menards founder John Menard, Jr., whose company is his sponsor...
(#15)
Of these drivers, Nemechek (who missed his first race in over five years when he was released by Travis Carter because of a lack of sponsorship in 2002) and possibly Sauter could still end up locked into the top-35 after this race, despite missing this race (both had made the previous four races, but drive for new teams with no previous owner points to fall back on). With the car owner points provision for failing to qualify, however, both the Ginn #13 and the Haas CNC #70 remained in the top 35 in owner points, which meant both teams were awarded exemptions for the next race.
The other teams are guaranteed to be out of the top 35.
The #37 team has now missed four of the first five points races, Reutimann and Menard have missed two races, and Waltrip has missed four straight races.
Race Day
The race, despite the introduction of the CoT, was a typical Bristol affair, with 15 caution flags for 90 laps. Tony Stewart, starting from the fourth position, looked to have the car to beat all day. However, during a caution with 211 laps left, Stewart experienced a fuel pressure malfunction, and would finish 35th. The lead was inherited by his Joe Gibbs RacingJoe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
teammate, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin would hold the lead until with 16 laps to go, Kyle Busch stole the lead from the sophomore. It appeared as though Kyle would sail off with his first win of 2007, but a spin by rookie David Ragan set up a green white checkered finish with Hendrick Motorsports holding the first two spots. That would not last long however, as on the restart, Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver...
steered his #31 Cingular Chevy to the outside of Jeff Gordon and attempted to chase down Kyle, but would end up in second by a half car length behing Kyle Busch.
Busch's victory was a historic one in many ways. Not only it being the first victory for the Car of Tomorrow, but it was also the 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
, the 600th victory for Chevrolet in NASCAR, and the 61st victory for the Chevrolet Impala nameplate, the last one coming in 1964 when Wendell Scott
Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the only black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville...
became the first and so far only African-American to win in NASCAR. The first win for the Impala came in 1959 when Bob Welborn
Bob Welborn
Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn of Denton, North Carolina, USA is a former NASCAR Grand National driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998...
won in Daytona. In a post-race ceremony, former 12-time Bristol winner and current NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
commentator Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
, who dropped the green flag for this race, jack-hammered a piece of the original concrete to begin the reconstruction of the track.
Race results
| Pos | Start | Car # | Laps | Status | Name | Team/Sponsor/Car Make | Money won (in US Dollars United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 5 | 504 | Running | Kyle Busch Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No... |
Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas... Kellog's Kellogg Company Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods... /Carquest Carquest Carquest Auto Parts is a chain of auto-supply stores. There are over 3,400 Carquest Auto Parts locations in North America. The company is a supplier to National Account customers like Goodyear, Firestone, CarMax, Meineke, Midas, American Tire Dealers. General Parts International Inc. is the largest... Chevrolet Impala SS Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United... |
$173,400 |
| 2 | 29 | 31 | 504 | Running | Jeff Burton Jeff Burton Jeffrey Brian "Jeff" Burton , also referred to as JB or The Mayor, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress Racing. Burton is the younger brother of Ward Burton, who is a former Sprint Cup driver... |
Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress... Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless AT&T Mobility LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T that provides wireless services to 100.7 million subscribers in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands... Chevrolet Impala SS |
$161,691 |
| 3 | 1 | 24 | 504 | Running | Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the... |
Hendrick Motorsports DuPont DuPont E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009... Chevrolet Impala SS |
$165,586 |
| 4 | 40 | 29 | 504 | Running | Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala... |
Richard Childress Racing Shell Royal Dutch Shell Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six... /Pennzoil Pennzoil Pennzoil is an American oil company founded in Los Angeles, California in 1913. In 1955, it was acquired by Oil City, Pennsylvania company South Penn Oil, a former branch of Standard Oil. In 1963, South Penn Oil merged with Zapata Petroleum; the merged company took the Pennzoil name. During the... Chevrolet Impala SS |
$154,911 |
| 5 | 11 | 16 | 504 | Running | Greg Biffle Greg Biffle Gregory Jack "Greg" Biffle is a NASCAR driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-90s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former announcer Benny Parsons... |
Roush Fenway Racing Jackson Hewitt Jackson Hewitt Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is the second largest tax preparation service in the United States; responsible for preparing over 2.2 million computerized federal, state, and local individual income tax returns each year. Based in Parsippany, New Jersey, the company currently operates more than... Ford Fusion |
$111,900 |
| 6 | 9 | 66 | 504 | Running | Jeff Green Jeff Green (NASCAR) Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship... |
Haas CNC Racing Haas CNC Racing Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States... Best Buy Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates... /Garmin Garmin Garmin Ltd. , incorporated in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, is the parent company of a group of companies founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao , that develops consumer, aviation, and marine technologies for the Global Positioning System... Chevrolet Impala SS |
$125,383 |