2007 Dodge Dealers 400

Dover International Speedway, where the race was held.

The Dodge Dealers 400 was the 28th of 36 scheduled stock car races of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup.[1] It was held on September 23, 2007 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware,[1] a short tracks that holds NASCAR races.[5] NASCAR makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn 1 mile (1.6 km) short track oval.[6] Its turns are banked at twenty-four degrees; both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.[6]

Before the race, Jimmie Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon were tied for the lead in the Drivers' Championship on 5,210 points, with Tony Stewart in third. Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch were fourth and fifth, and Martin Truex, Jr., Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch rounded out the top twelve drivers competing for the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup.[7] Chevrolet led the Manufactuers' Championship with 215 points; Ford was second with 153 points. Dodge was third with 139 points, and Toyota a further 54 behind in fourth.[8] Burton was the race's defending champion.[9]

Former V8 Supercars champion and Busch Series driver Marcos Ambrose was scheduled to drive for Robby Gordon Motorsports after team owner Robby Gordon offered him the seat to make up for an incident between the two in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 Busch Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. However, Ambrose withdrew from the race as his wife Sonja was due to give birth to their second child intermittently.[10] Three part-time season drivers attempted to qualify for the Dover International Speedway round: Sam Hornish Jr. for Penske Racing South, Scott Wimmer in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing vehicle, and Kenny Wallace who filled in for the injured Ricky Rudd in the No. 88 Robert Yates Racing car.[1][11][12]

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race: one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes, the second 50 minutes and the third 60 minutes.[1] In the first practice session, Johnson was fastest with a lap of 23.423 seconds. Hamlin was 0.071 seconds slower in second, and Tony Raines was third. Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Scott Riggs and Gordon occupied positions four to ten.[13] On his first lap on the track, A. J. Allmendinger's engine failed, and his team changed engines.[1]

Jimmie Johnson took his second pole position of the season and his first at Dover International Raceway.

Forty-nine cars were entered for qualifying on Friday afternoon, according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, forty-three were allowed to race. Each driver was limited to two timed laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times.[1] Johnson clinched his second pole position of the season, and his first at Dover International Raceway, with the fastest time of 23.261 seconds.[14] He was joined on the grid's front row by Montoya, the highest-placed rookie, who was 0.141 seconds slower, and had the pole position until Johnson's lap. Hamlin qualified third, Kurt Busch took fourth after improving his car's handling, and the Autism Speaks 400 winner Truex took fifth. Riggs was the fastest driver required to qualify on time in sixth.[15] Rounding out the top ten were Harvick, Labonte, and the Roush Fenway Racing's Greg Biffle and Kenseth.[15] Edwards, another driver in the chase, set the 15th-fastest time, while the winner of the preceding Sylvania 300, Bowyer struggled on his lap en route to 42nd.[16] The six drivers who failed to qualify were Ward Burton, Wimmer, Kevin Lepage, Dave Blaney, Jeremy Mayfield and Hornish.[15][16] After the qualifier, Johnson said, "It was a great lap. I've had a great car all day today and it was a car that allowed me to balance myself and find more speed, the two things that I asked it to do. Track position is really important here but the thing we really focused on today was getting that first pit stall. So mission accomplished there, but this is just one day of many long ones to come."[15]

On Saturday morning Hamiln became ill with flu-like symptoms,[17] but he was still fastest in the second practice session with a time of 23.849 seconds. Second was Johnson and third position was taken by Stewart. Kurt Busch duplicated his qualifying result in fourth. Casey Mears set the fifth-quickest time, and Mark Martin was sixth. Positions seven through ten were occupied by Biffle, Gordon, Kenseth and Burton. Of the other drivers in the chase, Kyle Busch was thirteenth, and Edwards recorded the eighteenth-fastest lap.[18] Later that day, Hamlin duplicated his second session result in the final practice session with a 23.946 seconds lap; Kenseth and his teammate Edwards set the second and third-fastest laps. Johnson, Bowyer, Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Martin, Truex and Earnhardt completed the top ten ahead of Sunday's race.[17]

Live television coverage of the race began at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in the United States on ABC.[21] Around the start of the race, weather conditions were sunny and clear with the air temperature at 79 °F (26 °C); a ten percent chance of rain was forecast. Dan Schafer, Pastor of Calvary Assembly of God in Hightstown, New Jersey, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation.[1] America's Got Talent finalist Julienne Irwin performed the national anthem, and Chrysler chairman and chief executive officer Robert Nardelli commanded the drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, Allmendinger moved to the rear of the grid because he changed engines.[21]

The race began at 1:47 p.m. Johnson maintained by the lead by turning to the right of the track, as Hamlin passed Montoya for second place. On the second lap, Hamlin made contact with Johnson which got the latter loose, and he became the new leader. Montoya ran on the top groove and fell from second to tenth in the first ten laps.[21] The first caution was given on lap 12. David Gilliland tagged the rear of Johnny Sauter's car leaving turn four, sending Sauter into the left-hand side wall on the front stretch, causing heavy damage to his vehicle. Hamlin stayed as the leader at the lap-17 restart. Four laps later, the second caution was necessitated when Ken Schrader spun 360 degrees on the back straightaway after Reed Sorenson bumped him on the exit of turn four. Schrader's car sustained minor damage and he drove to pit road for repairs.[1][21] Racing resumed on the 24th lap with Hamlin leading Johnson and Kenseth. On lap 27, Johnson lost second place to Kenseth who turned onto the bottom lane. After starting 21st, Earnahrdt was running in ninth by lap 35. Ten laps later, Hamlin was passed for the first position by Kenseth. Gordon moved to eighth after making a pit stop under caution.[21]

Matt Kenseth (pictured in 2009) led a race-high 192 laps and was constantly in the top ten before his engine failed on lap 364 .

On lap 54, the third caution was waved for debris on the track.[1] All of the leaders made pit stops for fuel and car adjustments. Michael Waltrip led one lap under caution, before returning it to Hamlin after a pit stop. Hamlin held it at the restart on lap 59. Johnson fell to ninth behind his teammate Gordon as a consequence of the pit stop cycle. Kenseth drew alongside Hamlin and the two began duelling for the lead. Just as they were doing so, a fourth caution came out for Kyle Petty who was spun by Schrader in the middle of turn two. Petty avoided contact with a wall alongside the track. The leaders, including Hamlin, elected to make pit stops for fuel and tyres during the caution.[22] A tire from Dale Jarrett's pit stall rolled onto the fast lane of pit road, and several cars avoided striking it. Ragan could not do so as the tire rolled in front of his car and he hit it.[1] The tire went airborne into Waltrip's pit stall, and struck the helmet of gas man Art Harris, causing him to fall to the ground. Harris received medical attention and was transported via ambulance to the infield care center.[22]

Kurt Busch won the race off pit road, and led the field back up to speed at the restart on lap 85. Kenseth moved into third six laps later, as Hamlin was battling Mears for fifth. On lap 98, Edwards fell to third when Kenseth overtook him. Kenseth went to the outside lane to pass Kurt Busch for the lead on the 99th lap. Edwards got ahead of Kurt Busch (who was on worn tires because he did not make a pit stop) to move into second position on lap 122.[22] 26 laps later, the fifth caution was waved to allow Harris to be transported via ambulance to a local hospital by opening a trackside gate since no tunnels were available.[1][22] The leaders took the opportunity to make pit stops for fuel and tires. Edwards' team rectified a throttle leakage problem by opening the hood of his car.[22] The race restarted on lap 153 with Kenseth leading Earnhardt and Biffle. Earnhardt dropped to fourth on lap 152 when he got loose, and allowed Kurt Busch and Biffle to pass him. 16 laps later, Biffle passed Kurt Busch for second place.[23] Johnson's rear-right tire shredded on lap 188, glancing the back stretch wall on his way to pit road, where his team changed all four tires.[1][23]

On lap 204, the sixth caution was prompted when Hamlin hit Petty leaving the fourth turn, sending Petty into the front stretch wall after he spun. Bowyer also ran into Hamlin and damaged the bracket holding his right-front splitter in place. Hamlin had heavy damage to the right-hand side of his car, while the damage to Petty's car was heavy enough to warrant his retirement from the race.[1][23] The leaders went to pit road to change tires and make car adjustments. Hamlin tried to get back up to speed on the track, but was prevented from doing so because of a broken brake rotor, causing him to return to pit road with no braking. Kenseth led at the lap-212 restart.[23] The seventh caution was promoted 17 laps later as McMurray and Montoya collided on the back stretch. McMurray's right-rear tire was cut from the contact, and he slid up to a wall, before returning to his garage.[1][23] Some leaders elected to make pit stops for fuel, tires and car adjustments. Kenseth kept the lead at the restart on lap 236. By lap 244, Edwards overtook Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch to get into second.[23]

Martin moved to third on the 253rd lap. Kenseth drove up the track fifteen laps later, and Edwards got underneath him for the lead. Martin moved ahead of Kenseth to take over second on lap 272. Martin caught Edwards by lap 282, and took the lead when Edwards made his first green flag pit stop for four tires and a car adjustment.[23] The first eight drivers were on an alternative pit stop cycle, meaning they remained on track to try and reach the end of the race on one more pit stop. Biffle, Sorenson, and Kenseth all led during this period. After the pit stops, Edwards overtook his teammate Kenseth for the lead on the 322nd lap. 33 laps later, the eighth caution was deployed when debris was spotted on the track. Most drivers, including Edwards, elected to make pit stops for car adjustments under caution. Kenseth led at the lap-361 restart, but lost it to teammate Edwards two laps later as his engine was failing.[24] That lap, the ninth caution came out for John Andretti who lost control of his car, and made contact with Raines on the back stretch after leaving the second turn. Eight laps later, the race was red-flagged for five minutes for on-track debris and fluid clearing.[1][24]

Carl Edwards won his seventh career victory and the 100th for Roush Fenway Racing.

The race restarted on lap 364, when a tenth caution was needed for Kenseth whose engine failed.[24] Five laps later, Edwards became the leader, and maintained it at the lap-379 restart.[25] Robby Gordon lost control of his car in the second turn on the 381st lap, and clouted a wall alongside the track, necessitating the eleventh caution. Edwards still led at the restart four laps later. The following lap, a multi-car accident prompted the twelfth caution and later the race's second red flag to clear debris and fluids in turn three. A car component broke on Kurt Busch's car, and he went into the backstretch wall on lap 386. Truex could not avoid Kurt Busch, and drove into his car, which ricocheted into Sorenson. Kahne could not negotiate his way through and crashed. Other drivers involved were J. J. Yeley, Labonte, Jeff Green, Riggs, Johnson, Elliott Sadler, and Newman.[1][25] Once series officials lifted the red flag conditions 12 minutes later, some cars made pit stops for repairs and tires to enable them to finish the event. Edwards and Martin stayed on the track, and led the field at the restart on lap 390 with Earnhardt and Biffle third and fourth.[25]

On the following lap, Biffle got around Earnhardt to take over third place. Lap 393 had the thirteenth (and final) caution come out for a stray piece of sheet medal from Truex's damaged car that cut his right-front tire and fell on the track. Fifth-placed Kyle Busch and Truex went to pit road for repairs, while the rest of the pack stayed on the track. Edwards held the first position on the lap-397 restart with Martin, Biffle, and Earnhardt in second through fourth. On the lap, Biffle overtook Earnhardt to move into second.[25] Edwards maintained the lead over his teammate Biffle for the remaining three laps to secure his third victory of the season and the seventh of his career.[26] It was the 100th victory for Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series since Martin won the team's first race at the 1989 AC Delco 500.[27][28] Edwards' teammate Biffle finished second, ahead of Earnhardt in third, Martin in fourth, and Kyle Busch fifth. Mears, Burton, McMurray, Stewart and Montoya rounded out the top-ten finishers.[2] The race had a total of thirteen cautions and fourteen lead changes by nine drivers. Kenseth's total of 192 laps led was the highest of any driver. His teammate Edwards led three times for a total of 92 laps.[2]