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2007 Dodge Avenger 500

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report

| Type = NASNEX

| Description = Race 11 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season

| Race Name = Dodge Avenger 500

| Details ref =

| Fulldate = {{Start date|2007|05|13}}

| Year = 2007

| Race_No = 11

| Season_No = 36

| Image = 2007_Dodge_Avenger_500_program_cover.png

| Caption = 2007 Dodge Avenger 500 program cover

| Official name = Dodge Avenger 500

| Location = Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina

| Course_mi = 1.366

| Course_km = 2.198

| Distance_laps = 367

| Distance_mi = 501.322

| Distance_km = 806.799

| Weather = Mild with temperatures approaching {{convert|75|F|C}}; wind speeds up to {{convert|17.1|mph|km/h}}

| Avg = {{convert|124.372|mi/h}}

| Pole_Driver = Clint Bowyer

| Pole_Team = Richard Childress Racing

| Pole_Time = 29.806

| Most_Driver = Denny Hamlin

| Most_Team = Joe Gibbs Racing

| Most_laps = 179

| Car = 24

| First_Driver = Jeff Gordon

| First_Team = Hendrick Motorsports

| Network = Fox Broadcasting Company

| Announcers = Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

}}

The 2007 Dodge Avenger 500, the 58th running of the race, was the eleventh race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, a suburb of Florence.

The race was postponed by rain, and was run the following afternoon, May 13 (Mother's Day in the US), the second race in two weeks to be rained out. Coincidentally, the first running of this event in 1957 was postponed by rain and delayed a day later to May 12, exactly 50 years to the originally scheduled date of this race. Originally the third night race on the schedule, this also served as the fifth race to use the Car of Tomorrow template.

Chevrolet continued to dominate the NASCAR Cup Series like it did during the 1990s and through most of the 2000s. Michael Waltrip continued to have a negative number of points in this race due to his major penalty that was not mitigated until late into the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Spanish-speaking NASCAR fans started to notice Jeff Gordon's dominance in this NASCAR event, making him a close second favorite to Juan Pablo Montoya.

Last chance for the All-Star Challenge

The race served as the final chance for teams and drivers who have not qualified for the Nextel All-Star Challenge to automatically enter that race by winning on the 1.366 mile egg-shaped oval known as "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough To Tame". If not, they would have to race in the NEXTEL Open race, as either one of the top two drivers or chosen in a fan vote.

Abrasive surface

The Darlington asphalt has been known to be one of the most abrasive in NASCAR, as the sandpaper-like surface shreds tires limiting their run on the track. This situation was rectified later in 2007 when the entire track was resurfaced. As a result, pit row became a concrete surface.

Qualifying

Clint Bowyer won the pole position, the first career pole in the Cup series for the driver of the #07 Chevrolet Impala. Greg Biffle, who had won the two previous Darlington races, sat on the outside of Bowyer. Michael Waltrip missed his 10th straight race, while Ken Schrader returned to the field after sitting out the two previous weeks.

class="wikitable"

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Pos{{Cite web|date=2007-05-12|title=Qualifying times: Dodge Avenger 500.|url=https://www.crash.net/nascar/results/91267/1/qualifying-times-dodge-avenger-500|access-date=2021-06-02|website=Crash|language=en}}

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Car #

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Driver

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Make

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Speed

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Time

! colspan="1" rowspan="1" |Behind

1

|07

|Clint Bowyer

|Chevrolet

|164.987

|29.806

|0.000

2

|16

|Greg Biffle

|Ford

|164.876

|29.826

| -0.020

3

|26

|Jamie McMurray

|Ford

|164.430

|29.907

| -0.101

4

|99

|Carl Edwards

|Ford

|164.314

|29.928

| -0.122

5

|9

|Kasey Kahne

|Dodge

|164.073

|29.972

| -0.166

6

|78

|Kenny Wallace

|Chevrolet

|163.876

|30.008

| -0.202

7

|11

|Denny Hamlin

|Chevrolet

|163.838

|30.015

| -0.209

8

|21

|Ken Schrader

|Ford

|163.723

|30.036

| -0.230

9

|29

|Kevin Harvick

|Chevrolet

|163.713

|30.038

| -0.232

10

|24

|Jeff Gordon

|Chevrolet

|163.680

|30.044

| -0.238

11

|25

|Casey Mears

|Chevrolet

|163.299

|30.114

| -0.308

12

|48

|Jimmie Johnson

|Chevrolet

|163.289

|30.116

| -0.310

13

|43

|Bobby Labonte

|Dodge

|163.186

|30.135

| -0.329

14

|00

|David Reutimann

|Toyota

|163.175

|30.137

| -0.331

15

|83

|Brian Vickers

|Toyota

|163.153

|30.141

| -0.335

16

|41

|Reed Sorenson

|Dodge

|163.105

|30.150

| -0.344

17

|19

|Elliott Sadler

|Dodge

|163.045

|30.161

| -0.355

18

|2

|Kurt Busch

|Dodge

|163.002

|30.169

| -0.363

19

|70

|Johnny Sauter

|Chevrolet

|162.948

|30.179

| -0.373

20

|84

|A. J. Allmendinger

|Toyota

|162.915

|30.185

| -0.379

21

|8

|Dale Earnhardt Jr.

|Chevrolet

|162.807

|30.205

| -0.399

22

|18

|J. J. Yeley

|Chevrolet

|162.791

|30.208

| -0.402

23

|15

|Paul Menard

|Chevrolet

|162.786

|30.209

| -0.403

24

|6

|David Ragan

|Ford

|162.630

|30.238

| -0.432

25

|1

|Martin Truex Jr.

|Chevrolet

|162.619

|30.240

| -0.434

26

|20

|Tony Stewart

|Chevrolet

|162.555

|30.252

| -0.446

27

|22

|Dave Blaney

|Toyota

|162.452

|30.271

| -0.465

28

|14

|Sterling Marlin

|Chevrolet

|162.356

|30.289

| -0.483

29

|12

|Ryan Newman

|Dodge

|162.276

|30.304

| -0.498

30

|40

|David Stremme

|Dodge

|162.260

|30.307

| -0.501

31

|17

|Matt Kenseth

|Ford

|161.934

|30.368

| -0.562

32

|96

|Tony Raines

|Chevrolet

|161.864

|30.381

| -0.575

33

|7

|Robby Gordon

|Ford

|161.742

|30.404

| -0.598

34

|31

|Jeff Burton

|Chevrolet

|161.545

|30.441

| -0.635

35

|13

|Joe Nemechek

|Chevrolet

|161.503

|30.449

| -0.643

36

|5

|Kyle Busch

|Chevrolet

|161.328

|30.482

| -0.676

37

|01

|Mark Martin

|Chevrolet

|161.317

|30.484

| -0.678

38

|38

|David Gilliland

|Ford

|161.006

|30.543

| -0.737

39

|66

|Jeff Green

|Chevrolet

|160.869

|30.569

| -0.763

40

|88

|Ricky Rudd

|Ford

|160.381

|30.662

| -0.856

41

|42

|Juan Montoya

|Dodge

|160.057

|30.724

| -0.918

42

|45

|Kyle Petty

|Dodge

|159.548

|30.822

| -1.016

43

|37

|Kevin Lepage

|Dodge

|162.329

|30.294

| -0.488

colspan="7" |Failed to qualify
44

|36

|Jeremy Mayfield

|Toyota

|

|30.301

|

45

|4

|Ward Burton

|Chevrolet

|

|30.359

|

46

|49

|Mike Bliss

|Dodge

|

|30.370

|

47

|55

|Michael Waltrip

|Toyota

|

|30.446

|

48

|44

|Dale Jarrett

|Toyota

|

|30.480

|

49

|10

|Scott Riggs

|Dodge

|

|30.529

|

Race recap

Jeff Gordon overcame a radiator problem to win the Dodge Avenger 500. The win was his third in the last four races, his sixth win in the Southern 500, and his 78th overall career. Because of the failure, his car emitted steam for the last 50 laps or so of the race. The race was arguably decided most in the pits. Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte, kept the #24 Chevy on the track during what would be the final caution of the race, while all other leaders came in for service. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin was in position for a weekend sweep (he had won on Friday night in the Busch Series Diamond Hill Plywood 200), but a failure to apply lug nuts correctly on the first attempt led to a long pit stop, after which he never regained the lead. Hamlin still led the most laps on this day and finished second.

The remaining top drivers were in this order: Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowyer, and Jeff Burton.

After this race, Gordon led Jimmie Johnson by 231 points for the lead. Earnhardt Jr. led Jamie McMurray by 46 points for the 12th and final position in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. However, because of illegal bolts supporting the wing that was discovered in a pre-race inspection, Earnhardt was docked 100 driver points, the team lost 100 owner points and slapped with a $100,000 (US) fine and crew chief Tony Eury, Sr. was suspended until July 4. Because of the penalties, McMurray was elevated to the final Chase position as a result.

=Race results=

(*) denotes Rookie of the Year candidate.

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"

!Fin

!St

!Driver

!Car #

!Make

!Points

!Bonus

!Laps

!Winnings

1

| align="right" | 10

| Jeff Gordon

| align="right" | 24

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 190

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $323,286

2

| align="right" | 7

| Denny Hamlin

| align="right" | 11

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 180

| align="right" | 10

| align="right" | 367

| $211,550

3

| align="right" | 12

| Jimmie Johnson

| align="right" | 48

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 170

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $197,761

4

| align="right" | 29

| Ryan Newman

| align="right" | 12

| Dodge

| align="right" | 165

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $159,875

5

| align="right" | 4

| Carl Edwards

| align="right" | 99

| Ford

| align="right" | 160

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $125,475

6

| align="right" | 26

| Tony Stewart

| align="right" | 20

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 150

|

| align="right" | 367

| $145,961

7

| align="right" | 31

| Matt Kenseth

| align="right" | 17

| Ford

| align="right" | 151

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $143,516

8

| align="right" | 21

| Dale Earnhardt Jr.

| align="right" | 8

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 142

|

| align="right" | 367

| $133,033

9

| align="right" | 1

| Clint Bowyer

| align="right" | 07

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 143

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $114,575

10

| align="right" | 34

| Jeff Burton

| align="right" | 31

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 134

|

| align="right" | 367

| $127,541

11

| align="right" | 25

| Martin Truex Jr.

| align="right" | 1

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 130

|

| align="right" | 367

| $112,320

12

| align="right" | 18

| Kurt Busch

| align="right" | 2

| Dodge

| align="right" | 127

|

| align="right" | 367

| $119,108

13

| align="right" | 28

| Sterling Marlin

| align="right" | 14

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 124

|

| align="right" | 367

| $104,433

14

| align="right" | 37

| Mark Martin

| align="right" | 01

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 121

|

| align="right" | 367

| $108,308

15

| align="right" | 2

| Greg Biffle

| align="right" | 16

| Ford

| align="right" | 118

|

| align="right" | 367

| $97,700

16

| align="right" | 3

| Jamie McMurray

| align="right" | 26

| Ford

| align="right" | 115

|

| align="right" | 367

| $89,850

17

| align="right" | 9

| Kevin Harvick

| align="right" | 29

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 112

|

| align="right" | 367

| $125,886

18

| align="right" | 22

| J. J. Yeley

| align="right" | 18

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 109

|

| align="right" | 367

| $108,183

19

| align="right" | 13

| Bobby Labonte

| align="right" | 43

| Dodge

| align="right" | 106

|

| align="right" | 367

| $117,036

20

| align="right" | 5

| Kasey Kahne

| align="right" | 9

| Dodge

| align="right" | 103

|

| align="right" | 367

| $124,616

21

| align="right" | 17

| Elliott Sadler

| align="right" | 19

| Dodge

| align="right" | 105

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 367

| $96,370

22

| align="right" | 39

| Jeff Green

| align="right" | 66

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 97

|

| align="right" | 365

| $100,008

23

| align="right" | 41

| Juan Montoya *

| align="right" | 42

| Dodge

| align="right" | 94

|

| align="right" | 365

| $113,575

24

| align="right" | 6

| Kenny Wallace

| align="right" | 78

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 91

|

| align="right" | 365

| $75,775

25

| align="right" | 42

| Kyle Petty

| align="right" | 45

| Dodge

| align="right" | 88

|

| align="right" | 364

| $87,233

26

| align="right" | 40

| Ricky Rudd

| align="right" | 88

| Ford

| align="right" | 85

|

| align="right" | 364

| $105,333

27

| align="right" | 24

| David Ragan *

| align="right" | 6

| Ford

| align="right" | 82

|

| align="right" | 363

| $109,425

28

| align="right" | 35

| Joe Nemechek

| align="right" | 13

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 79

|

| align="right" | 363

| $69,950

29

| align="right" | 19

| Johnny Sauter

| align="right" | 70

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 76

|

| align="right" | 361

| $69,750

30

| align="right" | 38

| David Gilliland

| align="right" | 38

| Ford

| align="right" | 73

|

| align="right" | 361

| $100,289

31

| align="right" | 23

| Paul Menard *

| align="right" | 15

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 70

|

| align="right" | 358

| $69,325

32

| align="right" | 27

| Dave Blaney

| align="right" | 22

| Toyota

| align="right" | 72

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 355

| $89,197

33

| align="right" | 14

| David Reutimann *

| align="right" | 00

| Toyota

| align="right" | 64

|

| align="right" | 351

| $69,925

34

| align="right" | 30

| David Stremme

| align="right" | 40

| Dodge

| align="right" | 61

|

| align="right" | 349

| $68,850

35

| align="right" | 11

| Casey Mears

| align="right" | 25

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 58

|

| align="right" | 345

| $76,600

36

| align="right" | 20

| A. J. Allmendinger *

| align="right" | 84

| Toyota

| align="right" | 55

|

| align="right" | 344

| $68,450

37

| align="right" | 36

| Kyle Busch

| align="right" | 5

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 52

|

| align="right" | 338

| $86,250

38

| align="right" | 33

| Robby Gordon

| align="right" | 7

| Ford

| align="right" | 49

|

| align="right" | 317

| $68,025

39

| align="right" | 32

| Tony Raines

| align="right" | 96

| Chevrolet

| align="right" | 46

|

| align="right" | 310

| $78,400

40

| align="right" | 16

| Reed Sorenson

| align="right" | 41

| Dodge

| align="right" | 43

|

| align="right" | 310

| $75,750

41

| align="right" | 8

| Ken Schrader

| align="right" | 21

| Ford

| align="right" | 45

| align="right" | 5

| align="right" | 254

| $87,839

42

| align="right" | 43

| Kevin Lepage

| align="right" | 37

| Dodge

| align="right" | 37

|

| align="right" | 127

| $68,280

43

| align="right" | 15

| Brian Vickers

| align="right" | 83

| Toyota

| align="right" | 34

|

| align="right" | 122

| $67,382

Notes

  • The last NASCAR race to be staged on Mother's Day before this one was the Winston (now the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge) on May 15, 1986. Bill Elliott was the winner of the exhibition race.
  • The race was postponed and moved to Sunday, in violation of South Carolina blue laws, with track president Bob Colvin was fined for the violation. Current blue laws state Sunday racing is legal in South Carolina provided (1) a race is scheduled for more than 250 miles (402 km), or (2) it starts after 1:30 PM.

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.jayski.com/stats/2007/results/11darl2007results.htm Complete results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518101838/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2007/results/11darl2007results.htm |date=2007-05-18 }}
  • [http://www.jayski.com/stats/2007/standings/11darl2007points.htm Points standings after this race] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516091643/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2007/standings/11darl2007points.htm |date=2007-05-16 }}
  • [http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/SC/Darlington/2007-05-13 Weather information]

{{NASCAR next race

| Series = Nextel Cup Series

| Season = 2007

| Previous_race = 2007 Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400

| Next_race = 2007 Coca-Cola 600

}}

{{2007 Nextel Cup}}

{{Bojangles' Southern 500}}

Dodge Avenger 500

Dodge Avenger 500

Category:NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway

Category:May 2007 sports events in the United States