The 2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 11, 2007, before an audience of 156,000 in North Las Vegas, Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson would manage to mount a late-race charge to the front, passing for the lead with 28 laps to go in the race to take his 24th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | March 11, 2007 | ||
| Official name | 10th Annual UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 | ||
| Location | North Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 128.183 miles per hour (206.291 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Time | 29.212 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 111 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, March 9, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Kasey Kahne, driving for Evernham Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.840 and an average speed of 180.965 miles per hour (291.235 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.840 | 180.965 |
| 2 | 38 | David Gilliland | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.921 | 180.475 |
| 3 | 01 | Mark Martin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 30.073 | 179.563 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Saturday, March 10, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Clint Bowyer, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.219 and an average speed of 178.695 miles per hour (287.582 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.219 | 178.695 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.222 | 178.678 |
| 3 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 30.246 | 178.536 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 10, at 1:20 PM EST. The session would last for one hour. Clint Bowyer, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 30.385 and an average speed of 177.719 miles per hour (286.011 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.385 | 177.719 |
| 2 | 01 | Mark Martin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 30.506 | 177.014 |
| 3 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.516 | 176.956 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, March 9, at 6:10 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. While positions 1-42 would be determined by qualifying speed, the top 35 teams in owner's points would be assured that they would earn a spot in the field if they had managed to make an effort to qualify. The remaining seven positions from positions 36-42 would be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 35. The final starting position, position 43, can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion who participated as a driver during the current of previous season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline. In the case that iff there was more than one series champion vying for the position, it would be given to the most recent series champion. If the final provisional starting position is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results.[3]
Kasey Kahne, driving for Evernham Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.212 and an average speed of 184.855 miles per hour (297.495 km/h).[4]
Ten drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editStandings after the race
edit
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Caraviello, David (March 12, 2007). "Overcoming adversity a staple of resilient 48 team". NASCAR. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Poole, David (March 11, 2007). "Aces up for Johnson". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2007 Las Vegas Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on March 17, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Peltz, Jim (March 9, 2007). "Kahne takes Vegas pole". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 27, 2023.