A rain delay of four hours and 37 minutes, a crash that flipped Dario Franchitti and a close finish made this the last American open-wheel race at Michigan International Speedway.
Tony Kanaan won the 2007 Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on 5 August 2007, after a rain delay of four hours and 37 minutes. He beat Marco Andretti by 0.0595 seconds, and the race was the last American open-wheel event at the track.
Heavy overnight rain held up the start of this race for four hours and 37 minutes. Dario Franchitti's flip was its most visible incident, and it was the last American open-wheel race at Michigan International Speedway.
The race was also a test of nerves for the championship contenders. Franchitti held a points lead that had been built over a long season, and he needed a clean run to protect it. Instead, his race ended in a crash that he survived without injury.
What was the 2007 Firestone Indy 400?
The Firestone Indy 400 was an IRL IndyCar Series race held on 5 August 2007 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. It was the 13th of 17 scheduled open-wheel races for the 2007 season. The race covered 200 laps, which is 400 miles (640 km), on the track's 2-mile (3.2 km) four-turn tri-oval.
It was the 56th American open-wheel race held at the track, counting the races run by USAC from 1968 and CART from 1979 to 2001. Kanaan's victory was his third of the season and his tenth in the IndyCar Series.
A four-hour rain delay, a flipped points leader and a final-lap duel that Tony Kanaan won by 0.0595 seconds marked Michigan's last IndyCar race.
Why was this the final IndyCar race at Michigan?
Track officials confirmed in July 2007 that the IRL would not return to Michigan. Track president Roger Curtis explained that the series planned to race there two weeks before one of the track's NASCAR Nextel Cup events, which he felt would create promotional problems for both races.
Curtis said he was sorry to lose the event, given the track's long history in American open-wheel racing. He also discussed adding a road course to attract other series besides NASCAR. The race had originally been planned for 22 July, but it was moved back to 5 August to make room for the series' inaugural event at Mid-Ohio.
What was the points picture before the race?
Dario Franchitti led the Drivers' Championship with 474 points, a 24-point lead over Scott Dixon. Tony Kanaan was third with 363 points, six points ahead of Dan Wheldon in fourth and 18 points clear of Sam Hornish Jr. in fifth.
Dixon had won the three preceding races, but he accepted that Franchitti's consistency made it hard to close the gap. Defending race winner Helio Castroneves said Franchitti had the advantage of three teammates who could take points from Dixon. Franchitti hoped to win at Michigan after a week's break, and Kanaan, who had enjoyed the track before, looked forward to a fight with Franchitti and Dixon for the title.
Which cars and drivers were entered?
Twenty cars were entered, up from 18 at the previous round at Mid-Ohio. All of them used the Dallara IR-05 chassis, Firestone tyres and Honda V8 engines running on ethanol fuel.
Rookie Milka Duno had missed the two preceding races after injuries from a testing crash at Nashville. She was medically cleared for Michigan, with help from former IndyCar driver Tomas Enge in setting up her car. Jon Herb, who had not raced in the series since June, found enough sponsorship to enter, and Ryan Hunter-Reay made his abrupt series debut with Rahal Letterman Racing at the previous round.
What happened in practice and qualifying?
Two 120-minute practice sessions were held on Saturday, each split into two groups of drivers with 60 minutes of track time per group. Kanaan led the first session at 33.0803 seconds, a hundredth of a second quicker than Dixon. Tomas Scheckter, the 2002 winner at Michigan, was fastest in the second session at 32.9999 seconds, with Franchitti second and Castroneves third.
Herb crashed into the SAFER barrier in the fourth corner and caused the only stoppage of the session. The qualifying session was held 75 minutes after the second practice ended, and each driver could complete up to two timed laps.
Franchitti took the pole with a time of 32.9810 seconds, his fourth IndyCar pole. Hornish Jr. was alongside him on the front row, four hundredths of a second slower. Castroneves, Scott Sharp and Wheldon completed the top five, and Scheckter and Dixon took the next two spots.
Kanaan qualified eighth after a dashboard problem restricted him to one lap. Danica Patrick's team was late to pre-qualifying inspection, so she ran a single lap and earned ninth. Ed Carpenter started tenth, and Vitor Meira, who failed technical inspection, ran one lap and started 11th. Herb did not qualify after his crash.
Why did the start take so long?
The race had been set for around noon Eastern Daylight Time, but heavy rain that began the night before forced officials to delay the start by four hours and 37 minutes. Once the rain stopped, the skies stayed cloudy, with air temperatures of 23 C (73 F) and track temperatures of 27 C (80 F).
Live coverage moved from ESPN2 to ESPN Classic, where Marty Reid and Scott Goodyear provided commentary. Al Unser, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, gave the drivers their start-engines command, and Johnny Rutherford, who won that race three times, was at the wheel of the pace car. The IRL also gave an extra warm-up lap so drivers could bring their tyres, engines and gearboxes up to temperature.
How did the early part of the race go?
Franchitti kept the pole advantage at the start, and he pulled ahead of Hornish Jr. in the fourth turn before the end of the first lap. Dixon moved into fifth, and he and Wheldon then passed Sharp for fourth and fifth. Hornish Jr. stayed within three tenths of a second of Franchitti until Herb's car slammed the outside wall in the second turn and brought the first caution.
Once the leaders had pitted, Franchitti left first and led the field back up to speed, ahead of Hornish Jr., Dixon, Castroneves and Kanaan. Patrick dove past Wheldon and Scheckter to take sixth, and Kanaan moved up to second. Dixon passed Castroneves and Wheldon for fourth shortly afterwards.
What caused the mid-race cautions?
Duno's car slowed to a halt in the fourth turn with a fuel pressure problem, which brought out the second caution. Franchitti's engine stalled as he tried to leave pit road, and Dixon took the lead. Wheldon passed Kanaan for second, and Franchitti made his way back into the top ten before passing Wheldon for second.
Castroneves and Meira then collided and hit the outside barrier on the front stretch, bringing out the third caution. Hornish Jr. made a second pit stop for adjustments, while Franchitti kept the lead through the stops. Fisher backed into the turn two wall, which brought out the fourth caution during the middle of the race.
How did the lead change hands in the closing stint?
Wheldon took the lead during the pit stops and led the restart, but Franchitti drove to his right-hand side and reclaimed the lead. The two drivers ran side by side for several laps, and Franchitti kept the advantage. Hornish Jr. worked up to eighth, and Scheckter and Patrick battled with Wheldon in the top five.
Franchitti's lead over Kanaan was 0.4 seconds when Manning hit the turn four wall with the back of his car, which brought out another caution. After more pit stops, Franchitti held the lead on the restart, with Wheldon, Scheckter, Patrick and Dixon in the top five. Wheldon then took the lead again after a push from Scheckter.
What happened in the big crash?
Franchitti and Wheldon swapped the lead several times over the next 21 laps. On one restart, Wheldon's right-front tyre made contact with Franchitti's left-rear as they raced for the lead on the back straight. Franchitti's car was sent about 20 feet (6.1 m) into the air and landed upside down.
Dixon and Foyt IV piled into Franchitti, and Hornish Jr., Carpenter and Scheckter were also taken out in the accident. Hornish Jr. climbed out of his damaged car to help marshals lift Franchitti's car upright. Franchitti and everyone else involved were unhurt.
How did Kanaan finally take the win?
Patrick escaped the melee and took the lead, but a mistake during her pit stop let Andretti pass her. During the lengthy caution, several drivers filled their fuel tanks, and Patrick led briefly before she also pitted and let Sharp take the lead. Dixon rejoined the race after his team had carried out major repairs.
Andretti was placed sixth ahead of the restart, but he passed his teammate Patrick and then used a slingshot pass on the outside to get by Sharp, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay and Matsuura. IRL officials penalised Andretti for a jump start, and he gave up his positions rather than take a drive-through penalty.
Sharp fell from first to third after being passed by Kanaan and Andretti. Patrick's right-rear tyre deflated, forcing her into an unscheduled pit stop, and Dixon retired after taking ninth. Throughout the last 13 laps, Andretti stayed within a tenth of a second of Kanaan and tried repeatedly to pass him on the outside. Kanaan used the inside line to his advantage and held Andretti off for his tenth IndyCar win.
Who finished where?
Andretti finished second, 0.0595 seconds behind Kanaan, and Sharp took third. Matsuura, Rice, Hunter-Reay and Patrick were the final classified finishers. Six cautions slowed the race, and the lead changed 23 times among nine drivers. Franchitti led eight times for a total of 101 laps, more than any other driver.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Race date | 5 August 2007 |
| Race length | 200 laps, 400 miles (640 km) |
| Winner | Tony Kanaan, from eighth |
| Second | Marco Andretti, 0.0595 seconds behind |
| Third | Scott Sharp |
| Pole | Dario Franchitti, 32.9810 seconds |
| Franchitti's laps led | 101 in eight stints |
| Rain delay | 4 hours and 37 minutes |
| Cautions | Six |
| Lead changes | 23 among nine drivers |
| Kanaan's prize | $110,800 |
How did the drivers react?
Kanaan performed doughnuts on the front stretch before celebrating in victory lane with his teammates. He said he had been disappointed to see Michigan left off the 2008 schedule, and he criticised the close-quarters pack racing that had marked the event. Andretti said that removing the diffuser from his car had made a difference, but he had lacked the speed to get past Kanaan.
Sharp thanked his pit crew for repairing his car after the lap-144 accident, and he was pleased with the points. It was the last podium finish of his IndyCar career. Franchitti said he had been lucky to walk away and gave credit to the Dallara chassis, whose roll hoop held even after two cars hit it.
Franchitti later sent Wheldon a text message with strong language after watching a replay, and the two stopped speaking. Castroneves and Meira also clashed after their crash, and Castroneves suffered a sore right knee. Fisher strained her neck, and Manning needed two staples in his right knee after his crash.
What did the result mean for the championship?
Franchitti kept the lead with 494 points, while Dixon was second on 470 and Kanaan third on 413. With four races left in the season, Wheldon and Hornish Jr. were fourth and fifth on 375 and 367 points.
The close-quarters racing drew criticism, but many drivers wanted the IRL to come back to Michigan. Curtis said he had discussed hosting an IndyCar event in 2008 with IRL officials, though that never happened, and the series has not returned to the track as of 2026.
