A single-file race, complaints about visibility and a final-lap bump from Tony Stewart carried Jeff Gordon to his fifth win of the season.
From 34th on the grid, Gordon completed a bump-draft win over the last lap at Talladega, with Tony Stewart's push decisive. The race marked the Car of Tomorrow's first superspeedway outing, and it was Gordon's sixth victory at the track.
Jeff Gordon won the 2007 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on 7 October 2007 from a 34th-place start, his fifth victory of the season and the 80th of his career. It was the Car of Tomorrow's first race on a superspeedway, and the win came in front of 155,000 spectators.
Johnson entered as the points leader on 5,506, with his Hendrick teammate Gordon second and Bowyer third; Stewart and Harvick were next in line. Chevrolet topped the manufacturers' table on 232 points, sixty clear of Ford, while Dodge stood on 147. Brian Vickers was the defending race winner.
What was the Car of Tomorrow, and why did it matter at Talladega?
The Car of Tomorrow made its superspeedway debut in this race, and teams began with a 31/32 inch restrictor plate that was expected to add between 56 kW (75 hp) and 60 kW (80 hp). The rear spoiler was set at a 10-degree angle and a height of 25 mm (1 in) to add drag. Any further adjustments would depend on how the cars performed once their average speed passed 320 km/h (200 mph).
Drivers complained that the larger cockpit and spoiler blocked their view at the front of the car, and some feared becoming airborne if another car hit them. NASCAR also required flat side plates in place of curved ones, and a few cars needed minor changes before they passed pre-race inspection.
Drivers had spent a day and a half testing the car at the track in mid-September. John Darby of NASCAR said the ultimate plate size would not be set until final Cup practice had concluded.
Two days later Chip Ganassi Racing was penalised for Sorenson's car, which had failed to meet the minimum ride height.
What was the scene before the green flag?
A moment of silence was held in honour of former NASCAR president Bill France Jr., and Frank Stark of Raceway Ministries gave the invocation. Miss University of Alabama, Stephanie Shelton, sang the national anthem before the drivers were sent to their cars.
The race started at 2:21 pm in 89 F (32 C) heat, with a ten per cent chance of rain forecast. During the pace laps McMurray dropped to the rear after changing his engine, and Casey Mears went back for illegal adjustments to his car.
Who changed drivers and how did practice go?
Jacques Villeneuve made his Cup debut five weeks earlier than planned in the No. 27 Bill Davis Racing car, once NASCAR had signed off on him after testing the new car at the track. Mike Wallace drove the No. 88 Robert Yates Racing car in place of his brother Kenny, while Ricky Rudd recovered from a shoulder injury.
Villeneuve was pleased about the debut, calling it a major step in his learning curve.
Two 60-minute sessions were held on the Friday. Tony Stewart set the fastest first-session time at 49.118 seconds, while Paul Menard was 0.045 seconds slower in the second session, where Stewart again led at 49.347 seconds.
Darby said Hamlin was the most aggressive of the drivers cautioned by NASCAR.
NASCAR barred Denny Hamlin from the closing minutes of practice after he was seen bump-drafting other cars. Drivers also complained that visibility from the front of the car had worsened after the larger cockpit and spoiler were introduced.
Who won the pole and who made the front of the grid?
Michael Waltrip won the pole at 50.648 seconds, his fourth career pole and his first since the 2005 Pocono 500. Dave Blaney qualified 0.062 seconds slower and joined him on the front row.
Fifty-one cars entered qualifying, and forty-three were allowed to race. Toyota cars filled five of the first six places on the grid, with Brian Vickers third, Joe Nemechek fourth and David Reutimann fifth.
Kurt Busch and David Ragan were sent to the back of the field after post-qualifying inspection found their front ends sitting too low.
Stewart, Truex, Hamlin and Johnson lined up 11th, 13th, 18th and 19th among the Chase contenders. Kahne and Sadler filled the last spots of the top ten. Villeneuve, Andretti and Labonte had to qualify on time, since they risked missing the race.
Eight drivers missed the race, including A. J. Allmendinger and Boris Said, along with Riggs, Hornish, Mayfield, Marlin, Ward Burton and Lepage.
How did the race begin, and who led early?
Waltrip led the pack into the first corner, but Blaney took the lead at the end of the first lap. Denny Hamlin moved from 18th to fourth and took the lead for the first time on lap 12, with help from John Andretti.
Early on, Labonte moved three-abreast at the line and grabbed the lead, only to lose it to Vickers the next lap. Waltrip recovered first place on lap four, and Robby Gordon took the front on lap six after being pushed there by other cars, until Vickers was back in front on lap nine.
Andretti's right-front tyre blew on lap 17, which removed one of his fenders and scattered debris, and the first caution came out. Dale Earnhardt Jr. then took the lead on lap 31 and held it for 27 laps through the first green-flag stops.
Shortly after the restart, Harvick helped Sadler into the lead on the left lane. Hamlin took it back on lap 27 as some competitors formed a middle lane, and Truex used the outside lane to gain first place on lap 30.
On lap 63 David Gilliland collided with Greg Biffle in turn four, leaving Biffle spun sideways, and a second caution was waved to restore order.
Which cautions shaped the middle stages?
Waltrip returned to the lead on lap 88, but Reutimann got past him for first the following lap. Earnhardt was back in front on the 91st lap, using the outside lane, and Stewart took the lead for the first time a lap later on the outside.
Kahne helped Sadler into the lead on the inside line, and the field then bunched up behind the leaders.
Jeff Burton's engine failed and brought the third caution, and Truex's engine blew shortly after for a fourth. Johnny Sauter took the lead off pit road after that caution and led the restart. Gordon, meanwhile, had to serve a team equipment penalty on pit road right after the restart.
Villeneuve brushed the wall beside the track on the 132nd lap and carried on with little damage. On the 133rd lap Stewart helped Labonte get past Sadler into the lead, and Stewart went ahead himself the following lap before Vickers passed him on the outside on the 135th lap.
A multi-car crash on lap 145 brought the sixth caution, when Labonte lost control in turn four and slid into Kyle Busch. Robby Gordon, Reutimann, Ragan and others were drawn into the pile-up, and most drivers pitted for fuel to keep their race going.
Next, Schrader's right-front tyre blew and he hit the turn four wall for the seventh caution. Petty's tyre let go and sent him into the turn three wall for the eighth yellow, and Waltrip's right-front failed in turn one to bring out the ninth and final caution.
Stewart was back in first on the 141st lap, and on the 151st Newman got a push from his teammate Kurt Busch into the lead. Stewart got past Newman to regain the front on the 152nd lap and held it through the restart on the 156th, while Blaney and Johnson lined up roughly seven cars on the bottom to chase him.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pole | Michael Waltrip, 50.648 seconds |
| Winner's start | 34th on the grid |
| Lead changes | 42 among 22 drivers |
| Cautions | Nine in total, the last on lap 176 |
| Most laps led | Denny Hamlin, 40 laps across five spells |
| Race time | 3 hours, 29 minutes and 11 seconds |
| Margin of victory | 0.066 seconds |
Why was the racing described as single file?
Much of the race ran single file or three-wide, and Ryan Newman was frustrated by the lack of close racing. Newman said he had been riding around with one hand on the wheel and that it was not racing. He hoped the single-file running was not what NASCAR intended with the new car.
Kenseth said the team had ridden around for roughly 350 to 400 miles on the day before it had to race, and that when the leader wrecked there was little a driver could do to avoid it. Jeff Gordon called for changes to the car to prevent single-file racing, arguing that the closing rate and bump-drafting were so drastic that the team needed adjustments. Kenseth said his strategy had been to run at the back, and he believed fans did not want to see that.
How did the final lap decide the win?
On lap 176 Waltrip's right-front tyre blew in turn one and he clipped Sadler's car, which spun into Biffle and Raines. From the restart on the 180th lap Newman led, with Busch second and Montoya third, and Johnson and Gordon reeled him in on the bottom lane on the 182nd lap.
Johnson led coming into the final lap, but Gordon worked his way between Johnson and the Newman and Busch pair on the outside. Tony Stewart bump-drafted Gordon into the lead on the last lap, and Johnson's attempt to block his teammate came too late.
Johnson said that to get that close and not win was a letdown, and he said Gordon had taken advantage of a push from behind. Gordon said he was surprised to get past his teammate and that he had received a couple of pushes at the right moment.
What did the win change in the championship?
Gordon moved to the top of the Drivers' Championship, and Johnson dropped to second. Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick held third through fifth, while Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch each gained a place.
Dave Blaney, third across the line, said his team had mainly wanted to protect the car and get back into the top 35 in points, and he admitted he had been more careful than he wanted. Kyle Busch, who had been fourth, fell to eighth after a multi-car accident.
Two days later Chip Ganassi Racing was penalised for Sorenson's car, which had failed to meet the minimum ride height. Crew chief Jimmy Elledge was fined $25,000 and placed on probation until 31 December 2007, and Ganassi and Sorenson lost 25 points each, which left Gordon six points ahead of Johnson.
Gordon said the race had been the hardest three-quarters he had ever run. Qualifying had shaped his strategy, and the team found itself in the top 15 with about 25 to 30 laps to go, then held on there.
Chevrolet, with 271 points, increased its unassailable lead, while Ford maintained second with 175 points, Dodge stayed third on 149 and Toyota held fourth on 97 with six races left.
Gordon collected $246,036 for the win, and the result gave him the all-time lead in restrictor-plate victories with twelve, ahead of Dale Earnhardt. It was his sixth win at Talladega.