2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500

The 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 was the eighth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season, and it ran on April 21, 2007, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500
Race details
Race 8 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season
Map of the Phoenix International Raceway
Date April 21, 2007 (2007-04-21)
Location Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds up to 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)[1]
Average speed 107.71 miles per hour (173.34 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Hendrick Motorsports
Time 27.040
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 132
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

Summary

This race was 500 kilometers (310 mi), one of a few of NASCAR events that use kilometers instead of laps or miles. The race also served as the first night race of the season, and the third race to use the Car of Tomorrow template. In the end, Jeff Gordon scored a historic victory.

Race
Pit stops taking place during the race.

The third CoT race of the season would be the first test of the new car's aerodynamics. Previously, the CoT definitely kept the racing closer as evidenced by the two half car length finishes. Joe Gibbs Racing's Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin would be seeking out the team's first victory with the new car. From the drop of the green, Gordon, Stewart, and Hamlin established themselves as the dominant cars of the race. Stewart, despite leading 132 of the 312 laps, would not find victory circle on Saturday night. Hamlin would not fare as well as his teammate as a speeding penalty put him on the tail end of the lead lap. Luck and pit strategy would eventually play a factor in the race. All of that came together during a series of green-flag pit stops on lap 283. Gordon was on pit road when the caution came out. However, quick work by Gordon's pit crew enabled him to stay on the lead lap before a dominant Tony Stewart lapped him. On the lap 298 restart, Tony Stewart made an incredible pass for the lead going 3-wide between Gordon and the tail end car of Martin Truex Jr. However, Gordon would pass Stewart again on lap 300 and would hold on for the win.

The weekend was historic for Jeff Gordon, as the win not only was his first at Phoenix, but it would also be his 76th career victory, tying Dale Earnhardt for 6th on the all-time win list. After the race, Gordon carried a flag with Earnhardt's car number, 3, emblazoned on it during the victory lap.[2]

Gordon was also the first Nextel Cup race winner at Phoenix from the pole position.[2]

Qualifying

Gordon won his third pole of the year, and 59th of his career, tying Darrell Waltrip on the all-time list. His winning lap was 133.136 miles per hour. Michael Waltrip, Darrell's brother, missed his seventh straight race after making the Daytona 500 to start the year.

Tribute

All teams carried decal stickers in memory of the 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech massacre the previous Monday; the stickers consisted of the athletic department's logo. In addition, Morgan-McClure Motorsports altered the look of the #4 car driven by Ward Burton to include the logo on the hood of the car. (Burton is from nearby South Boston, Virginia, and Morgan-McClure is based in Abingdon.) Many drivers, including Gordon, Stewart, and Hamlin, wore VT hats throughout the weekend, and PIR displayed the school flag.

In addition, many mechanics are from the school; most notable of these is Darian Grubb of the #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala.

Race results
Fin St Driver Car No. Make Points Bonus Laps Winnings
1 1 Jeff Gordon 24 Chevrolet 190 5 312 $251,411
2 9 Tony Stewart 20 Chevrolet 180 10 312 $209,411
3 3 Denny Hamlin 11 Chevrolet 170 5 312 $158,150
4 5 Jimmie Johnson 48 Chevrolet 160 312 $158,046
5 17 Matt Kenseth 17 Ford 155 312 $149,766
6 14 Jeff Green 66 Chevrolet 150 312 $124,283
7 24 Kyle Busch 5 Chevrolet 146 312 $97,875
8 26 Bobby Labonte 43 Dodge 142 312 $118,561
9 42 Johnny Sauter 70 Chevrolet 138 312 $79,925
10 8 Kevin Harvick 29 Chevrolet 139 5 312 $126,261
11 28 Carl Edwards 99 Ford 130 312 $83,625
12 20 Mark Martin 1 Chevrolet 127 312 $98,183
13 31 Jeff Burton 31 Chevrolet 124 312 $109,266
14 23 Tony Raines 96 Chevrolet 121 312 $81,925
15 27 Reed Sorenson 41 Dodge 118 312 $93,208
16 16 Joe Nemechek 13 Chevrolet 120 5 312 $65,275
17 18 Greg Biffle 16 Ford 112 312 $83,075
18 6 Kurt Busch 2 Dodge 109 312 $103,108
19 15 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8 Chevrolet 106 312 $110,058
20 7 Martin Truex Jr. 1 Chevrolet 103 311 $95,920
21 22 J. J. Yeley 18 Chevrolet 100 311 $97,883
22 12 Clint Bowyer 7 Chevrolet 97 311 $75,950
23 2 Jamie McMurray 26 Ford 94 310 $77,175
24 7 Robby Gordon 38 Ford 91 310 $67,475
25 33 Paul Menard * 15 Chevrolet 88 310 $65,350
26 39 Ricky Rudd 88 Ford 85 310 $98,658
27 37 Sterling Marlin 14 Chevrolet 87 5 309 $78,558
28 34 Ken Schrader 21 Ford 79 309 $86,889
29 43 Dale Jarrett 44 Toyota 76 309 $63,350
30 40 Kyle Petty 45 Dodge 78 5 309 $76,347
31 10 Kasey Kahne 9 Dodge 70 309 $110,266
32 25 David Reutimann * 0 Toyota 67 309 $65,925
33 36 Juan Pablo Montoya * 42 Dodge 64 309 $101,325
34 21 Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge 61 308 $83,520
35 30 David Gilliland 38 Ford 58 308 $89,764
36 35 Ward Burton 4 Chevrolet 55 305 $63,150
37 13 Casey Mears 25 Chevrolet 52 303 $70,275
38 19 Ryan Newman 12 Dodge 49 301 $94,200
39 11 Dave Blaney 22 Toyota 46 281 $70,000
40 29 Kenny Wallace 78 Chevrolet 43 279 $61,850
41 32 David Ragan * 6 Ford 40 264 $97,530
42 4 Scott Riggs 10 Dodge 37 250 $69,780
43 41 David Stremme 40 Dodge 34 248 $61,736

References
  1. Weather information for the 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. "Memorable Moments: Phoenix". NASCAR. November 7, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
Previous race:
2007 Samsung 500		 Nextel Cup Series
2007 season		 Next race:
2007 Aaron's 499
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