2007 Dodge Avenger 500


The 2007 Dodge Avenger 500, the 51st running of the race that traces its lineage to the 1957 Rebel 300, 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, the second race in two weeks to be rained out. Ironically, 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.

Race weekend

Qualifying

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.

Race

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, 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 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.
FinStDriverCar #MakePointsBonusLapsWinnings
110Jeff Gordon24Chevrolet1905367$323,286
27Denny Hamlin11Chevrolet18010367$211,550
312Jimmie Johnson48Chevrolet1705367$197,761
429Ryan Newman12Dodge1655367$159,875
54Carl Edwards99Ford1605367$125,475
626Tony Stewart20Chevrolet150367$145,961
731Matt Kenseth17Ford1515367$143,516
821Dale Earnhardt Jr.8Chevrolet142367$133,033
91Clint Bowyer7Chevrolet1435367$114,575
1034Jeff Burton31Chevrolet134367$127,541
1125Martin Truex Jr.1Chevrolet130367$112,320
1218Kurt Busch2Dodge127367$119,108
1328Sterling Marlin14Chevrolet124367$104,433
1437Mark Martin1Chevrolet121367$108,308
152Greg Biffle16Ford118367$97,700
163Jamie McMurray26Ford115367$89,850
179Kevin Harvick29Chevrolet112367$125,886
1822J.J. Yeley18Chevrolet109367$108,183
1913Bobby Labonte43Dodge106367$117,036
205Kasey Kahne9Dodge103367$124,616
2117Elliott Sadler19Dodge1055367$96,370
2239Jeff Green66Chevrolet97365$100,008
2341Juan Montoya *42Dodge94365$113,575
246Kenny Wallace78Chevrolet91365$75,775
2542Kyle Petty45Dodge88364$87,233
2640Ricky Rudd88Ford85364$105,333
2724David Ragan *6Ford82363$109,425
2835Joe Nemechek13Chevrolet79363$69,950
2919Johnny Sauter70Chevrolet76361$69,750
3038David Gilliland38Ford73361$100,289
3123Paul Menard *15Chevrolet70358$69,325
3227Dave Blaney22Toyota725355$89,197
3314David Reutimann *0Toyota64351$69,925
3430David Stremme40Dodge61349$68,850
3511Casey Mears25Chevrolet58345$76,600
3620A. J. Allmendinger *84Toyota55344$68,450
3736Kyle Busch5Chevrolet52338$86,250
3833Robby Gordon7Ford49317$68,025
3932Tony Raines96Chevrolet46310$78,400
4016Reed Sorenson41Dodge43310$75,750
418Ken Schrader21Ford455254$87,839
4243Kevin Lepage37Dodge37127$68,280
4315Brian Vickers83Toyota34122$67,382