2007 Sylvania 300
The 2007 Sylvania 300 was the 27th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season and the first of the ten-race 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup championship series. The event was run on Sunday, September 16, 2007 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, and was the twelfth race to utilize the Car of Tomorrow template that will be used full-time starting in 2008.
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[edit] Pre-race news
- John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox and part owner of Roush Fenway Racing confirmed reports that he and co-owner Jack Roush have been in negotiations to buy New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob Bahre.
- Gillett Evernham Motorsports was also in the news, first with rumors that they merge with Petty Enterprises, which owns the #43 and #45 cars driven by Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty respectively, but making that a separate operation altogether; the other announcing that Boris Said would drive the #98 Dodge Avenger research and development car that they own for this race. Said originally failed to make the race, but got back in the when the #49 BAM Racing ride of John Andretti was disqualified after failing a post-race inspection. IndyCar driver Sam Hornish also tried his hand in a NEXTEL Cup car, driving the #06 Dodge, but failed to qualify.
- A lawsuit was filed by drivers Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin and crew chiefs Richard "Slugger" Labbe and Peter Sospenzo against Bobby Ginn and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as both the drivers and their crew chiefs lost their jobs after Ginn, who was the owner of Ginn Racing merged with DEI over back pay. A DEI spokesperson said that they are not responsible for all drivers and crew chiefs contracts following the merger.
- Ken Schrader returns to the #21 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford Fusion, while Jeff Gordon will be making his 500th consecutive Cup Series start.
- Kasey Kahne and GEM also announced the new sponsorship for Kahne's #9 Dodge in light of DaimlerChrysler's buyout. Budweiser will be the new sponsor starting in 2008.
- ESPN reported that Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s new car number and sponsors (either #81 or #88 and PepsiCo, respectively) for the 2008 season will be announced at a press conference Wednesday (September 19) in Dallas, Texas. If the #88 from Yates Racing is used, then new owner Doug Yates may revive the #28, which his team still owns the rights to.
[edit] Qualifying
2007 Chase driver Clint Bowyer of Richard Childress Racing, with a speed of 130.412 mph, grabbed his second career pole. Fellow Chase newcomer Martin Truex Jr. will start alongside him.
Failed to Qualify: Dale Jarrett (#44), Sam Hornish Jr. (#06), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Michael Waltrip (#55), Kevin Lepage (#37), Boris Said (#98).*
* — Note: The #49 car of John Andretti failed a test in the post-qualifying inspection. As a result, his time, which would have locked him in the race, was disqualified, allowing Said to get into the race.
[edit] Race
For Clint Bowyer, he would enter the Chase as the only driver without a victory. That all changed on Sunday when Bowyer and the 07 team flat out crushed the field, leading 222 of 300 laps en route to his first career victory. In the process, he leaped from 12th place in the Chase to fourth with the victory. Jeff Gordon finished second, followed by Tony Stewart. Jimmie Johnson retained the lead on Jeff Gordon in the Chase on more wins (six to four).
For the first time since the 1996 Tyson Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the entire starting field finished a NASCAR Cup Series race. This was only the fourth time in NASCAR history that this has happened; the 1959 200-lap race at the Music City Motorplex where all 12 starting cars finished, two consecutive Tyson Holly Farm 400 races (1995-96) at North Wilkesboro Speedway where all 36 cars starting finished; and the 2007 Sylvania 400 where all 43 starters finished. This 2007 Sylvania 300 does mark the first race in NASCAR's modern era where all cars in a 43-driver field finished.
[edit] Finishing Order
Top Ten Results: (NOTE: Drivers in the Chase in Bold Italics.)
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |
| 2. | #24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 3. | #20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4. | #5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5. | #1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Incorporated |
| 6. | #48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 7. | #17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 8. | #25 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9. | #12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Penske Racing |
| 10. | #18 | J.J. Yeley | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing |
