2007 Auto Club 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2007 Auto Club 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | February 25, 2007 | ||
| Official name | 11th Annual Auto Club 500 | ||
| Location | Fontana, California, California Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 250 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 138.451 miles per hour (222.815 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 87,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 38.765 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Laps | 133 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2007 Auto Club 500 was the second stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the 11th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 25, 2007, before an audience of 87,000 in Fontana, California, at California Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 250 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, both drivers for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
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Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a two-mile (3.2 km), low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023. It was also used for open wheel racing events. The racetrack was located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and Riverside International Raceway. The track was owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and was the only track owned by ISC to have its naming rights sold. The speedway was served by the nearby Interstate 10 and Interstate 15 freeways as well as a Metrolink station located behind the backstretch.
Entry list
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
[edit]First practice
[edit]The first practice session was held on Friday, February 23, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Joe Nemechek, driving for Ginn Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 38.873 and an average speed of 185.219 miles per hour (298.081 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 38.873 | 185.219 |
| 2 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.965 | 184.781 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.980 | 184.710 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
[edit]The second practice session was held on Saturday, February 24, at 2:00 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Clint Bowyer, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.686 and an average speed of 181.424 miles per hour (291.974 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 39.686 | 181.424 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.691 | 181.401 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 39.727 | 181.237 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
[edit]The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, February 24, at 5:20 PM EST. The session would last for 50 minutes. Kevin Harvick, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 40.380 and an average speed of 178.306 miles per hour (286.956 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 40.380 | 178.306 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.398 | 178.227 |
| 3 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 40.441 | 178.037 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
[edit]Qualifying was held on Friday, February 23, at 1:30 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] While positions 1-42 would be determined by qualifying speed, the top 35 teams in owner's points would be assured that they would earn a spot in the field if they had managed to make an effort to qualify. The remaining seven positions from positions 36-42 would be assigned to those drivers with the fastest qualifying speeds whose car owners are not among the top 35. The final starting position, position 43, can be utilized by a car owner whose driver is a current or past NASCAR Nextel Cup champion who participated as a driver during the current of previous season and was entered in the event for that owner in that car prior to the entry deadline. In the case that iff there was more than one series champion vying for the position, it would be given to the most recent series champion. If the final provisional starting position is not filled by a current or past series champion, it will be assigned to the next eligible car owner according to qualifying results.[4]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 38.765 and an average speed of 185.735 miles per hour (298.912 km/h).[5]
Eight drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
[edit]Race results
[edit]Standings after the race
[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ Harris, Mike (February 25, 2007). "Kenseth puts Daytona behind him with win". NASCAR. Archived from the original on February 28, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "Kenseth Bounces Back With Auto Club Win". The Washington Post. February 25, 2007. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2007 California 1 Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2007 Past Champion Provisional Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ Mejía, Diego (February 23, 2007). "Gordon on pole at California". Autosport. Retrieved March 3, 2023.