2007 Centurion Boats at the Glen
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season | |||
 Watkins Glen grand prix race course | |||
| Date | August 12, 2007 | ||
| Official name | Centurion Boats at the Glen | ||
| Location | Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.45 mi (3.942 km) | ||
| Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 77.535 miles per hour (124.780 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 2007 Owner's Points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 51 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Jerry Punch, Andy Petree and Rusty Wallace | ||
The 2007 Centurion Boats at the Glen was the twenty-second race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season, and was run on Sunday, August 12, 2007 at Watkins Glen Raceway in New York. This road course race was one of only two races scheduled in NASCAR's premier series not on oval-shaped tracks, and was the ninth race that featured NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, a safety-driven automobile that is being used in the 2008 season full-time.
Qualifying
The scheduled qualifying was cancelled due to rain, and the field was set by NASCAR's rulebook, meaning points leader Jeff Gordon was on the pole.
Failed to make race as qualifying was cancelled due to rain: Marcos Ambrose (#77)*, A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Ward Burton (#4), Klaus Graf (#49), Boris Said (#60)*, Brian Simo (#37).
* - It was announced on August 11 that Said would replace Bill Elliott in the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing #21 Ford for the race. By rule, that car started in the 43rd position. Said was upset that he wasn't able to qualify in his car, so Elliott offered him his car.
*- Also Marcos Ambrose was given RGM's #77 car for the weekend as a peace offering because Robby Gordon intentionally turned Marcos Ambrose away from a NBS win at Montreal the previous week. Robby was fined $50,000 and suspended from the NSCS Pocono race as a result.
Race
Tony Stewart won the race, his third in the last four Cup events.
The final 18 laps at the Glen were extraordinary. It began with a multi-car incident in Turn 1 with, among others, Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Jeff Burton. Harvick and Montoya then left their cars and traded insults and shoves. Even though it was clear that Montoya did not cause the accident Kevin Harvick said "I'd rather kick his (expletive)" when interviewed. Kevin was put on temporary probation for the rest of the year because his part in the feud violated a warning NASCAR gave him after Kevin caused a pile-up at Montreal the previous week and ended up winning.
Due to an extensive amount of cleanup needed, the race was held under a red flag for nearly 30 minutes. During that time, a spectator attempted to get Matt Kenseth's autograph. Kenseth declined and the fan was later arrested. Police have identified the fan as Brett Hilbert of Kenmore, New York.[1]
With two laps to go, Jeff Gordon, who had led 51 of the first 88 laps, spun out, also in Turn 1. Stewart inherited the lead. On the last lap, Carl Edwards, who was battling Stewart for the win, overdrove the car into turn 10, the 2nd to final turn on the course, through the gravel trap, and wound up finishing eighth, Stewart coasted to the win, his fourth at the track; that tied Gordon for the most in series history. Denny Hamlin finished second, making it a 1-2 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The switch of Boris Said for Bill Elliott worked, as Said finished 14th, which was high enough for the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing's famous #21 to vault past Bill Davis Racing #22 for 35th in the season-long owners' standings and guarantee Elliott a place in the following week's 3M Performance 400.
In the points, Gordon leads second-place Denny Hamlin by 343 points. Kurt Busch remains 12th with a 90-point cushion for the last Chase position. Ryan Newman is now 13th, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 14th.
Results
Top ten results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | #20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2. | #11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 3. | #48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 4. | #96 | Ron Fellows | Chevrolet | Hall of Fame Racing |
| 5. | #7 | Robby Gordon | Ford | Robby Gordon Motorsports |
| 6. | #1 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. |
| 7. | #5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 8. | #99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 9. | #24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 10. | #16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |