# 2007 Daytona 500

The 2007 Daytona 500, the 49th running of the event, was the first race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, taking place on February 18, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Kevin Harvick won the race by 0.02 second over Mark Martin in the closest finish since the first race at Daytona International Speedway when it took three days to declare Lee Petty the winner in 1959. The race was decided by a green-white-checker finish for the third year in a row, with two extra laps added for a total of 202 laps and 505 miles (813 km).
That was Mark Martin's first 500 race not driving for Jack Roush since 1986.

## Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | David Reutimann (R) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 01 | Mark Martin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 04 | Eric McClure | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Ward Burton (W) | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | David Ragan (R) | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (W) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 09 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Sterling Marlin (W) | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Paul Menard (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 18 | J. J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Ken Schrader | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | Mike Skinner | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Stanton Barrett | Ware Racing Enterprises | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge |
| 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 37 | Bill Elliott (W) | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge |
| 38 | David Gilliland (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 39 | Regan Smith (R) | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 44 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge |
| 55 | Michael Waltrip (W) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 58 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 60 | Boris Said | No Fear Racing | Ford |
| 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 71 | Frank Kimmel (R) | Fast Track Racing | Chevrolet |
| 72 | Brandon Whitt (R) | CJM Racing | Chevrolet |
| 74 | Derrike Cope (W) | McGlynn Racing | Dodge |
| 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet |
| 83 | Brian Vickers | Team Red Bull | Toyota |
| 84 | A. J. Allmendinger (R) | Team Red Bull | Toyota |
| 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford |
| Official Entry list ||||

## Qualifying

Tony Stewart, driving the #20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for Joe Gibbs Racing, won the first Gatorade Duel race, while Jeff Gordon drove the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the checkered flag in the second race. However, widespread rules infractions that affected five teams – the #17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion team of Matt Kenseth, the three Evernham Motorsports Dodge Charger teams of Kasey Kahne (#9), Scott Riggs (#10) and Elliott Sadler (#19 car) – were discovered during the Pole Qualifying on February 11. But, a sixth team – the #55 Toyota Camry from Michael Waltrip Racing driven by the teams' owner – suffered the most severe punishment handed out by the motorsports sanctioning body since 2000, as it was docked 100 driver and owner points, causing it to leave Daytona with negative owner and championship points (−27 points). In addition, Gordon was penalized with the loss of his starting position after the #24 Chevrolet failed a post-race inspection because of an improper spoiler height. His starting position was changed from fourth to 42nd. There were no other penalties assessed against himself or the team and he remained listed as the winner of the second duel race.
When all was said and done, Robert Yates Racing swept the top two positions, with David Gilliland driving the #38 Ford Fusion to the pole at 186.320 mph (299.853 km/h), with his teammate, Ricky Rudd in the #88 Fusion alongside a mere 0.185 seconds behind.
Bill Elliott was not the only past Daytona 500 champion to miss the race, as 25 other cars battled for a set of seven spots in the starting grid. Ward Burton (who won in 2002) and Derrike Cope (the 1990 winner) did not qualify from their respective races. Elliott was not eligible for the past champion's provisional, as it was given to Dale Jarrett, who was the more recent champion.
Before the green flag the following drivers dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: #00 – David Reutimann (transmission change), #18 – J. J. Yeley (transmission change), #41 – Reed Sorenson (transmission change). #24 – Jeff Gordon (failed post race inspection after winning the Gatorade Duel race #2, Gordon was supposed to start 4th).

## Pre-race

Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of American Idol and spokesperson for the 2007 edition of "NASCAR Day", performed in the pre-race "Salute to America" concert, with her set consisting of Since U Been Gone, One Minute (from her third studio album My December) and Miss Independent. Big and Rich sang the National Anthem, while Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage served as the grand marshal of the event, giving the command to have the drivers start their engines in a low-key manner. Baseball ironman and 2007 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame Cal Ripken Jr. drove the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 pace car for the pre-race laps, and Phil Parsons, the brother of Benny Parsons, who had died of complications from lung cancer prior to the season, was given the honor of dropping the green flag for the race.

## Race summary

David Gilliland was in the front of the field when the green flag waved. The first caution came on lap 16 when Boris Said moved up the track coming off of turn 2, most likely unaware that David Reutimann was there, and spun. He had very minor damage and continued the race from there. The race then stayed under the green flag for about 60 laps, during which Tony Stewart took the lead from Kurt Busch. On lap 79, Kyle Petty hit the wall after his rear tire blew out, bringing out another yellow flag. He went behind the wall for repairs. Reutimann obtained the free pass to return to the lead lap. Kurt Busch took the lead again during most of the next green flag period, only being passed by Ryan Newman for one lap on lap 128, and then by Stewart again on lap 150.
On lap 152, Stewart got on the apron in turn 4, got loose, and spun into Kurt Busch. He spun to a halt, while Busch kept the engine going and went to the garage area for repairs. However, with 46 laps to go, he was unable to continue and did not finish the race. A fourth caution came on lap 175 when a 5-car crash involving Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Green and Tony Raines occurred in the backstretch. Mark Martin took the lead shortly before the yellow flag came out. Another crash which took out Ken Schrader happened on lap 186, after contact from Dave Blaney who was parked for the remainder of the race (who may have been unaware of his right front tire being flat according to Darrell Waltrip). With 5 laps to go, Matt Kenseth ran into Jamie McMurray, who hit the wall and collected Dale Earnhardt Jr. with him. Ricky Rudd and Martin Truex Jr. were collected as well. Rudd remained on the lead lap, but Truex fell a lap down. McMurray and Earnhardt Jr. both were out of the race, finishing 31st and 32nd, respectively. The race was delayed for approximately 12 minutes for cleanup under the red flag. This set up a green-white-checkered finish.
With 2 laps to go, an outside line began to form, with Kevin Harvick, Kenseth and Jeff Burton. Martin came to the white flag looking for a victory. On the backstretch, Kyle Busch, sitting 2nd place, tried both ways to get around Martin. Meanwhile, Kenseth began to bump-draft Harvick, with Burton in tow. Harvick flew by David Stremme, Gilliland, Mike Wallace, David Ragan and Greg Biffle. Busch, trying to get around Martin and block Harvick at the same, nearly squeezed Harvick into the wall as Harvick zipped past him and pulled even with Martin. Harvick and Martin, Busch and Kenseth, and Biffle and Burton were side by side out of turn 4. With the checkered flag in sight, Busch hit the apron, getting him loose. He spun out and started a chain reaction collecting most of the field. Clint Bowyer took the worst hit, turning over on his roof and skidding across the finish line on it while on fire before flipping back upright in the grass. Harvick beat Martin by .02 of a second to claim the victory. After being 6th place out of turn 4, Burton finished 3rd. Mike Wallace and David Ragan were surprises, rounding out the Top 5.

## Results

| Pos | Grid | Car No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps Led | Status |
| 1 | 34 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 4 | Running |
| 2 | 26 | 01 | Mark Martin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 26 | Running |
| 3 | 7 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 4 | 22 | 09 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 5 | 35 | 6 | David Ragan (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 6 | 30 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 7 | 28 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 8 | 1 | 38 | David Gilliland (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 202 | 18 | Running |
| 9 | 18 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 10 | 42 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 11 | 6 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 12 | 12 | 18 | J. J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 13 | 33 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 14 | 23 | 60 | Boris Said | No Fear Racing | Ford | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 15 | 39 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 16 | 41 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 17 | 38 | 14 | Sterling Marlin (W) | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 1 | Running |
| 18 | 11 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 19 | 36 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 20 | 17 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 21 | 17 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 22 | 43 | 44 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 23 | 14 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 24 | 8 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 202 | 4 | Running |
| 25 | 25 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 26 | 2 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 202 | 0 | Running |
| 27 | 10 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 202 | 6 | Running |
| 28 | 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | Flagged |
| 29 | 13 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 201 | 13 | Flagged |
| 30 | 15 | 55 | Michael Waltrip (W) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | Flagged |
| 31 | 24 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | Accident |
| 32 | 5 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (W) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | Accident |
| 33 | 20 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | Flagged |
| 34 | 37 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 186 | 0 | Parked |
| 35 | 19 | 21 | Ken Schrader | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 | Accident |
| 36 | 31 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 181 | 0 | Flagged |
| 37 | 32 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 179 | 0 | Flagged |
| 38 | 16 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 175 | 1 | Engine |
| 39 | 21 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 173 | 0 | Accident |
| 40 | 40 | 00 | David Reutimann (R) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 173 | 0 | Accident |
| 41 | 4 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | 166 | 95 | Flagged |
| 42 | 29 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 160 | 0 | Flagged |
| 43 | 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 152 | 35 | Accident |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||||
| 44 | | 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge | | | |
| 45 | | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | | | |
| 46 | | 15 | Paul Menard (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | | | |
| 47 | | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | | | |
| 48 | | 34 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | | | |
| 49 | | 74 | Derrike Cope (W) | McGlynn Racing | Dodge | | | |
| 50 | | 30 | Stanton Barrett (R) | Ware Racing Enterprises | Chevrolet | | | |
| 51 | | 39 | Regan Smith (R) | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | | | |
| 52 | | 37 | Bill Elliott (W) | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | | | |
| 53 | | 71 | Frank Kimmel (R) | Fast Track Racing | Chevrolet | | | |
| 54 | | 72 | Brandon Whitt (R) | CJM Racing | Chevrolet | | | |
| 55 | | 58 | James Hylton | Hylton Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | |
| 56 | | 04 | Eric McClure (R) | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | |
| 57 | | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Chevrolet | | | |
| 58 | | 4 | Ward Burton (W) | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | |
| 59 | | 83 | Brian Vickers | Team Red Bull | Toyota | | | |
| 60 | | 23 | Mike Skinner | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | | | |
| 61 | | 84 | A. J. Allmendinger (R) | Team Red Bull | Toyota | | | |
| Source: |||||||||

## Controversy over the finish

Because of an incident between Casey Mears and Dale Jarrett at the 2003 Sylvania 300 in New Hampshire International Speedway, NASCAR mandated a "freezing of the field" policy whenever a caution flag is thrown, effectively ending the phenomenon that is racing back to the caution. Such a flag did not fly after the last-lap crash. There is some disputed visual evidence that suggests that, if the caution had flown strictly according to NASCAR rules, Martin may have won.
The issue was especially passionate because Martin was in his 23rd Daytona 500 start and had never won. Such a win, arguably, would have been popular with fans, similar to Dale Earnhardt's 1998 victory (in his 20th start) or Darrell Waltrip's 1989 triumph (in his 17th). Martin retired following the 2013 season, never having achieved a Daytona 500 victory in his 29 attempts.
In some races, NASCAR has permitted the cars to run to the finish in case of more "minor" spins on the last lap.