# 2007 Pepsi 400

The 2007 Pepsi 400 was the 18th race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and held on July 7, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
It was the final race at Daytona named the Pepsi 400; beginning in 2008, the race was sponsored by Coca-Cola's Coke Zero brand as the Coke Zero 400.

## Background

Entry list :
| # | Driver | Team | Make |
| 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 01 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 04 | Eric McClure | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford |
| 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 09 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Sterling Marlin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Paul Menard | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | J.J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Bill Elliott | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 37 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge |
| 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 45 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 49 | Larry Foyt | BAM Racing | Dodge |
| 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 60 | Boris Said | No Fear Racing | Ford |
| 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet |
| 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota |
| 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota |
| 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |

## Qualifying

Boris Said was on the pole with 14 cars left to qualify until a rainstorm stopped qualifying. Eventually, it was cancelled outright, sending home, among others, Said, Michael Waltrip, and Jeremy Mayfield who had each posted three of the six fastest attempts.
All times that were recorded were eliminated, and the starting lineup was set according to the NASCAR rule book. The pole sitter was Jeff Gordon, and Denny Hamlin sat on the outside. Ironically, this was the reverse of the previous week's finishing running order.
It was the first time in the speedway's history that a qualifying session was not completed, covering a total of 97 races. As a result of what happened, on January 21, 2008, NASCAR changed the rules that put those not in the Top 35 Owners' Points into a separate session in order to make the race, also called "The Boris Said Rule".

### Starting lineup

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 01 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 15 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 16 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 17 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 19 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 20 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge |
| 21 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 23 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford |
| 26 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge |
| 27 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 28 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge |
| 29 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 32 | 38 | David Gilliland | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 33 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 45 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 35 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota |
| 37 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 38 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 39 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 40 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 41 | 15 | Paul Menard | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 42 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 43 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet |
| Failed to qualify |||||
| 44 | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota |
| 45 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota |
| 46 | 49 | Larry Foyt | BAM Racing | Dodge |
| 47 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 48 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge |
| 49 | 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 50 | 60 | Boris Said | No Fear Racing | Ford |
| 51 | 09 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | 04 | Eric McClure | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 53 | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Chevrolet |

## Race

Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch created one of the most memorable finishes, running side-by-side for nearly 32 laps. McMurray defeated Busch to win the Pepsi 400 and claim his second victory and end a 166-race winless streak that had spanned since 2002, when he won in only his second start while subbing for Sterling Marlin. The final margin of victory was .005 seconds, tied for the second-closest margin in NASCAR history since electronic scoring and timing was adopted in 1993. The other Top 5 finishers were Kurt Busch in third, Carl Edwards in fourth, and Jeff Gordon in fifth.
As at the Daytona 500, some of the sport's biggest stars struggled. Kevin Harvick finished 34th while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin finished 36th, 38th, and 43rd respectively. Despite the fact there were many incidents throughout the race, most were relatively minor and the "Big One" never happened.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 15 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 3 | running | 190 | $302,500 |
| 2 | 11 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 20 | running | 175 | $207,275 |
| 3 | 16 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 160 | 45 | running | 170 | $197,033 |
| 4 | 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 160 | $158,325 |
| 5 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 9 | running | 160 | $172,261 |
| 6 | 18 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 150 | $130,750 |
| 7 | 12 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 55 | running | 156 | $123,800 |
| 8 | 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 142 | $151,416 |
| 9 | 27 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 138 | $148,916 |
| 10 | 4 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 134 | $156,086 |
| 11 | 32 | 38 | David Gilliland | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 130 | $133,514 |
| 12 | 24 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 127 | $137,250 |
| 13 | 10 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 124 | $125,995 |
| 14 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 121 | $129,875 |
| 15 | 25 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 93 | $98,000 |
| 16 | 5 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 115 | $132,366 |
| 17 | 9 | 01 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 112 | $122,283 |
| 18 | 35 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 109 | $95,100 |
| 19 | 21 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 11 | running | 111 | $119,150 |
| 20 | 17 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 103 | $123,658 |
| 21 | 41 | 15 | Paul Menard | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 100 | $92,050 |
| 22 | 26 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 97 | $91,325 |
| 23 | 40 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 160 | 0 | running | 94 | $115,658 |
| 24 | 38 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 160 | 2 | running | 96 | $109,339 |
| 25 | 43 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 1 | running | 93 | $86,575 |
| 26 | 42 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 160 | 0 | running | 85 | $99,583 |
| 27 | 37 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 160 | 0 | running | 82 | $84,775 |
| 28 | 34 | 45 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 79 | $98,808 |
| 29 | 36 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 160 | 0 | running | 76 | $86,925 |
| 30 | 33 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 73 | $86,750 |
| 31 | 31 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | running | 70 | $114,608 |
| 32 | 20 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 157 | 0 | running | 67 | $118,025 |
| 33 | 22 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 153 | 0 | running | 64 | $102,620 |
| 34 | 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 3 | running | 66 | $131,936 |
| 35 | 19 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 137 | 1 | running | 63 | $119,961 |
| 36 | 13 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | running | 55 | $128,283 |
| 37 | 30 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 131 | 0 | running | 52 | $100,247 |
| 38 | 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 125 | 0 | running | 49 | $131,086 |
| 39 | 23 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet | 120 | 0 | running | 46 | $90,425 |
| 40 | 29 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Ginn Racing | Chevrolet | 114 | 0 | crash | 43 | $82,280 |
| 41 | 39 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 105 | 0 | engine | 40 | $90,150 |
| 42 | 28 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 103 | 0 | running | 37 | $90,055 |
| 43 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 99 | 10 | running | 39 | $106,611 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | | | | | |
| 45 | | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | | | | | |
| 46 | | 49 | Larry Foyt | BAM Racing | Dodge | | | | | |
| 47 | | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | | | | | |
| 48 | | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | | | | | |
| 49 | | 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 60 | Boris Said | No Fear Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 51 | | 09 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 52 | | 04 | Eric McClure | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 53 | | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |