2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (Start Your Engines!)

Category:Start Your Engines!
The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 59th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 36th modern-era Cup series season.
The season was the final year that the NASCAR Cup Series was known as the Nextel Cup Series. As a result of the 2005 merger of Nextel Communications with Sprint Corporation, and the subsequent decision by the newly named Sprint Nextel Corporation, the name of the series was changed to the Sprint Cup Series for 2008.
==Top stories and controversies==
===Joe Gibbs Racing to Toyota===
During the season rumors began to surface that Joe Gibbs Racing, owned by then-Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, would be switching to the new manufacturer Toyota for the 2008 season. This switch would be significant for several reasons, one of them being that JGR had been allied with General Motors since its inception in 1992, first with Chevrolet then beginning in 1997 with Pontiac, then switched back to Chevrolet in 2003, a year before Pontiac left NASCAR. The switch to Toyota would benefit the manufacturer itself, as they would be allied with a championship-caliber team. As JGR loans equipment to Hall of Fame Racing, the team confirmed that they would also switch to Toyota if JGR did so. On September 5, the rumors were confirmed.
===Dale Jarrett announces retirement===
During the race weekend for the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing held a press conference. During the announcement, it was revealed to the racing world that Dale Jarrett would retire from full-time driving following the end of the 2008 season. After 2008, Jarrett would hand over the #18 car to Kyle Busch, and joined ESPN as a color commentator, just as his father Ned is a color commentator for CBS.
=== Goodyear strike and the return of Hoosier ===
In late 2006, Goodyear workers went on strike, putting tire production in jeopardy. NASCAR met with Hoosier and created a backup plan that called for Hoosier to produce tires for the 2007 season. The strike was not resolved in time for the season, and most of the season was run on Hoosier tires across all three national series and all regional series that had been running Goodyears; 2007 marked the first year Hoosiers ran in the Cup Series since 1994. Hoosier's return ended up being one of the top stories of Speedweeks, along with the various cheating scandals during qualifying. Goodyear tires finally returned in time for the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega in the fall. Hoosier, however, did not leave, and both tire makes remained in the Cup Series as insurance against potential future strikes. This had the unfortunate side-effect of sparking a third tire war between the two makes (due to the strike anulling Goodyear's contract as the exclusive tire supplier of NASCAR), a war that is still ongoing as of 2021 and expanded in 2015 when Firestone entered the fray.
==Teams and drivers==
Each Nextel Cup race had a field of 42 cars.
For the first five races of 2007, the top 35 teams in owners points (not drivers' points) in 2006 earned an exemption into each race. If a driver went to a new team, he did not have a guaranteed starting spot, but his old team did, except if that new team was an exempt team. If a past champion is not driving for an exempt team (outside the top 35 in owner points), he may be eligible to use a past champions' provisional to enter the race. The provisional guarantees a spot to the most recent champion not exempt, but those who are former champions will be limited to six for the entire 2007 season.
Teams not exempt must "race" their way in during qualifying – if 47 cars are attempting to make the race, and no one is using a provisional, then there are 12 cars racing for eight spots, and the eight fastest cars will make the race. (The Daytona 500, which uses a different qualifying procedure, is the only exception to this rule, though the top 35 are still locked in.)
Starting with the sixth race in 2007, the top 35 teams were awarded exemptions for the next race.
===Complete schedule===
Manufacturer	Team 	No.	Race driver 	Crew chief 	Model
Chevrolet 	Cale Yarborough Motorsports 	98 	Jeremy Mayfield 	 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 	01 	Mark Martin 	Dan Stillman 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 	1 	Martin Truex Jr. 	Kevin Manion 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 	8 	Dale Earnhardt Jr. 	Tony Eury Jr.
Tony Gibson	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 	14 	Sterling Marlin 	Ryan Pemberton 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 	48 	Jimmie Johnson 	Chad Knaus 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Furniture Row Racing 	78 	Kenny Wallace 	Jay Guy 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Furniture Row Racing 	78 	Scott Wimmer 	Jay Guy 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Furniture Row Racing 	78 	Sterling Marlin 	Jay Guy 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Furniture Row Racing 	78 	Joe Nemechek 	Jay Guy 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Furniture Row Racing 	78 	David Gilliland 	 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Haas CNC Racing 	166	Jeff Green 	Harold Holly 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Haas CNC Racing 	170	Johnny Sauter 	Bootie Barker 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hall of Fame Racing 	96 	Tony Raines 	Brandon Thomas 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hall of Fame Racing 	96 	Ron Fellows 	Brandon Thomas 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	5 	Kyle Busch 	Alan Gustafson 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	25 	Ricky Hendrick 	Steve Letarte
Jeff Meendering	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	35 	Casey Atwood 	Darian Grubb 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	50 	Casey Mears 	 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	11 	Denny Hamlin 	Mike Ford 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	18 	Dale Jarrett 	Steve Addington 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	20 	Tony Stewart 	Greg Zipadelli 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Morgan-McClure Motorsports 	4 	Todd Bodine 	Chris Carrier 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	07 	Clint Bowyer 	Gil Martin 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	3 	Kevin Harvick 	 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	30 	Dave Blaney 	Todd Berrier 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	31 	Jeff Burton 	Scott Miller 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Dodge 	AK Racing 	7 	James Kulwicki (R) 	Chris Andrews 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	BAM Racing 	49 	Mike Bliss 	Lee McCall 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	BAM Racing 	49 	Klaus Graf 	Lee McCall 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	BAM Racing 	49 	Chad Chaffin 	Lee McCall 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	BAM Racing 	49 	Larry Foyt 	Lee McCall 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	BAM Racing 	49 	Ken Schrader 	Lee McCall 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	22 	Jeff Gordon 	Tommy Baldwin Jr.	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	23 	Bobby Labonte 	Derrick Finley 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	24 	Ward Burton 	Slugger Labbe 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates	40 	David Stremme 	Steven Lane 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates	41 	Reed Sorenson 	Jimmy Elledge 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Chip Ganassi Racing
with Felix Sabates	42 	Juan Pablo Montoya (R)	Donnie Wingo 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Gillett Evernham Motorsports 	9 	Kasey Kahne 	Keith Rodden
Kenny Francis	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Gillett Evernham Motorsports 	10 	Scott Riggs 	Ray Evernham
Rodney Childers
Scott McDougall	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Gillett Evernham Motorsports 	10 	Patrick Carpentier 	Ray Evernham
Rodney Childers
Scott McDougall	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Gillett Evernham Motorsports 	19 	Casey Elliott 	Ernie Elliott 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Kelman Racing 	86 	Ryan Kelman 	Scott Searle 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	McDuffie Racing 	170	Crissy Hillsworth 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Moroso-Rudd Racing 	82 	Rob Moroso 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Moroso-Rudd Racing 	83 	Brendan Gaughan 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Moroso-Rudd Racing 	84 	Shawna Robinson 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	60 	Chloe Johnson 	Jed Luke 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	69 	Jenny Smith 	Barry Baker 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	80 	Tim Johnson 	Charlie Davis 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	85 	Belle Armstrong 	Scott Smith 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Penske Racing South 	2 	Kurt Busch 	Roy McCauley 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Penske Racing South 	12 	Tim Richmond 	Mike Nelson 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Penske Racing South 	39 	Ryan Newman 	Troy Raker 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Penske Racing South 	77 	Blaise Alexander 	Pat Tryson 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Petty Enterprises 	43 	John Andretti 	Paul Andrews 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Petty Enterprises 	44 	Kyle Petty 	Doug Randolph 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Petty Enterprises 	45 	Adam Petty 	Billy Wilburn 	2007 Charger
Ford 	Orr Motorsports 	37 	Rodney Orr 	 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robby Gordon Motorsports 	107	Robby Gordon 	Greg Erwin
Gene Nead
Peter Sospenzo	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robby Gordon Motorsports 	107	P. J. Jones 	Greg Erwin
Gene Nead
Peter Sospenzo	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robert Yates Racing 	08 	Paul Menard (R) 	 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robert Yates Racing 	28 	Clifford Allison 	Todd Parrott 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robert Yates Racing 	38 	Elliott Sadler 	Butch Hylton 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robert Yates Racing 	88 	Ernie Irvan 	Cully Barraclough	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	6 	David Ragan (R) 	Jimmy Fennig 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	16 	Greg Biffle 	Pat Tryson
Greg Erwin	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	26 	Jamie McMurray 	Larry Carter 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	66 	Matt Kenseth 	Chip Bolin
Robbie Reiser	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	99 	Carl Edwards 	Bob Osborne 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Steele Racing with Brett Favre	15 	Tim Steele 	 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Steele Racing with Brett Favre	90 	Davey Allison 	 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Wood Brothers/JTG Racing 	21 	Bill Elliott 	Ernie Cope
Michael McSwain
Gene Nead	2007 Fusion
Pontiac 	Kennedy Racing 	03 	Melvin Kennedy 	Mark Cutter 	2007 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	Kennedy Racing 	04 	Louise Kennedy (R) 	 	2007 Grand Prix
Toyota 	Michael Waltrip Racing 	00 	David Reutimann (R) 	Frankie Kerr 	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Michael Waltrip Racing 	00 	P. J. Jones 	Frankie Kerr 	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Michael Waltrip Racing 	55 	Michael Waltrip 	Scott Eggelston 7
Buddy Sisco 29	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Michael Waltrip Racing 	55 	Terry Labonte 	Scott Eggelston 7
Buddy Sisco 29	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Michael Waltrip Racing 	144	Kenny Irwin Jr. 	Matt Borland
Jason Burdett	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Team Red Bull 	183	Brian Vickers 	Doug Richert
Randy Cox	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Team Red Bull 	184	A. J. Allmendinger (R)	Ricky Viers 	2007 Camry
=== Limited schedule ===
Manufacturer	Team 	No.	Race driver 	Crew chief 	Model
Chevrolet 	CJM Racing 	72 	Brandon Whitt 	Sammy Speaks 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Ginn Racing 	13 	Joe Nemechek 	Peter Sospenzo 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Ginn Racing 	139	Regan Smith 	Doug Randolph 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Hylton Motorsports 	58 	James Hylton 	James Hylton Jr.	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	180	Aric Almirola 	Jason Ratcliff 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Kirk Shelmerdine Racing 	27 	Kerk Shelmerdine 	Phil Harris 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Morgan-McClure Motorsports 	04 	Eric McClure 	Robert Larkins 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Phoenix Racing 	09 	Mike Wallace 	Fred Wanke 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	33 	Scott Wimmer 	Bobby Leslie 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Chevrolet 	Rick Ware Racing 	130	Stanton Barrett 	Cal Northrop 	2007 Monte Carlo SS
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	27 	Jacques Villeneuve	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	36 	Jeremy Mayfield 	Derrick Finely 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	36 	Mike Skinner 	Derrick Finely 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	36 	Johnny Benson 	Derrick Finely 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	123	Mike Skinner 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	123	Butch Leitzinger 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Brandon Ash Racing 	02 	Brandon Ash 	Kenneth Wood 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	E&M Motorsports 	08 	Joe Nemechek 	Mark Tutor 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	E&M Motorsports 	08 	Carl Long 	Mark Tutor 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	E&M Motorsports 	08 	Burney Lamar 	Mark Tutor 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Front Row Motorsports 	34 	Kevin Lepage 	Randy Seals 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Front Row Motorsports 	34 	Stanton Barrett 	Randy Seals 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Front Row Motorsports 	137	Kevin Lepage 	Mark Tutor 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Front Row Motorsports 	137	Brian Simo 	Mark Tutor 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Gillett Evernham Motorsports 	198	Boris Said 	Randy Seals 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	McGlynn Racing 	74 	Derrike Cope 	Dom Turse 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	02 	Dennis Malone 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	70 	Ace Johnson 	 	2007 Charger
Dodge 	Penske Racing South 	06 	Sam Hornish Jr. 	Roy McCauley 	2007 Charger
Ford 	Fast Track Racing 	71 	Frank Kimmel 	Andy Hillenburg 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Robby Gordon Motorsports 	77 	Marcos Ambrose 	Ernie Cope 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Wood Brothers Racing/JTG Daugherty Racing	47 	Ken Schrader 	Gene Nead 	2007 Fusion
Ford 	Wood Brothers Racing/JTG Daugherty Racing	47 	Jon Wood 	Gene Nead 	2007 Fusion
Toyota 	Riley D'Hondt Motorsports 	91 	Marc Goossens 	Jerry Pitts 	2007 Camry
Toyota 	Wyler Racing 	46 	Johnny Benson 	Tony Furr 	2007 Camry
== Schedule ==
No.	Race title 	Track 	Date 	TV
1 	Toyota/Save Mart 350 	Infineon Raceway, Sonoma 	January 29 	Fox
 	Budweiser Shootout 	Daytona Internationa Speedway, Daytona Beach 	February 10 	CBS
 	Gatorade Duels 	Daytona Internationa Speedway, Daytona Beach 	February 15 	CBS
2 	Daytona 500 by Toyota 	Daytona Internationa Speedway, Daytona Beach 	February 18 	CBS
3 	Subway 400 	North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham 	February 25 	Fox
4 	San Jose 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy 	March 4 	Fox
5 	UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 	Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas 	March 11 	Fox
6 	Kobalt Tools 500 	Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton 	March 18 	Fox
7 	Food City 500 	Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol 	March 25 	Fox
8 	Goody's Cool Orange 500 	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway 	April 1 	Fox
9 	Diet Coke 500 	Coca-Cola Superspeedway, Denver 	April 8 	Fox
10 	Samsung 500 	Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth 	April 15 	Fox
11 	TranSouth Financial 400 	Darlington Raceway, Darlington 	April 21 	Fox
12 	Aaron's 499 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln 	April 28 	Fox
13 	Crown Royal Presents The Jim Stewart 400 	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond 	May 6 	Fox
14 	Auto Club 500 	California Speedway, Fontana 	May 13 	Fox
 	Nextel Open 	Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 19 	Speed
 	Nextel All-Star Challenge 	Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 19 	Speed
15 	Coca-Cola 600 	Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 27 	CBS
16 	Autism Society 400 presented by Visa * 	Dover International Speedway, Dover 	June 4 	Fox
17 	Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 	The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis 	June 10 	TBS
18 	Dodge Avenger 400 	Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth 	June 17 	TBS
19 	Budweiser 400 	Riverside International Speedway, Riverside 	June 24 	TBS
20 	Lenox Industrial Tools 300 	New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon 	July 1 	TBS
21 	Pepsi 400 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	July 7 	CBS
22 	USG Sheetrock 400 	Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet 	July 15 	TBS
23 	Music City USA 420 	Music City Motorplex, Nashville 	July 22 	TBS
24 	Allstate 400 at the Brickyard 	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway 	July 29 	ABC
25 	Pennsylvania 500 	Pocono Raceway, Long Pond 	August 5 	ESPN
26 	Centurion Boats at The Glen 	Waktins Glen International, Watkins Glen 	August 12 	ESPN
27 	3M Performance 400 	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn 	August 19 	ESPN
28 	Sharpie 500 	Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol 	August 25 	ESPN
29 	Bojangle's Southern 500 	Darlington Raceway, Darlington 	September 2 	ABC
30 	Chevy Rock & Roll 400 	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond 	September 9 	ESPN
31 	Tyson Holly Farms 400 	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro 	September 16	ESPN
32 	Dodge Dealers 400 	Dover International Speedway, Dover 	September 23	ESPN
33 	LifeLock 400 	Kansas Speedway, Kansas City 	September 30	ESPN
34 	UAW-Ford 500 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln 	October 7 	ABC
35 	Bank of America 500 	Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord 	October 13 	ABC
36 	Subway 500 	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway 	October 21 	ESPN
37 	Pep Boys Auto 500 	Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton 	October 28 	ABC
38 	ACDelco 400 	Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham 	November 4 	ABC
39 	Checker Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale 	November 13 	ESPN
40 	Ford 400 	Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead 	November 18 	ABC
41 	Apple iPhone 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy 	November 25 	ABC
42 	Sprite 500 	Coca-Cola Superspeedway, Denver 	December 2 	ABC
43 	Los Angeles Times 500 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario 	December 9 	ABC
*-The Autism Society 400 was originally called the Autism Speaks 400. However, veteran drivers Tim and Chloe Johnson, both of whom have autism, threatened to boycott the race due to considering Autism Speaks "evil". NASCAR quickly replaced Autism Speaks with Autism Society, and Autism Speaks sued for breach of contract, which was settled out of court.
== Television coverage ==
The 2007 season was the start of a new television package. The contracts are for eight seasons, running until 2014. NBC and FX both egressed after the 2006 season, and ESPN and ABC have returned after a six-year absence, with ESPN last broadcasting the series' NAPA 500 from Atlanta in November 2000, and ABC telecasting the Brickyard 400 in August of that same year.
=== Fox ===
Fox carried the first part of the season beginning with the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on the last weekend of January, and continued coverage (except Speedweeks and the Coca-Cola 600) up through the June race held at the Dover International Speedway, with Fox-owned Speed Channel carrying the Gatorade Duel at Daytona qualifying races and the Nextel All-Star Challenge/Nextel Open doubleheader. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip returned to the broadcast booth for Fox. Fox also planned to carry two Craftsman Truck Series races March 31 and May 26, with Speed carrying the remainder of the series. The March 31 race at Martinsville was shown successfully on Fox, but the telecast for the May 26 race at Mansfield, OH was moved to Speed Channel after lap 50 due to rain delays.
=== TBS ===
TNT covered six mid-season races in June and July dubbed the "NASCAR Summer Series" including the Pepsi 400. The commentators included announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, and Neil Bonnett. TBS continued using the Edd Kalehoff music cue "Zipliner" that it had been using since 1997. The one summer race TBS did not carry was the Pepsi 400, which, along with Speedweeks and the Coca-Cola 600, were held by CBS.
=== ESPN/ABC ===
ESPN and ABC carried all races beginning with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in late July. Paul Page served as the play-by-play and Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree served as color commentators. Page had been working NHRA coverage, and had also worked IndyCar coverage for both ESPN and ABC since the 1980s, including the Indianapolis 500 since 1988. Wallace is the 1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion. They were joined by newcomer Andy Petree, a former team owner and Dale Earnhardt's crew chief in 1993 and 1994. Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber served as the hosts on both ESPN and ABC. Races on ESPN were broadcasted under the SpeedWorld brand, while races on ABC were broadcast under the Wide World of Sports banner.
=== CBS ===
CBS carried Speedweeks (including the Budweiser Shootout, Gatorade Duels, and Daytona 500), as well as the Coca-Cola 600 and Pepsi 400. Ken Squier stayed on as lead announcer with color commentators Ned Jarrett and Buddy Baker. Pit road was worked by Dick Berggren, Dave Despain, Ralph Sheheen, and Bill Stephens.
==Technical changes==
The big change came in the form of a brand-new manufacturer. Toyota, having first entered NASCAR via the Goody's Dash Series, entered the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, and after several years of rumors, announced in 2006 they would be entering the Nextel Cup and Busch Series in 2007 with the Camry.
In terms of existing manufacturers, Chevrolet and Ford made no changes to the Monte Carlo SS and Fusion, respectively. Dodge, meanwhile, debuted a new nose for the Charger. The old nose had an awkward notch in an attempt to better resemble its street-faring counterpart, but this created problems with aero and downforce, so much so that Pacific Coast Racing, Dodge's top team, refused to run the Charger at intermediates and instead used the 2004 Stratus throughout 2005 and 2006. Penske and Petty had also used Stratuses at tracks such as California early in 2006, but while Dodge could tolerate PCR running older cars, Penske and Petty were expected to fall in line and run the Charger. After Roger Penske threatened to go back to Ford for showing blatant favoritism towards PCR, Dodge redesigned the Charger with a rounder, cleaner nose for 2007. This satisfied PCR enough for them to run the Charger at intermediates two years after its return to NASCAR.
== Cars Used in 2007 ==
File:2007 chevrolet monte carlo ss.png|Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
File:2007 ford fusion.png|Ford Fusion
File:2007 dodge charger.png|Dodge Charger
File:2007 toyota camry.png|Toyota Camry (NEW)
File:2006 pontiac grand prix.png|Pontiac Grand Prix (only used by Kennedy Racing; no factory support)