The 2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was the third race of the
2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. It was held on March 11, 2007 at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
The race was the first at the newly refurbished track, which now has a progressive banking in the turns on the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, a new garage area which is fan-friendly known as "The Neon Garage" named for the lighted signs through the city's gambling areas, and a new pit road that was built closer to the grandstands.
Kasey Kahne won the pole and
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...
won the race, making this his third overall win at the 1.5 mile oval track.
Entry list
Qualifying
OP: qualified via owners points
PC: qualified as past champion
PR: provisional
QR: via qualifying race
* - had to qualify on time
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Mike Bliss (#49), John Andretti (#37), Brian Vickers (#83), David Reutimann (#00), Jeremy Mayfield (#36), Brandon Whitt (#72), Kevin Lepage (#34), Michael Waltrip (#55), Ken Schrader (#47), Regan Smith (#39-WD), Derrike Cope (#74-WD)
Race summary
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, ...
won his third straight Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, defeating teammate
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...
by 2.795 seconds. Gordon finished in second place for the second straight time.
Denny Hamlin was third,
Matt Kenseth fourth and
Mark Martin fift
Martin retained his points lead after three races with 495 points, six ahead of Gordo
Because of the new asphalt concerns, NASCAR cut the size of fuel cells from 18 gallons to 13 gallons, similar to what had been used on restrictor plate tracks from October 2002 until October 2006, and also for the two 2006 races at
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...
to force more pit stops to change tires.
Results
†-Rookie of the Year candidate
Failed to qualify
The following 10 drivers failed to qualify for the race:
A. J. Allmendinger
Anthony James "A. J." Allmendinger (born December 16, 1981) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Kaulig Racing.
Allmendinger's professi ...
‡ (#84),
Mike Bliss
Michael Duane Bliss (born April 5, 1965) is an American professional stock car racing driver. A journeyman NASCAR competitor and the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, he has run in all three national series.
Racing career
Bliss began ...
(#49),
John Andretti (#37),
Brian Vickers (#83),
David Reutimann‡ (#00),
Jeremy Mayfield (#36),
Brandon Whitt
Brandon Whitt (born October 15, 1982) is an American former stock car racing driver. A third-generation racer, he has run in all three of NASCAR's top divisions. He is the older cousin of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Cole Whitt.
Racing career
...
‡ (#72),
Kevin Lepage (#34),
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, and published author. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. He is the younger brother o ...
(#55), and
Ken Schrader (#47).
Allmendinger, Bliss, Mayfield, and Whitt have missed all three races for which they have attempted to qualify. Waltrip has missed the last two. Reutimann had made both previous races. Vickers had missed the Daytona 500 and made the Auto Club 500. Schrader missed making a field for the first time since the November
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
Ford 400
The Dixie Vodka 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series race held at Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. The inaugural race was held in 1999 and was the final race in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2002 until 2019, as well as the final race of the ...
at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Also of note:
Regan Smith
The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri'' " ...
‡ was to have qualified in the #39 car, but the car was withdrawn and Smith did not make an attempt.
Notes
* All 10 drivers that started in the top 10 has failed to finish in the top 10. The first time that happened since the Firecracker 400 on July 4, 1965; 1,421 races ago.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2007 Uaw-Daimlerchrysler 400
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
The Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held annually at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the first of two races at Las Vegas with the other one being the South Point 400 in the playoff ...
NASCAR races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
2007 in sports in Nevada
March 2007 sports events in the United States