| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 12 of 36[3] in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | May 27, 2007 | ||
| Official name | Coca-Cola 600 | ||
| Location | Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures of 87.1 °F (30.6 °C); wind speeds of 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[4] | ||
| Average speed | 130.222 miles per hour (209.572 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 175,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Time | 29.140 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | |
| Laps | 107 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
| Booth Announcers | Doug Rice, Mark Garrow | ||
| Turn Announcers | Pat Patterson, Brent McMillian, Chuck Carland | ||
The 2007 Coca-Cola 600 was the 12th stock car race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the event's 48th iteration. It was held on May 27, 2007, with 175,000 spectators in attendance, in Concord, North Carolina at Lowe's Motor Speedway, an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. Casey Mears of the Hendrick Motorsports team won the 400-lap race after starting 16th. Joe Gibbs Racing's J. J. Yeley finished second and Kyle Petty of Petty Enterprises took third.
Before the race, Jeff Gordon led the Drivers' Championship by 231 points over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson in second. Ryan Newman took the pole position by recording the fastest lap in the qualifying session and led the first ten laps before his Penske Racing South teammate Kurt Busch took over on lap 11. Busch led for 107 laps (the most of any driver in the race) before Brian Vickers took the lead after the first round of green-flag pit stops. Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Vickers on lap 184 and held it for 83 laps, battling for the position with Vickers and Matt Kenseth. Tony Stewart led at the race's final restart on lap 342 and held it until he made a pit stop for fuel 51 laps later. Mears took the lead after Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin made similar pit stops, slowing to conserve fuel and winning. There were thirteen cautions and 29 lead changes among fifteen drivers during the race.
As of 2022[update], the 2007 race is Mears' only win in the Nextel Cup Series, now known as the NASCAR Cup Series. After the race Gordon's lead in the Drivers' Championship was reduced to 132 points over Johnson because he crashed early in the race. Chevrolet increased its points advantage to 41 points ahead of Ford in the Manufacturers' Championship. Dodge moved further ahead of Toyota in the battle for third place, with 24 races remaining in the season.
- ^ "The Race: The Coca-Cola 600". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ "2007 Coca-Cola 600". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ "2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Schedule". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "Weather Information for Concord, North Carolina". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
- ^ "2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2014.