2007 Coca-Cola 600

2007 Coca-Cola 600
Race details[1][2]
Race 12 of 36[3] in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
Official Logo for the Coca-Cola 600
Date May 27, 2007 (2007-May-27)
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
  • 4.5/10 (Final)
  • 4.5/9 (Overnight)[5]
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, 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.

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "2007 Coca-Cola 600". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  3. ^ "2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Schedule". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  4. ^ "Weather Information for Concord, North Carolina". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  5. ^ "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.