2007 Pennsylvania 500
# 2007 Pennsylvania 500

The 2007 Pennsylvania 500, the twenty-first race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season was held on Sunday, August 5, 2007 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

## Background

| # | Driver | Team | Make |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 01 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | P.J. Jones | 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 |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge |
| 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 |
| 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 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge |
| 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 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

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole position after being allowed to requalify when a rainstorm interrupted his attempt which resulted in a 45-minute rain delay. NASCAR allowed Earnhardt to put on new tires and cool down his car because of the delay, when temperatures cooled down.

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 52.949 | 169.975 |
| 2 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 52.984 | 169.863 |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.009 | 169.782 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 53.023 | 169.738 |
| 5 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 53.070 | 169.587 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 53.097 | 169.501 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.153 | 169.323 |
| 8 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.170 | 169.268 |
| 9 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 53.281 | 168.916 |
| 10 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 53.367 | 168.644 |
| 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.428 | 168.451 |
| 12 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.432 | 168.438 |
| 13 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 53.476 | 168.300 |
| 14 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 53.496 | 168.237 |
| 15 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.549 | 168.070 |
| 16 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 53.590 | 167.942 |
| 17 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet | 53.596 | 167.923 |
| 18 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.598 | 167.917 |
| 19 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 53.615 | 167.863 |
| 20 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.639 | 167.788 |
| 21 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 53.640 | 167.785 |
| 22 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.697 | 167.607 |
| 23 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.758 | 167.417 |
| 24 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 53.788 | 167.324 |
| 25 | 01 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 53.809 | 167.258 |
| 26 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 53.822 | 167.218 |
| 27 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 53.842 | 167.156 |
| 28 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 53.875 | 167.053 |
| 29 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 53.881 | 167.035 |
| 30 | 7 | Robby Gordon* | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford | 53.911 | 166.942 |
| 31 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 53.982 | 166.722 |
| 32 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 53.993 | 166.688 |
| 33 | 38 | David Gilliland | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 54.026 | 166.586 |
| 34 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 54.133 | 166.257 |
| 35 | 15 | Paul Menard | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 54.196 | 166.064 |
| 36 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54.254 | 165.886 |
| 37 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54.293 | 165.767 |
| 38 | 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.349 | 165.596 |
| 39 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 54.353 | 165.584 |
| 40 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 54.355 | 165.578 |
| 41 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 54.361 | 165.560 |
| 42 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 54.692 | 164.558 |
| Last car to make it on time (not locked in by owner's points) |||||||
| 43 | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 54.367 | 165.542 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge | 54.382 | 165.496 |
| 45 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 54.651 | 164.681 |
| 46 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | 54.982 | 163.690 |
| 47 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 55.454 | 162.297 |

Kevin Lepage (#37), Mike Bliss (#49), Kenny Wallace (#78) and A. J. Allmendinger (#84) all failed to make the race.

## Race

Outside polesitter Kurt Busch would be the class of the field, dominating for 175 of 200 laps and taking his first victory since the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in March 2006. While Busch dominated, the main story of the day was that of the polesitter. Dale Jr.'s team had brought an overly aggressive shock package to Pocono, and it was not working for them as the car was tight despite numerous adjustments. Their struggles hit a low point when Earnhardt Jr. spun the car in turn three. The team changed the shock and Dale Jr. rallied back to second place. Despite this comeback, Busch had overtaken Earnhardt Jr. for the critical 12th position in points.

Jeff Gordon extended his points lead over Denny Hamlin to 366 points.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 200 | 175 | running | 195 | $212,108 |
| 2 | 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 8 | running | 175 | $218,708 |
| 3 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 165 | $157,200 |
| 4 | 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 160 | $155,136 |
| 5 | 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $148,936 |
| 6 | 24 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $136,361 |
| 7 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing South | Dodge | 200 | 1 | running | 151 | $127,350 |
| 8 | 15 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 147 | $88,925 |
| 9 | 25 | 01 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $87,325 |
| 10 | 8 | 25 | Casey Mears | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $94,475 |
| 11 | 18 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $111,391 |
| 12 | 3 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 2 | running | 132 | $87,650 |
| 13 | 20 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $104,533 |
| 14 | 37 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 126 | $122,191 |
| 15 | 17 | 96 | Tony Raines | Hall of Fame Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $81,100 |
| 16 | 9 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 115 | $106,425 |
| 17 | 23 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 112 | $114,186 |
| 18 | 21 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 114 | $89,214 |
| 19 | 32 | 66 | Jeff Green | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 4 | running | 111 | $94,958 |
| 20 | 19 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 103 | $95,483 |
| 21 | 29 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 100 | $76,625 |
| 22 | 13 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 102 | $94,170 |
| 23 | 12 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 94 | $83,375 |
| 24 | 16 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 91 | $75,350 |
| 25 | 34 | 40 | David Stremme | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 88 | $67,525 |
| 26 | 35 | 15 | Paul Menard | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 85 | $66,775 |
| 27 | 5 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 82 | $110,616 |
| 28 | 10 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 200 | 5 | running | 84 | $88,533 |
| 29 | 28 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 76 | $66,125 |
| 30 | 26 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 199 | 1 | running | 78 | $103,411 |
| 31 | 43 | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Bill Davis Racing | Toyota | 199 | 0 | running | 70 | $62,825 |
| 32 | 14 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 198 | 0 | running | 67 | $83,520 |
| 33 | 36 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 64 | $99,550 |
| 34 | 42 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 198 | 0 | running | 61 | $73,933 |
| 35 | 27 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 58 | $90,033 |
| 36 | 41 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 55 | $61,900 |
| 37 | 30 | 7 | P. J. Jones | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 52 | $61,725 |
| 38 | 39 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 194 | 0 | fuel pump | 49 | $71,147 |
| 39 | 33 | 38 | David Gilliland | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 192 | 0 | running | 46 | $88,689 |
| 40 | 22 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 177 | 0 | crash | 43 | $69,325 |
| 41 | 31 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 159 | 0 | fuel pump | 40 | $61,180 |
| 42 | 40 | 44 | Dale Jarrett | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 151 | 0 | fuel pump | 37 | $61,030 |
| 43 | 38 | 4 | Ward Burton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | engine | 34 | $61,197 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 49 | Mike Bliss | BAM Racing | Dodge | | | | | |
| 45 | | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | | | | | |
| 46 | | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Front Row Motorsports | Dodge | | | | | |
| 47 | | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
