2007 Pocono 500
# 2007 Pocono 500

The 2007 Pocono 500, the fourteenth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, was run on Sunday, June 10, 2007 at Pocono Raceway outside the town of Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race marked the start of the second half of the race to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Throughout the week, drivers in the Truck, Busch, and Cup series along with the Grand National division wore small black logos reading "WCF (William Clifton France) Innovator, Pioneer, Friend 1933-2007" to pay tribute to former NASCAR president Bill France Jr.

## Qualifying

Ryan Newman won his third consecutive pole during qualifying. Defending race winner Denny Hamlin aspired to become the first driver since Tim Richmond to record 3 consecutive Pocono victories. Martin Truex Jr., fresh off his first NEXTEL Cup win, lined up in third. Michael Waltrip, Kenny Wallace, Kevin Lepage, Jeremy Mayfield, Dale Jarrett, and Mike Bliss failed to make the race.

## Race

The start of the race was halted by a nearly two-hour rain delay as the estimated green flag was set to wave at 2:20 PM. When the race finally started, it was the same routine as last year; Hamlin leading the first lap. Although it was widely expected that Hamlin would again walk away with a victory, a caution flag set up a pit cycle. While Hamlin's crew opted for four tires, everyone else took two, and Hamlin would spend the rest of the day fighting through the field. Jeff Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte, called his driver in earlier than the rest of the field. With another rain shower approaching Pocono, he took the chance that all the other cars would have to pit after they did, thereby giving them the lead. Letarte's intuition proved correct as the race was called after 106 laps were completed, and Jeff Gordon ended up with his third Pocono 500 win. The actual race distance was 265 miles. At 106 laps, it is the second shortest 500-mile race in US motorsport history (the 1976 Indianapolis 500 ran 255 miles).

The caution for rain was called at exactly the right moment for Gordon. Right as the caution was called, Newman was in position to pass Gordon for the win. In addition, it was discovered after the race that Gordon's car had suffered a mechanical failure and would have had to spend time in the garage had the race restarted.

## TV coverage

The race marked the first of six telecasts for TNT in the new NASCAR television package for 2007. Kyle Petty made his broadcasting debut at the race, replacing Benny Parsons, who died of cancer during Speedweeks.

Top ten results:

| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Team |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1. | #24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 2. | #12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Penske Racing |
| 3. | #1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Inc. |
| 4. | #25 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 5. | #20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6. | #11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 7. | #01 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | Ginn Racing |
| 8. | #5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9. | #17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 10. | #07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing |

## Race notes

* Chad McCumbee replaced Petty in the #45 car, which Petty had driven since the 2001 season. The Craftsman Truck Series regular from Supply, North Carolina finished 25th.
