The 2007 Coca-Cola 600 was a Nextel Cup (now Sprint Cup) event held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 27, 2007. With Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon out of the race and Jimmie Johnson out of contention, it appeared Hendrick Motorsports would lose their first points race since Texas. But Casey Mears, tired of watching his teammates win races while he struggled, rolled the dice on fuel strategy and won his first series race, holding off J.J. Yeley by 9.5 seconds. Points leader Jeff Gordon (41st) had a scary crash but still led the points by 132 markers on Jimmie Johnson (10th).
| 2007 Coca-Cola 600 | |
| General info | |
|---|---|
| Series | NEXTEL Cup Series |
| Location | Lowe's Motor Speedway |
| Date | May 27, 2005 |
| Qualifying | |
| Pole Sitter | Ryan Newman |
| Pole Speed | 185.312 mph |
| Race Data | |
| Winner | Casey Mears |
| Margin of Victory | 9.561 seconds |
| Average Speed | 130.222 mph |
| Cautions | 13 for 62 laps |
| Points Leader | Jeff Gordon (+132) |
Qualifying notes[]
Ryan Newman won his second qualifying pole of the year, setting a speed of 185 mph. His teammate Kurt Busch qualified on the outside pole, while points leader Jeff Gordon started back in 32nd spot.
The following drivers failed to qualify for the race: Paul Menard (#15), Michael Waltrip (#55), Ward Burton (#4), Kevin Lepage (#37), Mike Bliss (#49), David Reutimann (#00)
Additional race data[]
- Leaders: 15
- Time of race: 4:36:27
- Average Speed: 130.222 mph
- Margin of Victory: 9.561 sec
- Most Spots Improved: Kyle Petty (+33)
- The following drivers had to move to the back of the field before the start of the race: Kevin Harvick (#29) engine change, David Ragan (#6) engine change, Clint Bowyer (#07) backup car
Results[]
| Finish | Start | No. | Name | Sponsor | Make | Laps | Laps Lead | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 25 | Casey Mears | National Guard/GMAC American Heroes | Chevrolet | 400 | 6 | running |
| 2 | 12 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Interstate Batteries | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running |
| 3 | 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty (W) | Coke Zero | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running |
| 4 | 34 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Target | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running |
| 5 | 26 |  |
Brian Vickers | Red Bull | Toyota | 400 | 76 | running |
| 6 | 14 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot | Chevrolet | 400 | 55 | running |
| 7 | 7 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Snickers Dark | Ford | 400 | 1 | running |
| 8 | 4 |  |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Budweiser | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running |
| 9 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Freight/Marines | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running |
| 10 | 21 |  |
Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's/Power of Pride | Chevrolet | 400 | 83 | running |
| 11 | 11 |  |
Mark Martin (W) | U.S. Army | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running |
| 12 | 5 |  |
Matt Kenseth (W) | R&L Carriers/DeWalt | Ford | 400 | 50 | running |
| 13 | 9 |  |
Bobby Labonte (W) | Cheerios/Chocolate Chex | Dodge | 399 | 0 | running |
| 14 | 37 | 96 | Tony Raines | DLP/HDTV | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running |
| 15 | 39 |  |
Carl Edwards | Office Depot | Ford | 399 | 1 | running |
| 16 | 31 | 1 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running |
| 17 | 10 | 40 | David Stremme | Coors Light | Dodge | 397 | 0 | running |
| 18 | 8 |  |
Dave Blaney | Caterpillar | Toyota | 397 | 0 | running |
| 19 | 28 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Irwin Industrial Tools | Ford | 395 | 0 | running |
| 20 | 15 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Valvoline/Stanley Tools | Dodge | 394 | 0 | running |
| 21 | 27 |  |
Kevin Harvick | Shell/Pennzoil | Chevrolet | 394 | 0 | running |
| 22 | 35 |  |
Robby Gordon | Jim Beam Black | Ford | 393 | 0 | running |
| 23 | 18 |  |
Kasey Kahne (W) | Dodge Dealers/UAW | Dodge | 390 | 0 | running |
| 24 | 25 |  |
Jeff Burton (W) | AT&T Mobility | Chevrolet | 385 | 0 | running |
| 25 | 24 |  |
Jeremy Mayfield | 360 OTC | Toyota | 382 | 3 | engine |
| 26 | 33 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Haier | Chevrolet | 377 | 0 | running |
| 27 | 40 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Radio Active Energy Drink | Chevrolet | 376 | 0 | running |
| 28 | 20 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (R) | Texaco/Havoline | Dodge | 369 | 0 | running |
| 29 | 41 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Jack Daniel's | Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | running |
| 30 | 17 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Carquest/Kellogg's | Chevrolet | 357 | 4 | running |
| 31 | 29 |  |
A.J. Allmendinger (R) | Red Bull | Toyota | 310 | 0 | running |
| 32 | 2 |  |
Kurt Busch | Miller Lite | Dodge | 296 | 107 | crash |
| 33 | 30 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Pep Boys Auto | Chevrolet | 293 | 0 | running |
| 34 | 43 | 78 | Kenny Wallace | Furniture Row | Chevrolet | 289 | 0 | engine |
| 35 | 19 |  |
David Gilliland | M&M's | Ford | 265 | 0 | running |
| 36 | 3 |  |
Elliott Sadler | Dodge Dealers/UAW | Dodge | 261 | 0 | running |
| 37 | 13 | 6 | David Ragan (R) | AAA | Ford | 219 | 0 | crash |
| 38 | 22 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Air Force | Ford | 218 | 1 | crash |
| 39 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Alltell | Dodge | 172 | 10 | engine |
| 40 | 23 |  |
Dale Jarrett (W) | UPS | Toyota | 82 | 0 | engine |
| 41 | 32 |  |
Jeff Gordon (W) | DuPont/Department of Defense | Chevrolet | 61 | 0 | crash |
| 42 | 42 |  |
Jeff Green | Best Buy | Chevrolet | 52 | 0 | crash |
| 43 | 38 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Dish Network | Ford | 45 | 0 | crash |
- (R) - Denotes rookies
- (W) - Denotes past winner of race
Points[]
- Jeff Gordon - 132
- Jimmie Johnson -132
- Matt Kenseth -207
- Denny Hamlin -239
- Jeff Burton -344
- Tony Stewart -391
- Kevin Harvick -506
- Carl Edwards -507
- Kurt Busch -519
- Clint Bowyer -543
| Preceded by: 2007 Dodge Avenger 500 |
NEXTEL Cup Series races 2007 |
Succeeded by:<br./>2007 Autism Speaks 400 Presented by Visa |