Qualifying
Carl Edwards took the pole in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford. This was Edwards' first pole position of 2007.On the outside of the front row was Martin Truex Jr. in his Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet. Jeff Gordon and J.J. Yeley made up row number two and Johnny Sauter rounded out the top five.
Drop Of The Green
Carl Edwards lead the field for the first few laps as the top five quickly dropped into single-file order. Martin Truex Jr. ran second and Jeff Gordon was third. They maintained that order until lap twenty when Jimmie Johnson moved past his teammate Jeff Gordon for third.
They maintained that order until the first caution came out on lap 24 when all of the leaders pitted. Carl Edwards won the race off of pit road and continued to lead the early portion of the race over Martin Truex Jr. and point leader Jimmie Johnson.
Carl Edwards developed motor problems around lap 100 and dropped out of contention.
Storylines
Today's 2007 Checker Auto Parts 500 was all about the points duel bewteen Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Unfortunately there wasn't much to talk about. Jeff Gordon never got the handle on his car all day long while Jimmie Johnson was hooked up and untouchable at the end.
After struggling all day Jeff Gordon ended up tenth. During his post-race interview Jeff Gordon said of his chances to win the 2007 Championship "It's over."
Chasing The Checkers
The final round of pit stops came under caution for the leaders. Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson lead the parade off of pit road. Martin Turex Jr. and Johnny Sauter stayed out on old tires to lead the restart with 39 laps to go. Matt Kenseth restarted in third place.
Sauter slipped back on the restart but Martin Truex Jr. was able to get free of traffic and build a little bit of a lead over Matt Kenseth.
Jimmie Johnson battled under Kenseth to take away the second spot and set his sights on Truex. Johnson took over the lead with 23 laps to go and never looked back.
For the first time since 1998 one driver won four NEXTEL Cup races in a row. Jimmie Johnson stormed through the field once again and extended his point lead going into the final race of the season.
Top Ten
- Jimmie Johnson
- Greg Biffle
- Matt Kenseth
- Tony Stewart
- Ryan Newman
- Kevin Harvick
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Kyle Busch
- Jeff Burton
- Jeff Gordon
The Points
Jeff Gordon is doing exactly what he should have to do to win the Championship. Amazingly this was his 29th top ten finish of the year plus he has two wins during the Chase. However, his teammate Jimmie Johnson has been nothing short of stunning. Four consecutive NEXTEL Cup victories and no finish worse than 14th in the Chase have given him a commanding 86 point lead going into the final race of the season next week in Homestead.
Only Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon remain with a mathematical shot at the 2007 Championship. All of the remaining Chase drivers are mathematically eliminated from Chase contention.
The top twelve are now:
- Jimmie Johnson
- Jeff Gordon -86
- Clint Bowyer -241
- Kyle Busch -387
- Tony Stewart -403
- Matt Kenseth -469
- Kevin Harvick -479
- Jeff Burton -483
- Carl Edwards -505
- Kurt Busch -516
- Martin Truex Jr. -563
- Denny Hamlin -599
Next Week
The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season rolls to a close next Sunday in Homestead. All of the pressure will rest squarely on Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team. The 2007 Championship is his to lose. If Johnson can avoid trouble one more time then he will celebrate his second consecutive NEXTEL Cup title.
