2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway

2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway: Back to Daytona! The 2007 Pepsi 400 is a Saturday night primetime race at Daytona International Speedway.

When we were here in February Kevin Harvick beat Mark Martin to the line in a thrilling finish. Expect the Pepsi 400 to be every bit as exciting. If you love plate racing then this is a great show and thanks to TNT's new "Wide Open" coverage race fans will get to see more of it.

Tickets: Speedway ticket office 1-800-PITSHOP or (386) 253-7223

Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)

The Track: The fast 2.5 mile tri-oval uses restrictor plates to keep the speeds manageable but those plates create fertile ground for The Big One. The plates cause aerodynamics to be more important than horsepower which results in big packs of cars running nose to tail and door to door all day long.

Race Distance: 160 laps = 400 miles

The Big Picture: Jeff Gordon was penalized 100 points last week but maintains a solid lead in the points. This penalty is meaningless since all points will be reset when the Chase begins.

If NASCAR wanted to send a message they should have penalized Gordon and Johnson bonus points. Those points are added after the Chase begins and would have sent a stronger message.

The top twelve:

1. Jeff Gordon -0
2. Denny Hamlin -156
3. Matt Kenseth -365
4. Jimmie Johnson -381
5. Jeff Burton -383
6. Tony Stewart -428
7. Carl Edwards -465
8. Kevin Harvick -507
9. Kyle Busch -573
10. Martin Truex Jr. -580
11. Clint Bowyer -627
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -628

Storylines: TNT is trying out a new idea for this weekends Pepsi 400 called "Wide Open" coverage. This will give race fans more racing and fewer commercial breaks.

"Wide Open" coverage still reduces the size of the racing feed in order to make room for additional content. However, the ads themselves are not traditional commercials. Instead these commercials are more relevant and are integrated into the racing experience.

If "The Big One" happens this weekend in Daytona there is a lot better chance that the race will not be in commercial when it happens.

Media Coverage: TV: TNT Saturday, July 6th, 7:00PM Eastern.

Radio: MRN and SIRUS Satellite

Actual Race: 8:00PM Eastern

Posted Awards: $6,202,439

Last Year: Recently the Pepsi 400 has belonged to Tony Stewart and his Joe Gibbs Racing team. In 2005 Stewart lead an impressive 151 laps, all but nine, en route to the win. Then in 2006 Tony Stewart again dominated the Pepsi 400. That time leading 86 of the 160 laps that make up the event.

Both races were relatively uneventful at the front. Stewart kept the field under his thumb doing just what he needed to do in order to secure the wins.

Predictions: When it comes to restrictor plate racing anything can happen. A quick look back over recent races gives some strong clues as to who the favorites are for this weekend.

Tony Stewart has won the last two Pepsi 400 races. In addition he won the Budweiser Shootout and his Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race during 2007 Speedweeks in Daytona. Tony Stewart has to be considered the favorite for this Saturday's Pepsi 400.

This week for my backup I'm going to stick with the overwhelming favorites. Jeff Gordon has six previous NEXTEL Cup points victories at Daytona International Speedway. Given the way his team has been performing in 2007 I wouldn't bet against him this weekend.