NEXTEL Allstate 400
Final
for this game
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Preview
Jul 29, 2007 - 10:35 AMJuly 29, 2007
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, Indiana
Race 20 of 36 on Nextel Cup circuit (19th points race)
TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. EDT
Laps: 160
Track length: 2 1/2 miles
Race length: 400 miles
Qualifying record: Casey Mears, 186.293 mph, Dodge, 2004 Race
record: Bobby Labonte, 155.912 mph, Pontiac, 2000
DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Jeff Burton
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 31 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007 Earnings: $3,746,697
Finished seventh two weeks ago at Chicago to move up to fourth
in the standings; ran seventh at New Hampshire three weeks ago
and third at Sonoma four weeks ago to end a slide of four
consecutive finishes outside the top 10; trails series points
leader Jeff Gordon by 420 points; has six top-five finishes and
11 top-10s this season; captured his first victory of the season
at Texas; captured the pole for this race a year ago, but
finished 15th.
Jeff Gordon
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007 Earnings: $4,154,310
Continues to thrive without suspended crew chief Steve Letarte,
finishing ninth two weeks at Daytona following a second at New
Hampshire; still owns a comfortable 303-point cushion atop the
series standings despite being docked 100 points for failing
post-qualifying inspections at Sonoma, where he ran seventh; has
four checkered flags this season and 79 career, just four shy
of tying Cale Yarborough for fifth place all-time; reached a
landmark milestone at Talladega, recording his 77th career
victory to pass the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth all-time; has
completely dominated the circuit this season and is on pace to
capture his fifth career title, leading the series in poles (6),
top-five finishes (12) and top-10s (17); finished 16th here
last year, but has been dominant prior to that with four wins,
seven top-fives, 10 top-10s and three poles in 13 starts.
Denny Hamlin
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 11 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007 Earnings: $2,900,196
Finished 17th at Chicago two weeks ago and remains second in the
standings, 303 points behind Gordon; leads third-place Matt
Kenseth by 43 points; followed up his first win of the season at
New Hampshire by finishing dead last at Daytona after wrecking
early in the race with teammate Tony Stewart; has avoided the
sophomore slump by finishing out of the top-10 just five times
in the past 15 races; has seven top-five finishes and 11 top-10s
this season; finished second at Darlington and has four
third-place finishes at Las Vegas, Martinsville, Phoenix and
Richmond; finished 10th in this event last season, his first
Nextel start here.
Kevin Harvick
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Car: No. 29 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007 Earnings: $5,158,956
Finished fourth at Chicago, moving up to eighth in the
standings; has four top-10 finishes over his past five races,
with the lone blemish a 34th at Daytona three weeks ago; won the
season-opening Daytona 500 by nipping Mark Martin at the finish
line; has four top-fives and nine top-10s this season; finished
second to Juan Pablo Montoya on the road course at Sonoma;
finished third at this race last year; won here in 2003 and has
three top-fives, four top-10s and one pole at the Brickyard.
Jimmie Johnson
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007 Earnings: $3,959,684
Defending series champion continued his up-and-down season by
finishing 37th two weeks ago at Chicago; dropped three spots in
the standing to seventh; prior to Chicago had responded well to
the absence of suspended crew chief Chad Knaus, finishing 10th
at Daytona after running fifth at New Hampshire; has posted
victories this season at Las Vegas, Atlanta, Martinsville and
Richmond; despite collecting nine top-five finishes, has been
hurt by four finishes outside the top 35; won this race last
year and has two top-10s at this track, but also has a pair of
DNFs in five starts.
Matt Kenseth
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
Car: No. 17 Ford Fusion
2007 Earnings: $3,614,372
Posted third straight top-10 finish by placing second at Chicago
which followed an eighth at Daytona and a ninth at New
Hampshire; ran 34th and 42nd, respectively, before the three
straight top-10 results; remains third in the standings, 346
points behind Gordon, but only 43 behind second-place Denny
Hamlin; captured his only victory of the season in the
campaign's second race at California; has seven top-five
finishes and 13 top-10s this season; finished second to Johnson
in this event last season and has four top-fives in seven starts
at the Brickyard.
Tony Stewart
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
Car: No. 20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2007 Earnings: $3,493,364
Finally broke into the win column this season after taking the
checkered flag at Chicago; moved up to sixth in the standings
and sits 482 points behind Gordon; finished 38th at Daytona
prior to Chicago after an early-race crash with teammate Denny
Hamlin; has just five top-five finishes over the first 19 races
this season; one of the circuit's most inconsistent drivers,
collecting 12 top-10 finishes while placing 25th or worse in the
other six events; followed up his win here in 2005 by placing
eighth a year ago; has five top-10s in eight starts at this
track.
2006 Top 10
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1. Jimmie Johnson (48), Chevrolet
2. Matt Kenseth (17), Ford
3. Kevin Harvick (29), Chevrolet
4. Clint Bowyer (07), Chevrolet
5. Mark Martin (6), Ford
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Chevrolet
7. Kyle Busch (5), Chevrolet
8. Tony Stewart (20), Chevrolet
9. Carl Edwards (99), Ford
10. Denny Hamlin (11), Chevrolet
Past Champions
--------------
2006 Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 137.182 mph
2005 Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 118.782 mph
2004 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 115.037 mph
2003 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 134.554 mph
2002 Bill Elliott, Dodge, 125.033 mph
2001 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 130.790 mph
2000 Bobby Labonte, Pontiac, 155.912 mph
1999 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 148.228 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 126.770 mph
1997 Ricky Rudd, Ford, 130.828 mph
1996 Dale Jarrett, Ford, 139.508 mph
1995 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 155.206 mph
1994 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 131.977 mph
