2007 Citizens Bank 400

2007 Citizens Bank 400

Race details
Race 15 of 36 in the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season
Layout of Michigan International Speedway
Date	June 17, 2007 (2007-June-17)
Official name	Citizens Bank 400
Location	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.0 mi (3.218 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather	Hot with temperatures reaching up to 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed	148.07 miles per hour (238.30 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	J.J. Yeley	Joe Gibbs Racing
Time	38.399
Most laps led
Driver	Carl Edwards	Roush Fenway Racing
Laps	63
Winner
No. 99	Carl Edwards	Roush Fenway Racing
Television in the United States
Network	TNT
Announcers	Bill Weber, Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach, Jr.

The 2007 Citizens Bank 400 was the 15th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. It was held on June 17, 2007 at Michigan International Speedway, located in the town of Brooklyn, Michigan, about 80 miles west of Detroit.

After this race, 11 races remained to set the field for the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

Qualifying

J.J. Yeley won his first career pole with a fast lap of 187.505 miles per hour, or 38.399 seconds. Jimmie Johnson fell short of Yeley's lap by .001 second. Ryan Newman, who had won the three previous poles, qualified fourth.

Michael Waltrip made only his third race in 15 tries. Ironically, he had announced earlier that week that he was stepping aside for the following week's race, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, in favor of two-time series champion Terry Labonte.

Race

Carl Edwards won the Citizens Bank 400 for his first win in the NEXTEL Cup Series since November 4, 2005 at Texas Motor Speedway, a span of 52 races. Edwards took the lead from Johnson on lap 166 (out of 200) and never lost it.

Martin Truex, Jr. finished second; he now had a three-race span in which he finished first, third, and second. Tony Stewart rallied from the 41st starting position to place third. The remaining top five drivers were Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who will be teammates at Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

There were 22 lead changes among 11 drivers. The race also had four caution periods; one of them was for an accident involving seven cars, including Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, and Jeff Green. Michigan International Speedway has been a Ford dominated track starting in 1984, and a Mercury track before that from 1969-78. It was also a track that suited a smooth driver or a driver that could change his driving tactics for Michigan International Speedway.

Top ten results:

Points

Jeff Gordon (9th place) retained his points lead, by 247 over second place Denny Hamlin (14th). They were followed by Kenseth (42nd), Johnson (19th due to a fuel-mileage problem), and Jeff Burton (24th) in that order. Earnhardt, Jr. entered the top 12 in points, the last qualifying spot for the Chase, while Mark Martin dropped out.

Race notes

• Edwards, driving a Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing, was only the second non-Chevrolet driver to win a race. The other was Kenseth (Auto Club 500 at California Speedway).

External links

• Complete race results
• Points standings
• Complete weather information