Official name Aaron's 499 | ||
Date April 29, 2007 (2007-April-29) Location Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Alabama Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km) Distance 192 laps, 510.72 mi (821.924 km) Scheduled Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
The 2007 Aaron's 499 was the ninth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season, and was run on April 29, 2007, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. This race was the second of the four restrictor plate races on the NASCAR schedule
Jeff Gordon won this race to pass Dale Earnhardt on the all-time NASCAR list at 77 wins. After he crossed the checkered flag, some spectators threw bottles, cans, and even toilet paper at the #24 car he drove for Hendrick Motorsports. As a result of this incident, in spite of warnings before the race by NASCAR and organizers, a total of 14 people were arrested, and Talladega management revoked their ticket-buying privileges. However, a loophole was later discovered through which these banned fans could buy tickets from third-party ticket brokers, such as StubHub. The race's other top finishers included Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, David Gilliland, and Jamie McMurray in that order.
The race ended with an aborted green-white-checkered finish. Several cars were involved, including Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, McMurray, and Gilliland. Harvick and McMurray were later fined $25,000 and placed on probation for their actions during this accident. The finish had been triggered by an engine failure in the #00 car driven by David Reutimann.
Race results
W (*) denotes Rookie of the Year candidate.