2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300
was the 17th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, held on July 1, 2007, at New Hampshire International Speedway
in Loudon, New Hampshire
. The event served as the eighth race for the new Car of Tomorrow
and its first race at NHIS.
won the pole with a speed of 129.437 mph giving him his second career pole (last pole at North Carolina Speedway
in February 2003) and giving Toyota their first ever NEXTEL Cup pole position.
Shortly after the conclusion of qualifying the #83 Red Bull
Toyota of Brian Vickers
was found to be too low in post-qualifying inspection. Due to this his time was disallowed and he was dropped from the field. Chad Chaffin
, driver of the #49 car, took his place in the starting lineup.
Others who failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip
(#55), A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Kenny Wallace
(#78), Scott Riggs
(#10), Dale Jarrett
(#44)
led Happy Hour with a speed of 127.062 mph, while Martin Truex Jr ran the most laps, 58. Top 5 times were as follows:
led the first 30 laps, the most laps he had led in a race since Atlanta in March 2001. However, he lost the lead to former New Hampshire winner Jeff Gordon
. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Dale Earnhardt Jr. assumed the top spot and led the most laps at 64. Many pit problems arose for some teams, such as speeding penalties, or running over a hose in Ryan Newman
's case, or having the jack drop off the racecar, as was witnessed by the 99 crew of Carl Edwards
. However, the most significant pitstop of the day was the last one. Denny Hamlin
's crew chief Mike Ford
took a gamble, putting on two tires, thus giving his driver the lead. Hamlin managed to hold off a furious charge from Jeff Gordon to end his 32-race winless streak and put his team back in victory lane.
"*" Denotes rookie
and the #5 car of Kyle Busch
were found too low during post-race inspection. As a result, both drivers lost 25 points in the standings, their respective owners (Haas CNC Racing
and Hendrick Motorsports
) lost 25 points as well, and their respective crew chiefs (Robert "Bootie" Barker and Alan Gustafson) were placed on probation until September 19.
Lenox Industrial Tools 300
The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Newell Rubbermaid, through its Lenox Industrial Tools subsidiary, is the title sponsor of the race and has been since 2006...
was the 17th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season, held on July 1, 2007, at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
in Loudon, New Hampshire
Loudon, New Hampshire
Loudon is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,317 at the 2010 census. Loudon is the home of New Hampshire Motor Speedway....
. The event served as the eighth race for the new Car of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
The Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
and its first race at NHIS.
Qualifying
Dave BlaneyDave Blaney
David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently drives the #36 Golden Corral/Big Red Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR...
won the pole with a speed of 129.437 mph giving him his second career pole (last pole at North Carolina Speedway
North Carolina Speedway
Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina...
in February 2003) and giving Toyota their first ever NEXTEL Cup pole position.
Shortly after the conclusion of qualifying the #83 Red Bull
Team Red Bull
Red Bull Racing Team, also known as Team Red Bull, is a NASCAR team owned by Dietrich Mateschitz. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina in the United States and is managed by Jay Frye...
Toyota of Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
was found to be too low in post-qualifying inspection. Due to this his time was disallowed and he was dropped from the field. Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin is a NASCAR driver. He has raced in all three of NASCAR's major series and is currently a free agent. Chaffin was a two-time track champion at the historic Nashville Speedway USA, where he met his friend the late Andy Kirby.-Sprint Cup:Chad made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004 at...
, driver of the #49 car, took his place in the starting lineup.
Others who failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
(#55), A.J. Allmendinger (#84), Kenny Wallace
Kenny Wallace
Kenneth Wallace is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
(#78), Scott Riggs
Scott Riggs
Russell Scott Riggs is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #81 Dodge Charger for Whitney Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
(#10), Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
(#44)
Happy Hour
Jimmie JohnsonJimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
led Happy Hour with a speed of 127.062 mph, while Martin Truex Jr ran the most laps, 58. Top 5 times were as follows:
| Rank | Driver | Starting Pos | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.... |
10th | 127.062 mph |
| 2 | Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint... |
5th | 127.062 mph |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the... |
8th | 126.783 mph |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala... |
7th | 126.761 mph |
| 5 | Clint Bowyer Clint Bowyer Clint Bowyer is a NASCAR driver. He drives the #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup Series for Michael Waltrip Racing. Early in his career, he drove for Richard Childress Racing. He won the 2008 Nationwide Series championship.... |
20th | 126.694 mph |
Race
Pole sitter Dave BlaneyDave Blaney
David Blaney is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He currently drives the #36 Golden Corral/Big Red Chevrolet Impala for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR...
led the first 30 laps, the most laps he had led in a race since Atlanta in March 2001. However, he lost the lead to former New Hampshire winner Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Dale Earnhardt Jr. assumed the top spot and led the most laps at 64. Many pit problems arose for some teams, such as speeding penalties, or running over a hose in Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman
Ryan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
's case, or having the jack drop off the racecar, as was witnessed by the 99 crew of Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Carl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
. However, the most significant pitstop of the day was the last one. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin
James Dennis Alan "Denny" Hamlin is an American race car driver. Though originally born in Tampa, Florida, Hamlin was raised for most of his life in Chesterfield, Virginia. After racing in go-karts for a number of years, he worked his way up to Late Models by 2004 and signed a development contract...
's crew chief Mike Ford
Mike Ford (NASCAR crew chief)
Mike Ford is the NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief for the #11 FedEx Toyota Camry driven by Denny Hamlin. The car is owned by J. D. Gibbs and operated by Joe Gibbs Racing...
took a gamble, putting on two tires, thus giving his driver the lead. Hamlin managed to hold off a furious charge from Jeff Gordon to end his 32-race winless streak and put his team back in victory lane.
Results
| Place | Driver | Make | Sponsor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chevrolet | FedEx Ground | 190/5 300 | Running |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | DuPont | 175/5 300 | Running |
| 3 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker | 170/5 300 | Running |
| 4 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | Budweiser | 170/10 300 | Running |
| 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's | 160/5 300 | Running |
| 6 | 66 | Jeff Green | Chevrolet | Haas Automation | 150/0 300 | Running |
| 7 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | LENOX Industrial Tools | 146/0 300 | Running |
| 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Shell / Pennzoil | 142/0 300 | Running |
| 9 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Carhartt | 143/5 300 | Running |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | ALLTEL | 139/5 300 | Running |
| 11 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | CARQUEST / Kellogg's | 135/5 300 | Running |
| 12 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | 127/0 300 | Running |
| 13 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford Lumber | Liquidators / Red Sox | 129/5 300 | Running |
| 14 | 70 | Johnny Sauter | Chevrolet | Atlas Copco / Haas Automation | 121/0 300 | Running |
| 15 | 6 | David Ragan * | Ford | AAA | 118/0 300 | Running |
| 16 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Ford | IRWIN Industrial Tools | 115/0 300 | Running |
| 17 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Ford | MAPEI / Menards | 112/0 300 | Running |
| 18 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Dodge | Cheerios / Betty Crocker | 109/0 300 | Running |
| 19 | 42 | Juan Montoya * | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline | 106/0 300 | Running |
| 20 | 96 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | DLP HDTV | 103/0 300 | Running |
| 21 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | Miller Lite | 105/5 300 | Running |
| 22 | 18 | J.J. Yeley | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries | 97/0 300 | Running |
| 23 | 25 | Casey Mears | Chevrolet | National Guard / GMAC | 94/0 300 | Running |
| 24 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet | Ginn Resorts | 91/0 300 | Running |
| 25 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | 88/0 300 | Running |
| 26 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | Target | 85/0 300 | Running |
| 27 | 40 | David Stremme | Dodge | Coors Light Wide Mouth Can | 82/0 300 | Running |
| 28 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | M&M's | 79/0 299 | Running |
| 29 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Toyota | Caterpillar | 81/5 299 | Running |
| 30 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | Snickers | 73/0 299 | Running |
| 31 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Aflac | 70/0 298 | Running |
| 32 | 01 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | U.S. Army | 67/0 298 | Running |
| 33 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | 64/0 297 | Running |
| 34 | 21 | Bill Elliott | Ford | Little Debbie | 61/0 297 | Running |
| 35 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Dodge | MyAutoLoan.com | 58/0 294 | Running |
| 36 | 49 | Chad Chaffin | Dodge | Paralyzed Veterans of America | 55/0 293 | Running |
| 37 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Camping World/ RVs.com | 52/0 293 | Running |
| 38 | 00 | David Reutimann * | Toyota | Burger King | 49/0 293 | Running |
| 39 | 15 | Paul Menard * | Chevrolet | Sylvania / Menards | 46/0 286 | Running |
| 40 | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | Toyota | 360 OTC | 43/0 259 | Running |
| 41 | 13 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | Ginn Resorts | 40/0 197 | Out of Race |
| 42 | 45 | John Andretti | Dodge | Wells Fargo | 37/0 109 | Out of Race |
| 43 | 4 | Ward Burton | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil / State Water Heaters | 34/0 4 | Out of Race |
"*" Denotes rookie
Race notes
- Carl Edwards drove a car sponsored in part by the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and Lumber Liquidators. Red Sox owner John Henry co-owns the team through Roush Fenway Racing. They replaced usual sponsor Office DepotOffice DepotOffice Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
. - Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs Steve LetarteSteve LetarteSteve Letarte is the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He first began as crew chief for Jeff Gordon when he took over the job of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet from Robbie Loomis in September 2005. Letarte was born in Cornish, Maine.-Early Racing Career:Letarte began...
(#24) and Chad KnausChad KnausChad Anthony Knaus is the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief for Jimmie Johnson. He is currently employed at Hendrick Motorsports. Knaus has 52 victories as Jimmie Johnson's crew chief and is the only NASCAR crew chief to win five consecutive championships. He has been a crew chief in...
(#48) served the first of a six-race suspensions for the Car of TomorrowCar of TomorrowThe Car of Tomorrow, sometimes called CoT or "Car of Today", is the car style for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Larger and boxier than the design it replaced, the Car of Tomorrow is safer, costs less to maintain, and was intended to make for closer competition.The car was introduced in the 2007 Cup...
violations found at Infineon RacewayInfineon RacewayInfineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
the previous week2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350The 2007 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was the 16th race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. It took place on June 24, 2007, at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, about 25 miles north of San Francisco....
. - Chaffin, who backed into the race when Vickers' qualifying time was wiped out, replaced Mike BlissMike BlissMichael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
, who was released earlier in the week.
Post-race penalties
The #70 car of Johnny SauterJohnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
and the #5 car of Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch, is an American NASCAR driver and team owner. He currently drives the No. 18 Mars/Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, the No. 18 Z-Line Designs/NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs in the Nationwide Series, and the No...
were found too low during post-race inspection. As a result, both drivers lost 25 points in the standings, their respective owners (Haas CNC Racing
Haas CNC Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, which runs Chevrolet Impalas. The team is owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, and runs the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala driven by Stewart and the #39 United States...
and Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
) lost 25 points as well, and their respective crew chiefs (Robert "Bootie" Barker and Alan Gustafson) were placed on probation until September 19.