While still suffering from the fallout of Joe Nemechek’s life-threatening crash at Loudon, the 2007 season would be full of repercussions from the incident. Safety procedures and features would continue to advance with years to come, but 2007 was a big step forward for NASCAR. Talks would also fly of a brand new, safer car body that would arrive in the years to come. But no one knew for sure. Without further ado, here are the Top 10 moments from the 2007 season.
10. Loudon Taken Off Of Schedule, Among Other Schedule Changes
On top of an advanced fuel cell for drivers to utilize in 2007, both Loudon races would be taken off of the schedule permanently following Joe Nemechek’s career-ending crash there. The Craftsman Truck Series would still race there, but both Cup events at Loudon would be replaced with Rockingham and Kentucky races. On top of this, NASCAR would draft an entirely different race schedule for 2007, which would easily be one of the most controversial points of the 2007 season. For example, the full circuits of Watkins Glen and Infineon (Sears Point) would be used by NASCAR in 2007, which many fans would enjoy. Other fans scolded these decisions, claiming they were “making NASCAR too mainstream”, by making these changes. Several new tracks, such as Nashville and Gateway, would be added to the schedule in 2007, and would also see mixed reviews and opinions from fans.
9. Mark Martin Retires Over Offseason
Coming into 2007, Mark Martin was 49 years old, and his career was going nowhere. He had suffered an all-time low season in 2006, finishing 26th in the points after 4 DNQ’s. Given the struggle, Martin would hang his helmet and step aside from NASCAR over the 2006 offseason. Jack Roush would be frantic to get a free agent in the #6 ride, and would hire a booming Brian Vickers to drive the car for 2007. Many fans were saddened by his departure, but the show must go on.
8. Hendrick Resurges From Downfall
One major headline moving through 2007 would be the revival of Hendrick Motorsports. This would primarily be seen in Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who would score a combined 13 wins, and would dominate the season. Kyle Busch would score three wins, and rookie, Blake Feese, would score thirteen Top 10’s in 2007. Gordon and Johnson would be title threats all throughout the season.
7. Sadler Blows Over, Takes Out 14 Cars at Talladega
In one of the scariest crashes of the 2007 season, Elliott Sadler would spin into the grass, and would suffer a roof-flap malfunction. This would send his car airborne as it spun up to the tri-oval. This would take out 14 other cars that were trying to avoid him on the outside. Sadler would flip into the catchfence and slide on his roof into the infield, flipping twice more. Cars involved would include Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Elliott Sadler, Blake Feese, and Casey Atwood, among others. A 42-minute red flag would be held to repair the damage done to the catchfence, as well as all the debris scattered across the racetrack.
6. Tight Finish at Nashville
In the first Cup Series race at Nashville, two former Busch Series drivers, Clint Bowyer and Blake Feese. Coming off of Turn 4, Blake Feese would hold the lead over Clint Bowyer by about a car length. However, Bowyer would get to the quarter of Feese and get him loose. The two would beat and bang all the way to the checkered flag, only for Clint Bowyer to edge out Blake Feese by 0.010 seconds. Feese would get loose and spin after crossing the line, sliding up into the wall afterwards. This would be the first of two wins for Clint Bowyer in 2007, the other coming at Texas later in the season.
5. Kurt Busch’s Dismal Season
Even after Kurt Busch celebrated a career season in 2006, he would drop far down after that for the 2007 season. He would not only go winless, but would DNF 11 times, and only score 12 Top 10’s and finish 19th in the points. This would be his lowest points finish to date, and would lay an uncertainty on his future. After 2007, he would be released from Jack Roush’s team, and would become a free agent for the first time since 2000.
4. Keller Upsets the Field at Daytona
For the first two years of his Cup career, Jason Keller would go winless driving Roger Penske’s #12 car. This would be the season opener of 2007. With nine laps to go, a caution would come out for David Gilliland spinning off of Turn 2. Keller would be able to a dominant Carl Edwards on the restart. Via getting a single-file arrangement of cars behind him, he would be able to lead only the final five laps of the 49th running of the Daytona 500. This would be Keller’s only win of 2007, with the remainder of his season being below-par at best. Despite an uncertain future in NASCAR, Jason Keller would remain optimistic, regardless of how direction.
3. Riggs Continues to Impress, Makes Big Improvements
Scott Riggs, ever since his rookie season in 2004, was viewed as a star on the rise. He would have notched 3 career wins in his first three full-time seasons in Cup. 2007, however, would be a step above the rest for Riggs. He would score a career-high four wins that season, them being the spring Atlanta race, the Food City 500, the race at Rockingham, and the season finale at Homestead-Miami. He would score 22 Top 10’s and an average finish of 10.2 by the end of the season, and finish 4th in the final standings. He would get a contract extension through 2010 at the #2 ride after the conclusion of the season, and much was expected from the still-developing Riggs moving into 2008.
2. Burtons Call It Quits, Retire from Racing After 2007
Some of the saddest news of the 2007 season would be the t retirement announcement from Jeff and Ward Burton in October of that year. The Virginia siblings’ careers had been on a steep decline with their older age, with both of them moving through their 40’s at the time. Their rides at DEI and Morgan-McClure Racing would be open moving into 2008. Both Burton would work to take part in analytical work in years to come, and set up rumors of part-time campaigns in lower series for lower teams for the future. But, before NASCAR’s eyes, and era was almost done shifting after a full eight years of old and new faces in old and new places. But the men at the top would stay there.
1. Gordon and Johnson Fight for the Title at Homestead
Both of the Burtons’ last start would be a noteworthy matter surrounding the 2007 Ford 400, but the championship battle between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson would take center stage. After Jimmie Johnson’s engine expired mid-race, all Jeff Gordon was left to do is finish the race. After finishing 11th in the season finale, he was able to seal away the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Series championship, for the fifth time in his career. Despite the fact that he was well into his 30’s, he was still one of NASCAR’s most consistent drivers, scoring 7 wins, 22 Top 5’s, 31 Top 10’s, an average finish of 8.9, to win the title in a dominant fashion.
Heading into 2008, NASCAR was almost through it’s change of scenery that had been protruding through the past decade. Many of NASCAR’s legends had left the sports to pursue other careers and lifestyles, and many young drivers had found their footing across NASCAR, and continued to pour into NASCAR’s highest division. After Bill , Jr. resigned from the role of CEO and Chairman of NASCAR, fans would expect the unexpected from NASCAR, in the years to come. The Underlying Theme, would not change one bit, either way. But only you unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond here is another dimension; a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed into...the Twilight Zone.
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