Saturday, July 28, 2007
The start of the practice session this morning, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., was delayed due to light rain, fog and wet track conditions.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin took the extra time afforded by the rain delay this morning to take a nap in Gasoline Alley. Earnhardt caught some "Z's" on the floor in his garage next to his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet, while Hamlin got some rest in his No. 11 FedEx Kinko's Chevrolet.
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Ron Hornaday won the rain-delayed Power Stroke Diesel 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.
Ken Schrader, who finished fifth, was the only 2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard entrant who competed Friday at ORP.
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Free massages, courtesy of Allstate, are available for the media today in the front of the fourth floor of the Media Center.
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IndyCar Series standout Vitor Meira visited the track today.
VITOR MEIRA: (Who are you rooting for?): "In racing, you have so many friends. There are a lot of guys that I would like to win this thing. That includes anyone from the Menards and Johns Manville family. There are a lot of guys that I'd like to see do well here. I like Tony Stewart. I like Dale (Earnhardt Jr.)." (Is this your first visit to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard?): "I was here last year. I hope they're able to get to the track soon because it has been a long wait for everybody. Track time is very important, as you know." (What advice would you give the NASCAR drivers as they wait?): "The format for qualifying here is different than IndyCar. If it was IndyCar, then I wouldn't worry about qualifying and just get ready for the race because the track is going to change a lot. There are some guys who need to qualify, so it's bittersweet. Indianapolis is Indianapolis, and you never know what is going to happen. What you do know is that you need a good car for the race."
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TODAY'S REVISED SCHEDULE (all times local):
| 7 a.m. | Public gates open |
| 11:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series practice |
| 2:30 p.m. | Gretchen Wilson Miller Lite Rock N Racing concert, Miller Lite Stage, IMS infield |
| 5:30 p.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying (two laps, all positions) |
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NASCAR NEXTEL CUP PRACTICE:
At 11:15 a.m., the beginning of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup practice, the ambient temperature was 73 degrees with a relative humidity of 83 percent and north winds at 7 mph. Skies were cloudy. The track temperature was 86 degrees, according to Goodyear engineers.
11:15 a.m. - GREEN. #48 Johnson first on track, followed by #24 J. Gordon.
11:22 a.m. -- #8 Earnhardt returns to garage due to problems with front valance.
11:23 a.m. - RED. #38 Gilliland does half-spin in Turn 1 into short chute, no contact, continues.
11:27 a.m. - GREEN.
11:30 a.m. -- #33 Wimmer fastest at 182.589. Forty-five of the 49 cars entered for this event have turned at least one lap.
11:45 a.m. - #8 Earnhardt back on track, ninth fastest at 178.816.
12:05 p.m. - RED. #18 Yeley did a half-spin backward in Turn 4 and hit the SAFER Barrier with the left side of the car. The car then reverted to forward and scraped the SAFER Barrier exiting Turn 4. Car continued to pits, trailing heavy smoke. Moderate damage to left side of car. Yeley climbed from car in Gasoline Alley without assistance.
J.J. YELEY: "The car got going the wrong direction. We went out made three or four runs, and the car was really good. We were going to make an eight-lap run to see how our tire wear was, and for whatever reason, it got loose on the exit of Turn 4. It really caught me by surprise. We did a couple of things, and the car was actually a little bit snug at that point. I was already on the throttle at that point, and winding the wheel to get to the exit, the car got sideways. I thought I had it saved for a minute, I just couldn't keep the car caught up. It spun around, and the left side hit the wall real, real hard. It is a shame. It is a brand-new car, and it was driving really, really good. We hadn't done any kind of qualifying yet. We will have to go to a backup car and go from there." (About his health): "I am fine; I hit my elbow. Any time you hit the wall at 180 miles an hour, something is going to hurt."
12:12 p.m. - GREEN.
12:35 p.m. - #33 Wimmer fastest at 183.009. #10 Riggs second fastest at 182.342. #4 W. Burton third fastest at 180.959. All three drivers are outside the top 35 in owner points and must qualify based on speed later this afternoon.
12:50 p.m. - RED. Drivers reporting light rain in Turn 3.
12:55 p.m. - GREEN.
1:28 p.m. -- #22 Blaney third fastest at 182.068. Blaney also is outside the top 35 in owner points and must qualify based on speed.
1:30 p.m. - RED. Debris on backstretch.
1:34 p.m. - GREEN.
1:48 p.m. - RED. #7 R. Gordon makes contact with outside retaining wall with right side of car, continues. Moderate damage to right side of car. Gordon continues to Gasoline Alley.
ROBBY GORDON: "The whole day has been a lot of unexpected excitement. We came here last year and we had a shot at sitting on the pole, and we were the quickest car in the first practice and third-quickest going into qualifying. We came back this year, and I just can't get into the corner. I don't know what it is. As soon as I get into the corner, I get off line and … I had a problem in Turn 1 and Turn 3, but my bigger problem is when I don't use the brake. When I can't get the nose down and I get off line, then I get in the marbles and get loose. That's kind of what happened; I couldn't gather it back up when I got in the marbles." (Are the tires a cause?): "That's the one thing different from last year, is the tires, but obviously we're going to do the best we can. We'll get out backup car out here and get working on it. We'll stick it in the show and see how good we can get up there. Hopefully we'll be able to repeat what we did last time out."
1:56 p.m. - GREEN.
1:57 p.m. - #41 Sorenson fastest at 184.098. #42 Montoya second at 183.681.
1:59 p.m. - #8 Earnhardt second at 183.809.
2:10 p.m. - #5 Ky. Busch third fastest at 183.715.
2:25 p.m. - #40 Stremme second fastest at 183.940.
2:30 p.m. - CHECKERED. End of practice. #41 Sorenson fastest at 184.098, followed by teammate #40 Stremme at 183.940. #5 Ky. Busch third at 183.831.
Top Five Drivers, Practice:
| 1. | #41 Reed Sorenson | 184.098 mph |
| 2. | #40 David Stremme | 183.940 |
| 3. | #5 Kyle Busch | 183.831 |
| 4. | #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 183.809 |
| 5. | #19 Elliott Sadler | 183.767 |
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Thirty-five of the 49 cars entered in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard are locked into the starting field by car owner points. Thirteen cars must qualify on time/speed for seven additional starting spots. Terry Labonte may use a past champion's provisional to start 43rd and last.
The 13 cars and drivers who must qualify on time and speed, and their practice speeds and position:
#10 Scott Riggs, eighth, 183.109
#33 Scott Wimmer, 10th, 183.009
#22 Dave Blaney, 11th, 182.600
#36 Jeremy Mayfield, 20th, 181.792
#83 Brian Vickers, 21st, 181.572
#44 Dale Jarrett, 22nd, 181.496
#00 David Reutimann, 24th, 181.349
#4 Ward Burton, 29th, 181.247
#37 Kevin Lepage, 33rd, 180.756
#49 Ken Schrader, 34th, 180.727
#84 A.J. Allmendinger, 38th, 180.386
#08 Joe Nemechek, 42nd, 179.673
#78 Kenny Wallace, 44th, 178.983
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Seven drivers are scheduled to do "double duty" this weekend in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Sunday at IMS and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Busch Series event tonight at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. Since qualifying for the Kroger 200 is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today, substitute drivers will qualify the Busch cars of the seven NEXTEL Cup competitors doing "double duty."
The Kroger 200 is scheduled to start at approximately 8 p.m.
The Cup drivers doing "double duty" and their qualifying fill-in drivers:
| Cup driver | Busch qualifying replacement |
| Greg Biffle | Todd Kluever |
| Dave Blaney | Mike Bliss |
| Carl Edwards | Travis Kvapil |
| David Ragan | Erik Darnell |
| David Reutimann | Mark Green |
| Scott Wimmer | Brandon Miller |
| J.J. Yeley | Kertus Davis |
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Longtime motorsports journalist Lewis Franck received the Driver of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award from Driver of the Year Foundation President Barry Schmoyer during a ceremony this afternoon in the Media Center.
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Richard Childress Racing's NEXTEL Cup Series teams will honor Skip Prosser, the Wake Forest University men's basketball coach who died unexpectedly Thursday, with Wake Forest decals in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
RCR's three Chevrolets driven by Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Reese's), Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T) and Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel's) will carry a Wake Forest decal on the B-post of each machine. Scott Wimmer also attempt to qualify the No. 33 Holiday Inn Chevrolet for this weekend's NEXTEL Cup race. If the Wimmer makes the race, the No. 33 machine also will display the decal.
Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, N.C., just 14 miles north of RCR's campus in Welcome, N.C.
RICHARD CHILDRESS (President and CEO, Richard Childress Racing): "I grew up in Winston-Salem and have spent my entire life living and working in the area. We just want everyone in the Wake Forest Community to know that we're thinking about them during this difficult time."
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TRACK MILESTONES:
•Qualifying record: 186.293 mph, Casey Mears, 2004
•Fastest lap, today's practice: 184.098, #41 Reed Sorenson
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At 5:30 p.m., the beginning of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup qualifying, the ambient temperature was 82 degrees with a relative humidity of 62 percent and north-northeast winds at 9 mph. Skies were partly sunny. The track temperature was 105 degrees.
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POLE QUALIFYING CHRONOLOGY:
(Best of two laps)
| Time | |||||
| Of Day | Car | Driver | Time | Speed | Rank |
| 5:30 p.m. | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 49.068 | 183.419 | 1 |
| 5:33 p.m. | 41 | Reed Sorenson | 48.858 | 184.207 | 1 |
#41 Sorenson took pole from #8 Earnhardt.
| 5:35 p.m. | 5 | Kyle Busch | 49.396 | 182.201 | 3 |
| 5:36 p.m. | 99 | Carl Edwards | 49.829 | 180.618 | 4 |
| 5:39 p.m. | 66 | Jeff Green | 49.676 | 181.174 | 4 |
| 5:41 p.m. | 37 | Kevin Lepage | 50.340 | 178.784 | 6 |
| 5:43 p.m. | 24 | Jeff Gordon | 49.526 | 181.723 | 4 |
| 5:45 p.m. | 6 | David Ragan | 49.757 | 180.879 | 6 |
| 5:47 p.m. | 83 | Brian Vickers | 49.689 | 181.127 | 6 |
| 5:49 p.m. | 26 | Jamie McMurray | 49.287 | 182.604 | 3 |
| 5:51 p.m. | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | 49.498 | 181.826 | 5 |
| 5:53 p.m. | 00 | David Reutimann | 49.827 | 180.625 | 10 |
| 5:54 p.m. | 9 | Kasey Kahne | 49.080 | 183.374 | 3 |
| 5:57 p.m. | 33 | Scott Wimmer | 49.558 | 181.605 | 8 |
| 5:58 p.m. | 12 | Ryan Newman | 49.053 | 183.475 | 2 |
| 6 p.m. | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 49.233 | 182.804 | 5 |
| 6:03 p.m. | 70 | Johnny Sauter | 50.080 | 179.712 | 16 |
| 6:05 p.m. | 2 | Kurt Busch | 49.159 | 183.079 | 5 |
| 6:06 p.m. | 08 | Joe Nemechek | 50.184 | 179.340 | 18 |
| 6:09 p.m. | 44 | Dale Jarrett | 50.366 | 178.692 | 20 |
| 6:11 p.m. | 45 | Kyle Petty | 50.227 | 179.186 | 19 |
| 6:13 p.m. | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 49.048 | 183.494 | 2 |
| 6:16 p.m. | 7 | Robby Gordon | 50.879 | 176.890 | 23 |
| 6:18 p.m. | 4 | Ward Burton | 50.096 | 179.655 | 19 |
| 6:19 p.m. | 88 | Ricky Rudd | 49.998 | 180.007 | 18 |
| 6:21 p.m. | 20 | Tony Stewart | 49.275 | 182.648 | 8 |
| 6:23 p.m. | 55 | Terry Labonte | 50.189 | 179.322 | 23 |
| 6:25 p.m. | 18 | J.J. Yeley | 49.559 | 181.602 | 14 |
| 6:27 p.m. | 07 | Clint Bowyer | 49.692 | 181.116 | 17 |
| 6:29 p.m. | 21 | Bill Elliott | 49.783 | 180.785 | 19 |
| 6:31 p.m. | 78 | Kenny Wallace | 50.814 | 177.117 | 30 |
| 6:33 p.m. | 10 | Scott Riggs | 49.333 | 182.434 | 10 |
| 6:35 p.m. | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | 50.300 | 178.926 | 29 |
#84 Allmendinger made contact with outside concrete wall in Turn 4 on his qualifying lap, continued. Moderate damage to right side of car.
| 6:40 p.m. | 22 | Dave Blaney | 49.708 | 181.057 | 19 |
| 6:42 p.m. | 40 | David Stremme | 49.259 | 182.708 | 8 |
| 6:44 p.m. | 31 | Jeff Burton | 49.167 | 183.050 | 7 |
| 6:46 p.m. | 16 | Greg Biffle | 49.174 | 183.024 | 8 |
| 6:48 p.m. | 19 | Elliott Sadler | 49.342 | 182.400 | 14 |
| 6:50 p.m. | 43 | Bobby Labonte | 49.753 | 180.894 | 24 |
| 6:52 p.m. | 29 | Kevin Harvick | 49.519 | 181.748 | 17 |
| 6:54 p.m. | 17 | Matt Kenseth | 49.764 | 180.854 | 27 |
| 6:56 p.m. | 15 | Paul Menard | 49.711 | 181.046 | 25 |
| 6:58 p.m. | 01 | Mark Martin | 49.273 | 182.656 | 11 |
| 7 p.m. | 49 | Ken Schrader | 49.862 | 180.498 | 33 |
| 7:02 p.m. | 25 | Casey Mears | 49.177 | 183.012 | 9 |
| 7:04 p.m. | 96 | Tony Raines | 49.246 | 182.756 | 11 |
| 7:06 p.m. | 36 | Jeremy Mayfield | 50.411 | 178.532 | 45 |
| 7:08 p.m. | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 49.797 | 180.734 | 33 |
| 7:10 p.m. | 38 | David Gilliland | 50.033 | 179.881 | 38 |
All 49 drivers who made a qualifying attempt turned just one qualifying lap.
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POST-QUALIFYING NOTES:
•Reed Sorenson is the 11th different pole winner in 14 Allstate 400s at the Brickyard and the 10th consecutive different pole winner. Last year, in his only other previous start, he started 41st and finished 30th.
•Juan Pablo Montoya's debut in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard matches his starting position for his only appearance in the Indianapolis 500. He started second to Greg Ray before winning the 2000 Indianapolis 500. In his United States Grand Prix Formula One debut at the Speedway in 2001, Montoya started third behind Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher.
•Reed Sorenson, 21, became the youngest pole winner of a major event in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history. Rex Mays was 22 when he won the pole for the 1935 Indianapolis 500, and Lewis Hamilton was 22 when he won the pole for the 2007 United States Grand Prix.
•After qualifying today, the list of drivers who have competed in all 14 Allstate 400s at the Brickyard has been trimmed to five - Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. Sterling Marlin (not entered, finished second in 2001), Dale Jarrett (winner in 1996 and 1999) and Joe Nemechek (front-row starter in 1997) dropped off.
•First-time starters in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard are Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard, David Ragan, David Reutimann, David Gilliland and Johnny Sauter.
•This marks the second straight year a first-time starter has been on the front row with Juan Pablo Montoya matching Clint Bowyer's 2006 qualifying performance.
•The field separation is the second closest in Allstate 400 at the Brickyard history, excluding provisional starters -- .783 of a second between Reed Sorenson and Ward Burton. The closest was .746 of a second in 2000 between Brett Bodine and Hut Stricklin.
•Ryan Newman's third-place start is his seventh straight in the top eight in all seven of his appearances in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. He moves to a tie with Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett with his fourth consecutive top-five start, one behind leader Jeff Gordon in that category.
•This marks the second straight year - and the only two years that it's happened - that teammates have started on the front row for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The cars of Reed Sorenson and Juan Pablo Montoya are fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Last year, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer started from the front row for Richard Childress Racing.
•Kasey Kahne's start of fifth is his third top-five start in four starts here.
•Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s start of fourth is his fourth in the top six in eight starts here.
•Kurt Busch's start of sixth is his third in the top six in seven starts here.
•Jeff Burton's start of seventh is his second straight in the top seven, going with his 2006 pole, after starting no better than 16th in the 12 previous Allstate 400s at the Brickyard.
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SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE:
| 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Jeff Taylor Concert, choosechevy.com Stage, behind Hall of Fame Museum |
| Noon-1 p.m. | Jo Dee Messina Concert, choosechevy.com Stage, behind Hall of Fame Museum |
| 1:30 p.m. | NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Introductions |
| 1:58 p.m. | "America the Beautiful" performed by the Indiana State University Marching Band |
| 2:01 p.m. | Invocation, Rev. Howard Brammer |
| 2:01 p.m. | National anthem performed on trumpet by Sgt. Byron Bartosh, Indiana National Guard |
| 2:03 p.m. | Flyover by B-1 Lancers from the 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota |
| 2:08 p.m. | Command to Start Engines, Mari Hulman George, Chairman of the Board, Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| 2:20 p.m. | Actor James Denton waves green flag for the start of 14th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, 160 laps, 400 miles |
| Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Talkback | Post Comment |
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