Sunday, July 29 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis, IN

Tony Stewart kisses the Indy bricks to make his Allstate 400 win official. More pix at the end of this page...

Home State Hero Stewart Wins Brickyard for a Second Time

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- Tony Stewart makes no secret about his love for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He loves to race here. He also loves to win here.

Sunday, Stewart held off the challenges of NASCAR's best drivers and won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard before a pro-Stewart crowd of more than 200,000 fans.

Stewart is from Indiana and lives in Indiana and Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been on his mind since he was a kid growing up.

Stewart's second win here (he also won in 2005) produced some of the best racing this historic track has ever seen.

He took the lead from Kevin Harvick with 10 laps to go. The two banged together several times before Stewart moved on.

The beating and banging upset the handling of Harvick's Chevrolet and he faded to seventh place after running in the top five most of the day.

Juan Pablo Montoya, making his first start in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, finished second. The Columbian was trying to match his achievment of winning the first Indianapolis 500 he ran -- also in a Chip Ganassi car.

Finishing third was four-time Allstate 400 at the Brickyard champion Jeff Gordon. Kyle Busch finished fourth. Bud Pole winner Reid Sorensen was fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Mark Martin, Harvick, Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney and Matt Kenseth.

For the first time this weekend, the sun was shining as the field took the starting flag.

Rain hampered things Friday afternoon, although the track dried in time for a three-hour practice period Saturday before qualifying.

In the interest of safety, NASCAR instituted a 15-lap competition yellow flag to allow teams to check their tire wear.

Just before the mandatory caution, Jeff Green's Chevrolet jumped from underneath him in turn three and slammed into the outside wall.

After the pit stop, Stewart came out first with Earnhardt on his bumper. Previous leader Sorensen was third, trailed by Burton and Montoya.

Earnhardt sailed past Stewart for the lead right after the restart but Ryan Newman brought out the caution again when he spun coming out of turn four. He smashed the outside wall and slid across the track in front of oncoming cars but drivers managed to swerve around him.

Earnhardt set sail with Stewart a full second behind. It remained that way until the 40th lap when Kasey Kahne and Tony Raines tangled out of turn two bringing out another caution.

When the green flag waved again, it was Earnhardt, Stewart, Montoya, Gordon and Sorensen leading the field.

A multi-car accident on lap 45 ended defending champion Jimmie Johnson's attempt to make it two in a row at the Brickyard.

Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Ricky Rudd, Bill Elliott, J.J. Yeley, Scott Riggs, Ward Burton and Carl Edwards tangled in turn one, covering the track in smoke.

Johnson and McMurray sustained the most damage in the melee.

Another five-car smashup brought another caution out on the 54th lap. This time, it was Elliott Sadler, Casey Mears, Johnny Sauter and Kyle Petty in a pileup.

Stewart passed Earnhardt after the restart but they didn't get to race long before another caution fell.

Johnson, returning to the track after his first accident, slammed into the third turn wall after a previously-damaged fender cut the left front tire. Johnson was not injured even though his car burst into flames.

Complete race results and point standings in the Event Stats section below...

Broadcast Times

Qualifying: Saturday, July 29 (ESPN2 at 11 a.m./AT, 10 a.m./ET)

Practice: Saturday, July 29 (ESPN2 at 4:30 p.m./AT, 3:30 p.m./ET)

RaceDay (Special Edition): Sunday, July 29 (SPEED at 11 a.m./AT, 10 a.m./ET)

RaceDay: Sunday, July 29 (SPEED at 1 p.m./AT, Noon/ET)

Countdown to Green: Sunday, July 29 (ESPN & TSN-HD at 2 p.m./AT, 1 p.m./ET)

Race: Sunday, July 29 (ESPN & TSN-HD at 3 p.m./AT, 2 p.m./ET)

Event Stats PDF files unless otherwise noted

Entry List

Qualifying Order

Practice

Qualifying Results

Starting Lineup

Race Results

Point Standings


Green Flag Fast Facts
The Race: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The Place: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, July 29
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN & TSN-HD, 2 p.m./AT, 1 p.m./ET
The Track: 2.5-mile oval
The Distance: 400 miles; 160 laps
The Purse: $9,533,587
2006 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2006 Pole: Jeff Burton
Year-To-Date Standings: click here

Qualifying Notes

• Reed Sorenson won the Bud Pole for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard with a lap of 48.858 seconds, 184.207 mph.
• This is his first Bud Pole in 58 career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races and his third top-10 start in 2007.
• This is Sorenson’s second race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He started 41st and finished 30th in 2006.
• Juan Pablo Montoya posted the second-fastest qualifying time with a lap of 49.048 seconds, 183.494 mph. It is his fourth to 10 start this season. Montoya was the fastest qualifying rookie.
• This is the first ever front-row sweep for car owner Chip Ganassi.
• Ryan Newman (third) posted his eighth top-10 start of 2007 and his seventh in as many races at Indianapolis.
• Scott Riggs (16th) was the fastest of the drivers required to make the field on time.
• Drivers that failed to qualify include: Joe Nemechek; AJ Allmendinger; Kevin Lepage; Dale Jarrett; Jeremy Mayfield; Kenny Wallace.

Friday a Washout at the Brickyard

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, July 27) – Persistent afternoon showers washed out the first day of Allstate 400 at the Brickyard activity July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, forcing IMS and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series officials to adjust the schedule for Saturday’s qualifying day.

NEXTEL Cup Series drivers will practice from 8:30-11 a.m. (ET) Saturday, and qualifications for the 14th Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will start at 4:05 p.m.

The Gretchen Wilson Miller Lite Rock N Racing concert is tentatively scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. on the Miller Lite Stage in the IMS infield behind the Hall of Fame Museum.

Tickets from Friday will be honored on Saturday.

The lack of practice Friday afternoon will leave teams scrambling to find the right qualifying and race setup. Unlike previous years, NASCAR did not conduct an open test at the 2.5-mile IMS oval this year.

“It’s the same for everybody, and I think the biggest thing is the way we ran at Chicago, the package is pretty good,” 2005 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner Tony Stewart, who won July 15 at Chicagoland. “It’s not the same setup, obviously, but the approach is the same, so I feel confident that the shorter amount of practice time that we have, the better opportunity that we have to be of being competitive out of the gate.”

Keys to Winning...
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – both historic and unique, with a 2.5-mile relatively flat oval. It’s a tough puzzle to solve for any machine, perhaps more so for stock cars. Here are some pieces of that puzzle to consider:

• Good pit strategy is critical. It's difficult to pass and track position is of utmost importance. Making up ground during the race can oftentimes be a challenge.
• Setting the car up with the right aerodynamic package. As mentioned, passing doesn't come easily at this race track. The driver needs to have his car running at the optimum at the right place and at the right time on the track in order to have a chance to make the pass.
• Fuel mileage is a key, as is a chassis setup that works well throughout the race. Drivers need a setup that works well when the car is topped off with fuel and when it's running near empty.

Green Flag Notes...

• Road To Title Paved With Bricks...The following drivers won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, then went on to capture the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship: 2006: Jimmie Johnson; 2005: Tony Stewart; 2001: Jeff Gordon; 2000: Bobby Labonte; 1999: Dale Jarrett; 1998: Jeff Gordon...
• Juan Pablo Montoya returns this week to the site of his 2000 Indianapolis 500 win. He’ll become the first Indy 500 champion to race in NASCAR’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard since A.J. Foyt and Danny Sullivan raced in the inaugural 400 in 1994. Montoya, along with team owner Chip Ganassi, will hold a press conference Friday at 10:30 a.m. on the fourth floor of the IMS Media Center…With a 15th place finish at Chicagoland two weeks ago, Montoya increased his lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. With 196 points, he is now 14 points ahead of second-place David Ragan (No. 6 AAA Insurance Ford).
• After missing the past three races while in the TNT broadcast booth, Kyle Petty (No. 45 Marathon Dodge) finally makes his 800th career start this weekend. Petty, who was replaced by Chad McCumbee and John Andretti during his layoff, joins only five other drivers in the 800-start club – including his father, Richard, who leads the list with 1,185 starts. Oddly enough, three drivers with 800-plus starts will be in Sunday’s race: Petty, Ricky Rudd (No. 88 Snickers Ford) and Terry Labonte (No. 55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota).
• Ken Schrader started eight races this season in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford before Bill Elliott replaced him for the Coca-Cola 600. This weekend, Schrader returns, this time in the No. 49 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge for BAM Racing. Schrader last drove the No. 49 Dodge in 2005.
• Race car driver, journalist and author Denise McCluggage will be honored with the Mildred Marcum Pioneer Award at the annual Women in the Winner's Circle Luncheon at IMS on Thursday. McCluggage was the first woman inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame
• James Denton, who plays Mike Delfino in ABC’s hit show “Desperate Housewives,” will be the Grand Marshal and Honorary Starter for Sunday’s race. Sgt. Byron Bartosh, a trumpet player from the Indiana National Guard, will perform the National Anthem.
• ESPN returns to the forefront of NASCAR coverage this weekend when it reappears on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series broadcast schedule. Televising NASCAR’s premier series for the first time since 2000, ESPN launches a 17-week span of flag-to-flag coverage by ESPN and ABC of seven ‘Race to the Chase’ and 10 ‘Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup’ events. The Chase races, as well as the crucial Richmond contest prior to the Chase, will all air on ABC, marking the first time that all Chase events have appeared on the same network.

Photo Gallery - Sunday, July 29 - race day


Teams line pit road while the national anthem is played for the crowd of over 250,000...


Stewart (20) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) race for the lead...


After winning the race, Stewart starts his trademark fence climb...


Joined by many of his crewmembers (for the first time)...


Stewart with the coveted winner's trophy...


The entire team kissed the bricks at the start/finish line following Victory Lane ceremonies...


Then Stewart posed for the official winner's photo...

Photo Gallery - Saturday, July 28 - qualifying


Tony Stewart waits to make his qualifying run; he'll start 14th...


Jimmie Johnson (left) and Jeff Gordon (right) talk; Johnson starts 19th, Gordon 21st...


Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks a little perplexed, but he's starting fourth...


Carl Edwards starts waaaaay back, in 35th...
Reed Sorenson won his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole Saturday at Indy.

Photo Gallery - Friday, July 27 - practice (rained out)


Terry Labonte is driving Michael Waltrip's No. 55 car this weekend; Labonte is eligible for the coveted past champion's provisional in the event the team is not fast enough to make the field through time trials...
Evernham Motorsports teammates Kasey Kahne (left) and Elliott Sadler (right) wait for the rain to stop falling at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Friday. It did not; practice and qualifying was postponed until Saturday.

IMPORTANT: All information, schedules and/or scheduled events is/are subject to change without notice. Please check with the source to confirm.