2007 Aaron's 499


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

denotes Rookie of the Year candidate.
FinStDriverCar #MakePointsBonusLapsWinnings
11Jeff Gordon24Chevrolet19510192$355,511
28Jimmie Johnson48Chevrolet1755192$251,736
326Kurt Busch2Dodge1705192$212,483
42David Gilliland38Ford160192$182,689
525Jamie McMurray26Ford1605192$134,675
641Kevin Harvick29Chevrolet150192$164,536
736Dale Earnhardt Jr.8Chevrolet1515192$149,233
820David Stremme40Dodge1475192$106,025
928Ryan Newman12Dodge138192$133,450
1037Martin Truex Jr.1Chevrolet134192$126,495
119Scott Riggs10Dodge130192$107,050
1230Kasey Kahne9Dodge1325192$138,891
1334Jeff Green66Chevrolet1295192$120,933
1417Matt Kenseth17Ford1265192$137,641
1539Elliott Sadler19Dodge1235192$110,770
164Sterling Marlin14Chevrolet1205192$107,983
1710David Ragan *6Ford1175192$127,100
1823Kyle Petty45Dodge109192$103,083
1931J.J. Yeley18Chevrolet106192$116,033
2035Bobby Labonte43Dodge103192$127,111
213Denny Hamlin11Chevrolet1055192$102,550
2227Tony Raines96Chevrolet97192$96,425
2318Jeremy Mayfield36Toyota94192$83,075
2422Regan Smith01Chevrolet965192$104,258
2529Reed Sorenson41Dodge88192$101,947
266Kenny Wallace78Chevrolet905192$83,325
2711Boris Said160Ford875191$80,775
2832Tony Stewart20Chevrolet845190$127,761
2912Greg Biffle16Ford815190$97,025
3021Johnny Sauter70Chevrolet73190$79,325
3124Juan Montoya *42Dodge70187$115,750
3214David Reutimann *00Toyota67184$78,525
335Ricky Rudd88Ford64155$110,458
3442Jeff Burton31Chevrolet665151$118,266
3540Clint Bowyer07Chevrolet58147$86,125
3615Ward Burton4Chevrolet55144$78,725
3713Kyle Busch5Chevrolet52130$95,800
3833Joe Nemechek13Chevrolet49130$77,450
397Casey Mears25Chevrolet515124$85,250
4043Dale Jarrett44Toyota4338$77,000
4138Robby Gordon7Ford4033$76,800
4216Carl Edwards99Ford3727$84,630
4319Paul Menard *15Chevrolet3422$76,737