2007 Kroger 200 (IRP)

2007 Kroger 200 Race details[1]

Map of Speedway

Date|  July 28, 2007 (2007-07-28)
Official name|  2007 Kroger 200
Location|  Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana
Course|  Short track
Course length|  0.686 miles (1.104 km)
Distance|  200 laps, 137.2 mi (220.801 km)
Weather|  Clear
Average speed|  80.143 mph (128.978 km/h)
Attendance|  40,000
Pole position
Driver|

* Aric Almirola

|  Joe Gibbs Racing
Time|  22.481
Most laps led
Driver|  Greg Biffle|  Roush Racing
Laps|  94
Winner
No. 38|  Jason Leffler|  Braun Racing
Television in the United States
Network|  ESPN2
Announcers|  Marty Reid, Randy LaJoie

Motor car race

The 2007 Kroger 200 was a NASCAR Busch Series race held at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana on July 28, 2007. The race was the 26th iteration of the event and the 22nd race of the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series. Aric Almirola won the pole and led the 2nd most laps at 87 behind Greg Biffle who led the most laps at 94. But it was Jason Leffler who scored a historic upset victory giving the new first year manufacture Toyota its first ever NASCAR Busch Series victory.[2]

## Background

[edit]

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a 0.686-mile (1.104 km) oval track, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) road course (which has fallen into disrepair and is no longer used), and a 4,400-foot (1,300 m) drag strip which is among the premier drag racing venues in the world. The complex receives about 500,000 visitors annually.[citation needed]

### Entry List

[edit]

* (R) denotes rookie driver

#  | Driver  | Team  | Make

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|
|

00 | Mike Potter | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet
0 | Eric McClure | D.D.L Motorsports | Chevrolet
01 | Shelby Howard | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet
1 | Kertus Davis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet
05 | Brett Rowe | Day Enterprise Racing | Chevrolet
6 | Erik Darnell | Roush Racing | Ford
7 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet
08 | Jason White | Pennington Motorsports | Dodge
9 | Deac McCaskill | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge
10 | Mike Bliss | Braun Racing | Toyota
14 | Kyle Krisiloff (R) | Carl A. Haas Motorsports | Ford
16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford
18 | Brad Coleman (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet
19 | Brian Keselowski | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge
20 | Aric Almirola | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet
21 | Tim McCreadie | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
22 | Josh Wise | Fitz Racing | Dodge
24 | Landon Cassill | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
25 | Richard Johns | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford
27 | Jason Keller | Brewco Motorsports | Ford
28 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet
29 | Brandon Miller | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
30 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | SKI Motorsports | Chevrolet
33 | Cale Gale | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet
35 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford
36 | Brent Sherman | McGill Motorsports | Chevrolet
37 | Bobby East | Brewco Motorsports | Ford
38 | Jason Leffler | Braun Racing | Toyota
41 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge
42 | Kevin Hamlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge
44 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet
47 | Kelly Bires | Wood Brothers Racing/JTG Racing | Ford
49 | Derrike Cope | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet
52 | Brad Teague | Means Racing | Ford
56 | Frank Kreyer | Mac Hill Motorsports | Chevrolet
59 | Marcos Ambrose (R) | Wood Brothers Racing/JTG Racing | Ford
60 | Travis Kvapil | Roush Racing | Ford
66 | Steve Wallace | Rusty Wallace Inc. | Dodge
72 | D. J. Kennington | MacDonald Motorsports | Dodge
77 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet
88 | Brad Keselowski (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet
89 | Morgan Shepherd | Faith Motorsports | Dodge
90 | Stephen Leicht | Robert Yates Racing | Ford
99 | Mark Green | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota
Official Entry list

## Qualifying

[edit]

Aric Almirola won the pole for the race with a time of 22.481 and a speed of 109.853.[3]

Grid  | No. | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | Time  | Speed

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | 20 | Aric Almirola | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 22.481 | 109.853
2 | 6 | David Ragan (R)** *** | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.576 | 109.391
3 | 77 | Ron Hornaday | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.582 | 109.361
4 | 47 | Kelly Bires | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing | Ford | 22.641 | 109.076
5 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Braun Racing | Toyota | 22.726 | 108.668
6 | 99 | David Reutimann** *** | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 22.745 | 108.578
7 | 90 | Stephen Leicht | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.795 | 108.340
8 | 60 | Carl Edwards** *** | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.797 | 108.330
9 | 18 | Brad Coleman (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 22.805 | 108.292
10 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.815 | 108.245
11 | 01 | Shelby Howard | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.823 | 108.207
12 | 41 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 22.834 | 108.155
13 | 27 | Jason Keller | Brewco Motorsports | Ford | 22.854 | 108.060
14 | 1 | J. J. Yeley** *** | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 22.854 | 108.060
15 | 88 | Brad Keselowski (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.868 | 107.994
16 | 29 | Scott Wimmer** *** | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.873 | 107.970
17 | 21 | Tim McCreadie | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.889 | 107.895
18 | 33 | Cale Gale | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.900 | 107.843
19 | 7 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 22.909 | 107.800
20 | 37 | Bobby East | Brewco Motorsports | Ford | 22.912 | 107.786
21 | 36 | Brent Sherman | McGill Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.959 | 107.566
22 | 10 | Mike Bliss | Braun Racing | Toyota | 22.969 | 107.519
23 | 24 | Landon Cassill | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.976 | 107.486
24 | 59 | Marcos Ambrose (R) | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing | Ford | 22.979 | 107.472
25 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Rusty Wallace Inc. | Dodge | 22.991 | 107.416
26 | 19 | Brian Keselowski | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge | 22.995 | 107.397
27 | 25 | Richard Johns | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford | 23.007 | 107.341
28 | 35 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford | 23.015 | 107.304
29 | 22 | Josh Wise | Fitz Racing | Dodge | 23.037 | 107.201
30 | 42 | Kevin Hamlin*** | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 23.053 | 107.127
31 | 30 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | SKI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.081 | 106.997
32 | 14 | Kyle Krisiloff (R) | Carl A. Haas Motorsports | Ford | 23.178 | 106.549
33 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd*** | Faith Motorsports | Dodge | 23.272 | 106.119
34 | 72 | D. J. Kennington | MacDonald Motorsports | Dodge | 23.414 | 105.475
35 | 0 | Eric McClure | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.467 | 105.237
36 | 56 | Frank Kreyer | Mac Hill Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.508 | 105.054
37 | 49 | Derrike Cope | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 23.529 | 104.960
38 | 05 | Brett Rowe*** | Day Enterprise Racing | Chevrolet | 23.729 | 104.075
39 | 52 | Brad Teague | Means Racing | Ford | 23.848 | 103.556
40 | 28 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 23.858 | 103.512
41 | 44 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 23.862 | 103.495
42 | 9 | Deac McCaskill* | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | — | —
43 | 08 | Jason White | Pennington Motorsports | Dodge | 23.864 | 103.486
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes
44 | 00 | Mike Potter | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.980 | 102.986
DC | 1 | Kertus Davis | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | — | —
DC | 6 | Erik Darnell | Roush Racing | Ford | — | —
DC | 29 | Brandon Miller | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | — | —
DC | 60 | Travis Kvapil | Roush Racing | Ford | — | —
DC | 99 | Mark Green | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | — | —
Official Starting grid

* – Made the field via owners points

** – There were 5 different driver changes by Raceday as there were drivers qualifying the cars for the Cup Series drivers. Kertus Davis qualified for J. J. Yeley, Erik Darnell qualified for David Ragan, Brandon Miller qualified for Scott Wimmer, Travis Kvapil qualified for Carl Edwards, and Mark Green qualified for David Reutimann. This was during the peak of the Buschwhacker era where Cup Series drivers would drive in the Busch Series and would ask for other drivers to qualify their Busch Series car while they tried to qualify the Cup Series race which would be the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

*** – David Ragan, David Reutimann, Carl Edwards, J. J. Yeley, Scott Wimmer, Kevin Hamlin, Morgan Shepherd, and Brett Rowe all had to go to the rear of the field. Ragan, Reutimann, Edwards, Yeley, and Wimmer all had driver changes, Hamlin had unapproved impound adjustment, Shepherd had an engine change, and Rowe missed the drivers meeting.

## Race

[edit]

Pole sitter Aric Almirola led the first lap of the race. The first caution of the race flew on lap 14 when Landon Cassill crashed in turns 1 and 2 after he got spun by Steve Wallace. During the caution period, some drivers pitted.[citation needed] On pit road, a scary accident occurred. Ron Hornaday went in to pit and one of his tire carriers went out there but went a bit too far out and got clipped by the oncoming Richard Johns, whose stall was two ahead of Hornaday. The contact sent the crew member to flip onto his head while the tire landed on Johns' roof. Fortunately, the crew guy was not severely hurt. The race would restart on lap 19. On lap 44, the second caution would fly when David Ragan crashed in turn 4 after he got spun by Josh Wise. Bobby East and Ron Hornaday did not pit and East led the field to the restart on lap 51. On the restart, Hornaday took the lead from East.[citation needed] On lap 55, Aric Almirola took the lead. On lap 69, the third caution flew when Scott Lagasse Jr. came up in front of Brad Coleman down the frontstretch and Coleman hooked Lagasse and both went into the outside wall. The race would restart on lap 74. On lap 96, the 4th caution would fly when Brett Rowe blew a right front tire and hit the outside wall in turns 3 and 4. Greg Biffle won the race off of pit road but Deac McCaskill, Brian Keselowski, and D. J. Kennington did not pit and McCaskill led the field to the restart on lap 102. On the next lap, Greg Biffle would take the lead from McCaskill.[citation needed]

### Final laps

[edit]

On lap 140, the 5th caution would fly when Richard Johns hit the outside wall in turns 1 and 2. The race would restart on lap 145.[citation needed] But on lap 146, the 6th caution would fly when Deac McCaskill crashed in turn 4 after getting spun by Landon Cassill. The race would restart with 51 laps to go. With 45 to go, the 7th caution flew when Deac McCaskill crashed again in almost the same spot as before. The race would restart with 37 laps to go. With 36 to go, Carl Edwards challenged his teammate Biffle for the lead. Biffle raced side by side with Edwards for a lot of laps and Edwards got the lead change with 33 to go but could not pass Biffle and ended up falling back to 4th after he got passed by David Reutimann and Jason Leffler with around 26 to go. It looked like Biffle was gonna hold off everyone and win after Reutimann and Leffler began to fight hard with each other for 2nd place.[citation needed] Leffler and Reutimann even made contact a few times before Leffler got passed Reutimann with 13 to go and Leffler began to close in on Biffle. It looked like it was going to be almost a photo finish between Biffle and Leffler. But with 9 to go, the 8th and final caution flew when Josh Wise spun down the frontstretch. The race would restart with 5 laps to go in the race. With 4 to go, Biffle's car slid high in turns 1 and 2 giving Leffler a shot to take the lead from him. Leffler fought hard with Biffle for the lead and with 3 to go, Leffler passed Biffle for the lead. Biffle tried to catch him but Leffler began to pull away and Jason Leffler won the race. This would the third and final time a non Cup Series driver won a Busch Series race in 2007. The win would make NASCAR history as it would be Leffler's second and final career Busch Series win, but it would also be Toyota's first ever Busch Series win as a manufacturer. Since this win, Toyota has won 196 races as of 2023, 91 of those wins coming from Kyle Busch from 2008 to 2022. Greg Biffle, David Reutimann, Carl Edwards, and Ron Hornaday rounded out the top 5 while Aric Almirola, Scott Wimmer, Kevin Hamlin, Mike Bliss, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10.[4]

## Race results

[edit]

Pos  | Car  | Driver  | Team  | Manufacturer  | Laps Run  | Laps Led  | Status  | Points

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|
|
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1 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Braun Racing | Toyota | 200 | 3 | running | 190
2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 94 | running | 180
3 | 99 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 165
4 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 165
5 | 77 | Ron Hornaday | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 5 | running | 160
6 | 20 | Aric Almirola | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 87 | running | 155
7 | 29 | Scott Wimmer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 146
8 | 42 | Kevin Hamlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 142
9 | 10 | Mike Bliss | Braun Racing | Toyota | 200 | 0 | running | 138
10 | 88 | Brad Keselowski (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 134
11 | 27 | Jason Keller | Brewco Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 130
12 | 21 | Tim McCreadie | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 127
13 | 35 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 124
14 | 33 | Cale Gale | Kevin Harvick Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 121
15 | 25 | Richard Johns | Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 118
16 | 1 | J. J. Yeley | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 115
17 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Rusty Wallace Inc. | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 112
18 | 6 | David Ragan (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 109
19 | 22 | Josh Wise | Fitz Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 106
20 | 7 | Mike Wallace | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 103
21 | 14 | Kyle Krisiloff (R) | Carl A. Haas Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 100
22 | 30 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | SKI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 97
23 | 19 | Brian Keselowski | Whitney Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 94
24 | 90 | Stephen Leicht | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 91
25 | 72 | D. J. Kennington | MacDonald Motorsports | Dodge | 199 | 0 | running | 88
26 | 08 | Jason White | Pennington Motorsports | Dodge | 197 | 0 | running | 85
27 | 28 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Jay Robinson Racing | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 | running | 82
28 | 56 | Frank Kreyer | Mac Hill Motorsports | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 79
29 | 0 | Eric McClure | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 | running | 76
30 | 24 | Landon Cassill | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 73
31 | 18 | Brad Coleman (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 190 | 0 | running | 70
32 | 59 | Marcos Ambrose (R) | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing | Ford | 174 | 0 | running | 67
33 | 36 | Brent Sherman | McGill Motorsports | Chevrolet | 170 | 0 | running | 64
34 | 41 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 160 | 0 | running | 61
35 | 9 | Deac McCaskill | Gillett Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 153 | 5 | crash | 63
36 | 01 | Shelby Howard | D.D.L. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | suspension | 55
37 | 05 | Brett Rowe | Day Enterprise Motorsports | Chevrolet | 94 | 0 | suspension | 52
38 | 47 | Kelly Bires | Wood Brothers/JTG Racing | Ford | 82 | 1 | engine | 54
39 | 37 | Bobby East | Brewco Motorsports | Ford | 74 | 4 | crash | 51
40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Faith Motorsports | Dodge | 34 | 0 | engine | 43
41 | 49 | Derrike Cope | Jay Robinson Racing | Dodge | 30 | 0 | overheating | 40
42 | 52 | Brad Teague | Means Racing | Ford | 23 | 0 | transmission | 37
43 | 44 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Chevrolet | 6 | 0 | brakes | 34
Official Race results

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2007 Kroger 200". Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2007.
2. ^ "NASCAR: Leffler wins Kroger 200". Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
3. ^ "Almirola sets Indianapolis Busch pole". Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2007.
4. ^ "Leffler takes Toyota's first Busch win". Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2007.

Previous race:
2007 Gateway 250 | NASCAR Busch Series
2007 season | Next race:
2007 NAPA Auto Parts 200

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