2007 IndyCar Series


The 2007 IRL IndyCar Series began with a night race on Saturday March 24 at Homestead–Miami Speedway. The season's premiere event, the [2007 Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis 500|91st Indianapolis 500] was held on May 27. The season finale was held at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9. Dario Franchitti won four races during the season, including the Indy 500, clinched the 2007 IndyCar Series championship after he won the final race of the season at Chicagoland Speedway, after points leader Scott Dixon ran out of fuel in turn 3 of the final lap.
At the conclusion of the season, Danica Patrick was voted Most Popular Driver for the third consecutive year.
All races were televised on the ESPN family of networks. In addition, all races were broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network, and XM IndyCar Channel 145 and simulcast on XM Sports Nation.
The 2007 schedule was the twelfth season of the IRL IndyCar Series, and part of the 96th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. It was the final season that IndyCar Series ran independently before the IRL merged with Champ Car in 2008. It also marked A. J. Foyt's 50th anniversary of participation in IndyCar racing.
It was the final season that all IndyCar Series cars ran with the sequential manual gearbox shifters before switching to sequential semi-automatic paddle-shifters for the following season.
2007 was also the first season that all IndyCar Series entrants utilized Dallara spec-chassis throughout the season, although Panoz chassis were still used by part-time, underfunded entrants for the Indianapolis 500 only, but without factory support from the manufacturer.

Series news

  • All cars utilized a 100% fuel blend of ethanol. In the 2006 season, cars utilized a 90%–10% blend of methanol and ethanol. From 1965 to 2005, Indy cars in USAC, CART, and IRL used a 100% methanol blend.
  • All cars re-utilized 3.5-liter displacement engines. From 2004 to 2006, the IndyCar Series used 3.0-liter engines, from 2000 to 2003, 3.5-liter engines, and from 1997 to 1999, 4.0-liter engines. The increase in displacement was to counter the expected horsepower loss resulting from the switch to a 100% ethanol fuel blend.
  • Fuel cells in the cars were reduced from 30 gallons to 22 gallons to offset the improved mileage experienced by ethanol.
  • All cars carried a rear-mounted safety light, to be controlled by race officials.
  • On short ovals and road courses, front wings may have been set at any angle between negative 5 and positive 5 degrees.
  • Race day morning warm-up practice sessions were eliminated. As a result, pre-qualifying practice sessions were extended by 15 minutes.
  • If qualifications were canceled for an event, the starting lineup was based on entrant points. In previous seasons, top practice speeds had been used.
  • Series officials had the discretion to determine the rookie status of any driver, regardless of the number of races started in previous seasons.
  • IndyCar Series teams that participated in the Indy Pro Series earned bonus testing days for the 2007 calendar year. The bonus testing days were awarded following participation in designated 2007 IPS events, and were shared by the team's IndyCar Series driver and IPS driver. They could have been conducted at any IndyCar Series venue except Indianapolis or Mid-Ohio.

Teams and drivers

All entries utilize Honda engines and Firestone Firehawk tires.
TeamChassisNoDriversRounds
[A. J. A. J. Foyt Enterprises|Foyt Enterprises|A. J. Foyt Racing]Dallara14

Driver changes

Schedule

The schedule consisted of 12 oval races, 3 road course races, and 2 street track races.
IconLegend
Oval/Speedway
Road course
Street circuit

RndDateRace NameTrackCity
1March 24XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 Homestead-Miami SpeedwayHomestead, Florida
2April 1Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Streets of St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg, Florida
3April 21Indy Japan 300 Twin Ring MotegiMotegi, Japan
4April 29Kansas Lottery Indy 300 Kansas SpeedwayKansas City, Kansas
5May 2791st Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor SpeedwaySpeedway, Indiana
6June 3ABC Supply Company A. J. Foyt 225 The Milwaukee MileWest Allis, Wisconsin
7June 9Bombardier Learjet 550 Texas Motor SpeedwayFort Worth, Texas
8June 24Iowa Corn Indy 250 Iowa SpeedwayNewton, Iowa
9June 30SunTrust Indy Challenge Richmond International RacewayRichmond, Virginia
10July 8[Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen|Camping World Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen Grand Prix] Watkins Glen InternationalWatkins Glen, New York
11July 15Firestone Indy 200 Nashville SuperspeedwayLebanon, Tennessee
12July 22[Honda Indy 200|The Honda Indy V8|Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio] Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseLexington, Ohio
13August 5Firestone Indy 400 Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan
14August 11Meijer Indy 300 Kentucky SpeedwaySparta, Kentucky
15August 26Motorola Indy 300 Infineon RacewaySonoma, California
16September 2Detroit Indy Grand Prix Belle Isle street circuitDetroit, Michigan
17September 9Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 Chicagoland SpeedwayJoliet, Illinois

Schedule announcements

The full schedule was ratified on October 13, 2006. Instead of a single schedule announcement, the venues for the 2007 season were announced separately between August and October 2006. Before that, the only race beyond the Indianapolis 500 that had been confirmed was the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 1, 2006.
  • August 2, 2006 – The first event at Iowa Speedway.
  • August 10, 2006 – Milwaukee. The race moved from July to the weekend following the Indy 500.
  • August 17, 2006 – Texas and Kentucky. Kentucky switched to a night race. On December 8, 2006, the IRL announced that the Texas race would be lengthened to 550 kilometers.
  • September 12, 2006 – Nashville.
  • September 19, 2006 – Kansas and Watkins Glen. Kansas became the final race before the Indy 500. The change was made to avoid hot and humid July temperatures.
  • September 20, 2006 – Richmond.
  • September 21, 2006 – Chicagoland Speedway. It would serve as the season finale.
  • September 25, 2006 – Twin Ring Motegi
  • September 27, 2006 – Homestead. The race switched to a Saturday night race.
  • September 29, 2006 – The Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle returned.
  • October 12, 2006 – Mid-Ohio and Sonoma
  • October 13, 2006 – Michigan. The race was to be moved forward from the last weekend in July, which was the new date for NASCAR's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. After a first tentative date of July 22, the IRL and Michigan scheduled the event in August to accommodate new venues. The announcement finalized the 2007 IndyCar schedule.
On December 14, 2006, it was announced that Marquis Sports Marketing, a Dallas-based company, was in coordination to add another race to the 2007 schedule. A non-points, exhibition race in the streets of Biloxi, Mississippi was in the planning stages for September or October 2007 as an effort to revitalize the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The race would be the first step in what were plans to build an oval track in the area by 2009. However, none of these efforts eventually came to fruition.

IndyCar Series testing

Race summaries

Round 1 of 17: XM Satellite Radio Indy 300">Homestead–Miami Indy 300">XM Satellite Radio Indy 300

  • Saturday March 24, 2007 – 8:00 p.m. EDT
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway – Homestead, Florida
  • Distance: 200 laps / 297 miles
  • Race weather:, mostly cloudy, isolated showers, windy
  • Television: ESPN2 – race advertised as the Ethanol 300 Presented by XM Satellite Radio.
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.39, 0.7
  • Attendance: 30,000+
  • Pole position winner: Dan Wheldon- 24.9438 seconds,
  • Race Summary: The start of the race was delayed about 30 minutes due to a short shower and was interrupted by a brief mist on lap 67. Even with the weather conditions the race was able to take place and complete all 200 laps. The race was dominated by driver Dan Wheldon who led 179 laps and won despite a mistake in the pits, which led to a pit stop over 22 seconds. Wheldon restarted 9th after the miscue, but retook the lead within 11 laps, and never looked back. Wheldon won for the third year in a row at Homestead and allowed only four other cars to finish on the lead lap. This marked the first race by a major racing series to use renewable fuel, as a 100% ethanol blend was used by all cars.

Round 2 of 17: [Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg]

  • Sunday April 1, 2007 – 2:30 p.m. EDT
  • Streets of St. Petersburg – St. Petersburg, Florida
  • Distance: 100 laps / 180 miles
  • Race weather:, sunny
  • Television: ESPN – race advertised as Honda Indycar Grand Prix presented by XM Satellite Radio.
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.6 national, 0.4 coverage area
  • Attendance: 100,000+
  • Pole position winner: Hélio Castroneves- 1:01.6839,
  • Race Summary: Pole winner Hélio Castroneves led 95 of the 100 laps, holding off Scott Dixon for the win by 0.6007 seconds, the closest finish on a road circuit in IRL history. On the first lap, five cars were involved in a spin, including Tony Kanaan. In practice, Kanaan had crashed his qualified car, but the team made repairs so he could start in the 6th position rather than using a backup. The spin dropped him to the rear of the field. After a series of pit stops under yellow, Dan Wheldon took the lead. On a lap 35 restart, Castroneves bumped Wheldon from behind, and slipped by to take the lead for good. In the best run by a Foyt team in a few season, Darren Manning ran as high as third until a late spin dropped him to 13th. After the first lap spin, Tony Kanaan recovered to finish third.

Round 3 of 17: [Indy Japan 300]

  • Saturday April 21 – 1:00 p.m. JST / 12:00 a.m. EDT
  • Twin Ring Motegi – Motegi, Japan
  • Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
  • Race weather:, cloudy
  • Television: ESPN – race advertised as Firestone Indycar 300
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute
  • *Broadcast originally scheduled for 12 noon EDT, rescheduled for 3:00 p.m. due to NBA playoffs coverage.
  • *Broadcast delayed 6 minutes due to Nets/Raptors game running long.
  • *Ratings: 0.4
  • Attendance:
  • Pole Position winner: Hélio Castroneves 26.6416 seconds,
  • Race Summary: For the second time in two oval races this season, Dan Wheldon dominated much of the race. However, unlike at Homestead, he would not be victorious, and even lost use of his two-way radio. With about 15 laps to go, the final sequence of pit stops for fuel began, and threatened to shuffle the field. Tony Kanaan's AGR team used a late-pit strategy, which saw him take on less fuel and a shorter stop. With four laps to go, Kanaan took the lead and held off Wheldon to claim his first victory of the season. With Kanaan's win, the first three races of the season have produced three different winners representing three different teams. During practice, both Kosuke Matsuura and Danica Patrick turned in some of their best on-track performances thus far this season. Neither were factors during the race however, and Matsuura, in fact, crashed out on the first lap in front of his home country.

Round 4 of 17: Kansas Lottery Indy 300">RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300">Kansas Lottery Indy 300

  • Sunday April 29 – 3:30 p.m. CDT / 4:30 p.m. EDT
  • Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, Kansas
  • Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
  • Race weather:, Sunny
  • Television: ESPN2 – race advertised as Kansas IndyCar 300
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.3
  • Attendance: 70,000
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Tony Kanaan 25.5476 sec,
  • Race Summary: Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon dueled until the first pit stop when Kanaan and his teammate Danica Patrick made contact during the stop and Kanaan lost several laps due to repairs. The only other car that could run with Wheldon for the remainder of the race was teammate Scott Dixon until Dixon was brought in for a penalty for entering the pits improperly. Wheldon dominated the remainder of the race which finished under caution after a solo crash by Scott Sharp with 2 laps to go. This race made history as it was the first major open-wheel race to feature three female drivers: Patrick, Sarah Fisher, and rookie Milka Duno. It also registered the highest average speed of any race at Kansas Speedway.

Round 5 of 17: 91st Indianapolis 500">Indianapolis 500">91st Indianapolis 500

  • Sunday May 27 – 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Speedway, Indiana
  • Distance: 200 laps / 500 miles, although reduced to 166 laps / 415 miles, due to rain.
  • Race weather: Overcast, with rain throughout the day, high.
  • Television: ABC – race advertised as Indianapolis 500 broadcast presented by GoDaddy.com
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Rusty Wallace, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo, Jamie Little
  • *Ratings: 4.3/12
  • Attendance: 251,000
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves – 2:42.3336,
  • Race Summary: Rain fell overnight, and in the morning, but the race started on-time as scheduled. In the early segments of the race, the competition was intense as Hélio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Scott Dixon all took their turn at the lead. After a caution period, with rain only a few miles away, a restart on lap 107 could have decided the winner. As the green came out, Tony Kanaan got the jump on Marco Andretti, and took the lead in turn 1. Moments later, Phil Giebler crashed, bringing the yellow out once again. Before safety crews could clear the track, heavy rain fell, and the race was red flagged after lap 113. After nearly three hours, the race resumed, with Kanaan leading. On the 156th lap, the field went back to green after Marty Roth's crash, however, in turn four, Tony Kanaan came up on the back of Jacques Lazier, sending Lazier into the wall, and sending Kanaan's car into a spin. He blew a tire and coasted into the pits. Moments later, the field assembled for what was expected to be the final restart before the rains came. Franchitti, working lap 163, held the lead into the backstretch. Behind him, Marco Andretti tangled with Dan Wheldon, and Andretti's car flipped down the backstretch. Before the track could be cleared, a heavy rainstorm fell on the track, and the race was called after 166 laps with Dario Franchitti declared the winner.

Round 6 of 17: [ABC Supply Company A. J. Foyt 225]

  • Sunday June 3 – 3:00 p.m. CDT / 4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Milwaukee Mile – West Allis, Wisconsin
  • Distance: 225 laps / 225 miles
  • Race weather:, mostly cloudy
  • Television: ABC
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 1.0, 1.2
  • Attendance: 31,838
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves – 21.3596 sec.,
  • Race Summary: Polesitter Hélio Castroneves appeared to have the race in hand until his rear wing support snapped coming out of turn 4 on lap 201. His car spun across the front stretch and into the inside retaining wall. Shortly after the restart Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr.'s rear wing bent in a similar place, although mildly enough to allow him to finish the race, but he was forced to relinquish second place. These two somewhat bizarre part failures allowed AGR teammates Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti to cruise to a 1–2 finish. On lap 89, Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon touched wheels, sending Patrick spinning. Both recovered to finish in the top ten, however, the incident led to a post-race confrontation where Patrick grabbed and pushed Wheldon, starting a feud between the two. Neither driver received any penalty.

Round 7 of 17: Bombardier Learjet 550">Firestone 550">Bombardier Learjet 550

Round 8 of 17: Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Ethanol">Iowa Corn Indy 250">Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Ethanol

Round 9 of 17: SunTrust Indy Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio">SunTrust Indy Challenge">SunTrust Indy Challenge presented by XM Satellite Radio

  • Saturday June 30 – 7:30 p.m. EDT
  • Richmond International Raceway – Richmond, Virginia
  • Distance: 250 laps / 187.5 miles
  • Race weather:, Mostly Cloudy
  • Television: ESPN – race advertised as Richmond IndyCar 250 presented by XM Satellite Radio
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.6
  • Attendance: 45,000
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti
  • Race Summary: Qualifying was rained out and the field was set by entrant points. As a result, points leader Dario Franchitti started the race from the pole. Franchitti dominated the race, leading all but 9 laps on his way to his third win of the season, and eighth consecutive top-5 finish. He opened up a 65-point lead in the championship ahead of Scott Dixon. The race was under yellow as soon as it went green when Sam Hornish Jr. spun his Penske car on the inside of Turn 4. When the green flag flew on lap 4, Franchitti opened up a lead, before another caution period on lap 61 for debris. Lap 64 saw the leaders make pit stops, and it was Tony Kanaan who made the pit exit first. He led until lap 72, when Franchitti took advantage of a sluggish restart from his AGR teammate to retake the lead. He led the next 88 laps until a single car crash involving Jeff Simmons. Hélio Castroneves led for a solitary lap, before serving a drive-through penalty for illegal blending under the pace car. The pace car then picked up what driver Johnny Rutherford believed was a puncture while leading the field, and had to switch to one of the others. Ultimately an excess amount of rubber debris had built up on the car's tires. Franchitti led the rest of the way, despite another caution for contact between Hornish and Kosuke Matsuura. Franchitti held on to win by 0.4194 seconds from the Ganassi pair of Dixon and Dan Wheldon, with Kanaan coming home 4th. Buddy Rice continued on his recent success, rounding out the top five despite starting on the outside of the sixth row.

Round 10 of 17: Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix">Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen">Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix

  • Sunday July 8 – 3:30 p.m. EDT
  • Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, New York
  • Distance: 60 laps / 202.5 miles
  • Race weather:
  • Television: ABC
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 1.0
  • Attendance:
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves 1:29.1919,
  • Race Summary: Castroneves led the first 19 laps, and on lap 20, under growing pressure from Scott Dixon, crashed in turn 11, bringing out the first yellow of the race. The green came out on lap 23, with Dixon leading. Lap 25 saw the second caution of the race, a spin by A. J. Foyt IV at Turn 8. As Dixon pitted, Vítor Meira grabbed the lead, which he would hold until lap 33. Meira's pit strategy was misjudged, and ran out of fuel, causing the 3rd full course caution. Dan Wheldon would lead lap 33, before pitting, allowing Marco Andretti to take the lead on lap 34. Andretti led until his final pitstop on lap 44, which would give Dixon the lead until the finish. Sam Hornish Jr. ended up 2nd, with the Andretti Green trio of Dario Franchitti, Andretti and Tony Kanaan rounding out the top 5. Dixon also cut into Franchitti's massive points lead, reducing it from 65 to 47, after Dixon accumulated the maximum 53 points for the win, and most laps led compared to the 35 that Franchitti earned for 3rd position. After the race, there was a bizarre incident in the pit lane. On the track, Hornish Jr. and Kanaan clashed on the track, which caused damage to each racecar. Then, Kanaan faked a turn on the reigning champion, while coming into the pitlane on the slow-down lap. This made Hornish Jr. come towards Kanaan to discuss events on the track. Sam Hornish, the father of the Penske driver, then pushed Kanaan, making his frustration known. He was then tackled to the ground by someone standing nearby. Marco Andretti stepped in and stopped his father Michael from getting involved, and Jaime Camara, the IPS driver for AGR, was also involved in breaking up the melée. In total, some 15 to 20 people were involved in the incident.

Round 11 of 17: [Firestone Indy 200]

Round 12 of 17: The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance">Honda 200">The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance

Round 13 of 17: [Firestone Indy 400]

  • Sunday August 5–12:00 p.m. EDT
  • Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn, Michigan
  • Distance: 200 laps / 400 miles
  • Race weather: Rainy/Foggy
  • Television: ESPN Classic
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.28, no ratings available for ESPN Classic
  • Attendance: 35,000
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti 32.981 sec
  • Race Summary: The race start was delayed hours due to persistent rainy conditions. As a result, the US telecast was moved to ESPN Classic. Once the race began, it became a war of attrition marked by two significant incidents. The first came when Hélio Castroneves and Vítor Meira hooked wheels just past the start-finish line, slamming both cars hard into the outside wall. Castroneves was visibly upset with Meira after the incident and walked all the way to the infield care center, later complaining of knee pain and being diagnosed with only a bruised knee. On Lap 139, polesitter Dario Franchitti and leader Dan Wheldon hooked wheels on the back-stretch, sending Franchitti sideways and later sailing upside down, landing on the cars of Scott Dixon and A. J. Foyt IV. Franchitti's car was the same one he had driven to victory in the Indy 500. The incident collected seven cars and all drivers, including Franchitti, were uninjured. A lengthy caution followed with just seven cars remaining running and on the lead-lap. Andretti Green Racing was set to capture a 1–2–3 finish until Danica Patrick suffered a punctured right-rear tire with 13 laps to go, forcing her to pit, leaving AGR driver Tony Kanaan to hold off teammate Marco Andretti for his third win of the season. The carnage resulted in career-best finishes for Kosuke Matsuura, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Foyt despite his car not running at the finish. There was no race at Michigan on the 2008 calendar, and as of 2025, this is the last time IndyCar has raced at the track.

Round 14 of 17: Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Edy's">Kentucky Indy 300">Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Edy's

  • Saturday August 11 – 6:30 p.m. EDT
  • Kentucky Speedway – Sparta, Kentucky
  • Distance: 200 laps / 300 miles
  • Race weather: Sunny
  • Television: ABC
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.6
  • Attendance: 56,482
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Tony Kanaan 24.4307 sec
  • Race Summary: Starting from the pole for the first time since Kansas in April, the AGR car of Tony Kanaan led the opening 38 laps, right up to the first round of pitstops, under caution, after a crash on lap 36 involving Team Penske's Sam Hornish Jr. & Ganassi's Dan Wheldon. Dario Franchitti would leapfrog his AGR teammate on the pitstops, taking the lead on lap 39 for the restart on lap 44. Franchitti would lead until the second round of pitstops, under green flag conditions. Franchitti was the first to pit, on lap 91. This allowed Kanaan and Scott Dixon into the lead and second positions respectively. Both drivers would pit the following lap for their second pitstops. A. J. Foyt IV took the lead, and he would two laps, before pitting on lap 94. On the pitstops, Kanaan and Dixon had passed Franchitti, allowing them to be first and second, when everyone had made their pitstops. The race continued under green, until lap 126, when a caution was flown for debris in turn 3. Yellow-flag pitstops would occur, and a fast pitstop from the #9 crew allowed them, to lead for the restart on lap 132. Kanaan would pass Dixon the very next lap, and would hold the lead until the final round of pitstops. As Kanaan, Dixon and most of the other frontrunners pitted on lap 179, Foyt returned to the lead. As Foyt pitted on lap 181, the final yellow was flown, after an incident which began on pitlane. The AGR cars of Franchitti and Danica Patrick collided on pit entry, causing damage to Franchitti's right front wing endplate. He would need the nosecone replaced, but would not lose a lap. Meanwhile, while Patrick was exiting pit road, she got on the gas too early, causing her to spin and bringing out a caution. She would be bump-started by the Delphi safety crew. On the next lap, while driving her #7 car back to pit lane, her right rear tire blew in turn 2, making her spin again, this time hitting the wall and narrowly sliding past the safety truck. Foyt would lead the field to the restart on lap 190, but Kanaan was not to be denied, taking the lead for good on lap 191. Leading 131 of the 200 laps, the Brazilian won his 4th race of this season, and moved back into the championship running. Dixon finished 2nd, to further close on Franchitti's championship lead. The Scotsman, suffered his second backflip in a row, after hitting the #55 car of Kosuke Matsuura. He put all the blame on himself, saying that he thought the race was not over. He was the last of the cars on the lead lap, finishing in 8th, giving up 16 of his 24-point championship lead. Foyt finished a career-high 3rd, just holding off the final AGR car of Marco Andretti and his Vision Racing teammate Tomas Scheckter.

Round 15 of 17: Motorola Indy 300">Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix">Motorola Indy 300

  • Sunday August 26 – 3:30 p.m. EDT
  • Infineon Raceway – Sonoma, California
  • Distance: 80 laps / 184 miles
  • Race weather:, Sunny
  • Television: ESPN
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.6
  • Attendance: 40,000
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti 1:16.7017,
  • Race Summary: Points leader Dario Franchitti took the lead at the start, and held it for 58 of the first 63 laps. On the 69th lap, Franchitti's AGR teammate Marco Andretti was exiting the pits, and entered the track directly in front of Franchitti. In turn two, the two cars made contact, and Andretti was spun out into the barrier. Franchitti suffered a badly damaged front wing, but stayed out on the track. The race went back to green with eight laps to go, with Scott Dixon and Hélio Castroneves in close pursuit. Both Dixon and Castroneves were able to pass Franchitti's ill-handling machine, and went on to finish 1st–2nd. Tony Kanaan, however, stayed behind Franchitti and refused to pass him, and helped his teammate by preventing anyone from passing either, which protected Franchitti's third-place finish. With the victory, Scott Dixon took over the championship points lead. Franchitti's contact with Marco Andretti, son of team co-owner Michael Andretti, sparked an in-house feud as the elder Andretti considered Franchitti's actions "impatient."

Round 16 of 17: Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone">Detroit Indy Grand Prix">Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone

  • Sunday September 2–3:30 p.m. EDT
  • The Raceway on Belle Isle – Detroit, Michigan
  • Distance: 90 laps / 186.3 miles
  • Race weather:, sunny
  • Television: ABC
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 1.0
  • Attendance: 30,000 100,000
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves 1:12.0688,
  • Race Summary: After a six-year absence, open wheel racing returned to the Belle Isle circuit. Minor track modifications intended to increase passing opportunities, however, saw lead changes only during pit stops, and several crashes. On the 31st lap, Sam Hornish Jr. tangled with lap car Sarah Fisher, which took both cars out, along with Vítor Meira. Darren Manning hit the back of Danica Patrick's car, causing her to spin, but both continued. Later in the race, Hélio Castroneves crashed out with Tomas Scheckter as the two were battling for position. Danica Patrick then climbed to the lead for nine laps by pitting out of sequence. After the final series of pit stops, a four-car battle at the front ensued, and held significant season championship implications. With time running out, Tony Kanaan was leading, and second place Buddy Rice ran out of fuel. Third place Scott Dixon, the championship points leader going into the race, took evasive action to get by Rice, which crashed out both cars. The pileup collected points contender Dario Franchitti as well. Danica Patrick slipped by the crash and took a career-best second place, while Kanaan went on to win. Franchitti managed to continue and limped to a sixth-place finish. Tempers flared as AGR co-owner Michael Andretti was quick to accuse Dixon of intentionally taking out Franchitti by letting off the brakes and rolling into the path of Franchitti. The incident tightened the championship chase, and moved Franchitti into the points lead by only three points with one race remaining.

Round 17 of 17: Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean">Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300">Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean

  • Sunday September 9 – 3:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. CDT
  • Chicagoland Speedway – Joliet, Illinois
  • Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
  • Race weather:, sunny
  • Television: ABC
  • *Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
  • *Ratings: 0.9
  • Attendance:
  • AAMCO Pole Award: Dario Franchitti – 25.4931 seconds,
  • Race Summary: The final race of the season saw Dario Franchitti enter with a three-point lead over Scott Dixon in the championship chase. Tony Kanaan held third, the only other driver mathematically eligible for the title. Penske teammates Sam Hornish Jr. and Hélio Castroneves dominated most of the race, leading a combined 146 laps. Tony Kanaan saw his championship hopes go away early in the race when a flat tire forced an unscheduled pit stop. He would eventually finish 6th in the race. Single-car crashes by Marco Andretti and later Vítor Meira were the only significant on track incidents of the day. Meira's crash on lap 136 caused damage to the SAFER barrier, and a long 15-lap caution ensued as track workers repaired the barrier. It set up a dramatic fuel strategy, as both Franchitti and Dixon decided to pit to top off their tanks, and thus gamble on stretching their fuel to the end of the race. With the laps winding down, most of the leaders ducked into the pits for a quick fuel stops. That left Dixon leading, Franchitti second, and Danica Patrick third. Patrick headed for the pits on lap 195, but spun at the entrance, bringing out the caution. Both Dixon and Franchitti attempted to conserve fuel under the yellow, and prepared for a two-lap sprint to decide the race winner, and ultimately the season championship. The green came out with two laps to go, and the two battled side by side. On the final lap, entering turn three, Dixon ran out of fuel. Franchitti slipped by to take the lead, win the race, and clinch the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship title. With Franchitti reportedly heading to NASCAR, along with possibly Sam Hornish Jr., it marked what could be the final IndyCar Series race for the 2006 and 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champions respectively.

Points standings