Jimmie Johnson won the 2007 Nextel Cup championship successfully defending the crown he won last year. The No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver finished seventh which was good enough to hold off teammate Jeff Gordon for the title by 77 points. It is the seventh title for owner Rick Hendrick.
Matt Kenseth won the season finale [...]

POS, CAR, DRIVER, MAKE, SPONSOR, SPEED, TIME, BEHIND
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe’s 176.788 30.545 Leader
2 12 Ryan Newman Dodge ALLTEL 176.569 30.583 -0.038
3 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dodge Dealers Lifetime Powertrain Warranty / UAW 176.350 30.621 -0.076
4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford DEWALT NANO Technology 176.074 30.669 -0.124
5 2 Kurt Busch Dodge Miller Lite 175.942 30.692 -0.147

Robert Yates Racing will resurrect the No. 28 next season with driver Travis Kvapil.
The number, which has been driven by 10 of the 40 winningest drivers in NASCAR history for 76 victories, hasn’t been used since Ricky Rudd was behind the wheel at RYR in 2002.
“Hopefully, we can do the things we used to do [...]

The following scenarios for Jimmie Johnson to clinch the 2007 Nextel Cup Championship REGARDLESS of what Jeff Gordon does:
Finishes 18th or better in the FORD 400 at Homestead or…
Leads one lap and finishes at least 19th or…
Leads the most laps and finishes 21st or better

Richie Gilmore returned to Dale Earnhardt, Inc. this week after suffering an aneurysm Oct. 5. Gilmore, 43, the chief operating officer of Earnhardt Childress Racing Technology, said it “feels good” to be back at the shop, even if it was part-time.

UPDATE:
NASCAR says speculation that its family-owned company is for sale to the same European private equity firm that owns the Formula One group is “unequivocally false.”
A recent report in the racing business newsletter The Business of Motorsport, suggested that CVC Capital Partners, which manages funds internationally totaling more than $23.7 billion, was the “most-likely buyer” [...]

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 8 Budweiser Monte Carlo SS, met with members of the media and discussed the plans for his company, JR Motorsports, in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series, racing his last race for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and in the No. 8 Chevrolet and anticipation for the 2008 season with Hendrick Motorsports:
ON EXTENDING AGREEMENT [...]

Robert Yates, owner of the No. 38 and No. 88 Ford Fusions driven by David Gilliland and Ricky Rudd, will officially retire at the end of tomorrow’s Ford 400. Yates spoke about his favorite memories and his plans for the future on Saturday at Homestead Miami Speedway.
ROBERT YATES, Owner — RYR Ford Fusions
WHAT EMOTIONS DO [...]

Billy Hagan, whose team won the Nextel Cup championship with driver Terry Labonte in 1984, died Friday. He was 75.