2007 Firestone Indy 400

January 2025 March 2016 Open-wheel race held in Brooklyn, Michigan USA Firestone Indy 400 Michigan_International_Speedway_track_map.png Layout of Michigan International Speedway August 5 2007 Firestone Indy 400 IndyCar Series 13 17 Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan, United States Permanent racing facility 2.000 3.219 200 400.000 643.738 Cloudy Dario Franchitti 32.9810 GBR Andretti Green Racing Danica Patrick 32.9067Official Box Score – IndyCar Series – Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway – Sunday, August 5, 2007 Indy Racing League http://indycar.com/var/historicalstats/2007/2007-13-box-score-michigan.pdf February 5, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20111218212523/http://indycar.com/var/historicalstats/2007/2007-13-box-score-michigan.pdf December 18, 2011 dead 4 USA Andretti Green Racing Tony Kanaan BRA Andretti Green Racing Marco Andretti USA Andretti Green Racing Scott Sharp USA Rahal Letterman Racing 2007 Meijer Indy 300 2007 Honda 200 The 2007 Firestone Indy 400 was an IRL IndyCar Series open-wheel race that was held on August 5, 2007, in Brooklyn, Michigan at Michigan International Speedway. It was the 13th round of the 2007 IRL IndyCar Series and the final American open-wheel car race at the track. Andretti Green Racing driver Tony Kanaan won the 200-lap race from the eighth starting position. Kanaan's teammate Marco Andretti finished second and Scott Sharp of Rahal Letterman Racing finished third. Dario Franchitti, the points leader heading into the race, started on the pole position after posting the fastest lap during qualifications. The race was delayed by over four and a half hours due to rainfall. Franchitti led most of the race's first 50 laps before stalling his engine during a pit stop, forcing him to drop to the rear of the field. By lap 63, he made his way back to the front, but was heavily challenged by Dan Wheldon. The two drivers battled alongside each other for the lead until their wheels touched on lap 144, which sparked a multi-car pileup in which Franchitti pirouetted in the air; none of the drivers involved were injured. Soon after the race's final restart on the 171st lap, Kanaan, Andretti, and Danica Patrick got by Sharp, though Patrick's chances of earning her first win were ruined when she pitted for a blown tire on lap 186. Kanaan successfully fended off Andretti's attempts to overtake him on the outside line and earned the victory. Six cautions slowed the event and the lead was traded 23 times between nine drivers. The win was Kanaan's third of the season and tenth in the IndyCar Series.Counting his one previous win in CART-sanctioned races, this was Kanaan's 11th career victory in American open-wheel car racing.Tony Kanaan champcarstats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/KanaanTony.htm May 12, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20251118023224/https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/KanaanTony.htm November 18, 2025 live Kanaan Despite Franchitti's poor finish, he maintained his 24-point gap over Scott Dixon in the Drivers' Championship standings, with four races left in the season. Background 2007 IndyCar Series#Teams and driversleft|thumb|Michigan International Speedway (pictured in 2010), where the race was held. The Firestone Indy 400 was the 13th of 17 scheduled open-wheel races for the 2007 IRL IndyCar Series and the 56th American open-wheel car race at the track, counting the races sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (1968, 1970–1978) and Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART; 1979–2001).Michigan International Speedway https://www.champcarstats.com/tracks/mis.htm live https://web.archive.org/web/20150530082153/https://www.champcarstats.com/tracks/mis.htm May 30, 2015 February 17, 2026 ChampCarStats.com It was held on August 5, 2007, in Brooklyn, Michigan, United States, at Michigan International Speedway, a four-turn 2 mi km on asphalt tri-oval track with 18-degree banking in the corners, 12-degree banking in the front stretch, and 5-degree banking in the back stretch, and was contested over 200 laps and 400 mi km out.2007 Firestone Indy 400 https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2007_Firestone_Indy_400/O live https://web.archive.org/web/20230802011721/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2007_Firestone_Indy_400/O/ August 2, 2023 February 5, 2026 Racing-Reference.info NASCAR Digital MediaIRL: Michigan: Round 13 preview https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-round-13-preview/2211760/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260205215703/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-round-13-preview/2211760/ February 5, 2026 February 5, 2026 motorsport.com The race was the last to be included in the IndyCar Series' 2007 schedule, and was initially planned to be held on July 22 before being moved back to August 5 in order to accommodate for the series' inaugural event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.October 13, 2006 INDYCAR: Michigan Set for August 5, 2007 http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/indycar/33317/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061028001919/http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/indycar/33317/ October 28, 2006 February 7, 2026 Speed Channel Heading into the race, Dario Franchitti earned 474 points and held a 24-point lead over Scott Dixon in the Drivers' Championship standings. Tony Kanaan was third on 363 points, six points ahead of fourth-placed Dan Wheldon and 18 more than Sam Hornish Jr. in fifth.IRL: Standings after Mid-Ohio https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-standings-after-mid-ohio/2208020/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260207172431/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-standings-after-mid-ohio/2208020/ February 7, 2026 February 7, 2026 Motorsport.com Dixon had won the three preceding IndyCar Series races leading up to the Firestone Indy 400, but he admitted that Franchitti's consistency throughout the season made it tougher for him to close the gap on his points lead. Defending race winner Hélio Castroneves opined that Franchitti had the advantage of his three teammates who were capable of stealing points from Dixon.Lewandowski Dave July 23, 2007 'No weak spots for anybody' http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9560 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114201233/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9560 November 14, 2007 February 7, 2026 Indy Racing League Franchitti looked forward to returning to the track after a week off and aimed to win the race at Michigan. Kanaan, a fellow Andretti Green Racing driver, reminisced of his prior successes at the track and hoped to battle with Franchitti and Dixon for the title.IRL: Michigan: Andretti Green Racing preview https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-andretti-green-racing-preview/2212172/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260207230534/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-andretti-green-racing-preview/2212172/ February 7, 2026 February 7, 2026 Motorsport.com Twenty cars were entered for the race at Michigan, up from 18 in the previous round at Mid-Ohio,2007 IndyCar Series Season Stats, Race Results https://www.racing-reference.info/raceyear/2007/O live https://web.archive.org/web/20210428081500/https://www.racing-reference.info/season-stats/2007/O/ April 28, 2021 February 13, 2026 Racing-Reference.info NASCAR Digital Media all of which utilized the Dallara IR-05 chassis, tires supplied by Firestone, and Honda Indy V8 engines powered with ethanol fuel. Rookie driver Milka Duno planned to compete in the two preceding races at Nashville Superspeedway and Mid-Ohio,Lewandowski Dave March 23, 2007 Duno makes her move http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=8431 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114194550/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=8431 November 14, 2007 February 13, 2026 Indy Racing League but injuries sustained in a testing crash at Nashville forced her to miss both races.July 12, 2007 Duno to miss race because of crash http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9454 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114184526/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9454 November 14, 2007 February 13, 2026 Indy Racing League She was medically cleared to race at Michigan and received assistance from former IndyCar Series driver Tomáš Enge in preparing the setup of her car.Lewandowski Dave July 31, 2007 Back on the track http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9607 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114201253/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9607 November 14, 2007 February 13, 2026 Indy Racing League Jon Herb, who had not raced in the IndyCar Series since the Bombardier Learjet 550 in June, gained enough sponsorship to compete in the event and hoped to race in the season-ending Peak Antifreeze Indy 300. The two drivers completed a rookie orientation session at Michigan ahead of the race weekend alongside Ryan Hunter-Reay, who made his abrupt series debut with Rahal Letterman Racing in the previous round, replacing Jeff Simmons. It had already been determined that this would be the Indy Racing League (IRL)'s final event at Michigan International Speedway, as was confirmed by track officials in July 2007.July 15, 2007 IndyCars will skip MIS in 2008 https://books.google.com/books?id=5D0iAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA27&dq=indycar+michigan+2008&article_id=4296,1120433&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjl9rLqpuuSAxWKhIkEHQL0ECIQ6AF6BAgNEAM#v=onepage&q=indycar%20michigan%202008&f=false live February 21, 2026 The Argus-Press 27 Track president Roger Curtis explained that IRL officials planned to host their annual race at the track two weeks prior to one of the track's events for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, which he felt would create issues regarding the promotion of both races.July 26, 2007 MIS https://books.google.com/books?id=f2xPAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA19&dq=indycar+michigan+2008&article_id=2189,2413480&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDsYvIrOuSAxWhkYkEHS6nM604ChDrAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=indycar%20michigan%202008&f=false live February 21, 2026 Toledo Blade 19 Curtis expressed sorrow for the event's removal from the IndyCar Series calendar because of the track's long history with American open-wheel car racing and discussed the possibility of adding a road course to the track in order to attract other motorsport series besides NASCAR.July 17, 2007 Michigan International Speedway Loses IRL Race For 2008 https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2056011/michigan-international-speedway-loses-irl-race-2008/ live February 21, 2026 Autoweek https://web.archive.org/web/20260221204237/https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2056011/michigan-international-speedway-loses-irl-race-2008/ February 21, 2026 Practice and qualifying There were two 120-minute practice sessions on Saturday that preceded the raceon Sunday, both of which were split into two groups of drivers that each received 60 minutes of track time per session. The first practice session, held on Saturday morning, was led by Kanaan with a time of 33.0803 seconds, one hundredth of a second quicker than Dixon, with Hornish Jr., Franchitti, and Danica Patrick rounding out the top-five.August 4, 2007 IRL: Michigan: Practice 1 times https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-practice-1-times-2/2213206/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260214010036/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-practice-1-times-2/2213206/ February 14, 2026 February 14, 2026 motorsport.com The session was briefly paused after Duno slid into the inside line while exiting the fourth turn.August 4, 2007 Firestone Indy 400 Daily Trackside Report -- Aug. 4 http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9627 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114192105/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9627 November 14, 2007 February 14, 2026 Indy Racing League Tomas Scheckter—the winner of the 2002 Michigan race—lapped quickest in the second practice session later that day with a time of 32.9999 seconds;Lewandowski Dave August 4, 2007 Wide and tight http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9626 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114201304/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9626 November 14, 2007 February 14, 2026 Indy Racing League Franchitti was second, Castroneves third, Patrick fourth, and Wheldon fifth.August 4, 2007 IRL: Michigan: Practice 2 times https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-practice-2-times-2/2213338/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260214011245/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-practice-2-times-2/2213338/ February 14, 2026 February 14, 2026 Motorsport.com Herb caused the only stoppage of the session when he crashed into the SAFER barrier in the fourth corner. The qualifying session, officially named the AAMCO Transmissions Pole Qualifying, was held 75 minutes after the second practice session ended. Each driver was required to complete up to two timed laps in their qualifying attempt, with the fastest of the two laps determining their starting position. With a time of 32.9810 seconds, Franchitti earned the fourth pole position of his IndyCar Series career,Counting his 12 previous pole positions in CART-sanctioned races, this was Franchitti's 16th career pole in American open-wheel car racing.Dario Franchitti champcarstats.com https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/FranchittiDario.htm May 12, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20251118203251/https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/FranchittiDario.htm November 18, 2025 live and was joined on the grid's front row by Hornish Jr., whose lap time trailed Franchitti by four hundredths of a second.Lewandowski Dave August 4, 2007 Points leader on pole http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9628 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114184617/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9628 November 14, 2007 February 21, 2026 Indy Racing LeagueAugust 4, 2007 IRL: Michigan: Starting lineup https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-starting-lineup-3/2213386/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260214184714/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-starting-lineup-3/2213386/ February 14, 2026 February 14, 2026 Motorsport.com Castroneves, Scott Sharp, and Wheldon rounded out the top five, and Scheckter and Dixon took the next two positions.August 4, 2007 IRL: Michigan: Series qualifying report https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-series-qualifying-report/2213438/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260224154854/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-series-qualifying-report/2213438/ February 24, 2026 February 24, 2026 Motorsport.com Kanaan qualified eighth; he was only permitted to complete one lap after suffering an issue with his dashboard during his first qualifying attempt. Patrick's team was late to pre-qualifying technical inspection and was also forced to run a single lap, which earned her the ninth spot on the grid. Ed Carpenter started 10th, ahead of eleventh-placed Vítor Meira, who failed technical inspection and only ran one lap. The remaining positions on the grid were occupied by Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Kosuke Matsuura, A. J. Foyt IV, Sarah Fisher, Buddy Rice, Darren Manning, Duno, and Herb, the latter of whom did not participate in qualifications due to his crash earlier that day. Qualifying classification + Final qualifying results Pos. Position No. Car Number Driver Team Time Time in seconds Speed Speed in miles per hour (MPH) Grid Final starting grid position 1 27 GBR Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing 32.9810 218.3081 2 6 USA Sam Hornish Jr. Team Penske 33.0239 218.0242 33 BRA Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 33.0436 217.8943 48 USA Scott Sharp Rahal Letterman Racing 33.0835 217.6314 510 GBR Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing 33.1113 217.4485 6 2 ZAF Tomas Scheckter Vision Racing 33.1135 217.4346 79 NZL Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 33.1234 217.3697 811 BRA Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 33.1504 217.1928 97 USA Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 33.1848 216.9679 1020 USA Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 33.2879 216.29510 114 BRA Vítor Meira Panther Racing 33.3399 215.95711 1217 USA Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing 33.3521 215.87812 1326 USA Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 33.3629 215.80913 1455 JAP Kosuke Matsuura Panther Racing 33.4307 215.37114 1522 USA A. J. Foyt IV Vision Racing 33.4363 215.33515 165 USA Sarah Fisher Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 33.4422 215.29716 1715 USA Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 33.5103 214.85917 1814 GBR Darren Manning A. J. Foyt Racing 33.6174 214.17518 1923 VEN Milka Duno SAMAX Motorsport 33.8185 212.90119 2019 USA Jon Herb Racing Professionals — —20 Sources:Olson Jeff August 4, 2007 Franchitti takes Michigan pole https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-takes-michigan-pole-4412900/4412900/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260205021312/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-takes-michigan-pole-4412900/4412900/ February 5, 2026 February 14, 2026 Autosport Race Although the race was scheduled to start around 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00), heavy rainfall that began the night prior forced IRL officials to push the start of the race back by four hours and 37 minutes.August 5, 2007 IRL: Michigan: Series race report https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-series-race-report/2213970/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260324230618/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-series-race-report/2213970/ March 24, 2026 March 25, 2026 Motorsport.comAugust 5, 2007 By the numbers http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9635 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114192120/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9635 November 14, 2007 April 2, 2026 Indy Racing League When the rain finally subsided, the skies remained cloudy around the track with air temperatures measured at 73 F C on and track temperatures at 80 F C on.August 5, 2007 Firestone Indy 400 Daily Trackside Report -- Aug. 5 http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9642 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114201314/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9642 November 14, 2007 February 24, 2026 Indy Racing League Live television coverage of the race in the United States was moved from ESPN2 to ESPN Classic as a result of the delay,Torres Luis April 9, 2020 Throwback Thursday Theater: A Crazy Day at Michigan for the Andretti Camp https://motorsportstribune.com/throwback-thursday-theater-a-crazy-day-at-michigan-for-the-andretti-camp/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20251006064258/https://motorsportstribune.com/throwback-thursday-theater-a-crazy-day-at-michigan-for-the-andretti-camp/ October 6, 2025 February 24, 2026 MotorsportsTribune.com with Marty Reid and Scott Goodyear providing commentary.IndyCar Series on ABC August 5, 2007 Television production en ESPN Inc. Brooklyn, Michigan Reid Marty Marty Reid Scott Goodyear Scott Goodyear Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser commanded the drivers to start their engines and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford drove the pace car. An additional warm-up lap was permitted by the IRL in order to help drivers warm their tires, engines, and gearboxes. thumb|267x267px|Dario Franchitti (pictured in 2007) led the most laps, but retired from the race after crashing upside-down on lap 144. Franchitti maintained his pole position advantage at the start of the race and pulled ahead of Hornish Jr. in the fourth turn by the end of lap one. Two laps later, Dixon had moved into the fifth position; he and his teammate Wheldon then overtook Sharp for fourth and fifth, respectively, on the fifth lap, while Herb entered pit road to alleviate his overheating engine. Hornish Jr. remained within no more than three tenths of a second behind Franchitti until the 29th lap, when the rear of Herb's car slammed the outside wall in the second turn, prompting the first caution flag of the race. All of the leaders made pit stops for new tires and fuel, along with front wing adjustments for several drivers. Franchitti exited pit road first and thus led the field back up to speed on lap 35, ahead of Hornish Jr., Dixon, Castroneves, and Kanaan. Patrick dove to the left-hand side of Wheldon and Scheckter in the third turn and overtook them both for sixth place, while Kanaan improved to the second position by the 38th lap. One lap later, Castroneves, Dixon, and Wheldon raced three-abreast for fourth; Dixon passed both drivers on lap 40. The second caution was issued on the 46th lap for Duno, whose car slowed to a halt in the fourth turn due to a fuel pressure issue. All of the leaders entered pit road two laps later, and Franchitti's engine stalled as he attempted to drive away from pit road, allowing Dixon to assume the lead position; Franchitti, meanwhile, dropped to 18th. Dixon led the field on the lap-51 restart, followed by Kanaan, Wheldon, Castroneves, and Hornish Jr. Wheldon overtook Kanaan for second place on the 52nd lap and Franchitti made his way into the top ten positions two laps later. By lap 57, Franchitti had passed Wheldon for the second position. Castroneves and Meira's cars then collided into each other and slammed into the outside barrier on the front stretch,Lewandowski Dave August 5, 2007 Survivor at MIS http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9637 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071012220429/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9637 October 12, 2007 March 24, 2026 Indy Racing League prompting the race's third caution. More pit stops were completed for the leaders; while Hornish Jr. was forced to enter pit road a second time for additional adjustments, Franchitti retained the lead ahead of the restart on lap 70, with Scheckter, Dixon, Manning, and Sharp rounding out the top five positions. Kanaan and Wheldon overtook Manning and Sharp for the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, on the 71st lap. Franchitti, meanwhile, extended his gap over Scheckter to 0.2 seconds before the fourth caution was flown on lap 84 when Fisher backed into the turn-two wall. Wheldon took the first position during pit stops and led the field at the restart on the 91st lap, followed by Franchitti, Kanaan, Andretti, and Dixon. On lap 92, Franchitti drove to Wheldon's right hand side to reclaim the lead; the two drivers drove alongside each other until lap 94, with Franchitti maintaining his lead. Meanwhile, Hornish Jr. had made his way up to eighth place by the 97th lap, while Sheckter and Patrick battled with Wheldon within the top five by lap 110. Franchitti's 0.4-second lead over Kanaan was diminished four laps later when Manning slammed the turn-four wall with the rear of his car, bringing out the race's fifth caution. After more pit stops for new tires and fuel, Franchitti held onto the lead for the lap-121 restart; Wheldon, Scheckter, Patrick, and Dixon rounded out the top five. Patrick promptly overtook Scheckter for third place on the front stretch. Wheldon drove on the outside line next to Franchitti and took the lead once again after receiving a push from Scheckter on the 123rd lap. As Hornish Jr. moved up to the fourth position, Franchitti swerved up the track and remained close in Wheldon's trail. The two drivers swapped the lead several times over the next 21 laps, with Franchitti leading on lap 126, Wheldon on lap 127, Franchitti on lap 129, Wheldon on lap 130, Franchitti on lap 135, and Wheldon on the 136th lap. Although Scheckter never led a lap, he also made several bids to take the lead. On the 144th lap, Wheldon's right-front tire made contact with Franchitti's left-rear tire as they raced for the lead on the back stretch, sending Franchitti's car pirouetting about 20 ft m out in the air and upside-down.Olson Jeff Franchitti, Wheldon at odds over crash https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-wheldon-at-odds-over-crash-4412792/4412792/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260402204458/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-wheldon-at-odds-over-crash-4412792/4412792/ April 2, 2026 April 2, 2026 AutosportCavin Curt August 5, 2007 Out with a Bang: The Last IndyCar Race at Michigan Wasn’t Pretty https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2057091/out-bang-last-indycar-race-michigan-wasnt-pretty/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20200926121613/https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2057091/out-bang-last-indycar-race-michigan-wasnt-pretty/ September 26, 2020 April 2, 2026 Autoweek With little time to react, Dixon and Foyt IV piled into Franchitti, while Hornish Jr., Carpenter, and Scheckter were also taken out in the accident, which caused the sixth caution to be issued. Hornish Jr. exited his damaged car to help track marshals lift Franchitti's car upright. Franchitti and everyone else involved were unhurt.left|thumb|266x266px|Tony Kanaan (pictured in 2022) led the last 28 laps and won the race.Patrick escaped the melee to assume the lead, but a mistake during her pit stop allowed Andretti to overtake her on lap 147. During the lengthy caution period which allowed marshals to clean up the track, several drivers pitted to fill up their fuel tanks, including leader Andretti on the 158th lap. Patrick assumed the lead for the next three laps before she entered pit road as well, allowing Sharp to take the first position. Although he was several laps down, Dixon rejoined the race on the 168th lap after his team made extensive repairs. Andretti was placed sixth ahead of the restart on lap 171, but overtook teammate Patrick and executed a slingshot pass on the outermost line to get by Sharp, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, and Matsuura for the first position. However, IRL officials handed a penalty to Andretti for his jump start over the rest of the field. Andretti opted to give up his positions in order to avoid a drive-through penalty. On the 173rd lap, Sharp fell from first to third place after being passed by Kanaan and Andretti on the back stretch. Hornish Jr. reentered the race three laps later to gain more points. Dixon, meanwhile, officially retired from the race on lap 177 after taking the ninth position. Patrick had also taken third place from Sharp. She ran steadily behind teammates Kanaan and Andretti until her right-rear tire deflated on the 186th lap, forcing her to make an unscheduled pit stop.Lewandowski Dave August 5, 2007 Deflating day http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9639 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114184627/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9639 November 14, 2007 April 2, 2026 Indy Racing League Throughout the last 13 laps of the race, Andretti stayed within a tenth of a second of Kanaan's lead and made several attempts to overtake him on the outside line. Kanaan utilized the inside line to his advantage and successfully held off Andretti to score his tenth IndyCar Series victory.KanaanLewandowski Dave August 6, 2007 Left outside http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9643 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071114205208/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9643 November 14, 2007 April 2, 2026 Indy Racing League Andretti finished in second place, 0.0595 seconds in arrears, with Sharp taking the third finishing position. The final classified finishers were Matsuura, Rice, Hunter-Reay, and Patrick. The race was slowed by six cautions and had 23 lead changes between nine drivers. Franchitti led eight times for a total of 101 laps, the most of any driver. Post-race Kanaan performed doughnuts on the front stretch before driving to victory lane to celebrate his third of a season-high five wins, which earned him $110,800 (USD), with his teammates. Although Kanaan was disappointed that Michigan International Speedway was excluded from the series' 2008 schedule, he was disapproving of the pack racing throughout the event, stating: "I definitely think a lot of people disrespected each other out there, and it's not anybody's fault besides ours and the Indy Racing League not to take the measures with the drivers that have been driving a crazy race."August 5, 2007 Firestone Indy 400 Post-Race Transcript http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9641 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071111122744/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9641 November 11, 2007 April 2, 2026 Indy Racing League Andretti, who finished second, stated that his team removing the diffuser from his car "made a difference for us," although he acknowledged that he "just didn't have enough speed like we had in a big pack at the end to get by [Kanaan]." Third-place finisher Sharp thanked his pit crew for repairing his car after ramming into the rear of Hornish Jr.'s car during the lap-144 accident and was pleased that he earned a lot of points. It wound up being the final podium finish of his IndyCar Series career.Scott Sharp https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/SharpScott.htm live https://web.archive.org/web/20251119001742/https://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/SharpScott.htm November 19, 2025 April 2, 2026 ChampCarStats.com An uninjured Franchitti explained his thoughts about his flip on lap 144: "[Me and Wheldon] touched and the next thing I knew I was upside down going backward. I thought, 'This isn't good.' [...] When I stopped and realized I was in one piece, I couldn't believe it. I'm a lucky guy." He also attributed his survival of the crash to the Dallara chassis, as the roll hoop remained intact despite being hit by two other cars.Freeman Glenn August 8, 2007 Franchitti grateful to Dallara https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-grateful-to-dallara-4412828/4412828/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20211017181038/https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/franchitti-grateful-to-dallara-4412828/4412828/ October 17, 2021 April 2, 2026 Autosport However, during a press conference leading up to the succeeding Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway, Franchitti revealed he sent Wheldon a text message with "strong language" after watching a replay of the incident. Wheldon, a former teammate and friend of Franchitti, took offense to the message and avoided speaking to him. Castroneves and Meira were similarly at odds over their lap-58 crash, with Castroneves confronting Meira immediately after exiting his car. He later claimed that Meira, whom he had great respect for, was too aggressive in the early portions of the race.August 5, 2007 IRL: Michigan: Team Penske race report https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-team-penske-race-report-2008-03-27/2213998/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260403015500/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-team-penske-race-report-2008-03-27/2213998/ April 3, 2026 April 3, 2026 motorsport.com Meira pinned the blame on Castroneves, opining that he held his line in the middle of the track.IRL: Michigan: Panther Racing race report https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-panther-racing-race-report-2/2214002/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260403012101/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-michigan-panther-racing-race-report-2/2214002/ April 3, 2026 April 3, 2026 motorsport.com Castroneves suffered a sore right knee in his incident, while Fisher strained her neck and Manning's right knee was stapled twice to heal a laceration as a result of their respective crashes.Lewandowski Dave August 8, 2007 Overcoming a broken nose http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9657 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071113163650/http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=9657 November 13, 2007 April 3, 2026 Indy Racing League Because of the race's result, Franchitti kept his lead in the Drivers' Championship standings with 494 points; Dixon held second on 470, while Kanaan's 413 points maintained his third position. Wheldon and Hornish Jr. rounded out the top five with 375 and 367 points, respectively, as four races remained in the season. Although the close-quarters racing received criticism, many drivers pushed for the IRL to reconcile with Michigan International Speedway due to the action in the race. Roger Curtis admitted that he had discussed hosting an IndyCar Series event in 2008 with IRL officials several times throughout the weekend.Markey Matt August 7, 2007 IndyCar's future uncertain at MIS, but sides still talking https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/2007/08/07/IndyCar-s-future-uncertain-at-MIS-but-sides-still-talking/stories/200708070016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20240903023054/https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/2007/08/07/IndyCar-s-future-uncertain-at-MIS-but-sides-still-talking/stories/200708070016 September 3, 2024 April 3, 2026 Toledo Blade This never ended up materializing, however, and the series has not returned to the track as of 2026. Race classification + Final race results Pos Position No. Car Number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final starting grid position Points 111 BRA Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 200 2:49:38.0509850 226 USA Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 200 +0.05951340 38 USA Scott Sharp Rahal Letterman Racing 200 +0.3867435 455 JAP Kosuke Matsuura Panther Racing 200 +0.47031432 515 USA Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 200 +4.90971730 617 USA Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman Racing 200 +10.01141228 77 USA Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 199 +1 lap926 822 USA A. J. Foyt IV Vision Racing 167 Handling1524 96 USA Sam Hornish Jr. Team Penske 148 Handling222 109 NZL Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 145 Handling720 112 ZAF Tomas Scheckter Vision Racing 144 Accident619 1210 GBR Dan Wheldon Chip Ganassi Racing 143 Accident518 1327 GBR Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing 143 Accident1201 1 1420 USA Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 143 Accident1016 1514 GBR Darren Manning A. J. Foyt Racing 113 Accident1815 165 USA Sarah Fisher Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 83 Accident1614 173 BRA Hélio Castroneves Team Penske 58 Accident313 184 BRA Vítor Meira Panther Racing 58 Accident1112 1923 VEN Milka Duno SAMAX Motorsport 43 Fuel pressure1912 2019 USA Jon Herb Racing Professionals 26 Accident2012 Sources:August 6, 2007 Firestone Indy 400 Race Report https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/release-2d7851979adc35d7e53ac9004c34be76-firestone-indy-400-race-report live February 24, 2026 Honda https://web.archive.org/web/20260224195918/https://hondanews.com/en-US/releases/release-2d7851979adc35d7e53ac9004c34be76-firestone-indy-400-race-report February 24, 2026 Notes 1 1 — Includes three bonus points for leading the most laps.101: Points Breakdown http://www.indycar.com/tech/101/points.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071104032506/http://www.indycar.com/tech/101/points.php November 4, 2007 March 21, 2026 Indy Racing League Championship standings after the race + Drivers' Championship standings +/- Pos. Position Driver Points10px|alt=Unchanged1 GBR Dario Franchitti 49410px|alt=Unchanged2 NZL Scott Dixon 470 (–24)10px|alt=Unchanged3 BRA Tony Kanaan 413 (–81)10px|alt=Unchanged4 GBR Dan Wheldon 375 (–119)10px|alt=Unchanged5 USA Sam Hornish Jr. 367 (–127) Sources:IRL: Standings after Michigan https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-standings-after-michigan-2/2214546/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260403125654/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/irl-standings-after-michigan-2/2214546/ April 3, 2026 April 3, 2026 motorsport.com Note: Only the top five positions are included. Notes References Firestone Indy 400 2007 2007 Honda 200 2007 Meijer Indy 300 2006 Firestone Indy 400 — Firestone Indy 400 Michigan Indy 400 Michigan Indy 400 Category:Michigan Indy 400