2004 Subway 400

Last updated
2004 Subway 400
Race details
Race 2 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
Rockingham Speedway.svg
Layout of North Carolina Speedway
Date February 22, 2004 (2004-02-22)
Location North Carolina Speedway, Richmond County, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.017 mi (1.637 km)
Distance 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km)
Weather Temperatures hovering around 71.1 °F (21.7 °C); wind speeds up to 9.2 miles per hour (14.8 km/h) [1]
Average speed 112.016 mph (180.272 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
 Penske Racing
Time 23.398 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Matt Kenseth Roush Racing
Laps 259 [2]
Winner
No. 17Matt KensethRoush Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

The 2004 Subway 400 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on February 22, 2004, at North Carolina Speedway in Richmond County, North Carolina. The race was the second of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

Contents

Ryan Newman of Penske Racing won the pole position, while Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing won the race. The race was the final Cup race at the track due to poor attendance, as the race date was later given to Phoenix International Raceway; [3] only 50,000 were in attendance at the 60,113 facility. [4]

The other Cup race at the track, the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400, had been replaced by California Speedway after 2003.

Qualifying

Ryan Newman, 2003's pole leader with 11, won the pole at Rockingham with a lap speed of 156.475 miles per hour (251.822 km/h) and a lap time of 23.398 seconds. [5] Dodges were the top four fastest, with Newman, Jamie McMurray (155.379 mph (250.058 km/h)), Kasey Kahne (154.814 mph (249.149 km/h)) and Rusty Wallace (154.644 mph (248.875 km/h)). Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon qualified fifth with a lap speed of 154.318 mph (248.351 km/h); Jeremy Mayfield (154.195 mph (248.153 km/h)), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (154.149 mph (248.079 km/h)), Jeff Green (154.117 mph (248.027 km/h)), the previous year's race winner [6] Dale Jarrett (154.078 mph (247.965 km/h)) and Greg Biffle (154.026 mph (247.881 km/h)) rounded out the top ten. Morgan Shepherd and Andy Belmont failed to qualify [7] after the two crashed in practice. [8] Ryan McGlynn and Larry Gunselman also withdrew.

The entry list for the race was short, which led to a group of field-fillers entering the race, including Joe Ruttman, starting in his first Cup race since 1995, [9] Kirk Shelmerdine, who made only two Cup Series starts since 1994, Carl Long, who started twice in 2001, and Andy Hillenburg, who failed to qualify for the 2004 Daytona 500. The four drivers were considerably slower than the 37 full-time teams; in comparison to Newman's qualifying speed, Hillenburg, who started 43rd, had a speed of 146.859 mph (236.347 km/h), a 9.616 mph (15.475 km/h) differential. Hillenburg, who ran just six laps in the two practice sessions prior to the race, expressed interest in running the full race, stating, "I don't want to look like we're trying to capitalize on anything, but this is our window of opportunity. We're not here to go two laps and try to get a check. We're here to do the best we can." [10] After the race, rumors arose whether NASCAR had requested the field-fillers to appear and complete the 43-car field with the reward of money, possibly to satisfy television contracts, NASCAR vice president Jim Hunter denied the allegations. [11]

Race

After one lap was completed, Joe Ruttman, who started 40th and did not make any attempts to practice, was ordered to park by NASCAR for not having a pit crew and collected $54,196. [11] NASCAR eventually admonished Phoenix Racing owner James Finch for the incident. Kirk Shelmerdine was lapped after eight minutes and finished 42nd after not reaching the minimum speeds mandated by NASCAR, and was paid $54,895. Carl Long finished 38th after barrel-rolling on the backstretch. Andy Hillenburg managed to finish the race in 34th and 17 laps down, earning $55,425. [11]

Pole-sitter Ryan Newman led the first two laps before getting passed by Jamie McMurray, who led until the first caution flag was waved for Ken Schrader's crash in turns one and two. Jeff Gordon took the lead, leading until lap 53 when Kyle Petty crashed. McMurray and Robby Gordon exchanged the lead during the caution period, while Newman, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth swapped the lead changes during the 71-lap green flag period, with Schrader and Jimmie Johnson's accident on lap 131 bringing out another caution. On lap 134, Kenseth claimed the lead and led for 79 consecutive laps until lap 214, when a debris caution came out. Despite Kevin Harvick briefly taking first, Kenseth regained the lead and led for 87 more laps. [2] During those laps, on lap 265, Long collided with Joe Nemechek, [12] flipped down the backstretch, and landed in the turn 3 apron. [13] With 42 laps left, Robby Gordon crashed, and McMurray eventually passed Kenseth and Kasey Kahne, but NASCAR ruled that Kenseth and Kahne were finishing their pit stops and were leaving pit road, and as the field was frozen, McMurray's pass was voided. [14] Kenseth battled Kahne for the win, and on the final lap, defeated Kahne by .01 seconds, while McMurray finished third. McMurray's team owner Chip Ganassi confronted the NASCAR haulers about Kenseth and Kahne's wave around; Ganassi stated, "We just got robbed in front of 100,000 people." [15]


Standings after the race

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the points standings after the race. Daleearnhardtjr.jpg
Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the points standings after the race.
PosDriverPoints
1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 340
2 Matt Kenseth 333
3 Kevin Harvick 294
4 Scott Wimmer 288
5 Jeff Gordon 286
6 Tony Stewart 265
7 Kurt Busch 257
8 Elliott Sadler 255
9 Ward Burton 250
10 Joe Nemechek 241

Related Research Articles

Subway 400 Auto race held at Rockingham, North Carolina

The Subway 400 was the second race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season until 2004, held a week after the Daytona 500. This 400-mile (644 km) annual race was sponsored by Subway and was held at North Carolina Speedway since 1966. From 1966 to 1995, a 500-mile (805-km) race was held; the race was known as the Peach Blossom 500 (1966), the Carolina 500 (1967–1985), and the Goodwrench 500 (1986–1995). In 1996, the race was shortened to its current distance of 400 miles; the 400 mile race was called the Goodwrench Service 400 (1996–1997), the GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 (1998), the Dura Lube/Big K 400 (1999), the Dura Lube/Kmart 400 (2000), the Dura Lube 400 (2001), and the Subway 400 (2002–2004).

2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series 57th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 34th modern-era Cup series. The season began on Saturday, February 12. The ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400.

2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series 58th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 58th season of professional Stock car racing in the United States and the 35th modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. It was started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on Monday, November 20, with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the Nextel Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17, at New Hampshire International Speedway.

2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series 56th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion. It would be the last time until 2012 that the championship would be won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.

2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 55th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.

2006 Daytona 500 first race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

The 2006 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The 48th running of the event, it was held on February 19, 2006, in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway before a crowd of 200,000 spectators. The 203-lap race was won by Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson after starting from the ninth position. Casey Mears of Chip Ganassi Racing finished second and Ryan Newman took third for Penske Racing South.

2004 Daytona 500

The 2004 Daytona 500, the 46th running of the event was the first race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. It was a race held on February 15, 2004, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was televised by NBC, with Allen Bestwick, 1975 race winner Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. calling the action for the second time after the 2002 race. It was the first NASCAR Nextel Cup race to air in high definition.

2009 AAA 400

The 2009 AAA 400 was the twenty-eighth stock car race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. It was held on September 27, 2009 at Dover International Speedway, in Dover, Delaware before a crowd of 110,000 people. The 400-lap race was won by Jimmie Johnson of the Hendrick Motorsports team after he started from pole position. His teammate Mark Martin finished second and Matt Kenseth came in third.

2006 Ford 400

The 2006 Ford 400 was the thirty-sixth stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and the final round of the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on November 19, 2006, in Homestead, Florida, at Homestead–Miami Speedway, before a crowd of 80,000 people. The circuit is an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. The 267-lap race was won by Greg Biffle of Roush Fenway Racing, who started from the 22nd position. Martin Truex Jr. finished second for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin was third.

2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 65th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Sprint Unlimited, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.

2005 Dickies 500

The 2005 Dickies 500 was the inaugural running of the race was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race, which was held on November 6, 2005, at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in Fort Worth, Texas.

The 2013 Gobowling.com 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on August 4, 2013, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.023 km) triangular superspeedway, it was the twenty-first race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Kasey Kahne of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his second win of the season, while Jeff Gordon finished second. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Dale Earnhardt Jr rounded out the top five. The race was one of the most competitive races held at Pocono Raceway, as there were nine cautions, 14 different leaders, and 27 lead changes.

2014 Daytona 500

The 2014 Daytona 500, the 56th running of the event, was held on February 23, 2014 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 200 laps and 500 miles (800 km) on the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was the first race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., driving for Hendrick Motorsports, won the race, making this his second Daytona 500 victory breaking a 55-race winless streak. Denny Hamlin finished 2nd, while Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the Top 5. This race had seven cautions and 42 lead changes among 18 different drivers. The top rookies of this race were polesitter Austin Dillon (9th), Alex Bowman (23rd), and Brian Scott (25th).

2004 Subway 500

The 2004 Subway 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on October 24, 2004 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps, the race was the 32nd of the 36-race 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, and the sixth race in the 2004 Chase for the Nextel Cup.

2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Auto race at Atlanta in 2004

The 2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on October 31, 2004 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 325 laps, the race was the 33rd of the 36-race 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing won the pole, while Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Carl Edwards finished second and third, respectively.

2006 Subway 500 NASCAR stock car race

The 2006 Subway 500 was the 32nd stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the sixth in the ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on October 22, 2006, before a crowd of 65,000, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. Jimmie Johnson won the 500‑lap race after he started from the ninth position; Denny Hamlin finished second, and Bobby Labonte came in third.

2006 Brickyard 400 NASCAR race held at Indianapolis in 2006

The 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was the 21st stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The 13th running of the event, it was held on August 6, 2006 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana before a crowd of 280,000 spectators. The 160-lap race was won by Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports after starting from the fourth position. Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth finished second and Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick was third.

2004 Coca-Cola 600

The 2004 Coca-Cola 600, the 45th running of the race, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on May 30, 2004 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contested at 400 laps on the 1.5 mile speedway, it was the twelfth race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his second win of the season and also at Charlotte. Michael Waltrip finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.

2006 Dover 400

The 2006 Dover 400 was the twenty-eighth stock car race of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the second in the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. It was held on September 24, 2006 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, before a crowd of 145,000. The 400-lap race was won by Jeff Burton of the Richard Childress Racing team who started from 19th position. Carl Edwards finished second and Jeff Gordon came in third.

The 2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on March 7, 2004 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Contested at 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 3rd race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing won the race.

References

  1. ↑ Weather information for the 2004 Subway 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 "2004 Subway 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ "2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Kenseth noses out Kahne to claim the Subway 400". St. Petersburg Times . February 23, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (February 21, 2004). "Newman Familiar With Pole". Daily Press . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ "THE RACE: Subway 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site . Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ Hembree, Mike (February 20, 2004). "Newman commands attention". USA Today . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Associated Press (February 21, 2004). "Newman takes another pole position for Subway 400". Online Athens. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ Hanley, Jim (February 28, 2004). "Joe Ruttman fills up more than race field". The Hour . Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ Fryer, Jenna (February 21, 2004). "Slowpokes bring up rear of Rockingham field". USA Today . Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Fryer, Jenna (February 24, 2004). "NASCAR calls Ruttman run 'a sham'". ESPN . Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  12. ↑ Bromberg, Nick. "Wreck Week: Remember Carl Long flipping at Rockingham?". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  13. ↑ Joe D. (July 2, 2008). "Catching up with Carl Long". Bleacher Report . Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ Diaz, George (February 23, 2004). "Kenseth holds off Kahne for Subway win". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  15. ↑ Aumann, Mark (April 5, 2012). "AUMANN: RETURN TO ROCKINGHAM REMINDS KAHNE OF 2004". NASCAR . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
Previous race:
2004 Daytona 500 		Nextel Cup Series
2004 season 		Next race:
2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.