2004 Subway 400

Last updated

2004 Subway 400
Race details [1]
Race 2 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2004 Subway 400 program cover.png
2004 Subway 400 program cover
Date February 22, 2004 (2004-02-22)
Location North Carolina Speedway, Richmond County, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 1.017 miles (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) [2]
Average speed 112.016 mph (180.272 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
 Penske Racing
Time 23.398
Most laps led
Driver Matt Kenseth Roush Racing
Laps 259 [3]
Winner
No. 17Matt Kenseth Roush 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 Rockingham, 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; [4] only 50,000 were in attendance at the 60,113 facility. [5]

Entry list

Car #DriverMakeTeam
0Ward BurtonChevroletGene Haas
01Joe NemechekChevroletNelson Bowers
1John AndrettiChevroletDale Earnhardt, Inc.
2Rusty WallaceDodgeRoger Penske
4Kevin LepageChevroletLarry McClure
5Terry LabonteChevroletRick Hendrick
6Mark MartinFordJack Roush
8Dale Earnhardt JrChevroletDale Earnhardt, Inc.
09Joe RuttmanDodgeJames Finch
9Kasey KahneDodgeRay Evernham
10Scott RiggsChevroletJames Rocco
12Ryan NewmanDodgeRoger Penske
14Larry FoytDodgeA.J. Foyt
15Michael WaltripChevroletDale Earnhardt, Inc.
16Greg BiffleFordJack Roush
17Matt KensethFordJack Roush
18Bobby LabonteChevroletJoe Gibbs
19Jeremy MayfieldDodgeRay Evernham
20Tony StewartChevroletJoe Gibbs
21Ricky RuddFordWood Brothers
22Scott WimmerDodgeBill Davis
24Jeff GordonChevroletRick Hendrick
25Brian VickersChevroletRick Hendrick
29Kevin HarvickChevroletRichard Childress
30Johnny SauterChevroletRichard Childress
31Robby GordonChevroletRichard Childress
32Ricky CravenChevroletCal Wells
38Elliott SadlerFordYates Racing
40Sterling MarlinDodgeChip Ganassi
41Casey MearsDodgeChip Ganassi
42Jamie McMurrayDodgeChip Ganassi
43Jeff GreenDodgePetty Enterprises
45Kyle PettyDodgePetty Enterprises
46Carl LongDodgeRick Glenn
48Jimmie JohnsonChevroletRick Hendrick
49Ken SchraderDodgeBeth Ann Morgenthau
50Derrike CopeDodgeDon Arnold
72Kirk ShelmerdineFordKirk Shelmerdine
77Brendan GaughanDodgeDoug Bawel
80Andy HillenburgFordStan Hover
88Dale JarrettFordYates Racing
97Kurt BuschFordJack Roush
99Jeff BurtonFordJack Roush

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. [6] 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 [7] 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 [8] after the two crashed in practice. [9] 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, [10] 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." [11] 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. [12]

Qualifying results

1.Ryan Newman No.12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing 156.475 mph

2.Jamie McMurray No.42 Texaco Havoline Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 155.379 mph

3.Kasey Kahne* No.9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Evernham Motorsports 154.814 mph

4.Rusty Wallace No.2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing 154.644 mph

5.Jeff Gordon No.24 Dupont Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 154.318 mph

6.Jeremy Mayfield No.19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Evernham Motorsports 154.195 mph

7.Dale Earnhardt Jr. No.8 Budweiser Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 154.149 mph

8.Jeff Green No.43 STP/Cheerios Dodge Petty Enterprises 154.117 mph

9.Dale Jarrett No.88 UPS Ford Robert Yates Racing 154.078 mph

10.Greg Biffle No.16 Subway/National Guard Ford Roush Racing 154.026 mph

11.Bobby Labonte No.18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 154.020 mph

12.Joe Nemechek No.01 US Army Chevrolet MB2 Motorsports 153.987 mph

13.Casey Mears No.41 Target Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 153.942 mph

14.Sterling Marlin No.40 Coors Light Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 153.942 mph

15.Brendan Gaughan* No.77 Kodak/Jasper Engines Dodge Penske/Jasper Racing 153.748 mph

16.Ward Burton No. 0 Netzero HiSpeed Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing 153,690 mph

17. Ricky Craven No.32 Tide Chevrolet PPI Motorsports 153.619 mph

18.Ken Schrader No.49 Schwan's Home Service Dodge BAM Racing 153.413 mph

19.Scott Riggs* No.10 Valvoline Chevrolet MBV Motorsports 153.297 mph

20.Brian Vickers* No.25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 153.169 mph

21.Mark Martin No. 6 Viagra Ford Roush Racing 153.015 mph

22.Ricky Rudd No.21 Motorcraft Ford Wood Brothers Racing 152.984 mph

23.Matt Kenseth No.17 DeWalt Ford Roush Racing 152.945 mph

24.Tony Stewart No.20 Home Depot Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 152.875 mph

25.Elliott Sadler No.38 M&M's Ford Robert Yates Racing 152.798 mph

26.Kevin Lepage No.4 YokeTV.com Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Racing 152.792 mph

27.Kurt Busch No.97 Sharpie Ford Roush Racing 152.633 mph

28.Jeff Burton No.99 SKF Ford Roush Racing 152.486 mph

29.Jimmie Johnson No.48 Lowe's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 152.480 mph

30.Kyle Petty No.45 Georgia Pacific Dodge Petty Enterprises 152.353 mph

31.Scott Wimmer* No.22 Caterpillar Dodge Bill Davis Racing 152.290 mph

32.Kevin Harvick No.29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 152.220 mph

33.Michael Waltrip No.15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 152.119 mph

34.Robby Gordon No.31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 152.024 mph

35.Terry Labonte No.5 Kellogg's ChevroletHendrick Motorsports 151.722 mph

36.Johnny Sauter* No. 30 America Online Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 151.283 mph

37.Derrike Cope No.50 Arnold Development Companies Dodge Derrike Cope 151.283 mph

38.Larry Foyt No.14 AJ Foyt Racing Dodge AJ Foyt Racing 151.221 mph

39.John Andretti No.1 Snap-On/Nilla Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 150.481 mph (provisional)

40.Joe Ruttman No.09 Phoenix Racing Dodge Phoenix Racing 145.142 mph (provisional)

41.Kirk Shelmerdine No.172 Tucson Ford Kirk Shelmerdine 145.661 mph

42.Carl Long No.146 Glenn Underwater Services Dodge Glenn Racing 148.739 mph

43.Andy Hillenburg No.280 Commercial Truck & Trailer Ford Stanton Hover 146.859 mph [13]

* Rookie of the Year contender.

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. [12] 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. [12]

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. [3] During those laps, on lap 265, Long collided with Joe Nemechek, [14] flipped down the backstretch, and landed in the turn 3 apron. [15] 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. [16] 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." [17]

Race results

Pos [1] StNo.DriverCarLapsMoneyStatusLedPoints
12317Matt KensethFord393222303running259190
239Kasey KahneDodge393130125running0170
3242Jamie McMurrayDodge39396425running76170
41340Sterling MarlinDodge393114900running0160
578Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Chevrolet393118303running0155
6112Ryan NewmanDodge393116152running12155
742Rusty WallaceDodge393100643running0146
82797Kurt BuschFord39383785running0142
9160Ward BurtonChevrolet39366035running0138
10524Jeff GordonChevrolet391111363running39139
11619Jeremy MayfieldDodge39190210running0130
12216Mark MartinFord39172960running0127
133229Kevin HarvickChevrolet391100763running2129
143630Johnny SauterChevrolet39163560running0121
153122Scott WimmerDodge39187560running0118
162025Brian VickersChevrolet39170760running0115
17355Terry LabonteChevrolet39189110running0112
182538Elliott SadlerFord39190793running0109
192221Ricky RuddFord39187566running0106
201577Brendan GaughanDodge39170110running0103
211441Casey MearsDodge39074810running0100
22264Kevin LepageChevrolet39071010running097
231016Greg BiffleFord39069185running094
241201Joe NemechekChevrolet39075949running091
251118Bobby LabonteChevrolet389102318running088
262420Tony StewartChevrolet389103403running085
271849Ken SchraderDodge38956410running082
28843Jeff GreenDodge38982510running079
29391John AndrettiChevrolet38864000running076
303750Derrike CopeDodge38656375running073
311910Scott RiggsChevrolet38380937running070
323814Larry FoytDodge38055675running067
333315Michael WaltripChevrolet37992481running064
344380Andy HillenburgFord37655425running061
351732Ricky CravenChevrolet36563275running058
363431Robby GordonChevrolet35090412crash560
372899Jeff BurtonFord34488592engine052
384246Carl LongDodge25555135crash049
393045Kyle PettyDodge22155070engine046
40988Dale JarrettFord21085907engine043
412948Jimmie JohnsonChevrolet12874750crash040
424172Kirk ShelmerdineFord1954895rear end037
434009Joe RuttmanDodge154196parked034

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

References

  1. 1 2 "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  2. ↑ Weather information for the 2004 Subway 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  3. 1 2 "2004 Subway 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ "2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks . Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Kenseth noses out Kahne to claim the Subway 400". St. Petersburg Times . February 23, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (February 21, 2004). "Newman Familiar With Pole". Daily Press . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ "THE RACE: Subway 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site . Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Hembree, Mike (February 20, 2004). "Newman commands attention". USA Today . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ Associated Press (February 21, 2004). "Newman takes another pole position for Subway 400". Online Athens. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ Hanley, Jim (February 28, 2004). "Joe Ruttman fills up more than race field". The Hour . Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ Fryer, Jenna (February 21, 2004). "Slowpokes bring up rear of Rockingham field". USA Today . Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 Fryer, Jenna (February 24, 2004). "NASCAR calls Ruttman run 'a sham'". ESPN . Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Qualifying times - Subway 400, North Carolina". Crash. February 21, 2004. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ Bromberg, Nick. "Wreck Week: Remember Carl Long flipping at Rockingham?". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  15. ↑ Joe D. (July 2, 2008). "Catching up with Carl Long". Bleacher Report . Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  16. ↑ Diaz, George (February 23, 2004). "Kenseth holds off Kahne for Subway win". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ Aumann, Mark (April 5, 2012). "AUMANN: RETURN TO ROCKINGHAM REMINDS KAHNE OF 2004". NASCAR . Retrieved January 26, 2014.
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.