2004 Subway 400
Race details
Race 2 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2004 Subway 400 program cover
2004 Subway 400 program cover
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. 17 Matt 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 Richmond County, North Carolina. The race was the second of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

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The other Cup race at the track, the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400, had been replaced by California Speedway after 2003.

Entry list

Car # Driver Hometown Make Sponsor Team Crew Chief
0 Ward Burton South Boston, VA Chevrolet NetZero Hi Speed Gene Haas
01 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, FL Chevrolet U.S. Army Nelson Bowers
1 John Andretti Bethlehem, PA Chevrolet Snap-On Tools / Nilla Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
2 Rusty Wallace St. Louis, MO Dodge Miller Lite Roger Penske
4 Kevin Lepage Shelburne, VT Chevrolet YokeTV.com Larry McClure
5 Terry Labonte Corpus Christi, TX Chevrolet Kellogg's Rick Hendrick
6 Mark Martin Batesville, AR Ford Viagra Jack Roush
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr Kannapolis, NC Chevrolet Budweiser Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
09 Joe Ruttman Upland, CA Dodge Phoenix Racing James Finch
9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, WA Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW Ray Evernham
10 Scott Riggs Bahama, NC Chevrolet Valvoline James Rocco
12 Ryan Newman South Bend, IN Dodge Alltel Roger Penske
14 Larry Foyt Houston, TX Dodge Foyt Racing A.J. Foyt
15 Michael Waltrip Owensboro, KY Chevrolet NAPA Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, WA Ford Subway / National Guard Jack Roush
17 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, WI Ford DeWalt Power Tools Jack Roush
18 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, TX Chevrolet Interstate Batteries Joe Gibbs
19 Jeremy Mayfield Owensboro, KY Dodge Dodge Dealers / UAW Ray Evernham
20 Tony Stewart Rushville, IN Chevrolet Home Depot Joe Gibbs
21 Ricky Rudd Chesapeake, VA Ford Motorcraft Wood Brothers
22 Scott Wimmer Wausau, WI Dodge Caterpillar Bill Davis
24 Jeff Gordon Vallejo, CA Chevrolet DuPont Rick Hendrick
25 Brian Vickers Thomasville, NC Chevrolet GMAC Financial Services Rick Hendrick
29 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, CA Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Richard Childress
30 Johnny Sauter Necedah, WI Chevrolet America Online Richard Childress
31 Robby Gordon Bellflower, CA Chevrolet Cingular Wireless Richard Childress
32 Ricky Craven Newburgh, ME Chevrolet Tide Cal Wells
38 Elliott Sadler Emporia, VA Ford M&M's Yates Racing
40 Sterling Marlin Columbia, TN Dodge Coors Light Chip Ganassi
41 Casey Mears Bakersfield, CA Dodge Target Chip Ganassi
42 Jamie McMurray Joplin, MO Dodge Texaco / Havoline Chip Ganassi
43 Jeff Green Owensboro, KY Dodge STP / Cheerios Petty Enterprises
45 Kyle Petty Trinity, NC Dodge Georgia-Pacific / Brawny Petty Enterprises
46 Carl Long Roxboro, NC Dodge Al Smith Rick Glenn
48 Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, CA Chevrolet Lowe's Rick Hendrick
49 Ken Schrader Fenton, MO Dodge Schwan's Home Service Beth Ann Morgenthau
50 Derrike Cope Spanaway, WA Dodge Arnold Development Companies Don Arnold
72 Kirk Shelmerdine Winston-Salem, NC Ford Tucson Kirk Shelmerdine
77 Brendan Gaughan Las Vegas, NV Dodge Kodak Easy Share Doug Bawel
80 Andy Hillenburg Indianapolis, IN Ford Commercial Truck & Trailer Stan Hover
88 Dale Jarrett Hickory, NC Ford UPS Yates Racing
97 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, NV Ford Irwin Tools Jack Roush
99 Jeff Burton South Boston, VA Ford SKF Jack 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.[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]

Qualifying results

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

43.Andy Hillenburg No.280 Commercial Truck & Trailer Ford Stanton Hover 146.859mph[12]

* 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.[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,[13] flipped down the backstretch, and landed in the turn 3 apron.[14] 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.[15] 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."[16]

POS[17] ST # DRIVER SPONSOR / OWNER CAR LAPS MONEY STATUS LED PTS
1 23 17   Matt Kenseth DeWalt Power Tools   (Jack Roush) Ford 393 222303 running 259 190
2 3 9   Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham) Dodge 393 130125 running 0 170
3 2 42   Jamie McMurray Texaco / Havoline   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 393 96425 running 76 170
4 13 40   Sterling Marlin Coors Light   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 393 114900 running 0 160
5 7 8   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Budweiser   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 393 118303 running 0 155
6 1 12   Ryan Newman Alltel   (Roger Penske) Dodge 393 116152 running 12 155
7 4 2   Rusty Wallace Miller Lite   (Roger Penske) Dodge 393 100643 running 0 146
8 27 97   Kurt Busch Irwin Tools / Sharpie   (Jack Roush) Ford 393 83785 running 0 142
9 16 0   Ward Burton NetZero Hi Speed   (Gene Haas) Chevrolet 393 66035 running 0 138
10 5 24   Jeff Gordon DuPont   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 391 111363 running 39 139
11 6 19   Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham) Dodge 391 90210 running 0 130
12 21 6   Mark Martin Pfizer / Viagra   (Jack Roush) Ford 391 72960 running 0 127
13 32 29   Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 391 100763 running 2 129
14 36 30   Johnny Sauter America Online   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 391 63560 running 0 121
15 31 22   Scott Wimmer Caterpillar   (Bill Davis) Dodge 391 87560 running 0 118
16 20 25   Brian Vickers GMAC Financial Services   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 391 70760 running 0 115
17 35 5   Terry Labonte Got Milk? / Kellogg's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 391 89110 running 0 112
18 25 38   Elliott Sadler M&M's Black & White   (Yates Racing) Ford 391 90793 running 0 109
19 22 21   Ricky Rudd Motorcraft   (Wood Brothers) Ford 391 87566 running 0 106
20 15 77   Brendan Gaughan Kodak Easy Share   (Doug Bawel) Dodge 391 70110 running 0 103
21 14 41   Casey Mears Target   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 390 74810 running 0 100
22 26 4   Kevin Lepage YokeTV.com   (Larry McClure) Chevrolet 390 71010 running 0 97
23 10 16   Greg Biffle Subway / National Guard   (Jack Roush) Ford 390 69185 running 0 94
24 12 01   Joe Nemechek U.S. Army   (Nelson Bowers) Chevrolet 390 75949 running 0 91
25 11 18   Bobby Labonte Interstate Batteries   (Joe Gibbs) Chevrolet 389 102318 running 0 88
26 24 20   Tony Stewart Home Depot   (Joe Gibbs) Chevrolet 389 103403 running 0 85
27 18 49   Ken Schrader Schwan's Home Service   (Beth Ann Morgenthau) Dodge 389 56410 running 0 82
28 8 43   Jeff Green STP / Cheerios   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 389 82510 running 0 79
29 39 1   John Andretti Snap-On Tools   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 388 64000 running 0 76
30 37 50   Derrike Cope Matrix Systems / Arnold Development Co.   (Don Arnold) Dodge 386 56375 running 0 73
31 19 10   Scott Riggs Valvoline   (James Rocco) Chevrolet 383 80937 running 0 70
32 38 14   Larry Foyt Foyt Racing   (A.J. Foyt) Dodge 380 55675 running 0 67
33 33 15   Michael Waltrip NAPA   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 379 92481 running 0 64
34 43 80   Andy Hillenburg Commercial Truck & Trailer   (Stan Hover) Ford 376 55425 running 0 61
35 17 32   Ricky Craven Tide   (Cal Wells) Chevrolet 365 63275 running 0 58
36 34 31   Robby Gordon Cingular Wireless   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 350 90412 crash 5 60
37 28 99   Jeff Burton SKF   (Jack Roush) Ford 344 88592 engine 0 52
38 42 46   Carl Long Al Smith Dodge / IPG   (Rick Glenn) Dodge 255 55135 crash 0 49
39 30 45   Kyle Petty Georgia-Pacific / Brawny   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 221 55070 engine 0 46
40 9 88   Dale Jarrett UPS   (Yates Racing) Ford 210 85907 engine 0 43
41 29 48   Jimmie Johnson Lowe's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 128 74750 crash 0 40
42 41 72   Kirk Shelmerdine Tucson   (Kirk Shelmerdine) Ford 19 54895 rear end 0 37
43 40 09   Joe Ruttman Phoenix Racing   (James Finch) Dodge 1 54196 parked 0 34
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:
WD 00 Ryan McGlynn Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties Chevrolet
WD 39 Larry Gunselman Jay Robinson Inc. Chevrolet
WD 59 Andy Belmont Continental Fire & Safety Pontiac
WD 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Ford
WD 90 Andy Hillenburg Donlavey Racing Ford


Standings after the race

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the points standings after the race.
Pos Driver Points
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. ^ Weather information for the 2004 Subway 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c Fryer, Jenna (February 24, 2004). "NASCAR calls Ruttman run 'a sham'". ESPN. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  12. ^ "Qualifying times - Subway 400, North Carolina". Crash. 2004-02-21. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  13. ^ Bromberg, Nick. "Wreck Week: Remember Carl Long flipping at Rockingham?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  14. ^ Joe D. (July 2, 2008). "Catching up with Carl Long". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  15. ^ Diaz, George (February 23, 2004). "Kenseth holds off Kahne for Subway win". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  16. ^ Aumann, Mark (April 5, 2012). "AUMANN: RETURN TO ROCKINGHAM REMINDS KAHNE OF 2004". NASCAR. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  17. ^ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-11.


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