2004 Subway 500

2004 Subway 500
Race details
Race 32 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2004 Subway 400 program cover
2004 Subway 400 program cover
Date October 24, 2004 (2004-10-24)
Location Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
.526 mi (.827 km)
Distance 500 laps, 263 mi (423.257 km)
Weather Temperatures up to 60.8 °F (16.0 °C); wind speeds up to 4.1 miles per hour (6.6 km/h)[1]
Average speed 66.103 mph (106.382 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Penske-Jasper Racing
Most laps led
Driver Kurt Busch Roush Racing
Laps 120
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings 4.4/10[2]

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.

Pole position was won by Penske-Jasper Racing's Ryan Newman, while Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. Chip Ganassi Racing's Jamie McMurray and Newman finished second and third, respectively.

Background

Martinsville Speedway, considered the "Paperclip" for its paper clip shape, is the shortest track on the Cup circuit at only 0.526 miles (0.847 km) long.[3] The track's banking is 12 degrees, while the straightaways were flat.[4]

Entering the race, Kurt Busch led the points standings with 5850 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5826), Jeff Gordon (5776), Elliott Sadler (5693), and Mark Martin (5664) comprised the top five, while Tony Stewart (5646), Matt Kenseth (5635), Jimmie Johnson (5623), Ryan Newman (5579), and Jeremy Mayfield (5501) rounded out the Chase field.[5]

Hendrick Motorsports plane crash

Main article: 2004 Hendrick Motorsports aircraft crash

Before the race, a Beechcraft Super King Air carrying ten people, seven of whom were Hendrick Motorsports personnel, including John Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's brother, and his two daughters Kimberly and Jennifer; Ricky Hendrick, Rick's son and former driver; Jeff Turner, Hendrick Motorsports' general manager;[6] Randy Dorton, Hendrick's Director of Engine Operations;[7] Joe Jackson, an executive for Jeff Gordon's sponsor DuPont; along with Scott Lathram, a pilot for Tony Stewart, and pilots Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison,[6] crashed into nearby Bull Mountain, killing all on board.[8] The crash occurred 27 minutes before the race began.[9]

Qualifying

51 cars entered the race, ten of whom had attempted less than 20 races in 2004: Ryan McGlynn (#00), Greg Sacks (#13), Kevin Lepage (#37), Carl Long (#46), Tony Raines (#51), Klaus Graf (#59), Mike Garvey (#75), Mario Gosselin (#80), Brad Teague (#94), and Chad Chaffin (#98).[10] Travis Kvapil (#06) was later added to the list,[4] while Raines was removed.[10]

Qualifying was held on October 22, and was postponed by 30 minutes due to rain. Ricky Rudd led the Friday practice with a lap speed of 96.293 mph (154.969 km/h), faster than the previous track record.[4]

In qualifying, Ryan Newman won the pole with a lap time of 19.513 seconds and a speed of 97.043 mph (156.176 km/h), more than 3/10th's faster than the previous record[4] of 95.371 mph (153.485 km/h) set by Tony Stewart in 2000.[11] for his 25th career pole.[4] Newman's teammate Rusty Wallace qualified second with a lap speed of 96.234 mph (154.874 km/h), followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (96.205 mph (154.827 km/h)), Ward Burton (96.107 mph (154.669 km/h)), Kvapil (96.102 mph (154.661 km/h)), Scott Riggs (96.063 mph (154.598 km/h)), Kurt Busch (96.039 mph (154.560 km/h)), Jamie McMurray (96.039 mph (154.560 km/h)), Rudd (95.772 mph (154.130 km/h)), and Jeff Green (95.743 mph (154.083 km/h)) rounded out the top ten. The top 17 drivers broke the previous record. Jimmy Spencer (92.124 mph (148.259 km/h)), Todd Bodine (92.769 mph (149.297 km/h)), Kirk Shelmerdine (87.968 mph (141.571 km/h)), Gosselin (92.710 mph (149.202 km/h)), and Lepage (92.556 mph (148.954 km/h)) were forced to use provisionals. Graf (93.687 mph (150.775 km/h)), Garvey (93.478 mph (150.438 km/h)), Morgan Shepherd (92.159 mph (148.316 km/h)), McGlynn (91.624 mph (147.455 km/h)), Sacks (91.416 mph (147.120 km/h)), and Teague (90.503 mph (145.650 km/h)) failed to qualify. Long withdrew from qualifying and did not set a time.[11] Lepage and Shelmerdine were forced to move to the rear of the field for engine changes.[12]

Full qualifying results

1. Ryan Newman #12 ALLTEL Dodge Penske Racing 97.043mph

2. Rusty Wallace #2 Miller Lite Dodge Penske Racing 96.234mph

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 96.205mph

4. Ward Burton # 0 Netzero HiSpeed Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing 96.107mph

5. Travis Kvapil #06 Mobil 1/Jasper Engines Dodge Penske Racing 96.102mph

6. Scott Riggs * #10 Valvoline Chevrolet MBV Motorsports 96.063mph

7. Kurt Busch #97 Sharpie/IRWIN Ford Roush Racing 96.039mph

8. Jamie McMurray #42 Texaco Havoline Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 96.039mph

9. Ricky Rudd #21 Motorcraft/US Air Force Ford Wood Brothers Racing 95.772mph

10. Jeff Green #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge Petty Enterprises 95.743mph

11. Jeremy Mayfield #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Evernham Motorsports 95.738mph

12. Jeff Burton # 30 America Online Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 95.670mph

13. Tony Stewart #20 Home Depot Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing95.665mph

14. Brendan Gaughan * #77 Kodak/Jasper Engines Dodge Penske/Jasper Racing 95.656mph

15. Jeff Gordon #24 Dupont Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 95.651mph

16. Sterling Marlin #40 Coors Light Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 95.622mph

17. Bobby Labonte #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 95.549mph

18. Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 95.304mph

19. Kevin Harvick #29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 95.218mph

20. Ken Schrader #49 Schwan's Home Service Dodge BAM Racing 95.127mph

21. Greg Biffle #16 National Guard/Subway Ford Roush Racing 95.098mph

22. Carl Edwards #99 Roush Racing Ford Roush Racing 94.912mph

23. Mark Martin # 6 Viagra Ford Roush Racing 94.799mph

24. Scott Wimmer * #22 Caterpillar Dodge Bill Davis Racing 94.784mph

25. Matt Kenseth #17 DeWalt Ford Roush Racing 94.770mph

26. Kyle Petty #45 Georgia Pacific/Brawny Dodge Petty Enterprises 94.756mph

27. Terry Labonte #5 Kellogg's Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 94.746mph

28. Casey Mears #41 Target/Breast Cancer Research Foundation Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 94.732mph

29. Joe Nemechek #01 US Army Chevrolet MB2 Motorsports 94.689mph

30. Michael Waltrip #15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Incorporated 94.618mph

31. Hermie Sadler #02 SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet Angela Sadler 94.604mph

32. Dale Jarrett #88 UPS Ford Robert Yates Racing 94.534mph

33. Elliott Sadler #38 M&M's Ford Robert Yates Racing 94.444mph

34. Brian Vickers * #25 GMAC Financial Services Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 94.289mph

35. Bobby Hamilton Jr #32 Tide Chevrolet PPI Motorsports 94.040mph

36. Robby Gordon #31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 93.975mph

37. Chad Chaffin #98 Mach One Inc Ford William Edwards 93.956mph

38. Kasey Kahne *#9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Evernham Motorsports 93.761mph

39. Jimmy Spencer #4 Lucas Oil Products Chevrolet Morgan-McClure Racing 92.124mph (provisional)

40. Todd Bodine #50 Arnold Development Companies Dodge Arnold Racing 92.769mph (provisional)

41. Kirk Shelmerdine #72 Vote for Bush Ford Kirk Shelmerdine 87.968mph (provisional)

42. Morgan Shepherd #89 Racing With Jesus/Red Line Oil Dodge Cindy Shepherd 92.159mph (provisional)

43. Kevin Lepage #37 Carter's Royal Dispos-all Dodge John Carter 92.556mph (provisional)

Did not qualify

44. Klaus Graf #59 BAM Racing Dodge BAM Racing 93.687mph

45. Mike Garvey #75 Jani-King Dodge Randall Haefelle 93.474mph

46. Mario Gosselin # Hover Motorsports Ford Hover Motorsports 92.710mph

47. Ryan McGlynn #00 Buyers Choice Auto Warranties Chevrolet Raynard McGlynn 91.624mph

48. Greg Sacks #13 ARC Dehooker/Vita Coco Dodge James Wilsberg 91.416mph

49. Brad Teague #94 WW Motorsports Ford David Watson 90.503mph

50. Carl Long #46 RacingMetal.com Dodge Glenn Motorsport no time[13]

Race

Ryan Newman led the first nine laps of the race, with Rusty Wallace claiming the lead on lap 10, leading for 33 laps. Terry Labonte then led the next eight laps, with Kasey Kahne leading for 17 laps before Labonte took the lead back. Tony Stewart took the lead on lap 90, losing it on lap 108 to Kurt Busch, who led for only the lap before Sterling Marlin took over, leading until Busch reclaimed it on lap 131. Busch would lead for 54 laps, with Matt Kenseth briefly leading for a lap before Busch led the longest streak with 64 laps. Kevin Harvick, Wallace, and Kenseth would split the lead for the next 45 laps, Harvick leading 43 of them, followed by leading another 61 after taking the lead back from Kenseth on lap 295. After Busch led lap 356, Jamie McMurray took the lead, leading for 20 laps until Jeff Gordon led for six laps from lap 377 to 382 before McMurray reclaimed it. Jimmie Johnson then led his first laps of the race on lap 405, relinquishing it on lap 410. McMurray (1) and Marlin (29) led the next 30 laps until Johnson took the lead on lap 440, leading for the remainder of the race. McMurray, Newman, Marlin, and Busch finished in the top five, while the top ten consisted of Jeremy Mayfield, Jeff Green, Harvick, Jeff Gordon, and Rusty Wallace.[12]

17 cautions occurred during the race. The first was on lap 4, when Joe Nemechek and Todd Bodine crashed in turn 2. On lap 14, Brendan Gaughan, Marlin, and Mayfield were involved in an accident in turn 4, with Jimmy Spencer becoming the beneficiary and gain back a lap. On lap 21, Rudd spun out in turn 2, allowing Shelmerdine to gain back a spot. On lap 66, Robby Gordon crashed in turn 4, allowing Mario Gosselin to be the beneficiary. On lap 77, Rudd and Robby Gordon crashed in turn 4, Shelmerdine gaining another lap back. On lap 107, Dale Jarrett, Casey Mears, Bobby Hamilton Jr., and Kirk Shelmerdine crashed in turn 3, allowing Robby Gordon to regain a lap. On lap 184, Kyle Petty spun in turn 2, permitting Nemechek to gain back a lap. On lap 292, Carl Edwards spun in turn 2, with Jeff Gordon being the beneficiary. The first caution for debris was flown on lap 322, with Robby Gordon becoming the beneficiary. Bobby Labonte, Jeff Green, and Ken Schrader crashed in turn 4 on lap 355, Rudd winning a lap back. Ward Burton spun in turn 2 on lap 372, though there was no beneficiary. On lap 410, Jarrett spun out in turn 3, with Petty gaining a lap back. The second debris caution flew on lap 418, Travis Kvapil being the beneficiary. On lap 451, Elliott Sadler spun out in turn 4, Burton gaining back a lap. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Petty crashed in turn 2 on lap 468, with Sadler getting a lap back. However, on lap 477, Sadler would be involved in a crash in turn 2 with Nemechek, allowing Scott Riggs to gain back a lap. The final caution occurred on lap 490, with Edwards and Robby Gordon crashing in turn 3, with Kvapil being the beneficiary again.[12]

Due to the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash, victory lane celebrations were not held,[14] and the grandfather clock often given to the race winner was delivered after the season ended.[15]

Results

POS ST # DRIVER SPONSOR / OWNER CAR LAPS MONEY STATUS LED PTS
1 18 48   Jimmie Johnson Lowe's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 500 157440 running 67 185
2 8 42   Jamie McMurray Texaco / Havoline   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 500 104025 running 43 175
3 1 12   Ryan Newman Alltel   (Roger Penske) Dodge 500 132517 running 9 170
4 16 40   Sterling Marlin Coors Light   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 500 113545 running 50 165
5 7 97   Kurt Busch Irwin Industrial Tools / Sharpie   (Jack Roush) Ford 500 107175 running 120 165
6 11 19   Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham) Dodge 500 95350 running 0 150
7 10 43   Jeff Green Cheerios / Betty Crocker   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 500 93600 running 0 146
8 19 29   Kevin Harvick GM Goodwrench   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 500 101903 running 104 147
9 15 24   Jeff Gordon DuPont   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 500 107853 running 6 143
10 2 2   Rusty Wallace Miller Lite   (Roger Penske) Dodge 500 106308 running 34 139
11 12 30   Jeff Burton America Online   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 500 73175 running 0 130
12 23 6   Mark Martin Viagra   (Jack Roush) Ford 500 70550 running 0 127
13 38 9   Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham) Dodge 500 99350 running 17 129
14 9 21   Ricky Rudd Motorcraft / U.S. Air Force   (Wood Brothers) Ford 500 87681 running 0 121
15 13 20   Tony Stewart Home Depot   (Joe Gibbs) Chevrolet 500 105903 running 18 123
16 25 17   Matt Kenseth DeWalt Power Tools   (Jack Roush) Ford 500 108203 running 2 120
17 21 16   Greg Biffle National Guard / Subway   (Jack Roush) Ford 500 68925 running 0 112
18 17 18   Bobby Labonte Interstate Batteries   (Joe Gibbs) Chevrolet 500 101813 running 0 109
19 30 15   Michael Waltrip NAPA   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 500 92131 running 0 106
20 24 22   Scott Wimmer Caterpillar   (Bill Davis) Dodge 500 84425 running 0 103
21 5 06   Travis Kvapil Mobil 1 / Jasper Engines   (Roger Penske) Dodge 500 55975 running 0 100
22 26 45   Kyle Petty Georgia-Pacific / Brawny   (Petty Enterprises) Dodge 500 72025 running 0 97
23 36 31   Robby Gordon Cingular Wireless   (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 500 91487 running 0 94
24 22 99   Carl Edwards Roush Racing   (Jack Roush) Ford 500 92042 running 0 91
25 27 5   Terry Labonte Kellogg's   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 500 85500 running 30 93
26 6 10   Scott Riggs Valvoline   (James Rocco) Chevrolet 500 83287 running 0 85
27 34 25   Brian Vickers GMAC Financial Services   (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 498 65835 running 0 82
28 4 0   Ward Burton NetZero   (Gene Haas) Chevrolet 497 58085 running 0 79
29 28 41   Casey Mears Target / Breast Cancer Research   (Chip Ganassi) Dodge 496 67950 running 0 76
30 29 01   Joe Nemechek U.S. Army   (Nelson Bowers) Chevrolet 488 73764 running 0 73
31 20 49   Ken Schrader Schwan's Home Service   (Beth Ann Morgenthau) Dodge 484 54275 running 0 70
32 33 38   Elliott Sadler M&M's   (Yates Racing) Ford 475 93033 crash 0 67
33 3 8   Dale Earnhardt Jr. Budweiser   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) Chevrolet 449 103173 crash 0 64
34 14 77   Brendan Gaughan Kodak / Jasper Engines   (Doug Bawel) Dodge 424 62020 running 0 61
35 39 4   Jimmy Spencer Lucas Oil Products   (Larry McClure) Chevrolet 421 53975 running 0 58
36 35 32   Bobby Hamilton Jr. Tide   (Cal Wells) Chevrolet 404 61925 crash 0 55
37 32 88   Dale Jarrett UPS   (Yates Racing) Ford 403 84792 running 0 52
38 31 02   Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports   (Hermie Sadler) Chevrolet 159 53825 electrical 0 49
39 37 98   Chad Chaffin Mach One Inc.   (William Edwards) Ford 100 53765 rear end 0 46
40 41 72   Kirk Shelmerdine Vote for Bush   (Kirk Shelmerdine) Ford 86 53690 engine 0 43
41 42 80   Mario Gosselin Hover Motorsports   (Stan Hover) Ford 74 53640 suspension 0 40
42 43 37   Kevin Lepage Carter's Royal Dispos-All   (John Carter) Dodge 11 53590 vibration 0 37
43 40 50   Todd Bodine Arnold Development Companies   (Don Arnold) Dodge 1 52891 crash 0 34
Failed to qualify or withdrew
POS NAME NBR SPONSOR OWNER CAR
44 Klaus Graf 59 DHL Beth Ann Morgenthau Dodge
45 Mike Garvey 75 Jani-King Randall Haefele Dodge
46 Morgan Shepherd 89 Racing With Jesus / Red Line Oil Morgan Shepherd Dodge
47 Ryan McGlynn 00 Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties Raynard McGlynn Chevrolet
48 Greg Sacks 13 ARC Dehooker / Vita Coco James Wilsberg Dodge
49 Brad Teague 94 W.W. Motorsports David Watson Ford
50 Carl Long 46 RacingMetal.com Rick Glenn Dodge
WD Tony Raines 51 Marathon / Chase Joe Auer Chevrolet

Standings after the race

Kurt Busch (pictured in 2015) led the Chase standings after the race.

Source: [12]

Pos Driver Points
1 Kurt Busch 6015
2 Jeff Gordon 5919
3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5890
4 Jimmie Johnson 5808
5 Mark Martin 5791
6 Tony Stewart 5769
7 Elliott Sadler 5760
8 Matt Kenseth 5755
9 Ryan Newman 5749
10 Jeremy Mayfield 5651

References

  1. ^ "2004 Subway 500". The Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
  2. ^ "TV RATINGS 2004". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  3. ^ "ABOUT THE TRACK". Martinsville Speedway. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e "THE RACE: Subway 500". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "2004 UAW-GM Quality 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Marty. "Hendrick stronger 10 years later". ESPN. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  7. ^ "RANDY DORTON". Hendrick Motorsports. Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  8. ^ Clarke, Liz (October 25, 2004). "Airplane Crash in Va. Kills 10". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  9. ^ Pockrass, Bob (May 5, 2011). "Hendrick plane crash lawsuits settled; litigation ends more than six years after deadly crash". Sporting News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "2004 Martinsville Entry List". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  11. ^ a b "JAYSKI's Semi-Live QUALIFYING/GRID page for the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d "2004 Subway 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  13. ^ "Qualifying times: Subway 500". Crash. 2004-10-22. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  14. ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (October 25, 2004). "Tragedy taints triumph Johnson's NASCAR win overshadowed by plane crash". Peninsula Clarion. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  15. ^ Bernstein, Viv (October 23, 2004). "A Haunting Gray Sky for a Nascar Family". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2014.


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