# 2004 Subway 400

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; only 50,000 were in attendance at the 60,113 facility.
The other Cup race at the track, the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400, had been replaced by California Speedway after 2003.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 |
| 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. 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 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 after the two crashed in practice. 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, 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." 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.

### 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
* 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. 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.
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. During those laps, on lap 265, Long collided with Joe Nemechek, flipped down the backstretch, and landed in the turn 3 apron. 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. 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."
| POS | 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

| 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 |