2004 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
The 2004 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, the final race of the 2004 NASCAR regular season, and the 47th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 11, 2004, before a crowd of 110,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports would pass a fuel-ailing Kurt Busch with 8 to go and take home a clutch win to lock himself into the 2004 Chase for the Nextel Cup. The race was Mayfield's fourth career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his first and only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2004 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | September 11, 2004 | ||
| Official name | 47th Annual Chevy Rock & Roll 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 98.946 miles per hour (159.238 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 110,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Jasper Racing | ||
| Time | 20.979 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | |
| Laps | 151 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The ten drivers to make it into the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup were Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, and Ryan Newman.[2]
Background
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
*Withdrew.[3]
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, September 10, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours.[3] Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.024 and an average speed of 128.425 miles per hour (206.680 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 21.024 | 128.425 |
| 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.184 | 127.455 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.211 | 127.292 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second and final practice
The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, September 10, at 6:00 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3] Kasey Kahne of Evernham Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.480 and an average speed of 125.698 miles per hour (202.291 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 21.480 | 125.698 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.488 | 125.651 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 21.560 | 125.232 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Friday, September 10, at 3:10 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 1-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 20.979 and an average speed of 128.700 miles per hour (207.123 km/h).[7]
Nine drivers would fail to qualify: Johnny Sauter, Tony Raines, Kevin Lepage, Greg Sacks, Hermie Sadler, Brad Teague, Ryan McGlynn, Morgan Shepherd, and Carl Long.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- Poole, David (2004-09-11). "Mayfield gets Richmond win as Chase field set". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2004-10-23. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- "Updated Nextel Cup driver standings". ThatsRacin. 2004-09-11. Archived from the original on 2004-10-23. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- "Jayski's® Silly Season Site - Richmond 2 Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Richmond 2 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-10. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Richmond 2 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2005-03-10. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- "Jayski's® Silly Season Site - Provisional Land Page". 2005-02-05. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- "Ryan Newman leads NASCAR qualifying". UPI. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
- "2004 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.