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2004 Season
2004 Sylvania 300
| Race Information |
| Event: Sylvania 300 |
| Date: September 19, 2004 |
Track: New Hampshire Int'l Speedway |
| Started: 3rd |
Finished: 3rd |
| Status: Running |
Laps Completed:
300 of 300 |
| Points
Pos. Before/After Race:
3rd/1st |
Points
Earned: 170 (w/ 5 bonus) |
| Money
Earned: $155,158 |
Summary and Related News |
Kurt Busch wins, Bud team third
in "Chase" Race No. 1_9/19/04
Earnhardt Jr. and Busch now tied for points lead
Kurt Busch won round No. 1 of the 10-race Chase for the NEXTEL Cup Championship by
dominating Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Busch led
155 of 300 laps to claim the New Hampshire sweep. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 8
Budweiser team finished third, their 10th top-three of the year and third in the last four
races. Dale Jr. led once for two laps and remained in the top-10 for most of the
afternoon. The finish was his career best at New Hampshire, improving on the fifth-place
he scored in this race last year. More importantly, Dale Jr.’s quest for his first
NEXTEL Cup championship got off to a rousing start, as he and Busch now share the lead in
the championship standings with 5,210 points. Jeff Gordon is now in third (-9 pts.), Matt
Kenseth fourth (-10), and Jimmie Johnson fifth (-30). Tony Stewart was the big loser of
the “Chase” drivers, falling four spots in the standings to eighth with a
39th-place finish.
Key Moments: With Bud Pole Qualifying rained out and Dale Jr. starting
third, the Budweiser team strategically spent most of their first and only practice on
Friday in race trim, guessing that Saturday’s practices would be washed out by
forecasted rain. As a result, Dale Jr. was one of only a few drivers to have turned laps
in a race-ready car prior to today’s event, and it showed as the Bud Chevy raced
among the top-10 for much of the day, falling back only to early variations of pit
strategy (many teams opted for two-tire stops while the Bud team took four). The No. 8
Chevy wasn’t mired in traffic for long, as quick pit stops and a sporty chassis
– this particular one being used the first time all year – helped Junior break
back into the top-10 by lap 112 and move into fifth by lap 138. He never left the top-five
for the rest of the afternoon, even scooting into the lead for a couple of laps just past
the halfway point. Quick work on their final pit stop put the Bud team in fourth on a
lap-280 restart, and Dale Jr. passed Jamie McMurray in the final 20 circuits to earn the
top-three finish.
Dale Jr. Quotes: “Great race car. I’ve got to hand it to the
Budweiser team today. We kind of guessed on the set-up and ended up getting a top-five out
of it … I was really worried about starting the Chase for the Championship with a
poor finish, but we got a good top-five today, so I’m pretty happy about that. We
came here (to New Hampshire) last time, and it was horrible. I guess everybody knows that
story (Dale Jr. was suffering from severe burns to his legs and neck after a sports-car
accident the week before). This time was a hell of a lot better. We kind of used the same
set-up that we used here earlier in the year, but this car seemed to be much better. We
didn’t have much practice on Friday, so it left everybody doing some guesswork. We
seem to be pretty good in those kinds of situations … Our car was good, but
Kurt’s was awesome. We would’ve had to come in here and change the springs and
shocks to have had a chance to beat him, but still a good day for the Bud team.”
On his confidence in this Chase for the Championship:
“My confidence really began to grow at Bristol. (Winning that race) was instantly a
huge jump in confidence after what was a pretty awful summer. When my legs were hurt, I
didn’t really want to be in the race car. But I finally healed up enough to where it
wasn’t a problem, and then we won Bristol, and it was like a huge jolt. Richmond last
week (finished second) was inspirational, too, and I’ve got that drive back that you
definitely have to have to win the championship. I think we’re going to close out the
season on a streak that will be pretty spectacular, and hopefully with a championship. I
think whoever wins this championship will finish in the top 20 in each of the last 10
races, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it.”
Best Radio Chatter:
Chatter was kept to a minimum today, with the Bud team all business in this crucial
start to the Chase for the Championship. Dale Jr. took his first and only lead on lap 183
– a lead he was only able to hold for two laps before Busch retook the point.
Dale Jr.: “I’m a little bit free, but that’s all
right.”
Tony Eury Jr. (car chief): “Yeah, just ride behind him (Busch) for
awhile and don’t wear yourself out.”
Dale Jr.: “Yeah, that’s what I was about to do, but I’m
going to try to keep up with him for awhile.”
In third on lap 243:
Dale Jr.: “I’m going to change my line a little bit, see if
that helps. (After one lap) Whoa, it doesn’t! Never mind!”
On lap 265, with the Bud team having already made its final pit stop:
Dale Jr.: “I’m nervous about what position I’m in.”
Tony Jr.: “You’re sitting fourth and you got the 42 (McMurray)
and the 17 (Kenseth) in front of you. You’re doing excellent.”
Today's Stats
Started: 3rd (ties career-best start at New Hampshire)
Finished: 3rd (career-best finish at New Hampshire)
Led: 1 time for 2 laps
Money: $155,158
Points: 1st (tied with Kurt Busch with 5,210 points)
Best Pit Stop: Stop 1 of 6 / Lap 18 / four tires and fuel / 11.73 seconds
-Budweiser
Budweiser Race Preview: New Hampshire_9/13/04
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - driver, No. 8 Budweiser team:
"I think we've run really well at Loudon - well... other than earlier this year.
(Said with a bit of a chuckle, referring to the Loudon race in July, the first race for
Dale Jr. after his fiery sports car crash, and where he climbed out, or more correctly,
was lifted out of the car after 61 laps and was replaced by his protégé, Martin Truex
Jr.)
"Yes, we have a real shot at winning the championship. We're a team that has been up
and down, but if you look back, even in our Busch Series days, we've always finished
really strong in the last third of each season. You have to look at the guys like the 24
(J. Gordon) and the 48 (J. Johnson) because they've been up front every week and I think
that's what you have to do to win this thing. There are some tracks (in the final 10
races) that we always look forward to and where we've had success. We have a lot of tests
coming up and I believe the races at Kansas and Homestead are going to decide our
championship - win or lose. We've struggled at those places, and we're going to test at
each of those tracks. If we get those figured out, we're going to be tough to beat."
Dale Jr. and the No. 8 Bud Team at New Hampshire:
Previous Nextel Cup Starts: 10
Best Start: 3rd (July 2003 / July 2004)
Best Finish: 5th (Sept., 2003)
This Race, Last Year: ST: 6th / FIN: 5th / Led 120 laps
-- Dale Jr. returns to New Hampshire International Speedway for the first time since
soldiering through a painful weekend as a result of injuries sustained in a sport-car
accident just seven days before. The Bud team finished 31st with the help of back-up
driver Martin Truex Jr. Now fully recovered and aiming for a quick start in the 10-race
Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship, Dale Jr. and the Bud team will attempt to match or
better their two top-six finishes last year at Loudon.
-- With four victories, 12 top-fives, 15 top-10s, and 14 races led this year, Dale Jr.
enters the Chase in third place in the point standings, 10 markers behind leader Jeff
Gordon. Dale Jr. has been in the top-10 in points for 58 consecutive weeks (beginning
March 16, 2003) and has been the points-leader following nine of 26 races in 2004, Junior
is one of only four drivers to remain in the top-10 all season.
Driver No. 8 in the Chase: 10 Drivers, 10 Teams, 10 Races: Among the
final 10 tracks, Dale Jr. is the most recent Cup victor at Phoenix (Nov. 2003) and Atlanta
(March 2004). Of his 13 career victories, he has seven wins at four of the Chase tracks
(Dover, Talladega, Phoenix and Atlanta). He also has a victory at Charlotte in the
non-points all-star race in 2000.
A closer look at Dale Jr's Cup history at each track:
New Hampshire: Top-six finishes in two of his last three races; career-best finish of
fifth in Sept. 2003; in the last five races he has led a total of 165 laps.
Dover: Came from two laps down to finish third in June; nine career starts with one win
(Sept. 2001) and three top-three finishes.
Talladega: Has finished first or second in his last six races, including a track-record
four consecutive wins from Oct. 2001 to April 2003. Has led the laps in eight consecutive
Talladega races for 411 laps; finished second to Jeff Gordon earlier this year.
Kansas: Three career starts with finishes of 33rd, sixth and 18th; earned Bud Pole Award
in 2002 and started third last season. Despite Dale Jr’s protestations to the
contrary, he has led laps in each of his three starts.
Charlotte: Finished sixth in May; has five top-10s in 10 career starts (including three in
last four races); has finished fourth twice (May 2000, Oct. 2001) and became the first
rookie to win NASCAR’s all-star race when he won The Winston in 2000.
Martinsville: No other driver has been as consistently successful at Martinsville since
2002, as Dale Jr. is riding a string of five consecutive top-five finishes. He led 155
laps and finished third in April and has led 411 laps over last three races. Dale Jr.
scored more points on short tracks than any other driver in 2002, 2003 and again so far in
2004 (two wins, a second, a third, and an 11th-place finish this season). He has 13
top-fives in the last 19 races on tracks less than one mile in length.
Atlanta: Earned his first Atlanta win in March, adding to finishes of seventh or better in
last six races. He has led laps in eight of his 10 career races. Would have easily
improved his finishing record except for a series of bizarre occurrences: cut brake line
from a television telemetry sensor while leading (March, 2000), cut tire while making a
pass for the lead with less than 10 laps left (March, 2001) and leading easily until being
forced to drive the final 30 laps with metal debris in one eye (Nov. 2001). Won Bud Pole
Award in November, 2001.
Phoenix: Reigning race winner with victory in November, 2003; two straight top-five
finishes; has led 192 laps in last two races.
Darlington: Tenth-place finish in March was third top-10 in last five races; career-best
is fourth-place finish (March 2002).
Homestead-Miami: Best finish is 13th in four career races; led for 46 laps in 2002.
HOW THEY FARED IN 2003: In the final 10 races last season, the Bud team
scored one victory, four top-fives and six top-10s, with a total point accumulation of
1,369 points (an average of 136.9 points per race). A hard crash at Dover resulted in
their only DNF of the final 10 races.
TEST DATES GALORE: Having strategically saved most of its test dates for
the home stretch, the Bud team will begin a strenuous testing schedule Tuesday with a
one-day session at Dover. Other scheduled tests include two days at Kansas, and single-day
tests at Martinsville and Homestead-Miami.
Race Details:
Sylvania 300
New Hampshire International Speedway / Loudon, N.H.
1-mile oval / 300 laps / 317.4 miles
Sun., Sept. 19, 2004
TV: TNT, 1 p.m. ET (pre-race begins at 12:30 p.m.)
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), XM Radio.
Bud Pole Qualifying: Friday, 3 p.m. ET (televised live on TNT)
-Budweiser |
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