The 2004 Tropicana 400 presented by Meijer was the 18th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 11, 2004, before a crowd of 80,000 in Joliet, Illinois, at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win a controversial race, after an altercation with Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne left owner Ray Evernham accusing Stewart of numerous occasions of reckless driving and stating that "He needs to get suspended, and he should have his ass beat."[1] The win was Stewart's 18th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

2004 Tropicana 400 presented by Meijer
Race details
Race 18 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The 2004 Tropicana 400 program cover.
The 2004 Tropicana 400 program cover.
Date July 11, 2004
Official name Fourth Annual Tropicana 400 presented by Meijer
Location Joliet, Illinois, Chicagoland Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Scheduled Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Average speed 129.507 miles per hour (208.421 km/h)
Attendance 80,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 28.886
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 160
Winner
No. 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

edit
 
The layout of Chicagoland Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

Entry list

edit
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
0 Ward Burton Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet NetZero Hi Speed
1 John Andretti Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Kraft Foods
01 Joe Nemechek MBV Motorsports Chevrolet USG Sheetrock
2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge Miller Lite, Puddle of Mudd
02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet SCORE Motorsports
4 Jimmy Spencer Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Wide Open Energy Drink
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Got Milk?, Kellogg's
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Viagra
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Budweiser
9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Dealers, UAW
09 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Phoenix Racing Dodge Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
10 Scott Riggs MBV Motorsports Chevrolet Valvoline
12 Ryan Newman Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge Mobil 1, Speedpass
13 Greg Sacks Sacks Motorsports Dodge Vita Coco, ARC Dehooker
15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford National Guard
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford DeWalt Power Tools
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Wellbutrin XL
19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dodge Dealers, UAW
20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet The Home Depot
21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft, U. S. Air Force
22 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge Caterpillar
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet GMAC Financial Services
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench
30 Johnny Sauter Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet America Online
31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cingular Wireless
32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
37 Chad Blount R&J Racing Dodge R&J Racing
38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford M&M's
40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Coors Light
41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Target
42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Texaco, Havoline
43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories
45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge Georgia-Pacific Brawny
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge Red Baron Frozen Pizza
50 P. J. Jones Arnold Motorsports Dodge Arnold Motorsports
51 Kevin Lepage Competitive Edge Motorsports Chevrolet Negotiations Seminar
72 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Ford American Harley-Davidson Ann Arbor, Michigan
77 Brendan Gaughan Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge Kodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions
80 Mike Bliss Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Act II, Slim Jim
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford UPS
89 Morgan Shepherd* Shepherd Racing Ventures Dodge Racing With Jesus, Red Line Oil
97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford Sharpie
98 Todd Bodine Mach 1 Motorsports Ford Lucas Oil
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Comcast
Official entry list

Practice

edit

First practice

edit

The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 9, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for two hours.[2] Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.106 and an average speed of 185.529 miles per hour (298.580 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.106 185.529
2 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 29.117 185.459
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.268 184.502
Full first practice results

Second practice

edit

The second practice session would occur on Saturday, July 10, at 8:30 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Mark Martin of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.662 and an average speed of 182.051 miles per hour (292.983 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.662 182.051
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.775 181.360
3 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.787 181.287
Full second practice results

Third and final practice

edit

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, July 10, at 11:10 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.563 and an average speed of 182.661 miles per hour (293.964 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.563 182.661
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.832 181.014
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.932 180.409
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

edit

Qualifying would take occur on Friday, July 9, at 3:10 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[2] 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]

Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 28.886 and an average speed of 186.942 miles per hour (300.854 km/h).[7]

Full qualifying results

edit
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.886 186.942
2 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 28.897 186.871
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.987 186.290
4 25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.070 185.758
5 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 29.074 185.733
6 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.109 185.510
7 80 Mike Bliss Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.124 185.414
8 12 Ryan Newman Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 29.146 185.274
9 01 Joe Nemechek MBV Motorsports Chevrolet 29.152 185.236
10 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.157 185.204
11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 29.157 185.204
12 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.179 185.065
13 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.196 184.957
14 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.198 184.944
15 77 Brendan Gaughan Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 29.200 184.932
16 10 Scott Riggs MBV Motorsports Chevrolet 29.206 184.893
17 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.232 184.729
18 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.240 184.678
19 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 29.247 184.634
20 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 29.301 184.294
21 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 29.305 184.269
22 0 Ward Burton Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 29.309 184.244
23 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.321 184.168
24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.344 184.024
25 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.382 183.786
26 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 29.410 183.611
27 51 Kevin Lepage Competitive Edge Motorsports Chevrolet 29.413 183.592
28 09 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Phoenix Racing Dodge 29.434 183.461
29 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.436 183.436
30 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.440 183.424
31 1 John Andretti Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.496 183.076
32 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 29.532 182.852
33 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 29.561 182.673
34 4 Jimmy Spencer Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.562 182.667
35 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Chevrolet 29.567 182.636
36 30 Dave Blaney Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.597 182.451
37 37 Chad Blount R&J Racing Dodge 29.655 182.094
38 43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge 29.702 181.806
Provisionals
39 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.831 181.020
40 22 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge 29.821 181.080
41 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 29.734 181.610
42 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 29.911 180.536
43 50 P. J. Jones Arnold Motorsports Dodge 29.731 181.629
Failed to qualify or withdrew
44 98 Todd Bodine Mach 1 Motorsports Ford 29.794 181.245
45 13 Greg Sacks Sacks Motorsports Dodge 30.176 178.950
46 72 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Ford 30.803 175.308
WD 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Dodge
Official qualifying results

Race

edit

Pole sitter Jeff Gordon led the first lap of the race. On lap 15, rookie Kasey Kahne took the lead from Gordon. On lap 18, the first caution flew when Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch crashed in turn 2. Tony Stewart was the leader of the race on the restart. On that restart, rookie Brendan Gaughan's car began smoking. The caution flew to check for oil. Gaughan had actually broken a trackbar and the race was back underway on lap 30. On lap 39, the third caution came out for debris laying all over the backstretch with drivers like Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick running over the debris. After the longest green flag run of 78 laps, the fourth caution came out when Ricky Craven's engine blew. Kasey Kahne won the race off of pit road and was the race leader. But on the restart, chaos would ensue. On the restart, Tony Stewart jumped to the outside of Sterling Marlin. Stewart then got on Kahne's back bumper when Kahne's car got loose and crashed into the outside wall causing an 8 car wreck in turn 1. The cars involved were Kahne, Stewart, John Andretti, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Riggs, Jeff Gordon, Dave Blaney, and Jeff Burton. On pit road, Kahne's crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. and his crew went over to talk to Tony Stewart's crew chief Greg Zipadelli when a big fight occurred on pit road between Baldwin and Zipadelli with the crews getting in the middle of it. The race got back going again on lap 135 with Stewart as the leader. On lap 172, the 6th caution came out for debris. On lap 181, Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Stewart. On lap 209, the 7th caution would fly when Mike Bliss crashed off of turn 2. Jeremy Mayfield would be the race leader on the restart. On lap 241, Stewart would pass Mayfield for the race lead. With 23 to go, the 8th caution flew for debris in turn 4. With 15 to go, The 9th and final caution flew when Robby Gordon spun Jeff Green in turn 3. On the restart with 11 to go, Stewart took the lead and took the win for his first win of 2004. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, and Jeremy Mayfield rounded out the top 5 while Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 10. After the race, all of the pit crew, car chiefs, crew chiefs (Baldwin Jr. and Zipadelli) and owners (Ray Evernham and Joe Gibbs) of cars #9 and #20 were fined $50,000 for their actions. Stewart was not penalized.

Race results

edit
Fin[8] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 10 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 267 160 running 190 $336,803
2 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 31 running 175 $208,640
3 29 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 267 0 running 165 $188,592
4 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 14 running 165 $172,453
5 19 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 267 26 running 160 $130,575
6 24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 1 running 155 $123,075
7 32 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 267 9 running 151 $126,200
8 9 01 Joe Nemechek MBV Motorsports Chevrolet 267 0 running 142 $112,850
9 39 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 267 0 running 138 $124,556
10 17 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 0 running 134 $122,053
11 20 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 267 0 running 130 $121,908
12 26 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 267 1 running 132 $127,853
13 14 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 267 0 running 124 $88,100
14 4 25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 0 running 121 $87,950
15 12 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 267 0 running 118 $92,150
16 31 1 John Andretti Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 267 0 running 115 $73,250
17 23 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 2 running 117 $107,837
18 11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 267 1 running 114 $117,133
19 22 0 Ward Burton Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 267 0 running 106 $75,150
20 5 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 267 0 running 103 $84,400
21 13 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 267 0 running 100 $109,083
22 25 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 267 0 running 97 $116,828
23 40 22 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge 267 0 running 94 $91,975
24 18 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 265 10 running 96 $79,850
25 34 4 Jimmy Spencer Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 265 0 running 88 $71,550
26 42 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 265 0 running 85 $78,839
27 41 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 263 0 running 82 $69,750
28 38 43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge 248 0 crash 79 $95,300
29 16 10 Scott Riggs MBV Motorsports Chevrolet 245 0 running 76 $94,037
30 15 77 Brendan Gaughan Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 240 0 running 73 $76,100
31 7 80 Mike Bliss Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 205 0 crash 70 $65,900
32 30 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 204 0 running 67 $91,256
33 6 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 197 0 running 64 $99,342
34 8 12 Ryan Newman Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 166 0 crash 61 $111,667
35 21 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 151 0 running 58 $84,600
36 2 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 136 10 crash 60 $94,275
37 36 30 Dave Blaney Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 129 1 crash 57 $72,175
38 35 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Chevrolet 116 0 engine 49 $71,975
39 43 50 P. J. Jones Arnold Motorsports Dodge 108 0 too slow 46 $63,765
40 33 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 103 0 transmission 43 $63,555
41 28 09 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Phoenix Racing Dodge 86 0 engine 40 $63,335
42 27 51 Kevin Lepage Competitive Edge Motorsports Chevrolet 34 1 fuel pump 42 $63,170
43 37 37 Chad Blount R&J Racing Dodge 3 0 electrical 34 $63,207
Failed to qualify or withdrew
44 98 Todd Bodine Mach 1 Motorsports Ford
45 13 Greg Sacks Sacks Motorsports Dodge
46 72 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Ford
WD 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Dodge
Official race results

References

edit
  1. ^ Kauffmann, Dave (July 12, 2004). "Stewart gets rude reception after Tropicana 400 victory". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. p. K4249. Retrieved June 19, 2020 – via Gale General OneFile.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jayski's® Silly Season Site – 2004 Chicagoland Race Info / Rundown Page". 2005-02-05. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  3. ^ "NASCAR.com – Races – 2004 Chicagoland Practice 1 Results". 2004-12-06. Archived from the original on 6 December 2004. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  4. ^ "NASCAR.com – Races – 2004 Chicagoland Practice 2 Results". 2004-12-06. Archived from the original on 6 December 2004. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  5. ^ "NASCAR.com – Races – 2004 Chicagoland Practice 3 Results". 2005-03-06. Archived from the original on 6 March 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. ^ "Jayski's® Silly Season Site – Provisional Land Page". 2005-02-05. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  7. ^ "Jeff Gordon on pole at Chicagoland". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  8. ^ "2004 Tropicana 400 – The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
Previous race:
2004 Pepsi 400
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2004 season
Next race:
2004 Siemens 300