2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season | |||
| Date | March 7, 2004 | ||
| Official name | UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 | ||
| Location | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 128.79 miles per hour (207.27 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 123 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
The 2004 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on March 7, 2004 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Contested at 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 3rd race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing won the race.
Entry list
- (W) denotes past winner of the race (in some iteration, has been run since 1998).
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Larry Gunselman failed to qualify while John Andretti, Larry Foyt, and Andy Hillenburg all withdrew.
Summary
The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was run on Sunday, March 7, 2004, over 267 laps at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Four drivers were sent to the rear of the field due to engine changes: Ward Burton, Kevin Lepage, Jeff Gordon, and Derrike Cope.[1]
Rookie Kasey Kahne started on the pole, though Kurt Busch, who started second, took the lead shortly after and held it for the race's first four laps. Kahne took the lead back on lap 5 and held it under green for thirty-one laps. On lap 36, the lead was taken by Jimmie Johnson, who held it for five laps before the race's first caution came on lap 40 for oil on the track. Scott Riggs led one lap under caution, though Kahne led the pack back to the restart. Tony Stewart took the lead from Kahne on lap 54; he held this lead for thirty-five laps under green. On lap 88, an accident in turn four involving Ryan Newman brought out the race's second caution. The race restarted on lap 93, with Stewart holding the lead for the first two laps under green and Matt Kenseth overtaking him to lead lap 95. Kenseth remained in first place for forty-four laps until the third caution of the race, brought about by a crash, in turn, two by Jeff Green's #43 car. The race restarted on lap 143 and remained under green for another twenty-three laps, all of which were led by Kenseth. The fourth caution, which happened on lap 166, was caused by a crash in turn four involving Michael Waltrip's #15 car. Tony Stewart retook the lead under caution, but the restart (lap 173) was led by Kenseth, who led the next twelve laps under green. The fifth caution of the race was brought out due to another instance of oil on the track; the yellow flag was displayed on lap 184. Jeff Burton led one lap under caution, and Kevin Harvick led the field to the restart on lap 193. He led until the race's sixth and final caution due to debris. Harvick maintained the lead for the restart on lap 207 and held it for another twenty-seven lap laps before losing it under green to Kenseth. The #17 car remained the race leader for the last thirty-eight laps, all under green, to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 for the second year in a row.
Race results
The top ten finishers are listed below.[1][3][4]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 8 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Ford |
Race Statistics
- Time of race: 3:06:35
- Average Speed: 128.79 miles per hour (207.27 km/h)
- Pole Speed: 174.904 miles per hour (281.481 km/h)
- Cautions: 6 for 37 laps
- Margin of Victory: 3.426 sec
- Lead changes: 18
- Percent of race run under caution: 13.9%
- Average green flag run: 32.9 laps
References
- ^ a b c "03/07/2004 race: UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 (Cup) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "2004 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 Entry List - Las Vegas Motor Speedway". frcs.pro. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "2004 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 Race Results - Las Vegas Motor Speedway". frcs.pro. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR Race Results at Las Vegas - Mar 7, 2004 [UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400]". www.driveraverages.com. Retrieved March 8, 2020.