The 2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 16th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 27, 2004, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Infineon Raceway, a 1.99 miles (3.20 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 110 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would dominate the race to win his 67th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his third of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Jamie McMurray and Scott Pruett of Chip Ganassi Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350 program cover, featuring the cars of Evernham Motorsports. | |||
| Date | June 27, 2004 | ||
| Official name | 16th Annual Dodge/Save Mart 350 | ||
| Location | Sonoma, California, Infineon Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.99 mi (3.20 km) | ||
| Distance | 110 laps, 218.9 mi (352.285 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 110 laps, 218.9 mi (352.285 km) | ||
| Average speed | 77.456 miles per hour (124.653 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:15.968 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 92 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[2] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[3] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[4]
Entry list
edit*Withdrew.[5]
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice would occur on Friday, June 25, at 11:20 AM PST, and would last for two hours.[5] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:15.363 and an average speed of 95.060 miles per hour (152.984 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:15.363 | 95.060 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 1:15.504 | 94.882 |
| 3 | 36 | Boris Said | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:15.726 | 94.604 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice would occur on Saturday, June 26, at 9:30 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[5] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:15.867 and an average speed of 94.428 miles per hour (151.967 km/h).[7]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:15.867 | 94.428 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:16.032 | 94.224 |
| 3 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:16.223 | 93.987 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, June 26, at 11:10 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[5] Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:16.066 and an average speed of 94.181 miles per hour (151.570 km/h).[8]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:16.066 | 94.181 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 1:16.210 | 94.003 |
| 3 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 1:16.220 | 93.991 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, June 25, at 3:10 PM PST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a lap time.[5] 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.[9]
Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a new track record with a lap of 1:15.968 and an average speed of 94.303 miles per hour (151.766 km/h).[10]
Multiple drivers would suffer incidents that would considerably slow down their lap times or make them not set a lap. Michael Waltrip would report smoke and blow an engine coming into Turn 7 on his lap. Scott Riggs would spin, but still complete his lap. Ricky Craven would spin in Turn 10 [11]
Full qualifying results
editRace results
edit| Fin[12] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 92 | running | 190 | $388,103 |
| 2 | 11 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 170 | $176,500 |
| 3 | 6 | 39 | Scott Pruett | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 110 | 1 | running | 170 | $120,100 |
| 4 | 40 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 160 | $147,646 |
| 5 | 34 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 155 | $112,915 |
| 6 | 19 | 36 | Boris Said | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 150 | $79,165 |
| 7 | 29 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 110 | 5 | running | 151 | $100,265 |
| 8 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 110 | 1 | running | 147 | $89,315 |
| 9 | 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 138 | $108,482 |
| 10 | 16 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 134 | $109,943 |
| 11 | 20 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 110 | 9 | running | 135 | $114,078 |
| 12 | 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 127 | $105,838 |
| 13 | 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 124 | $76,475 |
| 14 | 22 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 121 | $106,742 |
| 15 | 17 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 1 | running | 98 | $107,653 |
| 16 | 42 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 115 | $86,150 |
| 17 | 38 | 59 | Klaus Graf | BAM Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 112 | $58,925 |
| 18 | 23 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 109 | $93,742 |
| 19 | 28 | 30 | Jim Inglebright | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 106 | $70,550 |
| 20 | 5 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 103 | $111,603 |
| 21 | 26 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 100 | $95,275 |
| 22 | 39 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 97 | $71,550 |
| 23 | 18 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 94 | $61,900 |
| 24 | 14 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 91 | $62,630 |
| 25 | 25 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 88 | $82,970 |
| 26 | 33 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 85 | $69,425 |
| 27 | 36 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 110 | 0 | running | 82 | $87,520 |
| 28 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 109 | 0 | out of gas | 79 | $102,883 |
| 29 | 9 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | running | 76 | $79,515 |
| 30 | 21 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 109 | 0 | running | 73 | $77,849 |
| 31 | 30 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 109 | 0 | running | 70 | $90,250 |
| 32 | 27 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 109 | 0 | running | 67 | $57,800 |
| 33 | 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 104 | 0 | running | 64 | $103,773 |
| 34 | 24 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | running | 61 | $92,917 |
| 35 | 12 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 97 | 0 | running | 58 | $83,751 |
| 36 | 3 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 94 | 1 | running | 60 | $78,160 |
| 37 | 43 | 98 | Larry Gunselman | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 87 | 0 | out of gas | 52 | $57,625 |
| 38 | 32 | 61 | Austin Cameron | Bill McAnally Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | running | 49 | $57,590 |
| 39 | 31 | 50 | P. J. Jones | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 71 | 0 | rear end | 46 | $57,550 |
| 40 | 15 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 67 | 0 | engine | 43 | $84,250 |
| 41 | 37 | 02 | Brandon Ash | Ash Motorsports | Ford | 63 | 0 | rear end | 40 | $57,450 |
| 42 | 41 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51 | 0 | crash | 37 | $82,597 |
| 43 | 35 | 72 | Tom Hubert | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 5 | 0 | too slow | 34 | $57,615 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew | ||||||||||
| 44 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | ||||||
| WD | 52 | Carl Long | Rick Ware Racing | Dodge | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Utter, Jim (2004-06-27). "Gordon dominates, gets win at twisty Infineon Raceway". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on 2004-07-01. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". 2007-09-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 2004 Sonoma Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Sonoma Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. 2004-06-27. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Sonoma Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. 2004-06-27. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Sonoma Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. 2004-06-27. Archived from the original on 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - Provisional Land Page". 2005-02-05. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ "Jeff Gordon snatches pole in Sonoma". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Dodge / Save Mart 350 Bud Pole Qualifying, retrieved 2021-12-19
- ^ "2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-19.