After making an unscheduled pit stop on lap 23 and losing a lap, Ryan Newman managed to fight back to the front and take his Dodge to victory lane after an unbelievable comeback at Michigan International Speedway in the DHL 400. Newman grabbed the lucky dog after the third caution on lap 89 and from there, his team managed the race strategy to perfection and the Indiana driver used his fast racecar to cross the finish line first after a thrilling 200-lap race. However, without several important moments throughout the event, the entire finishing order would have looked much different when the checkered flag waved in the Irish Hills of Michigan. Jeff Gordon started on the pole and the four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion was untouchable in the early portion of the event. He led through the two early cautions in the race and he was magnificent on restarts. When the first round of green flag pit stops began on lap 79, he was one of the first drivers down pit road and he returned to the lead after the cycle of stops. Yet, his race went from dominating to over just after the pit stops. Coming down the backstretch towards turn 3 on lap 88, his engine blew up and smoke poured out of his Chevrolet, which brought out the caution as oil littered the racing surface. While Gordon was disappointed he wouldn’t be in victory lane for the 67th time in his NNCS, the rest of the challengers in the field were excited about the opportunity to contend for the lead. During the caution period for Gordon’s catastrophic engine failure, several new contenders moved to the front as strategy calls were made during the pit stops. Rusty Wallace and Brendan Gaughan stayed on track to inherit first and third, respectively, while Dale Jarrett took fuel only during his stop to move into fourth. On the subsequent run, all three drivers swapped the lead and Gaughan was out front when the fourth caution waved on lap 115. Again, pit stops shook up the running order as Elliott Sadler won the race off pit road and grabbed the lead for the first time in the event. Sadler held onto the lead on the restart, but he only held it for 12 laps before Sterling Marlin took the top spot with his fast Dodge. Marlin seemed strong out front as he led through caution flag pit stops on lap 150, a restart after the pit stops, the sixth caution on lap 159, and the subsequent restart. When the seventh caution waved on lap 174, though, the picture at the front of the pack changed again. Marlin and several others pitted while Jarrett stayed out to inherit the lead. Right behind him, Newman sat in second with a shot at an impressive comeback victory after spending most of the event one lap down. When the race restarted, Newman quickly grabbed the lead and was running away as the checkered flag neared, but an incident between Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart brought out the caution with eight laps to go. When the green flag waved for the final time with four laps to go, Newman stayed strong ahead of Jarrett and he pulled away as the field battled for position. He took the white flag with a sizeable lead, but a hard charging Kasey Kahne was coming. Kahne found an impressive boost of speed on the final lap in turn 2 and he was attempting to make a move in turn 3 for the win when the caution waved and froze the field. Newman was leading and he was declared the winner as he crossed underneath the checkered flag and the yellow flag. Today’s 400-mile race was a full throttle test on engines, aerodynamics, and grit as 43 competitors fought to take the victory in the backyard of American auto manufacturers. As these five stages of analysis show, the race became a battle of strategy, attrition, and equipment as Ryan Newman fought to earn another win in his NASCAR career.
Stage 1:
Comeback of the Race: Newman Goes a Lap Down After Unscheduled Pit Stop, But He Finishes the Race in First
Since his rookie season two years ago, Ryan Newman has won poles and visited victory lane in NASCAR much like a veteran driver. Last year, the Indiana native added 11 poles and eight wins to his career statistics after a rookie year that saw him win one race, sit on the pole six times, and grab the Rookie of the Year award after battling with Jimmie Johnson. 2004 has been more of a struggle for Newman and his entire Penske Racing team, however. Coming into today’s race, Newman had only grabbed three poles and he had a season-best finish of third at Darlington Raceway and California Speedway. Yet, the team came into today’s race with confidence since they won the most recent Cup race at Michigan last August. Newman started the race in fourth and during the first run of the race, he was maintaining his position in the Top 5. However, the 2002 Rookie of the Year had a problem on track on lap 23. The water temperature in his racecar had been rising steadily early in the race due to a large piece of trash on the grill of his Dodge. When the water temperature rises too high, engines are likely to lose power and prevent drivers from competing. To be safe, Newman’s crew chief, Matt Borland, brought him down pit road to remove the debris. The team also changed all four tires and added fuel while they were pitting. Newman returned to the track, but he had lost all his track position and a lap to the leader. Still, he was the only car one lap down and if a caution waved, he would be back on the lead lap with a fast car thanks to the new lucky dog award in NASCAR. Fortunately, the second caution waved on lap 33 for debris on track. However, Jeff Gordon, who was leading, had just lapped Kevin Lepage before the caution waved and Lepage was back on the lead lap. That meant Newman would have to fight his way back onto the lead lap on the next restart or hope for another caution. When the green flag waved for the restart after the second caution, Newman fought hard to move in front of Gordon and put himself at the back of the lead lap in case of a caution, but he began to lose time on the leader. As the run progressed, Newman continued to lose time as Gordon continued to lap drivers. Yet, Newman passed those drivers and when green flag pit stops began on lap 79, he was the first car a lap down hoping for a caution. Finally, after the cycle of pit stops, Gordon’s engine expired and Newman received the lucky dog. From there, he would be able to show off his speed and move to the front in hopes of a great finish. On the subsequent restart, he gained several positions and he was sitting in the Top 20 when the fourth caution waved on lap 115. Following the restart, Newman used the next run to move into the Top 10 and he was sitting in ninth when the fifth caution waved on lap 150. Again, when the green flag waved, he gained more positions and the Indiana driver was in sixth as the sixth caution waved on lap 159. With forty laps to go, it appeared Newman was in the perfect position to move into the lead. The race restarted again and the run lasted until the seventh caution waved on lap 174. The caution proved to be pivotal for Newman as he stayed on track and inherited the second position. When the green flag waved for the penultimate time, he quickly passed Dale Jarrett for the lead and he began to drive away from the field. As the laps began to click away, Newman was poised to win the race after overcoming incredible adversity. The eighth caution on lap 193 caused Newman’s lead to disappear and he would need to outlast a final restart. When the green flag waved for the final time with four laps to go, Newman maintained his lead ahead of several contenders. He took the white flag with Kasey Kahne beginning to make a charge for his own comeback victory. The two drivers powered through turns 1 and 2 and as they drove into the final two corners. Kahne was searching for a lane to take the win while Newman attempted to block his run. Fortunately for Newman, the caution waved as they drove through turn 4 and he crossed the finish line as the victor in the event. Ryan Newman and his team battled back from an unscheduled pit stop and being a lap down to celebrating a triumphant victory in Michigan.
Stage 2:
Move of the Race: Kahne Pits with 25 to Go and Races to Second Place Finish After Eventful Day
Much like Newman two years ago, Kasey Kahne has jumped into the NNCS and proven he belongs in the top levels of NASCAR. Kahne was sitting thirteenth in points with four poles and three second place finishes after fourteen events prior to today’s 400-mile race. Since Martinsville in April, though, the team hasn’t finished inside the Top 10 and they were looking forward to an excellent run at MIS. However, it was an interesting day for Kahne to pull out a fantastic finish at the 2-mile oval. He started the race in a dismal 34th after struggling with his car in qualifying. On the start, though, the Washington driver was moving towards the Top 20. Following the second caution of the race on lap 33, Kahne was sitting in 22nd with hopes of continuing his charge to the front. However, the next run was rough for the young driver. His car became really loose after the restart and he began to drop positions instead of gaining them. In the middle of the run, Jeff Gordon passed him and Kahne went a lap down with an ill handling racecar. Fortunately, the third caution waved on lap 89 after a round of green flag pit stops and he came down pit road for adjustments to fix his racecar. His crew chief, Tommy Baldwin Jr., made significant changes to the Dodge and Kahne returned to the track. He restarted on the inside line next to the leaders and he hoped to gain his lap back when the green flag waved. On the subsequent run, Kahne passed drivers in front of him to move into the coveted spot to earn the lucky dog award. When the fourth caution waved on lap 115, he was the first driver a lap down and the Rookie of the Year contender would finally be back in competition for a great finish. However, he would have to prove that his car could contend at the front of the field. On the restart after the fourth caution, Kahne began his charge to the front of the field and he was in eleventh position when the fifth caution waved on lap 150 with a competitive racecar after struggling in the first half of the race. Over the next two runs, Kahne dropped a few positions and when the seventh caution waved on lap 174, he was in thirteenth with a few minor changes needed to advance to the front. To make those changes, Baldwin Jr. brought his driver down pit road and the strategy call turned out to be a perfect move for the team. On the restart, Kahne used his fresh tires to power past drivers on older tires and with ten laps to go, he was in sixth with a shot at the lead. When the eighth caution waved on lap 193, Kahne found himself with an excellent chance to use his fresher tires to move to the lead. On the final restart, Kahne powered around the drivers in front of him and when the white flag waved, he was sitting in second with a shot at passing Ryan Newman. He drove through turns 1 and 2 much cleaner than his fellow competitor and as they drove into turn 3, Kahne was looking to pass for the win on the final lap. Unfortunately for him, the yellow flag waved in turn 4 and his run was cut short as the field was frozen. Still, he crossed the finish line in second place after spending most of the event outside the Top 30. Thanks to a bold strategy move to pit with 25 laps to go for fresh tires, Kasey Kahne used his brand-new rubber to complete an incredible comeback and finish second for the fourth time in his young career.
Stage 3:
Controversial Call: Marlin Pits from the Lead Late and Only Finishes in Sixth Place
Sterling Marlin has been a prominent figure in NASCAR for many years, but the Tennessee driver has struggled to compete at the front of the field since his strong 2002 campaign in the NNCS. In 2002, Marlin went to victory lane twice early in the year, but two vicious crashes at Richmond and Kansas late in the year took him out of the car and prevented him from winning the Cup championship. Last year, he was unable to finish in the Top 5 in his return to the #40 Dodge, but he came into today’s event with two Top 5’s in the first 14 races of the 2004 season and a previous win at Michigan in 2001 to give the team added confidence. Marlin started in 24th, but he quickly began his charge to the front with a quick racecar. By lap 70, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver was sitting in the Top 10 as he looked to grab the lead and win his first race in over two years. At halfway, Marlin continued to move up in the race as strategy calls began to shape the event. The fourth caution of the race waved on lap 115 and it proved to be a turning point for Marlin and his team. He came down pit road during the caution and he drove off pit road in the fifth position for the restart. As soon as the green flag waved, Marlin powered past the drivers in front of him and on lap 130, the two-time Daytona 500 champion took the lead from Elliott Sadler in turn 2. From there, he maintained his control of the lead as the field raced around him. Marlin was leading when the fifth caution waved on lap 150 and he held the top spot thanks to a fast stop from his crew. On the restart, he managed to hold onto the lead before a quick caution waved on lap 159. Again, Marlin was strong when the green flag waved and he was driving away from second place when the seventh caution waved on lap 174. Even though he was leading, the caution left Marlin and his crew with a decision on whether to pit for fuel and tires or hold onto the lead. Surprisingly, Marlin came down pit road for four tires and fuel and handed the lead to Dale Jarrett, who was also competing for a much-needed win. Marlin returned to the track in tenth, which meant he would still be close to the front with fresher tires than the leaders. When the race restarted, he began another charge back to the lead. Marlin had moved all the way to third with ten laps to go in the race, but he lost a spot to Jimmie Johnson just as the eighth caution waved on lap 193. Thanks to the caution, he would have a legitimate shot at moving into the lead when the race restarted. When the green flag waved for the final time in the race, Marlin quickly shot into third because Johnson didn’t have third gear and was struggling to accelerate on the restarts. It appeared Marlin would continue his rise to the top spot as the conclusion of the race neared, but his car began to become ill handling in the final laps. As the caution flag waved on the last lap, Marlin was sitting in sixth place and he crossed the finish line there after potentially sitting in perfect position to visit victory lane with 25 laps to go. The decision to pit under the seventh caution was rather controversial and questionable for Marlin and his crew chief, Lee McCall, since they were dominating late in the race, but the decision to pit kept their Dodge in the Top 10 and delivered the team a great finish.
Stage 4:
Driver of the Day: Gordon Leads 81 of 88 Laps Before a Blown Engine Ends His Day
During his tenure in the NNCS, Jeff Gordon has established himself as a consistent contender for wins, poles, and championships. Gordon has grabbed four championships in NASCAR’s highest series since his rookie year in 1993 and coming into this weekend at Michigan, the Indiana native had 66 NNCS wins and 47 poles in his already legendary career. Today’s race turned out to be another dominating performance for Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports team in the early runs of the DHL 400. Gordon started the race on the pole, which gave him 48 poles in his career. As soon as the green flag waved, the four-time Cup champion began to drive away from the drivers around him. Unfortunately, his attempt to extend his lead was cut short by the first caution on lap 1. However, as soon as the track was cleaned and the green flag waved again, Gordon continued to speed away just like he did on the initial start. As the early laps clicked away, he extended his lead by tenths of a second and by the second caution on lap 33, he was leading by a substantial margin over the drivers behind him. During the caution flag pit stops, Gordon’s team changed tires and added fuel to perfection as they returned their driver to the lead. When the race restarted, he continued his dominating performance as teams were left wondering how they would overtake the two-time winner at Michigan. Gordon continued to maintain his lead until the first round of green flag pit stops began around lap 79. He was one of the first drivers to come down pit road for fresh tires and fuel, which prompted the rest of the field to make their green flag pit stops. After the pit stops cycled through in just a few laps, Gordon returned to the lead of the event with his fast Chevrolet still outrunning the field. However, just as he managed to regain his flow in the race after the stops, his historic race ended abruptly. On lap 88, as Gordon drove down the backstretch towards turn 3, his car began to smoke heavily. Gordon moved to the apron of the track as oil littered the speedway and smoke filled the backstretch. The third caution waved as he made it to pit road and lost the lead with a blown engine. His team diagnosed the problem as a terminal engine failure and not only would Gordon lose his chance for a dominating win, but he would be out of the race entirely. As the checkered flag waved 112 laps after his engine problem, Gordon brought home a 38th place finish after a promising day ended thanks to bad luck at Michigan. Even though the driver and his team were disappointed with the result, Gordon led 81 of the 88 laps he completed in today’s race and proved he will be a contender for wins throughout the rest of the season as well as a challenger for the championship.
Stage 5:
Terrible Luck: Martin’s Transmission Issues on Lap 1 Prevent Him from Competing at Michigan
The last three races have been interesting, to say the least, for Mark Martin and his team. At Charlotte three weeks ago, he came home in 36th in the Coca-Cola 600. One week later at Dover, the Arkansas driver went to victory lane after he inherited the lead from Kasey Kahne, who crashed hard in oil on the track late in the race. Last week at Pocono, Martin’s engine blew up and he was saddled with another 36th place finish after he started the race in fourth position. As the team came to Michigan for today’s race, they were looking to help Martin win his fifth race at the 2-mile track and rebound from two terrible finishes in the past three races. He qualified fifteenth for today’s race and he was on the inside line for the start of the event with his Roush Racing teammate, Jeff Burton, right behind him. Unfortunately for Martin, 15th was the highest position he would find himself in during the race. As the green flag waved to start the event, he accelerated like the rest of the drivers around him and began to look for paths to gain positions. However, just as he crossed the start/finish line, Martin’s Ford slowed. Burton almost slammed into his bumper as drivers scattered to miss the slowing driver. Burton cleared his slowing teammate as Martin slid down the banking. Cars continued to make evasive moves around Martin as he made it to the apron of the track. It seemed like NASCAR would need to throw a caution to push his car to the garage, but a crash involving Robby Gordon and others on the backstretch brought out the caution on lap 1. Martin continued to coast around the race track after the caution waved and he reported to his team that something had broken in the transmission as he attempted to shift gears. As Martin made it to the garage, his crew chief, Pat Tryson, and the rest of his crew thrashed to fix the transmission problem. After a rather short repair, the veteran driver returned to the race on lap 19, but he was 18 laps down with no chance of grabbing an excellent finish. Still, the Arkansas driver ran laps for the rest of the race and kept his nose clean as he tried to earn the most points as possible. Throughout the remainder of the event, he didn’t lose another lap and he took the checkered flag eighteen laps down. Thanks to engine issues and mechanical problems for some of his fellow competitors, Martin gained a few positions throughout the event and he brought his Ford home in 34th. Unfortunately for Mark Martin and his team, bad luck prevented them from making it to turn 1 on the start and the team was left with a disappointing finish.
After 200 heart pounding laps around the blazing fast Michigan International Speedway, the NNCS heads to its first road course event of the season next weekend at the Infineon Raceway in California. For 34 races during the year, the stars in NASCAR’s highest series compete around race tracks with left turns. For the other two races, including next Sunday’s event, the Cup drivers battle left and right turns in pursuit of a coveted checkered flag. At Infineon, though, the 43 drivers will have to compete with more than just a different type of turn. The California road course is home to significant elevation changes around the entire course and each corner offers challenges and potential obstacles for every single competitor. Plus, rookie drivers will be making their first starts in Cup cars at a road course, which could create potential chaos for the entire field. Finally, Infineon will be the eleventh race before the NNCS decides its ten-driver field to battle for the championship in the first ever Chase for the Nextel Cup. Because of that, drivers near the top of the standings will look to avoid accidents and battle for the championship at Homestead in November. In addition to the storylines involving the nearly 2-mile road course and the new Chase format, a few drivers will be faced with stories as the Cup Series heads to wine country. Ryan Newman has never visited victory lane on a road course in the NNCS, but the Penske Racing driver has momentum after today’s win and he could steal the victory next Sunday. Jimmie Johnson took the points lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. thanks to a fourth-place finish and the California driver will look to grab his tenth career win at one of his home tracks. Robby Gordon’s hopes of finishing well today ended after a crash on lap 1 left him with significant damage, but the road course ringer heads to California with hopes of winning his second straight race at Infineon. Finally, Jeff Gordon heads to a track where he has three previous victories and confidence after a dominating day at Michigan ended too soon. Today’s 400-mile fight around MIS featured an incredible comeback for Ryan Newman that led to a thrilling victory, several engine failures for top contenders in the race, strategy calls that affected the finishing order when the checkered flag waved, and good runs for many drivers who desperately needed to finish well.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 1- Robby Gordon bumped into Brendan Gaughan’s left rear after Gaughan checked up to miss the outside wall. Gordon spun down the track and slammed into Kurt Busch’s right side, but Busch kept going. Gordon continued to spin along the backstretch as the field avoided his Chevrolet. All three drivers had damage, but they would continue.
2nd Caution: Lap 33- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.
3rd Caution: Lap 89- Jeff Gordon had an engine blow up heading towards turn 3 as he was leading the race.
4th Caution: Lap 115- Jamie McMurray had a motor expire as he drove through turn 3 while running in fifth.
5th Caution: Lap 150- Debris was spotted on the track.
6th Caution: Lap 159- Ricky Craven slowed on the backstretch with an issue and coasted along the apron of the track.
7th Caution: Lap 174- Joe Nemechek had an engine blow up much like McMurray and Gordon while he was running in fifth.
8th Caution: Lap 193- Tony Stewart broke loose underneath Greg Biffle in turn 4 as the two drivers battled for eighth. Stewart barely clipped Biffle, which sent Stewart hard into the outside wall with his driver’s side door while Biffle backed hard into the outside wall. Both drivers drove away, but their good runs were over.
9th Caution: Lap 200- Kyle Petty and P.J. Jones made contact in turn 2, which sent Jones spinning up the track. He slammed hard into the outside wall with his driver’s side door and his Dodge lifted off the ground. His car spun to the apron of the track after the heavy wall contact. He climbed out of his destroyed racecar unhurt.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Kevin Lepage
3rd Caution: Ryan Newman
4th Caution: Kasey Kahne
5th Caution: Jeff Burton
6th Caution: Scott Wimmer
7th Caution: Scott Riggs
8th Caution: None
9th Caution: None
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Ryan Newman
2nd: Kasey Kahne
3rd: Dale Jarrett
4th: Jimmie Johnson
5th: Elliott Sadler
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Sterling Marlin
7th: Matt Kenseth
8th: Bobby Labonte
10th: Michael Waltrip
11th: Kurt Busch
13th: Jeff Burton
17th: Kevin Harvick
21st: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
22nd: Rusty Wallace
23rd: Greg Biffle
24th: Tony Stewart
26th: Terry Labonte
34th: Mark Martin
37th: Jamie McMurray
38th: Jeff Gordon
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2004_DHL_400/W
-Image:
http://www.toledoblade.com/sports/2004/06/21/This-victory-is-just-for-you-Dad.html
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUn-mVr74A&t=8937s&spfreload=10
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