A Las Vegas Motor Speedway Memory: Earnhardt Jr.’s Empty Fuel Tank Hands Keselowski the Victory in the 2014 Kobalt 400

Strategy has always been an important aspect of NASCAR racing, most recently with pit road calls. Extended lengths of races, improved tire wear, fuel saving techniques, and the emphasis on winning at all levels of the sport have forced teams to stretch their resources in hopes of earning the best possible finish. Drivers have learned to push fuel windows to their extreme and ask for two tires rather than four to improve their track position. Sometimes, these bold strategy moves work and put drivers in victory lane. However, most of the time, these calls lead to disappointment as a win slips away.

On March 9, 2014, two drivers familiar with each other experienced the highs and lows of strategy racing while battling for the win in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team decided to stay on track during the fourth and final caution on lap 221, hoping to run 56 laps on a tank of Sunoco gasoline after his lap 211 green flag pit stop. The #88 already had a win from the season opening Daytona 500, which meant the team could try some unique strategy to grab another victory since they were already locked in NASCAR’s brand-new “win and you’re in” Chase format.

Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski, who drove for Earnhardt Jr. in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2008 to 2009, and his team opted to pit during the final caution. Keselowski’s crew put two fresh tires on the #2 Ford Fusion and returned their driver to the race in seventh spot. He had three drivers with little fuel in their racecars in front of him, including the #88, and three drivers with a full tank of gas. His fresher rubber was a distinct advantage for the 42-lap green flag run to conclude the event.

In the end, the battle for the win came down to Earnhardt Jr.’s fuel mileage gamble and Keselowski’s two fresh tires. The two drivers participated in a thrilling battle for the win underneath the Las Vegas sun. However, the victory came down to a last lap slip up for Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski’s ability to capitalize. One driver was left with a bad LVMS memory and the other experienced a happy moment at the 1.5-mile track.

Brad Keselowski started the 400-mile race in the second position while Dale Earnhardt Jr. started on the outside of Row 7 in the 14th spot. During the first half of the event, the two drivers maintained their spots in the Top 10 as they battled through a 106-lap green flag and three cautions in the first 160 laps of the event. On lap 196, though, Keselowski and Junior’s path towards victory in the race crossed for the first time.

Just four laps prior to lap 200, Keselowski started a round of green flag pit stops as the leader. His team gave him four fresh tires and returned him to the race track as other pit crews prepared for their own stops. As the next few laps passed, drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Paul Menard pitted for four tires to continue the cycle of stops. On lap 206, Earnhardt Jr. grabbed the lead for the second time in the race as his team pondered a potential strategy call much different from the rest of the field.

Due to the green flag character of the race, Steve Letarte, Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, decided to keep his driver on track longer than the rest of the field during the round of stops. The team’s hope was that Junior could pit around lap 210 and have the race stay green to its conclusion. If that occurred, the reigning Daytona 500 champion would have a possibility of making it on fuel to the finish while his fellow competitors would definitely have to pit again.

The #88 led five laps before he came down pit road for his stop on lap 211. The stop was flawless from his crew and he returned to the track with only two drivers left to pit during the cycle: Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards. They pitted on lap 213, hoping to use the same strategy as Earnhardt Jr. in the late stages. After the cycle of stops, Keselowski returned to the lead knowing he would need to stop again and Junior cycled into the fifth position. However, after making all the strategy plans for green flag racing, the fourth and final caution waved on lap 221. Now, teams would have to work on another strategy decision to end the event.

Three drivers decided to stay on track during the caution while the rest of the field pitted. Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, and Hamlin, the three drivers who had pitted late during the green flag cycle, stayed out with enough fuel in their racecars according to the teams’ calculations to finish the 267-lap event. Behind them, three drivers prepared to restart in the fourth through sixth spots after adding just fuel to their racecars on pit road. In seventh for the restart was Keselowski. His crew chief, Paul Wolfe, had opted to give his driver two fresh tires, which cost the team some track position. Yet, they had fresher tires than everyone else in the race. For the next 42 laps, those pit road decisions would help determine the winner of the race.

On lap 226, the green flag waved for the final time and the mix of strategy calls caused a chaotic restart. As Earnhardt Jr. moved out to a five car length lead, drivers behind him battled two and three wide around LVMS. Keselowski ended up in second position on his two fresh tires at the completion of lap 226, but he was three-fourths of a second behind the leader. On lap 228, the #2 Ford dropped to third while Junior held the lead. The battle between the two drivers was far from over, though.

Despite losing the second spot, Keselowski maintained his momentum and returned to the runner-up position around lap 244 with just 23 laps left in the event. The next 10 laps proved to be crucial in deciding the race winner. While Earnhardt Jr. tried to save fuel at the front of the pack, the #2 Ford started chasing him down for the lead. On lap 253, the advantage moved underneath a second between the two drivers. Five laps later, the gap was only three tenths of a second and it appeared the two tire strategy call of Keselowski would prevail.

However, Earnhardt Jr. and his spotter, T.J. Majors, noticed Keselowski’s charge towards the lead and the #88 changed its racing line on track. For the next few laps, the North Carolina driver extended his lead by a few tenths as the end of the race neared. Finally, after saving fuel throughout the final run and monitoring his gap, Earnhardt Jr. took the white flag with Keselowski half a second behind him. The final lap ended up being very interesting for the two competitors.

Both drivers powered through turns 1 and 2 smoothly with the advantage between them remaining at half a second. On the backstretch, though, Earnhardt Jr. experienced a problem. The low amount of fuel in his racecar caused his engine to miss slightly exiting turn 2. The hiccup caused him to lose power and he moved towards the inside of the track, trying to slosh some fuel in the pickup. Meanwhile, Keselowski destroyed the half second between himself and the lead heading down the backstretch and cleared Junior entering turn 3. The power returned to Earnhardt Jr.’s car in the final turn, but it was too late. 

Keselowski powered away from the #88 and crossed the finish line first while Earnhardt Jr. managed to finish in second spot over a second back. Wolfe’s two-tire decision paid off with a much-needed victory after a tough 2013 season. On the other hand, Letarte’s gamble to keep his driver on track during the final caution resulted in a disappointing second place finish after Junior led at the white flag. Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t discouraged after the race, though, due to his chance to win the race and his win in the Daytona 500 just two weeks prior. 

“We took a gamble and we didn’t win the race, but it still worked in our favor to run second and gave us a chance to win," Earnhardt Jr. said after the race. Still, watching Keselowski celebrate on the frontstretch wasn’t what the #88 team had hoped for when making the late gamble. For the #2 team, the victory lane moment proved to be an early memory to carry throughout the rest of 2014.  

Keselowski ended the 2014 season with six total victories. He captured wins at Kentucky, New Hampshire, Richmond, Chicagoland, and Talladega in addition to his Las Vegas triumph to lead the series in the category. However, a 31st place finish at Martinsville in October derailed his championship hopes and he missed the first Championship 4 battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway by just a couple of points. Over the next three seasons, he won eight total races and finished fourth in the points last year after making the Championship 4 for the first time.

In the two races this season, the 2012 Cup champion has shown speed and been a contender for the race win. A crash in the Daytona 500 left him with a disappointing 32nd place finish, but he returned to the track last week and captured a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a win to his credit at Las Vegas, the #2 Ford will be a car to watch for the 400-mile event tomorrow and it could be another excellent season for the Michigan native.

Despite missing out on the Las Vegas win, Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 season ended as one of the best of his career. He added a season sweep of victories at Pocono and a Martinsville win to his Daytona 500 victory, giving him four total for the season. He ended up finishing eighth in the points after an excellent year compared to his previous seasons. A year later, he added three more victories to his career total including another Talladega win, a Daytona triumph, and a rainy victory at Phoenix. He finished 12th in the overall standings at the end of the year. Unfortunately, his win at Phoenix turned out to be the last of his career.

2016 started off inconsistent for the North Carolina driver and ended early for him. Crashes at Talladega and Michigan caused him to experience concussion-like symptoms, much like he experienced late in the 2012 season. After the Kentucky race in July of 2016, Earnhardt Jr. was forced out the car due to the severity of his medical issues. He missed the remainder of the season trying to heal from his head injuries. The two-time Daytona 500 champion returned for the 2017 Cup season, but he wasn’t in his usual form. He announced in April of last year that 2017 would be his final full-time season in the sport. He ended the disappointing year with only one Top 5 finish. He concluded his Cup career with a 25th at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the season finale.

For 2018, the 15-time Most Popular Driver award winner has stayed busy as he prepares for the future. He spent the week following the 60th Daytona 500 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, working the Winter Olympics for NBC Sports. When NBC begins broadcasting NASCAR races in a few months, he will be a prominent figure on TV talking about the sport. Also, he has plans for a DIY Network home renovation show and he will become a dad for the first time in May. Finally, he will be in the racecar for at least one more time this season. He will be piloting his own #88 at the fall Richmond race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for all his fans to see him back in a racecar.

Strategy gambles sometimes pay off for teams and sometimes they don’t. In 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first race at Michigan driving for Hendrick Motorsports with just a few drops of fuel left in the tank. His team’s strategy decision had paid off. In 2014, though, their late race fuel mileage gamble didn’t end in a victory at Las Vegas. For Brad Keselowski and his team, the decision to take on two fresh tires allowed them to move up the leaderboard in the last run and steal the victory from Earnhardt Jr. Their late race battle and exciting final lap duel created a memorable Las Vegas Motor Speedway memory, one that will be remembered for years to come.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions: 4 for 18 laps

Lead Changes: 21

Margin of Victory: 1.530 seconds

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Brad Keselowski
2nd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3rd: Paul Menard
4th: Joey Logano
5th: Carl Edwards

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Jimmie Johnson
7th: Ryan Newman
8th: Kasey Kahne
9th: Jeff Gordon
10th: Matt Kenseth
11th: Kyle Busch
12th: Denny Hamlin
14th: Martin Truex Jr.
16th: Austin Dillon
17th: Jeff Burton
19th: Kyle Larson
21st: Danica Patrick
26th: Kurt Busch
33rd: Tony Stewart
37th: Alex Bowman
41st: Kevin Harvick




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
racing-reference.info/race/2014_Kobalt_400/W
-Image:
www.cbssports.com/general/story/24475310/keselowski-edges-junior-on-last-lap-in-las-vegas
-Quote:
www.sportingnews.com/nascar/news/las-vegas-results-finish-brad-keselowski-wins-dale-earnhardt-jr-second-out-of-fuel/cb7zkq48ajv61r22e30mi4i87
-Video of Finish:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bxYOEXv5fg&t=67s
-Full Race:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_l6x26bJs&t=12s

Flashback Friday 5 Stages of Analysis: Earnhardt Jr. Grabs a Clutch Victory and Avenges Last Year’s Penalty at South Boston

(Author’s Note: As we continue our articles discussing tracks where NASCAR’s Top 3 series no longer race at, we will visit the South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia, for today’s in-depth analysis. For many years, the track affectionately called “SOBO” sanctioned races for the Cup Series, the current Xfinity Series, and the current Camping World Truck Series. From 1960 to 1971, the 4/10ths-mile short track held 10 Cup races with legends like Richard Petty and Junior Johnson grabbing checkered flags before the series decided not to return. While the Cup Series left, the precursor to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series, continued to compete at the track in the absence of the Cup Series. When the Late Model Sportsman Series turned into NASCAR’s prominent secondary series in 1982, South Boston remained a staple of the division with three races in the inaugural year. Through 2000, the Virginia short track held at least one event for the NASCAR Xfinity Series every year except for 1992 and 1993 when the speedway underwent massive renovations. However, after the 2000 season, the NASCAR Busch Series, as it was called then, never returned to the speedway. In its place, the third national series, what was then called the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, raced at the speedway three times between 2001 and 2003. However, the trucks left after 2003 and NASCAR’s three national series had left the historic speedway. Unlike North Wilkesboro, though, South Boston remained active weekly like many other asphalt short tracks across the country. The Virginia short track continued to be part of the NASCAR Winston Racing Series, now called the Whelen All-American Series, where drivers compete for track championships and a national championship with drivers from various states. This past season, Philip Morris, who will be a key part of this race analysis, won the state of Virginia’s battle thanks to excellent runs at South Boston and he finished sixth in the national standings. In addition to the weekly late model action, SOBO has hosted the ARCA Racing Series, the PASS Super Late Model Series, the Allison Legacy Race Series, the now defunct NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and many others. Also, just this year, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East hosted two 100-lap races at the speedway in one night with most of the field running throwback paint schemes to honor the history of the track. For 2018, the track has a packed schedule with more late model action and two races for the K&N Series for the second straight year. While the short track remains action-packed year after year, we are going to venture to a time when the stands were packed as fans enjoyed the NASCAR Busch Series for 300 laps. We are going to analyze the 1999 Textilease/Medique 300 held at the track, which featured 14 total cautions and two leaders wrecked as they ran out front. In the end, a young Dale Earnhardt Jr., the reigning and defending NBS champion, grabbed the checkered flag after surviving the final laps, which allowed him to take his second consecutive victory on the season and increase his points lead in search of his second title. Let’s jump into an analysis of this 300-lap race filled with short track beating and banging as if the checkered flag just waved on a Saturday evening in South Boston, Virginia.)

        After leading the final 70 laps and outlasting three intense restarts with Jeff Green right on his bumper, Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed a redemptive victory at South Boston Speedway after a thrilling Textilease/Medique 300. The win was his ninth of his storied career in the NASCAR Busch Series and his second consecutive on the 1999 season in the NBS after going winless in the first 14 races of the year. The victory was also a bit of revenge at South Boston for the young son of 7-time champion, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Last year, after leading the first 244 laps, Junior was penalized two laps for wrecking Joe Bessey and he lost his shot to win. Revenge was on the North Carolina driver’s mind and he grabbed the checkered flag at the track for a triumphant victory. However, the battle for the win wasn’t an easy one as several important factors decided the conclusion of the race and led to 14 total cautions in the event. Earnhardt Jr. started on the pole for the fifth time in his career, but he didn’t remain there long. On the initial start, Kevin Grubb, who started second, powered around Earnhardt Jr.’s outside in turn 2 to lead the first lap. Grubb led until the first caution waved on lap 6 for an incident involving Dale Shaw and Adam Petty. The race quickly restarted and the Virginia driver remained the leader, but Dick Trickle began to challenge for the top spot. As the field raced back to the yellow flag following the second caution on lap 16, Trickle beat Grubb to the line thanks to a surge of momentum exiting turn 4 to steal the lead. From there, the short track specialist executed out front and dominated the early part of the event. He led through the third caution on lap 25, the fourth caution on lap 32, and the fifth caution on lap 82. All the while, he lapped drivers and held off all challengers thanks to his blazing fast Chevrolet. On lap 99, the sixth caution of the race waved as NASCAR planned its first of two competition cautions. The pit road at South Boston is much narrower than most and in the effort of improving safety, NASCAR mandated two cautions for teams to pit their drivers under slower speeds without the risk of losing positions and crew members getting hurt. Trickle remained the leader following the caution flag stops and he looked to continue his dominating race. On the subsequent restart, Trickle drove away from the pack and continued to lap drivers. However, his roll slowed as he bumped Justin Labonte exiting turn 2 on lap 134 and brought out the seventh caution. The #5 Chevrolet remained the leader without damage from the incident, but the complexion of the race changed on the next restart. As the field accelerated through turn 3 after the seventh caution restart, Lyndon Amick, who was a lap down, broke loose underneath Trickle and slipped up the track, which caused them to make contact. The two cars spun in front of the field as everyone looked to avoid. Amazingly, the rest of the field avoided and the caution didn’t wave, which dropped the #5 Chevrolet to the back of the lead lap and moved Todd Bodine into the lead. Shortly after the leader spun, the eighth caution waved on lap 146, which allowed teams and drivers to regroup after the spin. Bodine remained the leader for the restart with Jeff Green behind him. When the green flag waved, Green immediately challenged for the lead as the race passed the halfway point. The two Chevrolet drivers battled for several laps before the #32 of Green stuck his nose underneath Bodine’s #66 as they entered turn 1 on lap 162. The two made slight contact, which sent Bodine spinning in front of the field. Again, the leader spun without the caution waving and the #32 Chevrolet inherited the lead. 26 laps later, the ninth caution of the race waved for a piece of debris on track with Green still out front followed by Earnhardt Jr. The green flag waved once again and the tenth caution quickly flew on lap 200 for the final round of caution flag pit stops. The entire field pitted for fresh tires and fuel with Green remaining the leader since the line-up couldn’t change during the stops. The race quickly restarted after the stops and the eleventh caution waved on lap 213 for Mike Dillon hitting the outside wall in turn 4. The field lined up for another restart with the #32 Chevrolet still out front. On the restart, the #3 Chevrolet of Earnhardt Jr. started to challenge for the lead. The two drivers raced bumper to bumper for several laps before the 1998 NBS champion moved to the inside on lap 230 in search of the lead. The #3 finally moved into the outright lead a lap later and powered away from his fellow competitor. Junior’s advantage disappeared when the 12th caution waved on lap 240 for an accident involving several drivers. The crash was cleaned up and the field lined up two by two for the restart. When the green flag waved, Earnhardt Jr. maintained the lead until the 13th caution flag flew on lap 257. For the penultimate time, the running order was set-up for another intense restart. The green flag waved and the North Carolina driver looked to extend his lead, but Green hounded the leader. With about 25 laps to go, the two drivers were racing hard through the corners, hoping to grab the victory. Around lap 280, Earnhardt Jr. had drove away slightly from his competitor with his sights set on the checkered flag. Just as it appeared he would drive right to the checkered flag, the 14th and final caution waved on lap 288 for a Matt Kenseth spin. The reigning champion would now have to outlast a final restart and a ten-lap run. When the green flag waved for the final time, Green and Hank Parker Jr. stayed right with Earnhardt Jr. as they ran the final circuits. The two Chevrolets did everything to pass the #3, but they were unsuccessful. Earnhardt Jr. held onto the lead during the short run and powered to the checkered flag after an impressive ending to his race. The entire team went to victory lane happy that they had finally conquered South Boston after their disappointment last season. Today’s race at South Boston was a typical short track shootout for the NBS. 14 cautions plagued the event, beating and banging occurred throughout the field, and the battle for the win came down to a late race showdown between the Top 3 competitors. As these 5 stages of analysis show, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s thrilling victory at South Boston came following an action-packed race filled with cautions, track position skirmishes, and hard racing around the 4/10ths-mile short track.

Stage 1:
Clutch Closer: Earnhardt Jr. Takes the Lead with 70 to Go and Captures the Win 

        In just a year and a half in the NBS, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has exceeded all expectations as the son of a NASCAR legend. Last year, the blossoming star won seven races, grabbed 16 Top 5’s, and captured his first championship in his first season by 48 points. The North Carolina driver returned to the series this season with the goal of earning consecutive championships on his rise up the NASCAR ladder. Despite going winless in the first 14 races of the season, Earnhardt Jr. powered to the win last week at Dover, which handed him the points lead for the second time this year. In addition to his win one week ago, Junior made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway at the end of May. He executed a clean race and brought his #8 Chevrolet home in 16th, an impressive performance in NASCAR’s longest race. The young driver’s momentum from his first NWCS start and his first NBS win of the season carried into South Boston today as he looked to avenge the win he lost last season thanks to a two-lap penalty. The #3 Chevrolet started on the pole this afternoon for the second consecutive race at South Boston. However, unlike last year where he led the first 244 laps, Earnhardt Jr. lost the lead on the first lap as Kevin Grubb powered past him on the outside in turn 2. Junior continued to drop spots in the first few laps of the race and when the first caution waved on lap 6, he had already fallen to the fourth position with an ill-handling Chevrolet. When the race restarted after the first caution, though, the #3 remained smooth and held onto the fourth spot. He maintained the position through the second caution on lap 16, the third caution on lap 25, and the fourth caution on lap 32. The race entered its longest run of the day following the fourth caution, which allowed Earnhardt Jr. to slide past Grubb around lap 60 for the third spot. The #3 Chevrolet remained there until the fifth caution waved on lap 82. On the restart, the North Carolina driver attempted to advance his position as the lap 100 competition caution neared, but he couldn’t pass Bodine or Trickle, the top two drivers in the race. As the yellow flag waved on lap 100 for pit stops, Earnhardt Jr. remained in third. He restarted there and continued to be unable to pass the two drivers in front of him. He maintained the final podium spot until the seventh caution on lap 134. The subsequent restart proved to be the big break the #3 needed to move up the running order. Driving through turns 3 and 4 on the lap following the restart, Trickle, the leader, was slammed into by Lyndon Amick as the South Carolina driver tried to earn his lap back. The two drivers spun right in front of the field. However, Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the field avoided the two drivers, which allowed Junior to slide into second as the caution didn’t wave. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain the runner-up spot as Jeff Green slid by and dropped his fellow competitor back to third as the eighth caution waved on lap 146. The green flag waved again and Junior attempted to make some more moves to the front, but he seemed stuck in third. Fortunately, another critical moment occurred and changed the young driver’s race. Green and Todd Bodine made contact as they raced for the lead on lap 162, which sent Bodine spinning on track. Earnhardt Jr. avoided and powered into second as the caution didn’t wave. Just 26 laps later, the ninth yellow flag flew with the #3 Chevrolet in the runner-up spot. The race quickly restarted with just a few laps before the final competition caution for pit stops. Junior stayed in second during the run as the tenth caution waved on lap 200 for the drivers to hit pit road. The defending champion returned to the track for the final run with fresh tires. The race went green and only a few green laps occurred before the eleventh caution waved on lap 213. The field lined up quickly and the restart proved to be Earnhardt Jr.’s time to move into the lead. He remained right on Green’s bumper for several laps, pushing him to make a mistake. Finally, after running side by side for a lap, the #3 Chevrolet powered to the lead on lap 231. Earnhardt Jr. drove away from Green until the 12th caution flew on lap 240. For the first time since the initial start, the AC Delco Chevrolet would lead the field to green. Now, the race was nearing its conclusion and the win was on the line for the defending champion. On the restart, Earnhardt Jr. accelerated fast and built up a sizeable lead before the 13th caution waved on lap 257. The North Carolina driver hoped to continue his dominance of the past 25 laps on the penultimate restart. However, the next run proved to be a challenge for the #3 Chevrolet. Green, who still remained in second, started to pound his fellow competitor’s back bumper with 25 laps to go, trying to retake the lead. Fortunately, after a few laps of fighting hard to hold the lead, Earnhardt Jr. pulled away from Green as the laps clicked by. With 15 laps to go, it appeared to be a smooth conclusion for the #3, but the 14th and final caution waved on lap 288. The caution meant a ten-lap run would decide the winner with Earnhardt Jr. controlling the restart. When the green flag waved for the final time, Junior tried to pull away, but Green and Hank Parker Jr. remained close to the leader. Each lap, Green would try to make a move in the corner, but Earnhardt Jr. would hold his line and use his momentum off the corner to hold off his fellow competitor. Finally, he took the white flag to complete the victory, but he still needed to outlast the final four corners. He drove smoothly through turns 1 and 2 before powering into the final two turns. He powered through them cleanly and shot across the finish line for his second consecutive win on the season after leading the last 70 laps. Thanks to a clutch run in the final portion of the event, Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured the win at South Boston and increased his points lead to begin the second half of the season.

Stage 2:
Underdogs of the Race: Parker Jr. and Roper Score Career Best Finishes at South Boston

        Hank Parker Jr. and Tony Roper are two of the fresh faces in the NASCAR Busch Series. So far in their young careers, though, they have struggled to finish up front and succeed consistently. In his 17 career NBS starts prior to today’s race, Parker Jr. earned only two Top 2’s driving a car owned by his father, Hank Parker Sr., a legend in the world of bass fishing. Roper, in his ten starts in the series prior to today’s 300-lap showdown, only had one Top 10 to his credit after an excellent run at Rockingham earlier this year. All their inconsistency and struggles out front completely changed today as the two underdog drivers earned career best finishes after a grueling race at South Boston. Parker Jr. qualified in fifth after a brilliant qualifying run while Roper started 11th in his Pontiac. As soon as the race started, the two drivers looked for consistency to start their days. The #53 Chevrolet of Parker Jr. sat in sixth as the first caution waved on lap 6 while Roper remained around the 11th spot with his #61 Pontiac. The race restarted after the first yellow flag and the cautions began to wave quickly. The second caution waved on lap 16 for a Chad Chaffin incident followed by the third caution on lap 25 for a fire on Randy LaJoie’s car. The fourth caution flew on lap 32 for an incident involving several drivers as Parker Jr. and Roper maintained their respective positions. After the fourth caution, though, the race entered the longest run of the day and the two young drivers would be tested around South Boston. Incredibly, the two drivers remained strong in the long run and when the fifth caution waved on lap 82, Parker Jr. was still in sixth with Roper holding the eleventh spot. With the first stops of the day coming in just 18 laps, the two young drivers were in contention in the event. On the restart, they continued to hold station in their positions and cruised to the competition caution on lap 99. Since they couldn’t lose positions during the yellow flag, the two entered pit road and their teams gave them four tires before sending them back on track for the restart. When the green flag waved, the two drivers continued their consistency from the first portion of the event with Roper even gaining a position to move into the Top 10 just before the seventh caution on lap 134. On the next restart, both drivers gained a position after Dick Trickle spun from the lead. Parker Jr. remained in fifth as the eighth caution waved on lap 146 and Roper found himself in ninth after a brilliant first half of the race. On lap 162, the two drivers gained another position as Jeff Green spun from the lead and dropped to the back of the lead lap. Now, the two drivers were solidly in the Top 10 with hopes of earning career best finishes. The two drivers battled until the ninth caution on lap 188 and a quick restart after the yellow flag led to the second and final competition caution on lap 200. Parker Jr. had moved to third just before the caution with Roper still in eighth. The #53 Chevrolet and the #61 Pontiac powered down pit road for fresh tires before returning to the third and eighth positions, respectively. For the final 100 laps, they would have to protect their positions from the competitive drivers around them. Two quick cautions waved on lap 213 and lap 240 with the two young drivers still in their respective spots. On the run after the lap 240 caution, Parker Jr. lost a position and fell into fourth while Roper gained two positions and powered into sixth spot. The two drivers neared each other in the late portion of the event with only 50 laps remaining. The 13th caution waved on lap 257, which allowed the two drivers to close up on the leaders for the restart. The restart proved to be strong for Parker Jr. as he slipped past Tim Fedewa and moved into third. Roper, however, lost a position to Jeff Purvis, but he gained one as Matt Kenseth spun to bring out the 14th caution on lap 288. For a final ten-lap run, the two competitors wanted consistency to bring home excellent finishes with their terrific runs. When the green flag waved for the final time, Parker Jr. started to battle for the lead with Green and Earnhardt Jr. The three drivers raced hard at the front in the final laps, but the #53 Chevrolet remained in third as he crossed the finish line. Roper, on the other hand, wasn’t as solid in the short run, but he finished in eighth after a hard-fought race at South Boston. After battling tenaciously all race long and surviving the treachery of South Boston Speedway, Hank Parker Jr. and Tony Roper delivered their best career finishes for their underdog race teams. 

Stage 3:
Move of the Race: Morris Earns His Lap Back and Fights for Seventh Place Finish Thanks to Incredible Moves in the Final Run

        Philip Morris isn’t a regular driver in the NBS, but the Virginia native is a recognizable face at South Boston Speedway. Last year, Morris competed in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series at the Virginia short track as he looked to take the track championship at the historic speedway. He ended up winning an incredible 13 races in 20 starts, but he came one position short of winning the track championship. Despite missing out on the championship, the Virginia driver caught the attention of Michael Baldauf, a new owner in the NBS with a team called Blue Ridge Motorsports. Baldauf put Morris in his car at Rockingham late in 1998 and the short track competitor grabbed an incredible fifth place in his first series start. The success of the one-time partnership prompted Baldauf to run select races with Morris this season. However, the team struggled early in the year and entering today’s race, they had only started one event with an additional four DNQ’s. Their struggles at other tracks disappeared as the team came to South Boston this afternoon with a driver familiar with the 4/10ths of a mile track in Virginia. Ultimately, Morris’ excellent finish came thanks to an impressive move to earn his lap back late and an incredible driver past several NBS regulars in the closing laps to take a brilliant Top 10. The #01 Chevrolet started in 26th after a rather slow lap from the car and driver. Yet, the team wasn’t complaining since they made the field. For the first 100 laps of the race, Morris gained a few positions as drivers fell out of the race and had mechanical problems. He brought his Chevrolet to pit road during the competition for four fresh tires and he returned to the race in the 21st position. After staying on the lead lap for the first one-third of the event, the hometown driver hoped to continue that trend and earn a respectable finish at his local track. Unfortunately, on the next run following the pit stops, Morris fell a lap down to the leader, Trickle, as he struggled slightly. When the seventh caution waved on lap 134, the #01 Chevrolet sat a lap down with several other drivers. He would need to pass the leader on a restart to try and return to contention in the race. On the subsequent restart, Morris looked to return to the lead lap, but he barely avoided the accident in turn 4 as Trickle and Lyndon Amick spun. He maintained his composure after the narrow miss and he looked to return to the lead lap before the next caution, but the eighth yellow flag waved on lap 146 with his Chevrolet still a lap behind the leaders. On the next restart, though, Morris managed to overtake Todd Bodine, the leader, and put himself at the back of the lead lap for the time being. However, he couldn’t keep up the pace of the top drivers and the #66 Chevrolet shot past him just few laps later, which put Morris back a lap down. He remained there until the ninth caution waved on lap 188. Again, Morris tried to utilize the restart to move onto the lead lap, but he was unsuccessful as the tenth caution waved on lap 200. His team brought him down pit road for four fresh tires during the competition caution, hoping to give him the added boost to gain his lap back. The fresh tires proved to be the spark the Virginia driver needed as he passed the leader, Jeff Green, following the restart. Fortunately, the eleventh caution waved on lap 213 and the #01 returned to contention on the lead lap with 87 laps to go. The team hoped to gain just a few positions as Morris restarted 18th, but the driver ended up gaining more than he could have imagined in the final portion of the event. When the 12th caution waved on lap 240, the #01 Chevrolet had moved into 15th after making some nice moves during the 20-lap run. The green flag waved and, again, Morris gained positions until he sat in 12th when the 13th caution waved on lap 257. For the penultimate time, the green flag waved and Morris continued to put on an impressive show as he gained more spots with 40 or so laps to go. When the 14th and final caution waved on lap 288, the #01 Chevrolet sat in 9th after an unbelievable run through the field following his return to the lead lap. For the final ten-lap run, the Virginia driver hoped to stay in the Top 10 and finish off his excellent comeback in the last portion of the event. On the final restart, Morris moved up some more spots as he set his sights on the Top 5. The checkered flag waved quickly after several speedy laps and Morris brought his Chevrolet home in 7th after an unprecedented move through the field in only 90 laps. At his home track, Philip Morris made a powerful move to earn his lap back with just one-third of the race remaining and he made several more impressive moves to earn a Top 10 finish after an interesting race.

Stage 4: 
Comeback of the Race: Fedewa and Kenseth Overcome Middle of the Pack Qualifying Spots to Finish in the Top 10

        Short tracks aren’t favorable to drivers who start at the back or in the middle of the field. Beating and banging around the speedway, strategy calls, and limited passing opportunities prevent competitors from moving up the running order once they find themselves deep in the pack. South Boston Speedway fits this typical mold of a short track with its tight racing groove and worn-out asphalt. Because of that, Tim Fedewa and Matt Kenseth prepared to face trouble as the two drivers qualified 20th and 21st, respectively. Kenseth, who crashed twice last week and fell to second in the points, came into South Boston with the goal of rediscovering his momentum, but his qualifying position set him back on the start. Fedewa, who entered today’s race with five Top 10’s on the season, wanted to add another excellent finish to an average season, but he would need to rebound from his dismal qualifying effort. When the checkered flag waved, though, the two drivers had overcome their poor qualifying spots and earned Top 10’s after an incredible race. Early in the event, four cautions waved in the first 32 laps, which allowed the #36 Pontiac of Fedewa to move into the 15th spot with the #17 Chevrolet of Kenseth following him in 16th. On the longest run of the day following the fourth caution on lap 32, the two drivers steadily gained positions as they looked to move to the front. As the fifth caution waved on lap 82, Fedewa sat in 13th while Kenseth remained in his tire tracks in 14th. The two drivers looked to finish the final run before the competition caution on lap 100 strong as the green flag waved again. As the yellow flag flew on lap 100 for drivers to pit, the two drivers remained in their respective positions to head down pit road. The two competitors had fresh tires and they would look to gain more spots in the race. On the subsequent restart, Fedewa and Kenseth continued their charge to the front as they sat in 10th and 11th, respectively, around lap 120. They maintained those positions until the seventh caution waved on lap 134. Over the next 30 laps, the two drivers gained the most spots in the race and moved into contention for the win. They each advanced a position when Dick Trickle spun from the lead on lap 143, when David Blankenship crashed from his Top 10 spot on lap 146 to bring out the eighth caution, and when Todd Bodine spun from the lead on lap 162. Following those three moments in the race, the #36 Pontiac sat in sixth with the #17 Chevrolet still behind him in seventh. As the ninth caution waved on lap 188, the two drivers had gained another position as the final competition caution neared on lap 200. Fedewa and Kenseth remained in those spots as the tenth yellow flag flew for pit stops for the field. Now, with 100 laps to go, the two competitors would look to follow each other to the front and contend for the win. On the restart, Fedewa quickly jumped to fourth while Kenseth shot into fifth, hot on the tracks of his fellow driver. On lap 221, on a restart following the eleventh caution on lap 213, the #36 Pontiac moved into third with the #17 Chevrolet stuck in fifth spot. They remained in their respective positions through the 12th caution on lap 240 and the 13th caution on lap 257. On the penultimate restart of the race, Fedewa dropped a position to Parker Jr. with Kenseth still in fifth. With 20 laps to go, the #17 Chevrolet moved into fourth and dropped the #36 Pontiac into fifth. On lap 288, Fedewa, who had remained close to the fourth spot, made the move to pass his fellow competitor back and the two drivers’ races nearly turned disastrous. Fedewa bumped Kenseth slightly, which sent the #17 Chevrolet spinning. Fortunately, Kenseth stayed in the gas, looped his car around, missed the outside wall, and powered away after only losing four spots to drop into eighth spot. Fedewa remained in fourth for the final restart with Kenseth upset and ready to regain the spots he lost. When the green flag waved for the final time, the #17 Chevrolet quickly gained two positions to slide into sixth while the #36 Pontiac lost a spot to Jeff Purvis, which relegated him to fifth. Again, the two drivers were in back to back positions like they had been all race. The final circuits clicked by and Fedewa brought his Pontiac home in fifth after an impressive drive through the field. Kenseth couldn’t close on fifth to pass his fellow driver to return the bump he received on lap 288 and he brought his racecar home in sixth. Despite their dismal qualifying efforts, Tim Fedewa and Matt Kenseth raced each other through the pack to claim Top 10’s after two incredible comeback performances.

Stage 5:
Terrible Luck: Trickle and Bodine Spin from the Lead and Finish Outside the Top 10 at South Boston

        Sometimes, being the leader in a NASCAR race isn’t always the best position to be in. Dick Trickle and Todd Bodine discovered that phenomenon today at South Boston. Thanks to some bad luck dealing with their fellow competitors, the two Chevrolet drivers saw not only their leads disappear, but their Top 10 finishes as well. Trickle started the race in fourth position on the outside of the second row while Bodine started in third on the inside of the second row. When the green flag waved on the initial start, Trickle moved in front of Bodine to take third as the two drivers set their sights on the front of the field. The two competitors slid past Earnhardt Jr. and they sat in second and third when the first caution waved on lap 6. On the restart, Trickle battled hard with Kevin Grubb for the lead and he grabbed it as the second caution waved on lap 16. The #66 of Bodine remained in third during the second yellow flag period. Two quick cautions waved on lap 25 and 32, leaving the #5 of Trickle and the #66 in the same positions they were prior to the two cautions. When the event restarted on lap 37, Trickle powered away from the field while his New York competitor fought Grubb hard for second place. Bodine moved into the runner-up position on lap 47, but the #5 Chevrolet had driven away from second spot and was lapping drivers. Trickle led all the way until the fifth caution on lap 82 with Bodine still behind him. The race quickly restarted with the first of two competition cautions nearing for the field to pit for fresh tires. The #5 Chevrolet held onto the lead until the caution waved with the #66 Chevrolet in second for the pit stops. The two drivers returned to the track in those positions to begin the second 100-lap portion of the event. On the subsequent restart, Trickle powered away from the pack with Bodine solidly establishing himself in second. On lap 134, though, Trickle’s bad luck appeared to strike as he tried to lap a young driver. He bumped Justin Labonte’s Chevrolet as they exited turn 2, which caused Labonte to hit the outside wall hard two times. The seventh caution waved and the #5 team feared that their racecar had damage, but the front bumper was still intact. Trickle wouldn’t need to pit and he could maintain the lead. Yet, the next restart proved to unravel his race. As the green flag waved, Trickle powered around the 4/10ths-mile speedway with several lapped drivers trying to earn their lap back, including Lyndon Amick, who was just to the #5’s inside. As the field drove into turn 3 on the lap after the restart, Amick broke loose in the speedy dry put down in the corner following Labonte’s crash. He spun up the track and bumped into Trickle, which caused the two drivers to spin right in front of the field. They both made 360-degree spins as all the racecars in the pack made evasive moves to avoid damage. After the smoke cleared, Trickle drove away without damage, but he had lost all his track position and the caution hadn’t waved. That put him in 18th, just a few seconds from going a lap down. Meanwhile, amidst all the chaos, Bodine inherited the lead for the first time in the race, but his bid for the win was shortly about to disappear as well. He led through the eighth caution on lap 146 and on the next restart, Jeff Green challenged him for the lead. The two Chevrolets powered around the speedway for several laps with Bodine still holding the top spot, but all that changed on lap 162. Green made a move to the inside of the #66 entering turn 1 to take the lead. The two drivers made the slightest contact, which caused Bodine to spin in front of the field. He competed a perfect spin as the pack of drivers avoided slamming into his Phillips 66 sponsored machine. Bodine righted his racecar, much like Trickle 20 laps earlier, and the caution didn’t wave. Bodine dropped to the back of the lead lap in 18th with all his track position gone. Now, two of the three leaders in the race were deep in the field with capable racecars to contend for the win and a desire to move back into the lead. Unfortunately, Trickle and Bodine’s bad luck continued. For Trickle, he remained mired in the pack lap after lap. He seemed to have lost the handling on his Chevrolet and he only moved up a few positions after his spin. On lap 240, as he battled for 15th, his race came to a crushing halt. He made slight contact with Brad Loney, which sent the two drivers spinning. Trickle hit the outside wall and received major damage to his once dominant racecar. He drove to pit road for repairs, which cost him several laps to the leader. He crossed the finish line in 21st, five laps down, after two bad luck incidents messed up his race. Bodine, on the other hand, finished on the lead lap, but his Chevrolet never returned to his dominating form from the middle portion of the race. He gained several spots after his spin, but he brought his #66 home in eleventh after appearing to be in contention for the victory. Terrible luck plagued both Dick Trickle and Todd Bodine at South Boston Speedway today, which caused their potential victories to disappear after both drivers spun from the lead.

        After 300 laps of Saturday afternoon short track racing at South Boston Speedway, the NASCAR Busch Series heads to a much different track in two weeks: Watkins Glen International. After a weekend off, the NBS regulars will be making right and left turns as they take on the seven turn, 2.45-mile race track in New York on a Sunday afternoon. The road course trip will be the first and only event of its kind for the series this season. Of course, even though it is the only road course race of the season, the event will be critically important for the championship battle as the series launches into the second half of its championship fight. As the NBS championship contenders head into the final portion of the year, they will be fighting hard for points and finishes, which could lead to some fantastic racing and incredible moments. Plus, many road course ringers, who specialize in racing around right turn tracks, will invade WGI to compete with the regulars in NASCAR’s secondary series, which will increase the amount of action at the front of the pack. Also, with the series getting a week off, the entire field will be ready with fast cars and rested drivers capable of competing at a high level around the famous corners of Watkins Glen. Finally, teams and drivers will be prone to mechanical failures around the treacherous road course, which will cause good finishes to disappear at the New York track. In addition to the storylines surrounding the treachery of WGI and the launch of the 1999 NBS season into the second half, several drivers have potential stories heading into the race. Fresh off his second consecutive win of the season today, points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads to New York with some momentum, but he has never won on a road course and he will have to fight for the victory to increase his points lead. Ron Fellows went to victory lane at WGI last year and the road course ringer will surely be a threat in two weeks as he attempts to steal the victory from the NBS regulars. Mike McLaughlin was poised to finish in the Top 10 today, but a late spin caused him to finish 15th. However, the New York driver heads to his home track with the goal of adding a second win at the road course to his career statistics. Dick Trickle and Todd Bodine both spun from the lead today, but they will head to New York with the hopes of rebounding from their unfortunate accidents today. Finally, Matt Kenseth, fresh off rebounding today from a terrible race at Dover, heads to a track where he has never finished in the Top 15 in two previous starts with a desire to gain points on his fellow championship contender. Today’s race at South Boston featured a vindicating win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Virginia short track, 14 cautions, two drivers spun out while leading the race, impressive finishes for Hank Parker Jr. and Tony Roper, and the usual hard racing around the 4/10ths-mile speedway.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 6- Dale Shaw bumped Adam Petty exiting turn 4, which caused Petty to spin up the track and slam hard into the frontstretch wall. He rode the wall into turn 1 and came to a stop against the outside wall with race-ending damage while Shaw rolled to the garage for repairs on his Chevrolet.

2nd Caution: Lap 16- Chad Chaffin broke loose in turn 2 and slid up the track. His Ford shot back down the track and clipped Mike McLaughlin, which damaged both cars. They continued after a few repairs on pit road.

3rd Caution: Lap 25- Randy LaJoie slowed in turn 3 and stopped at the pit road entrance with fire erupting from the engine of his Chevrolet. He climbed out safely to have the flames put out and he, amazingly, returned to the race in just a few laps. 

4th Caution: Lap 32- Chuck Bown and Elton Sawyer made contact in turn 2, which caused Sawyer to slam into the outside wall and Bown to spin in front of several drivers. Larry Pearson and Jeff Fuller also spun trying to avoid and damaged their racecars. All four drivers continued after various forms of repair.

5th Caution: Lap 82- Wayne Grubb received a bump in turn 1, which sent him spinning up the track in front of the field. He slammed into the outside wall with his left rear fender as Philip Morris nearly slammed into him. Fortunately, Morris put on brakes in time and the two drivers continued with only minimal damage for Grubb.

6th Caution: Lap 99- NASCAR waved a competition caution to allow teams to pit on the congested South Boston Speedway pit road under yellow.

7th Caution: Lap 134- Dick Trickle, who was leading, bumped Justin Labonte exiting turn 2 after he received an excellent boost of speed. Labonte spun toward the outside wall and slammed into it hard with his front end before smacking it again with his rear end. The two hard collisions with the wall ended the young driver’s day.

8th Caution: Lap 146- David Blankenship drove into turn 1 too hot, which caused him to spin up the track and back into the outside wall extremely hard. His day was done due to the extensive damage to his rear end.

9th Caution: Lap 188- A piece of debris was spotted on the track in turn 1.

10th Caution: Lap 200- NASCAR waved a competition caution for teams to pit for a second time under yellow.

11th Caution: Lap 213- Mike Dillon entered turn 3 too high as he rode three-wide with Phil Parsons and Tom Hubert to his inside. Dillon ended up in the outside wall and he rode it all the way to turn 4 where he stopped with race-ending damage.

12th Caution: Lap 240- Larry Pearson bumped Brad Loney entering turn 3, which caused Loney to spin up into Dick Trickle. The two drivers spun in the turn and slammed into the outside wall. They would need significant repairs to continue in the race after the damage caused to their racecars. 

13th Caution: Lap 257- Randy LaJoie broke loose in turn 3 and spun up the track, which caused him to slam into the outside wall with his rear end. The heavy damage ended the two-time champion’s day after he struggled throughout the race at South Boston.

14th Caution: Lap 288- Tim Fedewa and Matt Kenseth bumped into each other in turn 4 while racing for fourth, which caused Kenseth to spin towards the outside wall. He quickly saved his Chevrolet and straightened it out to continue after only losing a couple of positions. 

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2nd: Jeff Green
3rd: Hank Parker Jr.
4th: Jeff Purvis
5th: Tim Fedewa

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Matt Kenseth
9th: Tony Raines
10th: Casey Atwood
12th: Todd Bodine
13th: Phil Parsons
21st: Dick Trickle
23rd: Elton Sawyer
24th: Randy LaJoie
26th: Mark Green
27th: Mike Dillon
28th: Jason Keller
30th: Justin Labonte
33rd: Adam Petty




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/1999_Textilease_Medique_300_Presented_by_Advance_Auto_Parts/B
http://thethirdturn.com/wiki/South_Boston_Speedway#tab=Standings
-Image:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3pPZQOlnQ (Screencap at 2:14:54)
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3pPZQOlnQ

Flashback Friday 5 Stages of Analysis: Earnhardt Jr. Sweeps the Weekend at Bristol After Dominating the Sharpie 500

(Author’s Note: On Sunday, November 19, 2017, just two days from now, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take the checkered flag for the final time as a full-time driver in NASCAR after a hard-fought race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The conclusion of the Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday will prove to be the end of an era for one of NASCAR’s most recognizable and popular drivers. The 14-time Most Popular Driver, who is soon to be crowned 15-time at the Annual awards on November 30, will conclude a full-time NASCAR career that included two NASCAR Busch Series, now Xfinity Series, championships, two Daytona 500 victories in 2004 and 2014, five Talladega Cup Series victories, 260 Top 10’s and 149 Top 5’s in the Cup Series, and 26 premier series victories. Of course, if he wins on Sunday afternoon in Florida or finishes well, those numbers will improve. Honestly, as a fan of the sport, I would love to see Junior add to those career numbers in his final race. Earnhardt Jr. will not leave the sport completely in retirement, though. He has plans of running at least two NXS races in 2018 and he is signed to be a broadcaster for NBC’s race coverage as well as other sporting events in the coming years. Still, since the fan favorite driver will not be in the race and competing on the track, the sport and his fans will be left with a prominent void to fill by the next wave of superstar drivers. To honor Dale Earnhardt Jr’s contributions to NASCAR, we are going to analyze what he described in victory lane as “one of the biggest wins of my career”: his lone victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 2004 Sharpie 500. At a track where his 7-time champion father won 9 times, Junior turned in a spectacular performance on the half-mile speedway and grabbed the checkered flag after leading 295 of the 500 laps. Also, he became the first driver in NASCAR history to win the NBS and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races at Bristol in the same weekend. In the thirteen years since the win, the race has remained an important victory for Dale Jr.’s career and his entire fanbase. Thank you, Dale, for not only bringing our sport through one of its toughest times, but launching NASCAR into the future as an ambassador and role model for future generations of drivers. Your impact on the track will be missed, but fans, like myself, know you will be a powerful fixture for years to come off the track and help grow this incredible sport with your leadership, dedication, and humility. Plus, I know you’ll be an amazing father and friend as you continue this journey of life. Keep on being you, Junior! Let’s analyze Dale Jr.’s only win at Bristol and show appreci88ion for a prominent figure in our sport’s history as if the checkered flag just waved in the Tennessee mountains.)

        Thanks to some early strategy in the Sharpie 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved to the front of the field and grabbed a dominating first victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Earnhardt Jr. started in 30th position and struggled in the first run of the race to advance positions. Fortunately, two early cautions waved in the first 35 laps of the event and he pitted under the second one as the leaders stayed out. When the third caution waved on lap 57, Earnhardt Jr. stayed on track and inherited the second-place position as the leaders pitted for the first time. From there, the reigning Most Popular Driver dominated the event and passed Jeff Burton with 85 laps left in the race to score a thrilling victory at the half-mile speedway. However, if it wasn’t for early race strategy and challenging green flag pit stops during a long run in the middle of the race, tonight’s event would have ended differently for Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the field. Jeff Gordon started on the pole for the sixth time this year and the four-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion led the early part of the race. Through three cautions in the first 57 laps of the event, Gordon remained at the front. However, after the third caution on lap 57, the running order changed for the first time. During the first two cautions of the race, several drivers pitted from the back of the lead lap for fresh tires as a strategy move. When the leaders pitted on lap 57, six drivers, including Rusty Wallace and Earnhardt Jr., stayed on the race track to move into the Top 6 positions. Meanwhile, Gordon slipped to 11th as some drivers elected to take two tires. When the race restarted, Wallace maintained the lead for a couple of laps, but Earnhardt Jr. grabbed the top spot on lap 64 as the two competitors drove through turn 2. The North Carolina drive set a torrid pace until the fourth caution waved on lap 83. When the green flag waved following the caution, a restart stack-up caused by Matt Kenseth led to the fifth caution with Earnhardt Jr. still out front. When the race restarted, drivers began to battle hard as Junior held the lead. However, the action for the lead began to heat up. On lap 105, Wallace powered past the #8 car in turn 1 to take the lead. 14 laps later, Earnhardt Jr. returned to the front as he took the lead in turn 1. On lap 132, the two drivers battled again as Wallace grabbed the top spot in turn 3. It appeared the Missouri driver would be untouchable the remainder of the run, but Earnhardt Jr. continued to pressure him and returned to the lead on lap 191. Amidst all the battling between Earnhardt Jr. and Wallace, the two drivers set a torrid pace and a lapped a large portion of the field as green flag pit stops neared. When the stops began on lap 204, several drivers committed costly mistakes. Wallace ran out of fuel as he pitted and lost all his track position as well as a lap to the leader. Jeff Gordon slid through his pit box and lost a lap under the green flag conditions. Instead of exiting pit road on the backstretch, Mark Martin drove down both pit roads and cost himself a lot of unnecessary time as well as a lap to the field. Earnhardt Jr.’s stop was perfect and when the cycle of stops concluded on lap 240, he returned to the lead with a blazing fast Chevrolet. After a 229-lap green flag run, the sixth caution waved on lap 327 with only seven drivers on the lead lap, including the lucky dog driver in Elliott Sadler. The seven drivers pitted during the caution and when the green flag waved, Earnhardt Jr. remained the leader as he raced with a multitude of lapped cars. The seventh caution waved on lap 358 and delivered more strategy. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jarrett stayed on track as the rest of the lead lap drivers pitted for four tires and fuel. For Jarrett, the move proved to be ineffective as Robby Gordon spun him on the restart and caused a pile-up, which brought out the eighth caution. Again, the field lined up for the restart with Johnson out front. The California driver didn’t stay in the lead long as Earnhardt Jr. returned to the top spot on lap 376 entering turn 1. Just 12 laps later, the ninth and final caution waved thanks to a huge melee on the backstretch. Finally, the last few strategy calls played out for the leaders. Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman stayed out to inherit the Top 2 positions, respectively, as Earnhardt Jr. and the other leaders pitted for four tires. When the race restarted for the final time, Burton powered away from the pack with a desire to win his first race since Phoenix in 2001. However, he only managed to hold onto the lead until lap 416 when Earnhardt Jr. powered past him through turns 3 and 4. The 2000 NNCS Rookie of the Year returned to his dominating form through the middle portion of the race as the laps clicked by in the final run. After leading the final 85 laps, the checkered flag waved for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and he emotionally drove to victory lane for the first time in his career at Bristol. Despite the long green flag run in the middle of the event and only seven lead lap cars left after 500 laps of racing, tonight’s Sharpie 500 was a showcase of competitive short track racing for NASCAR’s premier series. Restart stack-ups, strategy, crashes, and hard racing thrilled 160,000 fans in the stands and made tonight’s 500-mile event amazing. Ultimately, 43 drivers tested themselves around the Bristol high banks as an Earnhardt went to victory lane for the tenth time in the Cup Series in the Tennessee mountains. As these 5 stages of analysis highlight, a dominating performance by Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Bristol and competitive racing mixed with strategy made tonight’s race memorable.

Stage 1:
Driver of the Night: Earnhardt Jr. Moves to the Front Thanks to Strategy and Leads 295 of 500 Laps

        2004 has been a year of extreme highs and lows for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion and 2000 NNCS Rookie of the Year. The biggest high occurred in the opening event of the 2004 NNCS season as the third-generation driver won the 46th running of the Daytona 500 to claim his first victory in the Great American race. Following his Daytona triumph, Junior won two more races to bring his win total to three after 11 events. His early season success catapulted him to the points lead for seven races throughout the spring and early summer months. However, during a NNCS off weekend on July 18th, the North Carolina driver’s year hit its lowest point. While running a practice session prior to competing in an American Le Man Series race at Sonoma as a test for future NASCAR road course events, Earnhardt Jr.’s Corvette caught fire after a massive impact with the tire barrier. As a ball of flames engulfed the entire vehicle, he managed to miraculously climb out and safety crews carried him to safety. Unfortunately, Earnhardt Jr. suffered burns from the massive fire and since then, he has been faced with the toughest stretch of the season while battling severe injuries. In the five races since suffering the burns coming into tonight at Bristol, Earnhardt Jr. only managed one Top 5 finish with the rest of his finishes being outside the Top 20. Plus, in the first two races of the stretch with his injuries, Earnhardt Jr. needed relief from Martin Truex Jr., his NBS driver, to finish the event. The burns have affected Junior considerably in pursuit of his first championship. He sat in third in the points standings coming into tonight, but the North Carolina driver came into Bristol with increased motivation to run well and return to championship form. He started the weekend well with a win last night in the Food City 300 after an excellent race. However, a 30th place qualifying effort for the Sharpie 500 in the NNCS left him with a lot of positions to gain for a weekend sweep. On the initial start, Earnhardt Jr. dropped a couple of positions as he struggled with his Chevrolet. When the first caution waved on lap 20, he found himself in 32nd with a desperate need to move to the front of the field. Several drivers pitted during the first caution and Earnhardt Jr. restarted 28th. Again, the North Carolina driver couldn’t advance positions and he remained deep in the field as the second caution waved on lap 33. As a strategy move, his crew chief, Tony Eury Sr., brought him down pit road for four tires and fuel as the leaders stayed on track. If the strategy call worked perfectly, he would advance positions when the leaders pitted in the subsequent runs. The green flag waved again in the race with Earnhardt Jr. restarting in 31st after his stop. Thanks to the fresh tires, he gained a few positions during the run until the third caution waved on lap 57. His team’s plan worked to perfection as all the leaders pitted in front of him and the #8 stayed on track during the caution. Earnhardt Jr. lined up in second for the subsequent restart with only Rusty Wallace in front of him. On the restart, Earnhardt Jr.’s car began to excel at the front of the field and he grabbed the lead on lap 64. He led through the fourth and fifth cautions on lap 84 and lap 89, respectively, with a rejuvenated Chevrolet Monte Carlo. On the restart following the fifth caution, he remained the leader as he began to battle with Wallace. The two drivers swapped the lead on lap 105 in turn 1 before Earnhardt Jr. returned to the point on lap 119 in turn 3. Again, they switched positions on lap 132 in turn 3 and Wallace maintained the lead for about 60 laps before Earnhardt Jr. returned to the lead on lap 191. Their battles for the lead occurred throughout a long green flag run as pit stops neared under green flag. Junior pitted from the lead on lap 216 as other began to come down pit road. The cycle of stops concluded on lap 240 and Earnhardt Jr. returned to the top spot. He remained the leader until the sixth caution finally waved on lap 327. The 229-lap run left only seven drivers on the lead lap and Earnhardt Jr. found himself in contention for a historic victory. The seven lead lap drivers pitted during the caution and the #8 remained out front. However, on the subsequent run, Jimmie Johnson passed him for the lead on lap 356 just as the seventh caution waved. Instead of staying on track, the North Carolina driver came to the attention of his crew and asked for four tires as he complained about the diminished performance from the previous set. He restarted in third on the new tires and managed to pass Dale Jarrett just as the eighth caution waved on lap 365. Earnhardt Jr. restarted second after the caution and his fresher tires propelled him past Johnson on lap 376 for the lead. 12 laps later, the ninth and final caution waved with strategy looming on the minds of teams and drivers. Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman stayed out while Earnhardt Jr. led the final charge down the pit lane. He received four fresh tires and fuel before returning to the race in third. On the final restart, the North Carolina driver began the battle for his first Bristol win. On lap 407, he slid past Newman entering turn 3 for second as he set his sights on Burton. Nine laps later, Earnhardt Jr. moved to Burton’s inside and grabbed the lead through turns 3 and 4. From there, Junior drove away from his fellow competitors and passed slower cars as the laps clicked away quickly at the half-mile speedway. After 85 laps out front in the final run, Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line and grabbed his triumphant first victory at Bristol after leading 295 laps. Fans cheered and camera shutters flickered as the fan favorite performed his burnout on the frontstretch and pulled into victory lane for an emotional celebration with his crew. Thanks to some strategy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team managed to put the #8 at the front of the field where the fan favorite driver proved to be unstoppable in a dominating performance at the half-mile short track known as Bristol.

Stage 2:
Comeback of the Race: Johnson Takes Backup Car from the Rear to the Front as He Finishes Third

        In only his third full-time season in the NNCS, Jimmie Johnson has established himself as a championship caliber driver. After winning three races in each of his first two seasons, the California driver has improved tremendously throughout 2004. Coming into tonight’s race at Bristol, Johnson had captured four wins on the season and proved himself to be a championship contender. However, in the month of August prior to tonight’s race, the #48 team experienced continual bad luck. After a win at Pocono on August 1st, the California driver did not finish three consecutive races at Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, and Michigan due to rare failures in his reliable Hendrick engines. The three finishes outside the Top 35 dropped Johnson, who had been the points leader throughout the summer, to second in the points standings behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon. Yet, despite all the engine failures and bad luck, Johnson and his team came to Bristol with the goal of grabbing the #48’s first win at the short track and moving back into the points lead with just three races before the Chase cutoff. However, the weekend started off rough just like the month of August for the #48 team. In the penultimate practice of the weekend on Saturday, Johnson crashed his primary racecar and moved to a back-up car for the race. Moving to a back-up car caused Johnson to forfeit his 11th place starting spot and begin the 500-mile event in the rear. From the start, Johnson would have to work hard to rebound from the back of the pack. He passed several cars in the first 20 laps of the race just as the first caution waved for Jimmy Spencer’s crash. For some strategy early in the event, Johnson’s crew chief, Chad Knaus, brought him down pit road for four tires and fuel as the leaders stayed on track, hoping to take advantage of an early caution. Johnson restarted outside the Top 30 and advanced a few positions before the second caution waved on lap 33. Again, the California driver came down pit road for four tires during the yellow flag period. He restarted outside the Top 30 with fresh tires and a need to gain spots. After moving up a few positions during the short run, Johnson found himself in 31st as the third caution waved on lap 57. Fortunately for the #48, the caution brought the leaders to pit road for the first time in the event, which allowed Johnson to stay out and inherit the fourth position. Finally, he would have some track position and a chance to race hard with his fast Chevrolet. On the subsequent restart, Johnson lost a few positions to the fresher tires around him, but he remained just inside the Top 10 as the fourth and fifth cautions waved on lap 83 and 89, respectively. After the race restarted following the fifth caution, the event entered a long green flag run with contenders struggling to maintain their car control. Several drivers began to drop back on older tires. For Johnson, though, his Hendrick Chevrolet handled excellently and he found himself in seventh on lap 200 as green flag pit stops loomed. He managed to inherit the lead 20 laps later as drivers in front of him hit pit road. He finally pitted around lap 221 and his team executed a flawless stop. 20 laps later, after the cycle of stops finished, Johnson found himself in second after he gained five spots during the stops thanks to miscues from his fellow competitors. The California driver remained in second until the sixth caution of the race waved on lap 327. The caution brought pit stops for the seven lead lap drivers and Johnson returned to the race track with four fresh tires in the runner-up position. On the subsequent restart, he managed to stay close to the leader, Dale Earnhardt Jr., as they battled for the top spot. On lap 356, Johnson grabbed the lead exiting turn 2 and for the first time all night, his back-up car found itself at the front. Two laps after the #48 moved to the lead, the seventh caution of the race waved and provided some strategy for the frontrunners. Johnson and Dale Jarrett stayed on track while the handful of other lead lap drivers pitted for four fresh tires. A lap after the restart, Johnson maintained the lead with the fresh tires behind him as the eighth caution waved for Jarrett’s spin. The race quickly restarted after the accident and Johnson’s older tires began to hinder his performance at the front of the pack. On lap 376, Earnhardt Jr. passed him for the top spot and by the time the ninth caution and final waved 12 laps later, Johnson needed fresh tires despite being in second position. Knaus brought him down pit road for the final time and he prepared to restart fourth as Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman stayed out during the yellow flag. When the green flag waved for the final time, Johnson looked to power past the two drivers on older tires in front of him and battle for the win. Unfortunately for him, his #48 seemed stuck in fourth throughout the first portion of the run as Earnhardt Jr. powered to the lead with his fresh tires. Johnson tried for several laps to pass Burton for third, but it appeared fourth would be all he could muster with 35 laps to go. The #48 finally cleared Burton, though, with 19 to go and Johnson set his sights on Newman for second place. As the final laps clicked by, Johnson remained steady in third position and the California driver crossed the line there as the checkered flag waved. Even though the victory eluded him in the final run thanks to strategy, Jimmie Johnson managed an incredible comeback to move from the back on the initial start to the third position in his back-up car at the half-mile speedway. 

Stage 3:
Underdog of the Race: Burton Grabs Top 5 in Struggling #30 for Richard Childress Racing at Bristol

        Even though they didn’t start the year together, Jeff Burton and the #30 team for Richard Childress Racing have joined each other to conclude the 2004 season in the NNCS. The year has been tumultuous for the Virginia driver and the North Carolina based organization. For Burton, the year started as his ninth full-time season driving the #99 for Roush Racing. However, with decreased performance and sponsorship issues facing the team, Burton left and signed a contract with RCR just two weeks ago after the Watkins Glen race. Prior to the signing, Burton had only three Top 10’s in 22 starts on the season. As part of the contract signing, the Virginia driver left Roush immediately to compete in the #30 Chevrolet for RCR as a test session for running full-time in 2005. The team had fared much worse than Burton throughout the first 22 races of the year. Three drivers piloted the car and each race saw the American Online Chevrolet finish outside the Top 10. In fact, the team hadn’t finished in the Top 10 coming into tonight since last year at Michigan when Steve Park grabbed an impressive Top 5. Yet, after finishing 12th last week at Michigan with Burton behind the wheel for the first time, the entire organization came to Bristol with increased momentum and confidence, despite a rough year. Burton started 15th in tonight’s race and as the third caution waved on lap 57, the Virginia driver found himself in 10th after an excellent start to the race. During the caution, his crew chief, Kevin Hamlin, decided to change four tires and the Virginia driver returned to the track in 15th as the sixth driver in line with fresh tires. Since most of the competitors in front of him had older tires, Burton prepared to advance through the pack and gain positions. After a 22-lap run on fresher tires, the #30 sat in 14th after making up minimal ground compared to others on newer Goodyear rubber. The next run only lasted a couple of corners before the fifth caution waved on lap 89. The subsequent restart resulted in a long run, which benefitted Burton and his team since they had fresher tires on track for the grueling stint in the race. As drivers who stayed on track or took two tires during the third caution began to drop throughout the run, Burton steadily gained positions and he sat in ninth as green flag pit stops approached on lap 200. Burton pitted around lap 230 and his team performed a clean stop. However, he lost a lap to the leader in the cycle of stops and fell outside the Top 10, which made him desperate for a caution and a lucky dog. The seventh caution finally came on lap 327, but Burton was the sixth car one lap down and Elliott Sadler received the lucky dog. Still, Burton and his team hoped for a chance to move into the spot for the lucky dog. Their chance came during the caution when the lapped down drivers pitted. Burton’s team executed their stop perfectly and the #30 returned to the track as the second car one lap down behind his teammate, Robby Gordon. When the race restarted, Burton managed to work past his teammate and secure the lucky dog position on track. About 20 laps later, the seventh caution waved and Burton moved back onto the lead lap in eighth position. He pitted for four tires and assumed his spot at the back of the lead lap. Now, the team would have to execute in the final 140 laps to grab an excellent finish for the new tandem of driver and team. The eighth caution waved just a lap after the seventh caution restart. After a short clean-up, the green flag waved for the penultimate time for Burton and the field. A 15-lap run ended with the ninth and final caution of the day on lap 388 with the Virginia driver in sixth position. Instead of pitting like the rest of the leaders, Burton and his team utilized some pit strategy to try and end their respective winless streaks. The #30 stayed on track with Ryan Newman as the rest of the lead lap drivers pitted for four tires. For only the third race all year, Burton held the top spot with intentions of going to victory lane. On the final restart, he held off Newman and attempted to drive away as fresher tires started moving towards the front. On lap 416, Burton surrendered the lead to Earnhardt Jr. in turn 3 due to the difference between old and new tires, but the Virginia driver held out hope for a valiant Top 5 despite losing the lead. He eventually dropped to third and then fell to fourth as the laps clicked by quickly at Bristol. However, with 20 laps to go, Burton stabilized in fourth and he crossed the finish line in that position. The strategy move allowed Burton to tie his best finish of the season and deliver the RCR #30 team its first Top 5 in over one year. While Jeff Burton and RCR aren’t typically considered underdogs, the struggles of both entities and the new combination of team and driver made tonight’s fourth-place finish an underdog performance under the Bristol lights.

Stage 4:
Controversial Call: Gordon’s Questionable Restart Penalty Costs Him Potential Top 10 at Bristol

        Jeff Gordon’s distinction as a champion in the NNCS will always be true, but the four-time champion has lacked his championship caliber abilities since he grabbed his fourth title in 2001. Throughout the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Gordon never led the points and, despite six victories combined during the two years, he lacked his championship drive from his early years in the sport. However, 2004 has delivered a return of the Indiana native to his championship ways of past seasons. Thanks to five wins in the first 21 races of the season and struggles for Jimmie Johnson throughout the past three races, Gordon entered Bristol as the points leader for the first time since he was crowned champion after the 2001 season finale at New Hampshire. Gordon’s increased motivation and championship drive brought him to the Tennessee mountains with a desire to win his sixth Bristol race and increase his points lead with two races left until the start of the Chase for the Nextel Cup. However, a late race call by NASCAR made Gordon and his team angry as their chances for a Top 10 disappeared thanks to a pass-through penalty. The four-time champion started on the pole for the 52nd time of his career and the fourth time at BMS. Throughout the first 50 laps, Gordon was unstoppable as he managed the initial restart and two restarts following cautions in the early stages of the race. When the third caution waved on lap 57, Gordon remained the leader, but pit stops and strategy during the caution shuffled the running order. The #24 team added four fresh tires and their driver returned to the track in eleventh as the second driver in line with four tires. With nine other drivers in front of Gordon on older tires, the Indiana driver prepared himself to pass a bevy of cars on the subsequent restart. Throughout the run, he negotiated around traffic and found himself in fourth as the yellow flag waved on lap 83 after a brilliant run. On the next restart, the fifth caution quickly waved on lap 89 due to a restart stack-up as Gordon remained fourth. The green flag waved after the crash and the race entered a long green flag run. Gordon maintained his position in fourth, but the green flag run began to take a toll on the handling of his Chevrolet. As pit stops neared on lap 200, the four-time champion sat in sixth position, pleading for four fresh tires. His crew chief, Robbie Loomis, brought him down pit road on lap 228 and Gordon made his first big mistake of the day. As he slid into his box, the nose of his Chevrolet crossed the outer boundary of his pit stall. A NASCAR official quickly noticed and motioned for the team to push the racecar back into the box. The team had already started servicing Gordon’s #24 and the interruption caused the pit stop to last at least five seconds longer than normal. The loss in time cost Gordon a lap on track and when the cycle of green flag pit stops concluded, he was in ninth as the first driver one lap down. However, as the run continued after the stops and finally ended thanks to the sixth caution on lap 327, Earnhardt Jr. lapped more drivers, which left Gordon out of the lucky dog position and still a lap down during the yellow flag period. He would need more cautions to find his way back into contention for the win. After the restart following the sixth caution on lap 327, two more cautions waved on lap 358 and 365, respectively. Unfortunately for Gordon, Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman were a lap down ahead of him when the yellow flag waved and he was unable to earn a lucky dog. With a little more than 100 miles to go, the champion’s chances of returning to the lead lap were disappearing fast. When the race restarted for the penultimate time after the eighth caution, Gordon received a lucky break. Kurt Busch, who was the first driver a lap down when the race restarted, managed to pass the leader on the restart, which allowed him to unlap himself. Gordon became the first driver a lap down thanks to Busch’s move and the Indiana driver hoped for a caution to move back into the hunt. Finally, the ninth and final caution waved on lap 388 and Gordon received the lucky dog as the first driver one lap down. He would restart at the back of the field, but he would still be on the lead lap and able to advance his position in the Top 10. When the green flag waved for the final time as he tried to gain spots, Gordon’s race took a dramatic turn and his chances for a Top 10 ended. NASCAR determined that Gordon did not line up in the proper position for the restart and as the field sped up at the half-mile speedway, the #24 was black flagged and given a pass-through penalty down pit road. The entire team couldn’t believe the ruling from NASCAR and the whole crew passionately pleaded their case to NASCAR. After a few laps of protest from driver and crew, Gordon made the sharp turn down the pit lane in turn 3 to serve his penalty. He coasted down the frontstretch pit lane at only 30 mph. He didn’t have to drive down the backstretch pit lane for his penalty since the race was green and as soon as he came to the end of pit road, he mashed the accelerator in hopes of losing the least amount of time. Gordon did lose a lap and all his track position due to the penalty and he rode around for the remainder of the event, hoping for more cautions and a lucky dog. Those cautions never came and the four-time champion lost another lap before he crossed the finish line in 14th. Gordon still wasn’t happy after the race as he mentioned in his NBC interview that he was headed to discuss the infraction with NASCAR officials in the hauler. Despite his best efforts, the penalty was, of course, upheld and the #24 remained 14th in the final running order. Even though he maintained his points lead and finished in the Top 15, Jeff Gordon was denied a higher finishing position thanks to a controversial call made by the NASCAR officials concerning the final restart order. 

Stage 5:
Memorable Moment: Chase Battle Heats Up in the Tennessee Mountains as Contenders and Outsiders Struggle

        Prior to the start of the 2004 season, NASCAR introduced a brand-new format to decide the champion in the NNCS. Instead of points from 36 races deciding a champion, ten drivers would have their points reset after the 26th event and the points earned during the ten remaining races would decide the champion. The new idea was instituted to make Homestead more interesting and increase the intensity of the final stretch of the season. So far in 2004, the format has created added drama. With only three races left before the start of the Chase entering tonight’s race at Bristol, positions 8 through 15 in the points standings were separated by 110 points. Plus, Kasey Kahne, the driver who was sitting in 10th in the points as the green flag waved at Bristol, sat just six points from being outside of the Chase cutoff. The tight points battle and the uncertainty of 500 miles at the half-mile oval had a lot of teams questioning whether the points battle would shift in Tennessee. After 500 laps, it completely changed for several drivers as the checkered flag waved. Kevin Harvick, who entered the race 8th in points and 46 points ahead of 11th, struggled throughout the night. He started in 21st and consistently found himself just inside the Top 20 throughout the early part of the event. During the long green flag run following the lap 89 caution, though, Harvick began experiencing some physical problems. The intense and consistent g-force changes at Bristol in the turns combined with an uncomfortable seating position caused Harvick’s left arm to fall asleep during the middle of the long run. Plus, the humidity and heat of Bristol in August left the California driver dehydrated and in desperate need of a relief driver. When the caution finally waved on lap 329, he decided to stay in the car for at least one more run as the #29 sat outside the Top 20 and two laps down. About 30 laps later, the seventh caution waved and Harvick decided to climb out and let Kyle Petty finish the event. Petty completed the remainder of the race in Harvick’s Chevrolet and brought it home in a dismal 24th after the tough race. Although the #29 remained in the eighth position in the points, Harvick’s gap back to eleventh shrunk to only 31 points after the checkered flag waved with two races left before the Chase. Bobby Labonte, who entered the race ninth in points and 13 points ahead of 11th, had an average day for his Joe Gibbs Racing team. He started in 19th, but used strategy under the early cautions to stay out when the leaders pitted following the third caution. He restarted third thanks to the strategy call and he remained in the Top 10 until the fifth caution waved on lap 89. From there, Labonte lost a few positions in the race throughout the remainder of the runs and he began to fight for a Top 15 on the Bristol high banks. After keeping his nose clean all race and maintaining his consistency, Labonte finished in 16th as many of his fellow Chase contenders finished behind him. He remained in ninth in the standings and gained eight points on his cushion back to eleventh place. Behind those two drivers, though, the points standings changed dramatically. Ryan Newman entered the race in 13th spot in the points with just 44 points needed to slide in 10th. The Indiana driver started in fourth and his team used some strategy during the third caution to gain a few positions. Newman received two fresh tires instead of four and restarted in ninth, ahead of several drivers with four fresh tires. The move proved costly for the #12 Dodge as he didn’t hit pit road again before the long green flag run began on lap 89. He lost many positions on his older left side tires and after his green flag pit stop around lap 220, Newman found himself a lap down. When the sixth caution waved on lap 327, the 2002 NNCS Rookie of the Year remained a lap down with several other drivers in front of him vying for the lucky dog to return to the lead lap. Finally, after missing out on the lucky dog following the sixth and seventh cautions, Newman moved back onto the lead lap thanks to the eighth caution pile-up. 30 laps later, the ninth and final caution waved, which allowed for more strategy for the #12 team. Newman stayed on track to inherit the second position and this move worked out perfectly. Despite having older tires, he remained strong on the final run and came home with a brilliant second place finish. He jumped into the tenth spot in the points standings with a 26-point gap back to Kasey Kahne in 11th. For Kahne and his Evernham Motorsports teammate, Jeremy Mayfield, their nights couldn’t have been worse with Chase berths on the line. Kahne started in second, but he used the same strategy as Newman during the third caution and quickly began to struggle throughout the long green flag run. He was two laps down when the sixth caution waved on lap 327 and his race continued to be a struggle after he was involved in the ninth caution on lap 388. When the checkered flag waved, he brought his Dodge home four laps down in 21st, which moved him outside of the 10 driver Chase field by 26 points. Mayfield, on the other hand,  stayed around the 20th spot all day and as the seventh caution waved on lap 327, he appeared to be on the verge of gaining points thanks to attrition and struggles for other drivers. However, a flat right rear tire brought him to pit road under green on lap 345 and he lost several laps. When the checkered flag waved, he crossed the line in 22nd after a disappointing conclusion to his race. He dropped to a tie for twelfth in the standings with 35 points separating him from tenth. The rest of the Chase contenders had good and average finishes as well. Jamie McMurray moved into a tie for 14th in the standings with a seventh-place finish, Mark Martin remained 12th in points after finishing 13th thanks to a pit road miscue, and Dale Jarrett remained in 14th spot in the standings with a 10th place finish after a spin late in the event. The usual craziness of Bristol proved to be true tonight as the Chase bubble tightened with only two races left before the start of the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup. The points gap from 8th to 15th in the standings is now only 50 points with two opportunities left for the ten-driver field to completely shift. Tonight’s race could be a memorable moment in just a few months when a champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway as several drivers lost and gained points with only two races left to decide the ten-driver battle for the Nextel Cup title.

        After 500 laps of nonstop action from the half-mile colosseum known as Bristol Motor Speedway, the NNCS heads to the high speed, two-mile oval known as California Speedway. For the first time since 1950, the premier NASCAR series will not be at Darlington Raceway for a 500-mile Labor Day weekend showdown. In its place will be a 500-mile thriller at over 200 mph on the west coast in Fontana, California. Even though the change has upset many traditional NASCAR fans, the speedway, which was commissioned to be built by Roger Penske in the mid-1990s, promises to pack similar action into the Labor Day weekend. The wide racing groove, high speeds, and close finishes make the track exciting and intense for drivers as well as fans. For next Sunday night’s race, teams will have to contend with a new strategic element: a transition from evening to night. Throughout its young history, California Speedway has sanctioned races during the afternoon. Now, crew chiefs and teams will have to compete with a complete change in weather, which will affect racecars handling-wise due to the temperature drop. Plus, the likelihood of strategy late in the race and unbelievable restarts in the closing laps will excite the fans as well as raise the level of tension for the drivers. Finally, with the California Speedway race being the penultimate event before the start of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, drivers near the Chase bubble will be fighting hard to secure their berth in the championship fight. In addition to the action-packed racing and battles for points in the news for next Sunday’s race, several drivers find themselves with storylines heading into the 500-mile event. Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated tonight at Bristol and grabbed a clutch victory in pursuit of his first championship, but he heads to a track where he has never won in five previous races. Jimmie Johnson somehow grabbed a third place finish, which gives him some added momentum as he heads to his home track in search of his second win at the speedway. Jeff Gordon left Bristol disappointed after being hit with a controversial penalty late in the race, but the four-time champion maintained his points leads and heads to a track where he is a three-time and reigning winner in his illustrious career. Finally, Kasey Kahne needs two excellent races to make the Chase in his rookie year and his pole at California earlier this year could point to the potential for another good day on the west coast. Tonight’s Bristol night race featured a memorable first Bristol win for Dale Earnhardt Jr., a grueling 229-lap green flag run, several bumps and bangs throughout the field, costly pit road miscues from Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Rusty Wallace, constant strategy calls, and a shake-up in the Chase points standings with only two races left before the ten-driver field is decided. 
(More Stats Down Below!)

Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 20- Jimmy Spencer slid up the track in turn 2 while racing with Jimmie Johnson, which caused Spencer to slam into the outside wall. He drove away, but came to pit road with heavy damage to his car.

2nd Caution: Lap 33- Ricky Craven bumped Scott Wimmer exited turn 4, which caused Wimmer to slide up the track and slam into the outside wall. He spun back down the frontstretch and clipped Joe Nemechek, which sent Nemechek straight up the banking and hard into the outside wall with his driver’s side door. 

3rd Caution: Lap 57- Ricky Rudd moved up the track exiting turn 3, which caused him to slam into Mike Wallace. Both drivers slammed into the outside wall hard and the contact left them with considerable damage to their racecars.

4th Caution: Lap 83- Ricky Craven broke loose in turn 3 and spun up the race track. He destroyed the right rear of his Ford, but he drove away without damage. 

5th Caution: Lap 89- Matt Kenseth stacked up the field on the restart, which caused Brendan Gaughan to slam into Carl Edwards. Gaughan spun towards the inside of the track as Ken Schrader, Kyle Petty, and Tony Raines slammed into each other.

6th Caution: Lap 327- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 1.

7th Caution: Lap 358- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 4.

8th Caution: Lap 365- Robby Gordon bumped Dale Jarrett entering turn 1, which caused Jarrett to spin in front of the field. However, no one hit him and he continued in the race. Carl Edwards spun Sterling Marlin as the field tried to avoid, but the two drivers powered away. Finally, Tony Stewart spun while trying to slam on brakes and Jeff Green slammed into his driver’s side door, which left the two drivers with heavily damaged racecars.

9th Caution: Lap 388- Brian Vickers and Mark Martin stacked up several drivers in turn 2. Dale Jarrett bumped Rusty Wallace, which sent him spinning in front of the field. Many drivers avoided as Wallace piled into the outside wall. Carl Edwards couldn’t avoid and he slammed into Wallace’s left front. Tony Stewart, subsequently, slammed into Edwards and added more damage to their battered racecars. Kasey Kahne also spun onto the apron as he slammed on brakes.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nf Caution: None
3rd Caution: Kyle Petty
4th Caution: Derrike Cope
5th Caution: Ricky Craven
6th Caution: Elliott Sadler
7th Caution: Jeff Burton 
8th Caution: Ryan Newman
9th Caution: Jeff Gordon

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2nd: Ryan Newman
3rd: Jimmie Johnson
4th: Jeff Burton
5th: Elliott Sadler

Notables Not in Top 5:
8th: Kurt Busch
9th: Matt Kenseth
10th: Dale Jarrett
13th: Mark Martin
14th: Jeff Gordon
15th: Terry Labonte
16th: Bobby Labonte
19th: Tony Stewart
21st: Kasey Kahne
24th: Kevin Harvick
26th: Rusty Wallace
27th: Michael Waltrip
33rd: Carl Edwards




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2004_Sharpie_500/W
-Image:
http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/fans/blog/dale-wins-daytona-500-can-make-feel-like-2004-food-city-500.html
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDl7eo3wRE