Jarrett Wins Third Shootout
Written by John Davison · February 7, 2004
Dale Jarrett led only one lap in tonight’s Budweiser Shootout but it was the one that counted, the last.
Jeff Gordon led early in the first 20-lap segment of the Budweiser Shootout for 2004’s first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race action. Jamie McMurray chased Gordon as the field slightly strung out into nearly single-file. Favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. worked his way to second after 16 laps and closed on Gordon then a lap later, Gordon slipped high in Turn Three and McMurray swept into the lead then Gordon recovered and challenged on the outside.
The finishing order for the first segment was:
1) Jamie McMurray, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
2) Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
3) Kevin Harvick, No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet
4) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
5) Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet
6) Elliott Sadler, No. 38 M&M’s Ford
7) Dave Blaney, No. 23 Whelen Engineering Dodge
8) Bobby Labonte, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet
9) Rusty Wallace, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
10) Ryan Newman, No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge
11) Terry Labonte, No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet
12) Mark Martin, No. 6 Viagra Ford
13) Mike Skinner, No. 10 Valvoline Chevrolet
14) Ken Schrader, No. 49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge
15) Boris Said, No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet
16) Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
17) Dale Jarrett, No. 88 UPS Ford
18) Jeremy Mayfield, No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
19) Bill Elliott, No. 91 Leukomia & Lymphoma Society Dodge
After the restart, Kevin Harvick got a great charge to take the lead entering the third turn. On the eighth lap of the segment, Jimmie Johnson looked like he was challenging on the outside but couldn’t hold on. Meanwhile, Dave Blaney charged up on the inside to take the lead.
Elliott Sadler moved into the lead but was immediately passed by Terry Labonte, tailed by Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt. Earnhardt had been reporting that his car worked better on the outside, where other cars would have less of an aerodynamic effect on his racer. His crew chief also reported that the front sway bar on the No. 8 Chevy was too small.
Pit stops began on lap 49 with Ken Schrader reporting a bad vibration in the car. Serious stops began on lap 50 for most teams, led by Terry Labonte. Jimmie Johnson followed him in a cloud of tire smoke as he locked the brakes on the No. 48 Chevy trying to slow to the pit road limit. Jeff Gordon’s crew had a problem with the left rear tire.
The rest of the field stopped on the next lap. Rusty Wallace’s Dodge stalled, costing him the draft while Mike Skinner, Dave Blaney, Ryan Newman and Jeremy Mayfield took on two tires. Mayfield took the lead following the stops, with Blaney second, Newman third and Terry Labonte closing on the cars with only two fresh tires.
Jimmie Johnson got slightly under Mike Skinner, making both cars loose and causing a slight contact which resulted in both cars having significant tire rub. Before this could cause a problem, Jeremy Mayfield hit the wall coming off of Turn Two, tearing the right front wheel off. Mayfield reported to his crew that he just “got loose.” Dave Blaney was on Mayfield’s right side in the exit from Two, Mayfield got loose and bounced off Blaney, then into the wall, ripping the right front corner and right-side sheet metal off the No. 19 Dodge. Both Mayfield and Blaney drove directly to the garage area. Jimmie Johnson pitted with a cut right rear tire. The race was red-flagged with seven laps left so that the track’s maintenance crew could clear the debris from the gate area at the crossover. A large piece of sheet metal was trapped between the gate and the wall by the impact and there was a long stream of debris scattered the length of the back straight from Mayfield’s car. Teams were allowed to work on their cars under the special rules for this event. This gave Johnson’s crew the chance to repair his fender
The green flew over a double-file pack with seven laps to race. Kevin Harvick got around Newman but Terry Labonte moved away from the entire field into the lead for a couple of laps before Harvick moved around on the outside for the lead.
Rusty Wallace pushed Harvick as the rest of the pack jostled for position, trying to find racing room. Dale Jarrett moved into a challenging position on the outside lane and Harvick kept trying to place a block on both lanes. Jarrett eased into the lead after the white flag with help from Earnhardt but on the back straight, Ryan Newman slightly tapped Jimmie Johnson’s car and slid into Jamie McMurray then the pair crashed into the wall.
Jarrett held on to take the win for his third Bud Shootout victory, followed by Earnhardt, Harvick, Martin, Skinner, Gordon, Wallace, Stewart, Terry Labonte and Jimmie Johnson in the top ten positions.
Unofficial finishing order for the 2004 Budweiser Shootout:
1) Dale Jarrett, No. 88 UPS Ford
2) Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet
3) Kevin Harvick, No. 29 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet
4) Mark Martin, No. 6 Viagra Ford
5) Mike Skinner, No. 10 Valvoline Chevrolet
6) Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
7) Rusty Wallace, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
8) Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet
9) Terry Labonte, No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet
10) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet
11) Boris Said, No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet
12) Bobby Labonte, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet
13) Elliott Sadler, No. 38 M&M’s Ford
14) Ken Schrader, No. 49 Schwan’s Home Service Dodge
15) Bill Elliott, No. 91 Leukomia & Lymphoma Society Dodge
16) Ryan Newman, No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge
17) Jamie McMurray, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
18) Jeremy Mayfield, No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
19) Dave Blaney, No. 23 Whelen Engineering Dodge
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