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Chevy Rock and Roll 400 - Richmond International Raceway
Mayfield Wins at Richmond, Makes the Chase
Newman Takes RIR Pole
Jeremy Mayfield entered the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway in the 14th position in the point standings, just out of the coveted Chase for the Championship. Mayfield took care of that problem by winning the Nextel Cup event on Saturday night and vaulting 5 spots in the standings to make the 10-race “playoffs.” Mayfield inherited the top spot on lap 393 when leader Kurt Busch had to pit for fuel and held on to win by 4.928 seconds over Dale Earnhardt Jr. The trip to victory lane was the first of the season for Mayfield, his first for Evernham Motorsports, and his fourth career win. Mayfield led the most laps on the night, leading the race five times for a total of 151 of the event’s 400 laps. Earnhardt Jr. was caught up in a lap 180 accident but fought back to finish in the runner-up position. Jeff Gordon finished in the third spot and reclaimed the lead atop the point standings. Mike Bliss came home in the fourth position while Mark Martin finished fifth. The ten drivers who will compete for the 2004 championship over the final ten races are: Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Busch, Martin, Mayfield and Ryan Newman. All ten drivers are separated by only 45 points heading to Loudon.
Ryan Newman won the NASCAR Nextel Cup Bud Pole for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, lapping Richmond International Raceway in 20.979 seconds at 128.700 mph. This is Newman’s 23rd career Bud Pole in 106 NASCAR Nextel Cup races. His most recent Bud Pole came at New Hampshire on July 23, seven races ago. Newman has five top-five starts in six races at Richmond but this is his first Bud Pole. He has never started worse than 11th here. There have been 10 different Bud Pole winners in 2004. Mark Martin had the second-fastest time with a qualifying lap of 21.192 seconds at 127.407 mph and will join Newman on the front row. Martin has posted 18 top-10 starts in his 38 races Richmond but this is just his fifth in the past 15 races. It is his seventh top-10 start in 2004. Points leader Jimmie Johnson and Joe Nemechek will start from row two.
