HAMPTON, GA- OCTOBER 27: Jamie McMurray, driver of the #42 Gansaai Racing Dodge Intrepid, pits during the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 October 27, 2003 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo By Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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April 4 – Today in Jayski’s NASCAR history

April 4, 2020 at 5:44 AM

April 4, 2004

  • Elliott Sadler wins at Texas: #38-Elliott Sadler won the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his first win since Bristol in March 2001, 108 races ago. It is the first ever points win for sponsor M&M’s and the first win for Sadler at Robert Yates Racing [not counting the Twin 125 win]. #9-Kasey Kahne had another close call and ended up 2nd, just inches from winning the race. The rest of the top five were #24-Gordon, #8-Earnhardt Jr., and #2-Wallace. #17-Kenseth was the points leader going into the race at Texas and had some troubles and ended up 16th, losing the points lead to #97-Kurt Busch.
    For race results, see:
    Jayski’s Texas Race Results page
    ThatsRacin.com
    MotorsportsOne or
    NASCAR.com
    and/or see my Texas Race Information for my race rundown with laps led, cars out, caution narrative, notes, lucky dogs.(4-4-2004)
  • StockCarFans.com – Rumblings – Texas: It wasn’t as close as Rockingham, but it wasn’t far off….#38-Elliott Sadler held off #9-Kasey Kahne today at Texas Motor Speedway, winning the Samsung/RadioShack 500 by a whopping .028 seconds for his second career Cup victory and #55 for Robert Yates Racing. He broke a 108 race losing streak (his other previous win was at Bristol in March of 2001), and gives RYR a 15 year streak with at least one victory (Hendrick Motorsports has the longest current run at 19). His win was worth $497,733 from the whopping $6.8M in posted awards, and he’s now 89th on the all-time win list.
    Other important milestones for Sadler & the Yates team today: They’re now the on the Winners Circle plan for the rest of the season (they’re the first wild card for 2004), they become the 22nd qualifier for the Nextel All-Star Challenge in May at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and they got M&M’s their first ever Cup points win (Elliott won a Twin-125 at Daytona in February).
    #9-Kasey Kahne had the dominant car again, leading six times for 148 laps. He’s now lost two races this season by a combined .038 seconds, and he’s been the bridesmaid three times already this year.
    #24-Jeff Gordon (3rd) had his best finish since he won at Atlanta last October.
    #41-Casey Mears (7th) tied his career-best finish today. He was 7th at Las Vegas last month as well.
    #25-Brian Vickers (12th) had his career-best finish today. He was 13th at Phoenix last November.
    #10-Scott Riggs (15th) had his career-best finish today. His previous best was 25th at Atlanta last month.
    STREAKIN….Kurt Busch has 5 Top-10’s in the last 6 races.
    This Week’s Elevator…UP: Operator of the Week is Michael Waltrip (+21), followed by Ken Schrader (+20). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Bill Elliott (-34), followed by Greg Biffle (-27), Bobby Labonte (-24), Ryan Newman (-24), and Brendan Gaughan (-22).
    Elliott Sadler led today for the first time since he led once for one lap at Atlanta last October. Joe Nemechek led today for the first time since he led once for 19 laps at Martinsville last October. And, Bill Elliott led today for the first time since he led six times for 189 laps at Homestead last November. We’ve had 31 different drivers to lead a lap this season…. plowing our way to the number of 48 we had last year.
    We’ve got a new points leader after today…..Kurt Busch assumes the point. He’s got a 19 point advantage over teammate Matt Kenseth, and of course any other year we’d be able to talk about how tight the points are (first and fifth are separated by only 90 markers), but that means nothing now! Rusty Wallace (17th to 11th) made the best move forward today, while his teammate Ryan Newman (5th to 10th) fell five spots.(StockCarFans.Com Nextelcup Newsletter)(4-4-2004)
  • Victory Junction accepting camper applications: The Victory Junction Gang Camp [VJGC] for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses being built in North Carolina is now accepting applications for campers this summer. The camp, founded by Kyle Petty and his family in honor of their late son, Adam, is scheduled to open in time to host eight sessions this summer, beginning on June 20. Each session lasts five days, beginning on Sunday or Monday and ending on Friday. Campers will attend free. Children between the ages of 7 and 15 with blood diseases such as hemophilia or sickle cell anemia, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, heart, kidney and liver disease, spina bifida and cancer are eligible. The camp will have medical personnel on site to help maintain care for each group of campers. Applications for campers can be downloaded at www.victoryjunction.org. Applications and information also are available by calling (336) 498-9055 and speaking with Anna Cox at extension 46 or camp medical director Sharon Space at extension 44.(ThatsRacin.com) and don’t forget to check out about Jayski.com and readers donation drive to sponsor the Computer Lab ay VJGC, see www.victoryjunction.org or my Racing Charities/Events page.(4-4-2004)
  • More on the 2005 Dodge: The Dodge Intrepid goes out of production at the end of the year, leaving a big NASCAR question: What model will represent DaimlerChrysler on the circuit next year? Ray Evernham is involved in developing a new model, though he said he doesn’t know what the name of that model will be. A lot of talk centers on the resurrected Charger, but there is also speculation that it would be impossible to adapt under the so-called common templates that now govern the representatives of Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet. “We’re currently working on a 2005 model,” Evernham said. “We’re actually doing some wind-tunnel testing and will be doing some track testing. Dodge hasn’t given us a name plate for that car, but we expect to be able to present something to NASCAR in the near future.”(Gaston Gazette), past news on 2005 Dodge rumors on my Dodge News Page.(4-4-2004)
  • No Full Time Elliott in 2005, but could be a full time #91: Ray Evernham said it’s unlikely Bill Elliott will return to a full-time schedule next year, but his car could. If he lands a full-time sponsor for a third team, Evernham said he’d consider an arrangement akin to Richard Childress Racing, which won the Busch Series owners championship last year with a car shared by Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter. “I think that’s a great idea,” Evernham said. “That might be a direction this sport is heading. It wouldn’t be out of the question to see Bill Elliott in a car for 15 races and somebody else in it for the others.”(Richmond Times Dispatch)(4-4-2004)
  • Wimmer Ear Problems: Rookie driver #22-Scott Wimmer revealed that he had been hampered by inner-ear problems in several races leading up to Sunday’s Samsung/Radio Shack 500. “I guarantee we’ll be a lot better then we were in Atlanta,” said Wimmer, Atlanta being a track similar to this one. “But Texas isn’t Atlanta and Atlanta isn’t Texas, so we’ll just have to wait and see where we stack up. I had some health issues when we raced in Atlanta, and I have those cleared up now so that should also help us. I have a chronic inner-ear problem that gives me the symptoms of vertigo, so I’ve had tubes in my ears for a couple years now. They must have fallen out sometime since the season began, and it was definitely giving me some problems with my balance.”(Gaston Gazette)(4-3-2004)
    AND see more at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Wimmer swats ‘bug’.(4-4-2004)

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