Subway 400
 | |
| NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | North Carolina Speedway |
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Subway |
| First race | 1966 |
| Last race | 2004 |
| Distance | 399.681 miles (643.224 km) |
| Laps | 393 |
| Previous names |
Peach Blossom 500 (1966) Carolina 500 (1967–1981, 1985) Warner W. Hodgdon Carolina 500 (1982–1984) Goodwrench 500 (1986–1995) Goodwrench Service 400 (1996–1997) GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 (1998) Dura Lube/Big K 400 (1999) Dura Lube/Kmart 400 (2000) Dura Lube 400 (2001) Subway 400 (2002–2004) |
| Most wins (driver) | Richard Petty (7) |
| Most wins (team) | Petty Enterprises (7) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Ford (9) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.017 mi (1.637 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Subway 400 was the second race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season until 2004, held a week after the Daytona 500. This 400-mile (644 km) annual race was sponsored by Subway and was held at North Carolina Speedway (The Rock) since 1966. From 1966 to 1995, a 500-mile (805-km) race was held; the race was known as the Peach Blossom 500 (1966), the Carolina 500 (1967–1985), and the Goodwrench 500 (1986–1995). In 1996, the race was shortened to its current distance of 400 miles; the 400 mile race was called the Goodwrench Service 400 (1996–1997), the GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 (1998), the Dura Lube/Big K 400 (1999), the Dura Lube/Kmart 400 (2000), the Dura Lube 400 (2001), and the Subway 400 (2002–2004).
Until the 2004 Nextel Cup season, two annual races were held at Rockingham. After the 2003 season, the fall race (the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400) — which was held in November — was moved to California Speedway, to be held on the lucrative Labor Day weekend. This displaced the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which moved to November 2004 before being removed from the schedule completely (replaced by a second date at Texas Motor Speedway). The changes were part of the trend of less races being held in the southeast and a broader distribution across the United States. Though the spring date was not directly transferred to California, NASCAR moved up the first California race to the traditional spring Rockingham date the week after Daytona. This resulted in some criticism because teams had to travel cross-country for the second race as most spend two weeks in Daytona and are based in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. The draw for Rockingham was that teams got to stay close to home right after Daytona before traveling for the next race.
The 2004 Subway 400 had one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. Nextel Cup rookie, Kasey Kahne, in just his second series start, lost the race to Matt Kenseth by inches at the line. The exciting finish proved to be NASCAR's last stand at Rockingham, as the race (and the track, for that matter), were removed from the schedule permanently after that.
Past winners
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||
| 1966 | March 13 | Paul Goldsmith | Ray Nichels | Plymouth | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 4:59:55 | 100.027 | Report |
| 1967 | June 18 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 4:46:35 | 104.682 | Report |
| 1968 | June 16 | Donnie Allison | Banjo Matthews | Ford | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 5:02:00 | 99.338 | Report |
| 1969 | March 9 | David Pearson | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 500 (804.672) | 4:52:22 | 102.569 | Report |
| 1970 | March 8 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:18:32 | 116.117 | Report |
| 1971 | March 14 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:12:55 | 118.696 | Report |
| 1972 | March 12 | Bobby Isaac | Nord Krauskopf | Dodge | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:23:50 | 113.895 | Report |
| 1973 | March 18 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | Mercury | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:13:01 | 118.649 | Report |
| 1974 | March 3 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 443* | 450.531 (725.059) | 3:42:50 | 121.622 | Report |
| 1975 | March 2 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:15:18 | 117.588 | Report |
| 1976 | February 29 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:24:08 | 113.665 | Report |
| 1977 | March 13 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 5:06:46 | 97.86 | Report |
| 1978 | March 5 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | Mercury | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:17:17 | 116.681 | Report |
| 1979 | March 4 | Bobby Allison | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:06:30 | 122.727 | Report |
| 1980 | March 9 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | Oldsmobile | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:36:06 | 108.735 | Report |
| 1981 | March 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:21:59 | 114.594 | Report |
| 1982 | March 28 | Cale Yarborough | M.C. Anderson Racing | Buick | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:03:27 | 108.992 | Report |
| 1983 | March 13 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:25:30 | 113.055 | Report |
| 1984 | March 4 | Bobby Allison | DiGard Motorsports | Buick | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:03:55 | 122.931 | Report |
| 1985 | March 3 | Neil Bonnett | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:21:10 | 114.953 | Report |
| 1986 | March 2 | Terry Labonte | Billy Hagan | Oldsmobile | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:09:10 | 120.488 | Report |
| 1987 | March 1 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:15:23 | 117.556 | Report |
| 1988 | March 6 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:09:51 | 120.159 | Report |
| 1989 | March 5 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:20:47 | 115.122 | Report |
| 1990 | March 4 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:04:21 | 122.864 | Report |
| 1991 | March 3 | Kyle Petty | SABCO Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:01:57 | 124.083 | Report |
| 1992 | March 1 | Bill Elliott | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:58:02 | 126.125 | Report |
| 1993 | February 28 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Pontiac | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 4:01:10 | 124.486 | Report |
| 1994 | February 27 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Ford | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:59:43 | 125.239 | Report |
| 1995 | February 26 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 492 | 500.364 (805.257) | 3:59:15 | 125.305 | Report |
| 1996 | February 25 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:30:26 | 113.959 | Report |
| 1997 | February 23 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:17:35 | 121.371 | Report |
| 1998 | February 22 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:24:51 | 117.065 | Report |
| 1999 | February 21 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:18:36 | 120.75 | Report |
| 2000 | February 27 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:07:32 | 127.875 | Report |
| 2001 | February 25/26* | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:34:21 | 111.877 | Report |
| 2002 | February 24 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:27:40 | 115.478 | Report |
| 2003 | February 23 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:23:29 | 117.852 | Report |
| 2004 | February 22 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 399.681 (643.224) | 3:34:05 | 112.016 | Report |
- 1974: Race shortened due to energy crisis.
- 2001: Race started on Sunday but was finished on Monday due to rain.
Multiple winners (drivers)
| # Wins | Driver | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Richard Petty | 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1983 |
| 3 | David Pearson | 1969, 1973, 1978 |
| Cale Yarborough | 1975, 1980, 1982 | |
| Rusty Wallace | 1989, 1993, 1994 | |
| Jeff Gordon | 1995, 1997, 1998 | |
| 2 | Bobby Allison | 1979, 1984 |
| Neil Bonnett | 1985, 1988 | |
| Kyle Petty | 1990, 1991 | |
| Dale Earnhardt | 1987, 1996 | |
| Matt Kenseth | 2002, 2004 |
Multiple winners (manufacturers)
| # Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ford | 1968, 1969, 1979, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| 8 | Chevrolet | 1975, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001 |
| 7 | Pontiac | 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2000 |
| 4 | Plymouth | 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971 |
| Dodge | 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977 | |
| 3 | Buick | 1981, 1982, 1984 |
| 2 | Mercury | 1973, 1978 |
| Oldsmobile | 1980, 1986 |
Notable Races
- 1972: Bobby Allison started last and led over 300 laps before breaking, and pole-sitter Bobby Isaac took the win, his final in Grand National racing.
- 1973: David Pearson led all but one lap en route to an overwhelming win, the beginning of his 1973 assault on superspeedway records.
- 1975: Cale Yarborough edged Pearson after Richard Petty lost several laps with a cracked cylinder head.
- 1976: Petty won by two laps as Bobby Allison survived a shocking tumble down the backstretch.
- 1977: Crashes galore kept the average speed to 97 MPH as Petty took his sixth Carolina 500 win.
- 1979: Just two weeks after their crash in the Daytona 500, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed while battling for the lead just 10 laps into the race, collecting several other cars; Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty, both involved in the wreck, were pointedly critical of Yarborough's role. Bobby Allison took the win.
- 1981: Darrell Waltrip outlasted Petty and Cale for his first big track win with Junior Johnson.
- 1983: Petty edged Bill Elliott for his first win in seventeen months.
- 1985: Elliott suffered a leg injury in a hard crash, as Neil Bonnett edged Harry Gant in a photo finish, the second straight Rockingham race to end in a photo finish, and second straight heartbreaker for Gant.
- 1989: Rusty Wallace made up a lap as Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd tangled on the backstretch. Wallace pulled away to the win.
- 1990: Kyle Petty overwhelmed the field for his first win since 1987 and the first for SABCO Racing.
- 1995: Jeff Gordon edged Bobby Labonte for his first win of the season.
- 1996: A spirited battle for the lead ended in a wreck as Dale Earnhardt hit Bobby Hamilton into the wall off Four on Lap 343.
- 2001: One week after Dale Earnhardt's death, Steve Park drove a Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet to a close win over Bobby Labonte. It was his final win in the Cup Series.
- 2002: Matt Kenseth ended a two-year victory drought after escaping a multicar melee on the backstretch when Jeff Gordon spun out Casey Atwood and four-other cars piled in.
- 2003: Dale Jarrett scored his second to last win.
- 2004: The final race at Rockingham ended in a close finish won by Matt Kenseth over rookie Kasey Kahne.
Television broadcasters
- The 1981 race marked the first race ever on ESPN.
- Mike Joy filled in for Eli Gold for TNN in the 1999 Race.
- The following a rain delay, the remainder of the 2001 race was bumped to Monday on FX.
See also
External links
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