|| *Comments on the 2004 Subway 400:* View the most recent comment <#87> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Jake posted: 06.07.2004 - 1:50 am Rate this comment: (1) (34) What a great ending to such a historic track. THANK GOD Rockingham is finally shut down!!!! 2. Sebastien posted: 06.30.2004 - 3:55 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Sadly the last race at this venue. 2 (or 3 !) dates at the cookie cutter tracks will kill & bury nascar racing. 3. James posted: 07.25.2004 - 9:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) yep It's a Crying Shame 4. Jack Lewis posted: 07.28.2004 - 5:48 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Last race at one of NASCAR's best tracks of all time. 5. HomeDepotKid posted: 09.12.2004 - 3:10 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) Rockingham rules. Ain't nuttin' gonna change that. Nobody should forget that that was the breakout race for Kasey Kahne. Everyone thought, "Who's he?" before the race. After, they thought, "WOW! This kid's good!" And to show the finish was no fluke, he finished 2nd four other times(Up to this point) that year. Also remember that was the race that Carl Long flipped, and everyone rallied behind him. 6. CD posted: 10.31.2004 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll miss this track, but what a finish Matt over Kasey with Jamie McMurray close behind a who knew you could flip at this track, Carl Long ended up flipping. And how bout Joe Ruttman the field filler finished 43rd, 392 laps down! 7. Anonymous posted: 12.19.2004 - 3:43 am Rate this comment: (10) (0) I see that Jake is a new racing fan.Rockingham is better than this new cookie cutter crap. Go watch some old races Jake, you n00b. Otherwise,keep your mouth shut. 8. Jake posted: 12.19.2004 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) I watch old races on ESPN Classic, they're cool to watch, they never show any Rockingham races though. The racing at Rockingham is good, I just don't like the place because DEI could never get the handle on the track w/ Dale Jr. and Michael(although Steve won there in 2001) 9. Anonymous posted: 12.19.2004 - 8:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Buy some tapes man, they aren't that hard to find. 10. Jake posted: 12.20.2004 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have a lotta racing tapes, man. Most of them have been 2002, 2003, and 2004 races though. I did have a 1985 race from Bristol(which was a lotta fun), although it was chewed up(film was)I also have a bit from the 1979 Daytona 500(loved the post-race) Believe me, I like watching race from the 1980's as much as today's races. It's also cool to see Dale Sr's days when he drove the Wrangler car. 11. James posted: 12.22.2004 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While the races in the Carolinas are down 2 from 6 since I starting watching racing in 1989. I much reither watch Races here at Rockingham and Darlington then some cookie cutter track. 12. Heather posted: 02.08.2005 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) This race gave us the closet finish in Cup history. What a finish! 13. JJ Lehto posted: 02.27.2005 - 1:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not the closest finish in cup hisotry. that was darlington 2003. But a great finish, and amazing track. Such a shame its being replaced. With Fontana! 14. crash posted: 04.14.2005 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Robby Gordon had to retire after he had a similar crash like Carl Long did, he ALMOST flipped over, and would have if there was a car behind him. 15. Joe Laracuente posted: 05.26.2005 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) why did they replace rockinghame with fontana? rockinghame had better racing and well fontana has horible racing why? 16. je24go posted: 08.04.2005 - 11:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sadly, it's all about the $$$ Joe...If a track doesn't sell out EVERY race, then NA$CAR shuts it down... :( 17. Darrell posted: 10.08.2005 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Boo hoo hoo. DEI doesn't run well here, therefore it's a bad track. Boo hoo hoo. Jake, I am a Scott Wimmer fan. There are several tracks he struggles at. Now does this make me want NASCAR to shut them down? Heck no! I think this pretty much proves what kind of fan you are. :( It's a shame Rockingham had to go. Why don't we switch the Daytona 500 with Kansas or Texas while we're at it. I'm glad to see that the field fillers got some much need attention after this race, even if Joe Ruttman quit after one lap. 18. SPENCER posted: 11.09.2005 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) THE GREATS RACE TRACK OF ALL TIME!! WOW DEI SUCKS EVERYWERE BUT DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA. SO NASCAR SHOULD CLOSE ALL THE OTHER DAMN TRACKS? GIVE A BREAK!! LONG LIVE THE ROCK 19. Darrell posted: 11.18.2005 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Actually, I read somewhere that Ruttman was flagged by NA$CAR because he didn't have a pit crew. Mr. Finch, allow me introduce you to some people called your BUSCH TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20. ogarek posted: 12.12.2005 - 10:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ruttman showing was a joke 21. Darrell posted: 12.24.2005 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darn right the #09 team's attempt was pathetic. What I don't get is as I said before, they have a Busch team, pretty well funded at that. Surely they can afford to run an entire Cup race. This a reason why the independents have a bad name nowadays. Everyone assumes that if a driver drops out before the first round of pit stops, they're just parking it. 22. underdogfan posted: 02.13.2006 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) I don't have much of a problem with what Ruttman and Finch did. First off , old Joe's in his 50s, so i'm guessing he was probably glad to just get a ride, no matter what the case. And as far as Finch's decision goes, it was a ploy to get money and owner's points, as well as help NASCAR fill out the field, and quite frankly, I think it was ingenious. In this modern era where NASCAR seems to control EVERYTHING, it's good to see someone bend the rules every now and then. And I have heard some people say it was bad for our sport. I say poppycock! If anything, it added color to the sport, it gave us an interesting and unique story to talk about. 23. HomeDepot20TS posted: 02.24.2006 - 12:37 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "I watch old races on ESPN Classic, they're cool to watch, they never show any Rockingham races though." Rockingham was always televised on TNN, thats why. 24. Miller4Prez64 posted: 05.18.2006 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jamie McMurray should've won this race, I don't like Jamie, but kenseth and kahne pitted under green and NASCAR gives them their lap back and in the lead again? WTF IS THAT. 25. Anonymous0 posted: 05.19.2006 - 3:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well Spencer at least Jr has a ride and knows how to drive. 26. ogarek posted: 05.30.2006 - 2:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) I say that Andy Hillenburg should have done like Ruttman and pulled off because he was just a field filler. He took points from a few too many people. 27. Steve posted: 06.02.2006 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I have seen two Rockingham races in ESPN Classic. I saw the 1990 AC-Delco 500, won by Alan Kulwicki, and later I saw the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon (I think that's how it's spelled) 500, won by Richard Petty. ogarek, Andy Hillenburg actually intended to finish the race, as did Carl Long (too bad he flipped over). His finishing ahead of 9 other drivers had no effect on the championship, or who made the CHA$E. 28. anonymous posted: 10.18.2006 - 2:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So sad to see this place gone. Imagine if, when racing back to the line, Kenseth and Kahne took each other out and the win was handed to McMurray! 29. MegaRacer posted: 01.15.2007 - 10:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Am I the only one who finds it funny to watch a race on ESPN Classic and think to yourself "I remember watching this race LIVE when it happened back in 1985" or whenever. 30. Brock posted: 01.18.2007 - 7:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The day Kasey Who became Kasey Kahne. 31. most posted: 01.31.2007 - 12:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Rockingham was a great track. I think that NA$CAR would close the 500 and move it to Vegas to be the Las Vegas 500 presented by Pepsi, Coke, Nextel, Winston, UPS, NAPA, Budweiser. And please, why do Jr. fans hate a track where Jr. doesnt run well at? Because they know that he isn't that good, maybe lay off the brew for a few days and open your eyes. When he, Brian France, and Teresa Earnhardt finish ruining NA$car I guess I will just have to watch IRL races! 32. Lawrence posted: 02.21.2007 - 8:52 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Give Joe Ruttman credit... People still talk about that whole "No crew" field filler thing... He made himself memorable... Good on ya, Joe Ruttman... Stick it to the man! 33. biffle16 posted: 03.11.2007 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Way to go Matt for holding off Prettyboy. 34. biffle16 posted: 05.06.2007 - 2:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And I'm guessing James Finch was never the brightest bulb around. ;) 35. Steve.M. posted: 05.07.2007 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) i guess if we had to shut down every track that JR sucked at every race would be just Daytona and Talladega 36. CHAD posted: 07.10.2007 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) THEY ARE SAYING IRL COULD GO TO ROCK 37. WillG46 posted: 11.05.2007 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jr is actually better at the Short Tracks and Quad ovals than the superspeedways. I guess nobody has the nerve to do 2 minutes of research anymore. 38. Anonymous posted: 12.24.2007 - 2:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ROCKINGHAM IS NOT DEAD!! Andy Hillenburg has purchased the track. It shall host a major stock car race again next year, when the ARCA series takes to the track on May 4. 39. Woodbridge posted: 03.12.2008 - 11:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wasn't Carl Long surprisingly in the Top 15 or so before he flipped? 40. Mamorese posted: 03.12.2008 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There's an ARCA race coming up at the Rock in a few months time. 41. haywood posted: 03.29.2008 - 2:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) i miss this track too, but some of you are just plain dumb. they're not going to replace daytona w/ kansas. they're not shutting down rockingham to piss you off. they're doing it for $$$. something has to drive the sport. sponsor dollars are hard enough to come by, if they had half a dozen races in markets no one has ever heard of, do you think nascar would continue to grow? no eventually it would fall into dispair like open wheel racing has, because they have little to no sponsor interest. 42. Mr. Big posted: 05.18.2008 - 2:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shame that one of the best tracks on the circuit got kicked off because of money. Yeah, way to keep the excitement, NASCAR. Can't say Rockingham didn't get one hell of a sendoff though. Nice job by Sterling in 4th. 43. RaceFanX posted: 09.21.2008 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Carl Long was way behind, like 4-7 laps, when he flipped. That was what made it so odd. He was a really slow car and he was staying out of the others way but he just got clipped in someone else's wreck and off he went. 44. kirkyal posted: 10.18.2008 - 10:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joe Ruttman runs with no crew! Must go down as one of the craziest moments in NASCAR! 45. jp posted: 06.15.2009 - 8:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with ya je24go. But, i thought the 43 almost flipped, not the 31. Margin of victory: .01 OF A SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 46. AL posted: 08.03.2009 - 11:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larry Gunselman pulls a Joe Ruttman today at Pocono and gets Parked by NASCAR for having No Crew!!! Still picked up a cool $65,000 without having to deduct for crew transportation, crew foods, and pit crew rental itself! Genious ... 47. blaneyfan66 posted: 04.15.2010 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Andy Hillenburg finishes running in 34th, 17 laps down. Not the funnest of days for Carl Long. 48. jamie88fan posted: 05.28.2010 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There was two reason they parked joe one no crew and two no spotter lol.. 49. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 09.09.2010 - 10:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, this race looks very exciting. But, the track itself, I've not heard the same thing. Not like the drivers wanted to get rid of Rock, but, the track wasn't on a lot of their fav's lists. Also, the track has an abnormal bump in turn 2's exits onto the backstretch. IN such an incident, cars would hit it, go up the track, hit the wall, and, at just the right angle, flip it! It happened in 84, Alan went on his side in 1991 there, This race had Carl Long FASCINATING flip and Robby's FASCINATING sidewinder, then in 2009 ARCA it happened again! Still, i'd like to see Michigan lose a date, and give it to the Rock. 50. Andre posted: 09.30.2010 - 12:05 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) I'll never forget Carl Long's post-race quote; "I was just running along, letting pretty much everybody by, and all of a sudden I'm in the air, lookin' right at the people eatin' chicken in the grandstands." 51. Anonymous posted: 05.12.2011 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Kahne still should of won this damn race.. 52. RaceFanX posted: 07.22.2011 - 1:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ward Burton's 9th here was his best finish racing in Gene Haas' NetZero #0 Chevrolet. 53. Ed posted: 10.26.2012 - 11:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Brian Vickers did the same thing in a 2002 test as Carl Long did in this race. However, no footage of the Vickers incident exists. 54. CBASS posted: 01.18.2013 - 7:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #97 IRWIN Industrial Tools/ Sharpie #38 M&M's Where'd The Color Go? #5 Got Milk?/ Kellogg's #1 Dale Earnhardt Inc./ Snap-On #16 Subway #30 AOL #49 Schwan's #50 Matrix Systems/ Arnold Dev. Co. #6 Pfizer #25 ditech.com/ GMAC #15 NAPA Auto Parts http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0402 55. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 11.29.2013 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Morgan Shepherd and Andy Belmount Withdrew before Qualifying 56. RaceFanX posted: 01.13.2014 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor: #46 Carl Long- Al Smith Dodge / IPG (car dealer sponsor) 57. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 04.24.2014 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew 39 Larry Gunselman TBA Chevrolet Jay Robinson 59 Andy Belmont Continental Fire and Safety Pontiac Jennifer Belmont 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Ford Cindy Shepherd 59 and 89 both wrecked in practice 58. BlackChevy14 posted: 05.13.2014 - 1:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was Sterling Marlin's first top-five since the 2002 Southern 500. He went the entire 2003 season without a single top-five, and he would record only three more after this race. He only recorded 12 more top-10s after this event, a number he had previously surpassed in the 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2001, and 2002 seasons each. 59. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 07.27.2014 - 11:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor of the #39 was Jay Robinson Inc. https://web.archive.org/web/20040218060741/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2004/2/data/entry_list.html 60. Chives5150 posted: 07.08.2015 - 6:37 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Looking at an old article, Long couldn't afford to buy anymore sets of tires, so he practiced, qualified, and ran the race on a single set of tires! There were rumors going around that NASCAR was contacting several of the field-filler teams and promising them more money if they could make the trip out to Rockingham. This was done because there was the possibility of a short field for the race. Of course, NASCAR denies this. They did call Ruttman and Finch's little stunt "a sham", however. Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?id=1743378 61. NASCARLover22 posted: 08.21.2015 - 10:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates: #50 Matrix Systems/Arnold Development Co. #38 M&M's "Where'd All the Color Go?" #6 Pfizer #1 DEI/Snap-On Tools (Nilla wasn't on the car) #5 Got Milk?/Kellogg's #97 Irwin Tools/Sharpie 62. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 01.17.2016 - 2:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There was another WD 90 Andy Hillenburg Donlavey Racing Junie Donlavey Ford 63. joey2448 posted: 01.17.2016 - 5:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember watching this race and being absolutely shocked when Carl Long had his wild, flipping crash down the backstretch. I thought it was nearly impossible to get upside down on a track that produced much slower speeds than, say, Daytona or Talladega, or other big superspeedways. Then, a little while later, Robby Gordon wrecks off turn 2, the same place where Carl crashed, and HE nearly went over as well! Two in one race is pretty rare to see at the Rock. Of course, who could forget that awesome battle for the lead in the closing laps? Three drivers were in it, with Kenseth, Kahne and McMurray all trailing nose to tail until the final lap, when McMurray got loose off turn 2 and lost enough ground to effectively eliminate him from winning. And Kahne got that great run off turn 4 and almost beat Kenseth back to the line in only his second career Cup start. 64. joey2448 posted: 01.17.2016 - 5:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, it was a big deal for Junior to finish fifth. I remember coming into this race (the week after Junior won the Daytona 500) the talk surrounding him was whether he could follow up his big victory with a solid run at Rockingham, a place he had traditionally struggled. Of course, Dale broke that bad streak with his first top-10 at the track. 65. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 03.21.2016 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #72's status: too slow Wasn't this the race where Joe Ruttman was parked by NASCAR for not having a pit crew or crew chief? 66. that e-guy posted: 03.21.2016 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Wasn't this the race where Joe Ruttman was parked by NASCAR for not having a pit crew or crew chief?" Yep, Joe was awarded with $54,196 for his last place finish. 67. Rocky Lore posted: 08.11.2016 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shelmerdine's status should be listed as parked. He was lapped after eight minutes and NASCAR had enough of him going too slow. 68. Jack posted: 05.02.2017 - 11:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The final race at Rockingham was a great race with a very close finish. Wish they could still race there it's a historic place. 69. Greg24ChaseFan posted: 08.23.2017 - 9:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rockingham is probably the track I have been too the most. Grew up near the track. Was sad to see it go. The racing there was great due to tire wear. I wish they would run a race there every few years or so. 70. ARosser14 posted: 12.02.2017 - 7:56 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Jimmie Johnson's crash was pretty big for a couple reasons, for one he absolutely creamed the wall after making contact with Ken Schrader (if memory serves, Schrader was trying to pit, Johnson had already pitted during that cycle and was of course much faster than Schrader's Rockingham-worn tires, and they came together in a big way). The crash also toppled him from 5th in points to 25th. Now normally that isn't such a big deal early in the season as drivers gain and lose several positions a race with regularity as the point totals build, but Jimmie's wreck took him outside of the top-10 in the standings for the first time since Las Vegas in 2002 when he was ranked 15th. He was two races shy of being ranked in the top-10 in in points for two full seasons. The streak wasn't particularly historic - at the time it was only the ninth-longest in the modern era, more than 100 races short of Dale Earnhardt's record of 174, not sure where it ranks nearly 14 years after it ended - but keep in mind that it began a mere four races into Jimmie's full-time Cup career and seven overall. That makes it pretty incredible. 71. JSPorts posted: 12.02.2017 - 8:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's a streak that would be even harder to break today because of the constant re-setting of points and the stage racing. Because of stage racing, a bad finish is penalized more so one bad week can drop you out easier than it could before. And with the re-setting, a driver can be having a consistent season (7th in points or something) with only 1 win and not a lot of stage wins but could then be dropped to 12th or so when the points are reset after race 26. 72. Altracing posted: 12.22.2017 - 2:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First time a Haas car would finish inside the top ten in a cup race with Ward Burton finishing 9th 73. Josh posted: 02.22.2018 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 14 years ago today. It seems not so long ago and forever ago at the same time. 74. Josh posted: 05.02.2018 - 1:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Comment #2, by Sebastien, on June 30, 2004. Sadly the last race at this venue. 2 (or 3 !) dates at the cookie cutter tracks will kill & bury nascar racing. Prophetic... 75. Chunks posted: 07.26.2018 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was that the race where Diamond Rio performed the national anthem? 76. rm posted: 11.12.2018 - 10:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I believe Andy Belmont broke his shoulder in his practice crash. And no, contrary to some rumors, NASCAR did not go and call up "field fillers" in an attempt to get the entry list size up. 77. Anthony posted: 01.21.2019 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Long ran the same set of tyres for the entire race. 78. Corey posted: 01.21.2019 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @77 Rockingham was an abrasive race track and fresh tires would have been a premium. I doubt he ran 255 laps on the same set of tires before barrel rolling down the back stretch. 79. Tarheel posted: 01.21.2019 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 78, correct. If he'd gone 255 laps on the same set of tires he wouldn't even have been going fast enough to roll over. Furthermore, there were five caution flags before he crashed out, he certainly would have stayed out on one or two of them while everyone else pitted, and he didn't so much as lead a single lap under caution. I can believe that he didn't have as many as he needed, but no way did he go that far on one set. 80. Stonex posted: 01.11.2020 - 9:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) In 2003, FOX ran the 'Grand Marshal for a Day' contest where a random person would be selected to be the Grand Marshal for this race, after entering the car number that appeared on screen. They upheld their bargain, as John Cyrus drove the pace car, gave the command with Subway's infamous spokesperson Jared Fogle, and waved the green and checkered flag at the start and end of the race, respectively. 81. Anonymous posted: 04.07.2020 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Andy Hillenburg ran the 80 for Stan Hover not the 90 for Junie Donlavey. 82. Sandy posted: 04.09.2020 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Race will be re aired on fox This Saturday 83. 34McDowellFan posted: 04.11.2020 - 1:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why is Andy Hillenburg listed as withdrawn when he ran the race? It's the same team too. 84. ShinyMew151 posted: 04.11.2020 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No it's not, the withdrawn team is Donlavey's team, the one that races isn't 85. ShinyMew151 posted: 04.11.2020 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Raced* 86. Anonymous posted: 04.19.2020 - 10:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) 82 - I'll watch, then change channels towards the end. Like I wanna watch CS Kenseth get a win. 87. Rich posted: 12.30.2020 - 10:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Dr. Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Jeanne Zelasko were the pit road reporters. Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond were in the Hollywood hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: