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2004 Tropicana Twister 300

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2004 Tropicana Twister 300
Race details
Map of SpeedwayMap of Speedway
Date July 10, 2004 (2004-07-10)
Official name 2004 Tropicana Twister 400
Location Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois
Course Tri-oval
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 200 laps, 300 mi (480 km)
Weather Sunny
Average speed 126.790 mph (204.049 km/h)
Attendance 70,000
Pole position
Driver Team Rensi Motorsports
Time 29.410
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 49
Winner
No. 44 Justin Labonte Labonte Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Benny Parsons
Motor car race

The 2004 Tropicana Twister 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series race held on July 10, 2004, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The race was the 4th iteration of the event. The race was the 19th race of the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series. Bobby Hamilton Jr. won the pole while rookie sensation Kyle Busch led the most laps at 49. But the race became most notable for two reasons. One being the most infamous one where a big inflatable Tropicana Orange made its way onto the race track during Todd Szegedy's qualifying run. And the second being one of the biggest upset winners in NASCAR history as Justin Labonte, the son of Terry Labonte and the nephew of Bobby Labonte, won his first and only Busch Series race after he had not scored a top 10 in 31 career Busch Series starts as he beat out the fuel strategy game at the end of the race.

Background

Chicagoland Speedway, the track where the race will be held.

Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver
# Driver Team Make
00 Jason Leffler Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet
1 Jamie McMurray Phoenix Racing Dodge
02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet
2 Ron Hornaday Jr. Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Mike Wallace Biagi Brothers Racing Ford
5 Kyle Busch (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
07 Carl Long Moy Racing Ford
7 Todd Szegedy NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet
9 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford
10 Gus Wasson Davis Motorsports Chevrolet
12 Tim Fedewa FitzBradshaw Racing Chevrolet
14 Casey Atwood FitzBradshaw Racing Chevrolet
17 Matt Kenseth Reiser Enterprises Ford
18 J. J. Yeley (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet
20 Mike Bliss Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet
21 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
22 Jason Keller ppc Racing Ford
23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Chevrolet
24 Steve Grissom GIC-Mixon Motorsports Chevrolet
25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Team Rensi Motorsports Ford
27 Johnny Sauter Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet
29 Ricky Craven Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 Todd Bodine Marsh Racing Ford
32 David Stremme Braun Racing Dodge
33 Clint Bowyer (R) Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet
35 Kenny Hendrick Gary Keller Racing Chevrolet
36 Travis Geisler DCT Motorsports Chevrolet
37 David Green Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet
38 Kasey Kahne Akins Motorsports Dodge
39 Tina Gordon Jay Robinson Racing Ford
44 Justin Labonte Labonte Motorsports Dodge
46 Ashton Lewis Jr. Lewis Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Robert Pressley ST Motorsports Ford
49 Derrike Cope Jay Robinson Racing Ford
50 Regan Smith Holigan Racing Chevrolet
51 Blake Mallory Ware Racing Enterprises Chevrolet
55 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet
56 Kevin Conway Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet
59 Stacy Compton ST Motorsports Ford
60 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford
62 Larry Hollenbeck S.W.A.T. Racing Chevrolet
66 Billy Parker (R) Rusty Wallace Inc. Dodge
72 Kevin Lepage MacDonald Motorsports Chevrolet
74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet
77 Jimmy Kitchens Moy Racing Ford
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
88 Jeff Fuller NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
91 Stanton Barrett Stanton Barrett Motorsports Chevrolet
99 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Chevrolet
Official Entry list

Qualifying

Bobby Hamilton Jr. won the pole with a time of 29.410 and a speed of 183.611 mph. But during qualifying, it was a really windy day which led to one of the most infamous and weirdest moments in NASCAR history. Todd Szegedy was about to make his qualifying run attempting to qualify for his 2nd Busch Series race. A big gust of wind came through and it ended up breaking the straps that were holding the big inflatable Tropicana Oranges off and the oranges went loose. One orange got ripped apart and landed on the infield spectator area on someone's RV where four people were covered by the orange. Another orange also made its way onto the race track. Szegedy was on his first lap when he was making his way through turns 3 and 4 when he was shocked and startled to see a big inflatable tropicana orange rolling on the apron of the race track. Szegedy went by it very easily without incident. NASCAR immeadietly stopped qualifying to get the orange off the track. Track crews attempted to use the truck with a powerful blower to blow the orange off the track. Unfortunetly, the orange would rip apart and get stuck on the turn 1 catchfence in which they had to take it down by hand. They would but a storm front made its way onto the track which caused a further delay. Qualifying was stopped for about an hour and a half before the track dried and qualifying got going again. Szegedy was granted a re-run by NASCAR and ended up qualifying 12th. Szegedy even joked about it afterwards saying "I used to like orange juice. Now it almost killed me."

Starting grid

Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Team Rensi Motorsports Ford
2 5 Kyle Busch (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
4 17 Matt Kenseth Reiser Enterprises Ford
5 21 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
6 20 Mike Bliss Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet
7 38 Kasey Kahne Akins Motorsports Dodge
8 60 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford
9 18 J. J. Yeley (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet
10 55 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet
11 32 David Stremme Braun Racing Dodge
12 7 Todd Szegedy NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
13 37 David Green* Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet
14 29 Ricky Craven Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
15 31 Todd Bodine Marsh Racing Ford
16 8 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet
17 9 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford
18 12 Tim Fedewa FitzBradshaw Racing Chevrolet
19 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Chevrolet
20 00 Jason Leffler Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet
21 50 Regan Smith Holigan Racing Chevrolet
22 74 Tony Raines* BACE Motorsports Chevrolet
23 22 Jason Keller ppc Racing Ford
24 27 Johnny Sauter* Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet
25 46 Ashton Lewis Lewis Motorsports Chevrolet
26 1 Jamie McMurray Phoenix Racing Dodge
27 99 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Chevrolet
28 66 Billy Parker (R) Rusty Wallace Inc. Dodge
29 2 Ron Hornaday Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30 14 Casey Atwood FitzBradshaw Racing Chevrolet
31 72 Kevin Lepage MacDonald Motorsports Chevrolet
32 36 Travis Geisler RCT Motorsports Chevrolet
33 59 Stacy Compton* ST Motorsports Ford
34 44 Justin Labonte Labonte Motorsports Dodge
35 4 Mike Wallace Biagi Brothers Racing Ford
36 49 Derrike Cope Jay Robinson Racing Ford
37 35 Kenny Hendrick Gary Keller Racing Chevrolet
38 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet
39 47 Robert Pressley ST Motorsports Ford
40 33 Clint Bowyer (R) Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet
41 10 Gus Wasson Davis Motorsports Chevrolet
42 39 Tina Gordon Jay Robinson Racing Ford
43 24 Steve Grissom GIC-Mixon Motorsports Chevrolet
Failed to Qualify, withdrew, or driver changes
44 88 Jeff Fuller NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
45 51 Blake Mallory Ware Racing Enterprises Chevrolet
46 91 Stanton Barrett Stanton Barrett Motorsports Chevrolet
47 77 Jimmy Kitchens Moy Racing Ford
48 07 Carl Long Moy Racing Ford
49 62 Larry Hollenbeck S.W.A.T. Racing Chevrolet
50 56 Kevin Conway Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet
Official Starting grid

* - Johnny Sauter, David Green, Stacy Compton, and Tony Raines all had to start at the rear of the field due to an engine change.

Race

Pole sitter Bobby Hamilton Jr. led the first lap of the race. The first caution did not take long as it came out on lap 2 when rookie Billy Parker crashed in turn 1. The race would restart on lap 6. On the restart, Kyle Busch took the lead from Hamilton Jr. Unfortunetly for Bobby Hamilton Jr., his engine would give out on lap 9 of the race which would end his chances of winning. On lap 40, Kyle Busch handed the lead to Matt Kenseth as he came in to pit. On lap 44, the second caution would fly for debris in turn 1. Robby Gordon won the race off of pit road and he led the field to the restart on lap 49. On lap 55, Matt Kenseth challenged Robby Gordon for the lead and led that lap but could not pass him. The third caution flew on lap 56 for debris. On lap 61, Matt Kenseth took the lead. On lap 63, the fourth caution flew when Todd Szegedy crashed in turn 2. The race would restart on lap 68. On lap 91, Matt Kenseth decided to pit early and handed the lead to Mike Bliss. On lap 115 during green flag pitstops, the 5th caution flew when Robert Pressley spun in turn 3. Michael Waltrip won the race off of pit road and he led the field to the restart on lap 124. On lap 125, Mike Bliss would retake the lead. On lap 129, the 6th caution flew for debris. Justin Labonte was the new leader and he led the field to the restart on lap 134. On lap 139, the 6th caution would fly when Regan Smith spun down the frontstretch.

Final laps

Kyle Busch would be the new leader and he led the field to the restart on lap 144. With 46 laps to go, J. J. Yeley took the lead from Busch. With 23 to go, Greg Biffle challenged Yeley for the lead and led that lap but couldn't pass Yeley. But with 21 to go, Biffle's waterline broke and his car got into his own water in turns 1 and 2 and slid up the track into the outside wall bringing out the 8th and final caution of the day. Many drivers pitted while some others stayed out including Mike Wallace, Justin Labonte, Robby Gordon, Jason Keller, Ashton Lewis, and Jeff Burton. Wallace led the field to the restart with 15 to go. Wallace got a sizeable lead over Labonte. Wallace was saving fuel as much as he could in order for him to win the race. Wallace was looking for his 2nd win in a row after he won last week at Daytona. If Wallace saves enough fuel he will win the race. Labonte was racing side by side with the lapped car in Tim Fedewa and was trying to get past him for a few laps. Eventually, Labonte would pass him and Labonte would start to close in on Wallace with around 10 to go. Wallace started slowing down a lot to save fuel until he saw Labonte in his review mirror and decided to push it with around 5 to go. Labonte stayed behind Wallace hoping Wallace would either slip up or run out of gas. One of which would eventually happen. Mike Wallace saved but did not save enough. As soon as they took the white flag when they crossed the start-finish line, Wallace's car started to slow down. Mike Wallace's car ran out of fuel after 70 laps since he last got it full giving the lead to Justin Labonte. Behind Labonte about a second back was Jason Keller. Labonte had plenty of fuel left and Justin Labonte would score his first ever victory in the Busch Series and Keller would finish in 2nd. Justin Labonte had no top 10 finishes in his first 30 starts in his Busch Series career from 1999-July 2004 and goes out and wins in his 31st start. Labonte's father Terry was there to celebrate with his son. Terry was proud with his son's first win calling it awesome. Justin Labonte would race full time in 2005 but only scored 2 top 10's and making 1 more start for Hendrick Motorsports in 2006 before deciding not to race in NASCAR again as he failed to make it to the Cup Series. Labonte's upset is still considered by some as one of the best upset victories in NASCAR history. Jeff Burton, Kasey Kahne, and Ashton Lewis rounded out the top 5 while Robby Gordon, Jason Leffler, David Green, J. J. Yeley, and Ron Hornaday would round out the top 10.

Race results

Pos Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Laps Led Status Points
1 44 Justin Labonte Labonte Motorsports Dodge 200 1 running 185
2 22 Jason Keller ppc Racing Ford 200 0 running 170
3 9 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 165
4 38 Kasey Kahne Akins Motorsports Dodge 200 0 running 160
5 46 Ashton Lewis Lewis Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 155
6 55 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet 200 14 running 155
7 00 Jason Leffler Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 146
8 37 David Green Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 142
9 18 J. J. Yeley (R) Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 200 25 running 143
10 2 Ron Hornaday Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 134
11 29 Ricky Craven Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 130
12 5 Kyle Busch (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 49 running 137
13 14 Casey Atwood FitzBradshaw Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 124
14 8 Martin Truex Jr. Chance 2 Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 121
15 4 Mike Wallace Biagi Brothers Racing Ford 200 18 running 123
16 17 Matt Kenseth Reiser Enterprises Ford 200 36 running 120
17 12 Tim Fedewa FitzBradshaw Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 112
18 99 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip Racing Chevrolet 199 6 running 114
19 27 Johnny Sauter Brewco Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 106
20 74 Tony Raines BACE Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 103
21 59 Stacy Compton ST Motorsprots Ford 198 0 running 100
22 72 Kevin Lepage MacDonald Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 97
23 36 Travis Geisler DCT Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 94
24 31 Todd Bodine Marsh Racing Ford 197 0 running 91
25 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 196 0 running 88
26 50 Regan Smith Holigan Racing Chevrolet 196 0 running 85
27 1 Jamie McMurray Phoenix Racing Dodge 196 0 running 82
28 24 Steve Grissom GIC-Mixon Racing Chevrolet 195 0 running 79
29 10 Gus Wasson Davis Motorsports Chevrolet 194 0 running 76
30 39 Tina Gordon Jay Robinson Racing Ford 192 0 running 73
31 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 188 0 engine 70
32 60 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 184 3 overheating 72
33 20 Mike Bliss Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 140 32 engine 69
34 32 David Stremme Braun Racing Dodge 125 0 vibration 61
35 47 Robert Pressley ST Motorsports Ford 123 0 engine 58
36 23 Kenny Wallace Bill Davis Racing Chevrolet 91 0 engine 55
37 66 Billy Parker (R) Rusty Wallace Inc. Dodge 64 0 crash 52
38 49 Derrike Cope Jay Robinson Racing Ford 60 0 engine 49
39 7 Todd Szegedy NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet 60 0 crash 46
40 35 Kenny Hendrick Gary Keller Racing Chevrolet 25 0 transmission 43
41 21 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 22 0 vibration 40
42 33 Clint Bowyer (R) Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 17 0 rear end 37
43 25 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Team Rensi Motorsports Ford 8 5 engine 39
Official Race results

References

  1. "2004 Tropicana Twister 300". Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2004.
  2. "Justin Labonte gets first Busch win". Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2004.
  3. "Inflatable orange halts qualifying". Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2004.
  4. "Justin Labonte's first win thrills father". Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2004.


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