 | | Jimmie Johnson has given Chevrolet five victories so far this season. Credit: Autostock |
By Lee Montgomery, NASCAR.COM
October 18, 2004
11:17 AM EDT (15:17 GMT)
CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson's victory Saturday night in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway clinched the manufacturers' championship for Chevrolet. Chevrolet has won 18 of the 31 races and has led more than half of the laps run in 2004.  |  | UAW-GM Quality 500 | |
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The championship is Chevrolet's 28th and 24th in the modern era, which began in 1972. "Being a Chevrolet dealer and racing Chevrolets all the way, GM in Detroit puts an awful lot of emphasis on winning that deal," said Rick Hendrick, Johnson's car owner. "To clinch it tonight with us doing it is really special for me." Hendrick drivers have won 10 races this year, with Johnson and Jeff Gordon winning five apiece. When Johnson was 16, Chevrolet signed him to its off-road program and helped guide his career through ASA, the Busch Series and finally to Nextel Cup. "Last year I think I won their 400th win, and that was very special for me with the history I've had with Chevrolet," Johnson said. "And then to be able to win the race and clinch the manufacturers' cup for them this year is just really cool for me." A week after a good call by crew chief Ryan Pemberton helped Joe Nemechek win last weekend at Kansas Speedway, another good call helped Nemechek finish fifth at Lowe's Motor Speedway. |  | | Joe Nemechek won last weekend at Kansas and finished fifth Saturday at Lowe's. Credit: Autostock |
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Under the race's penultimate caution, Pemberton decided to change only two tires, while all the other leaders changed four. Nemechek was 13th before the caution but got the lead with Pemberton's call. "This was Ryan Pemberton's day here," Nemechek said. "He made a good call and we got two tires there and track position. We were stuck back there in about 10th or 12th spot and we couldn't go. He called two tires. I said, 'Man, I don't know about that.' But the call was pretty good. "I was a little bit too tight in the middle to hold off Kurt Busch there. He raced me hard. He raced me clean. I gave him room and we came home fifth. We'll take that. It's been two really good weeks." Only Kurt Busch had scored more points than Jamie McMurray over the last 10 races, as McMurray had finished in the top 10 in eight of those events. |  | | Jamie McMurray has 19 top-10 finishes so far this season. Credit: Autostock |
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On Saturday night, McMurray had another top-10, finishing eighth in a backup car. "We had to unload a backup car and only got about 30 minutes of practice in it," McMurray said. "We didn't have a lot of time in it, but it ran really well. "We kept adjusting on it all night, and we never did get it exactly right. We fought time and fought loose and fought grip. I would be disappointed, but for a backup car, I'm pretty happy. "It's cool getting all these top-10 finishes. I can finish fourth to ninth. Those guys did a lot of work on this car the last couple of days, so that's somewhat rewarding." McMurray, who has 19 top-10s in 2004, held on to 11th in the Nextel Cup standings, 74 points ahead of 12th-place Dale Jarrett. Rusty Wallace's strong run ended when he ran into a spinning Gordon on Lap 77. Wallace had moved from his 14th starting spot to run easily in the top 10. |  | | Rusty Wallace plows into Jeff Gordon on Lap 77 in Saturday's race. Credit: CIA Stock Photo |
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"The spotter yelled, 'Go low,'" Wallace said. "I went low. I thought (Gordon) was going to slide up the racetrack. Instead he hooked and came flying back around the bottom and there was nowhere to go. It's just too bad. "It was flying. I loved the way it handled. It was running perfect. This is just a crying shame right here. I knew last night when I parked it (early) after Happy Hour that it was going to be good." Casey Mears had words with Robby Gordon after the race, upset that Gordon ran into him before a restart. |  | | Casey Mears |
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"At the end, our only shot to get back for a lucky dog, I don't know what Robby Gordon was thinking at all," Mears said. "I was second in line to get up front, and he just decided he deserved to be there more than I did. He just KO'd the left side of my car. He stood on the gas and just ran right into the side of the car. "We put ourselves in that position to begin with, so I guess you can't be too upset." Mears struggled most of the night and ended up 20th, three laps down, after starting third. He said the situation with Gordon was not resolved. "Absolutely not," Mears said. "I guess he just thought he needed it a lot more than I did." Brian Vickers tested the SAFER barrier on the front straightaway with a wicked crash on Lap 24. Vickers lost control while battling Robby Gordon, swerved and slammed the outside wall. |  | | Brian Vickers said he thought maybe he shouldn't have tried to save his car in this wreck. Credit: Autostock |
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"I was just trying to save the car, and I probably should have just spun it out and went through the grass, if I have to do it over again," Vickers said. "But it didn't work out. It finally caught and went the wrong direction. With the SAFER barrier there, it really wasn't that hard of a hit. I haven't seen the replay. It probably looked worse than it was." Evernham Motorsports and officials of The Stanley Works announced Saturday that Stanley Tools would be the primary sponsor of Bill Elliott's Dodge in four Nextel Cup races next season. The program also includes Stanley as an associate sponsor on both Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne's Dodges for 2005. "Bill will run at California, Texas, Indy and Charlotte," Evernham said. "Right now we've got six for sure for Bill, and we're going to be making an announcement in November for the other two. We're shooting for 10-12, and we're getting close. My plan is to grow the 91 into a full-time team, probably one step at a time. I think 12-15 races would be maximum (in 2005). Tyson Foods will help determine the best pit crew and the best individuals among the NASCAR crews in separate contests in 2005. The National Pit Crew Championship will pit the top 30 Nextel Cup and the top 10 Busch Series competing against one another in four rounds of pit stops, culminating in the final May 9. Additionally, 35 Nextel Cup crew chiefs and car chiefs, a four-judge panel, Tyson officials and fans via the Internet will vote on the top individual positions among Nextel Cup crews in the National Motorsports Team of the Year. | | CHASE FOR THE NEXTEL CUP | |
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Fifteen positions will be honored, including crew chief, car chief, engine builder, front and rear tire changers, etc. Each crew member will be judged on performance, leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship and will be judged on individual performance and not on their team's efforts. The voting will be done in five segments, with the last Nov. 15, when the top three positions will be finalized. The pit crew competition will be held at the Pit Instruction and Training facility in Mooresville, N.C. It will be televised by SPEED Channel. Unlike the previous pit crew competition, which was held in Rockingham, N.C., each pit crew won't use its own cars. Instead, it will use its own air guns and jacks on four identically prepared cars provided by the facility. The first stage will feature 10 rounds of four crews each, with the second four rounds of three cars, and the third stage two rounds of two cars. The final will pit the last two crews, with the winner getting $100,000 and second-place getting $25,000. Additionally, a bonus round will be held among the top three finishes and a wild-card team, and if any team can beat the average of the top 10 best stops in the entire competition by 1.5 seconds, that crew will win $500,000. | 
