Elliott Sadler's win at California in 2004 vaulted him into the inaugural Chase. Credit: Autostock

Enduring Performance: California Speedway

Elliott Sadler's victory in the 2004 Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway was his second of the season and clinched a berth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but the story of the race was more about where it didn't take place.

	Credit: Autostock
	Results 2004 Pop Secret 500 Pos. Driver Make 1. Elliott Sadler Ford 2. Kasey Kahne Dodge 3. Mark Martin Ford 4. Jamie McMurray Dodge 5. Ryan Newman Dodge • Complete results, click here

For the first time in NASCAR's history, the Labor Day weekend was not spent at historic Darlington Raceway, site of the Southern 500 since 1950.

Sadler only had one top-10 finish in six Southern 500s, but he was the class of the field when it counted at California. He led 59 laps, pulling away from Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin on two late restarts to win by .263 seconds.

"The cautions were definitely not helping me, but my car was unbelievable the last 10 laps," Sadler said.

While Sadler was celebrating in Victory Lane, Kahne and Martin couldn't complain, as their finishes vaulted them into the top 10 with one race remaining before the inaugural Chase.

The hard-luck loser was Brian Vickers, who won the pole and led 44 laps before fading to 13th.

In all, 28 cars remained on the lead lap at the end of 250 laps, or 12 more than would complete the entire 500-mile distance when the series returned to Darlington two months later for what would be the final Southern 500.

While the Nextel Cup stars shined in the spotlight an hour east of Hollywood, the Lady in Black was dark and deserted.

That fact wasn't lost on some of the competitors, like Kyle Petty, who had spent countless Labor Days either watching or driving at the Track Too Tough to Tame.

"When it comes ot pure stock car racing, the Southern 500 is our heart," Petty said. "Yeah, the dirt tracks and old bullrings were important, but Darlington is where we started. That's where superspeedway racing started.

"Good race car drivers won on the bullrings. Great race car drivers won the Southern 500."