RACE DAY REPORT
UAW-CHRYSLER/DAIMLER 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2004

RUSTY GRABS ANOTHER TOP-10 FINISH AT LAS VEGAS

After yesterday's practice had concluded, Rusty and RWI chief aide Tom Polansky found their way up to the spotters' stand high above the track to take in the inaugural run of the RWI Busch Series team with driver Billy Parker. While Donnie Eppling served as the chief spotter, Rusty acted as a "coach" for the afternoon.

Even though Billy finished 28th in the race, Rusty was pleased with the overall first-time effort.

"It was a very promising day to say the least," Rusty told a group of sponsor representatives gathered in the back of the No. 2 transporter this morning prior to the 10:00 a.m. drivers' meeting. "We know that Billy can drive the wheels off the car and we just got set back by cautions coming at the wrong time and all. The guys will have to get better in the pits and they'll work hard on that. The car's in one piece and we all learned a lot, so I'd rate it a successful day overall."

That was yesterday and today it was back to business as usual, focusing on getting back to Victory Lane. Rusty had his game face on after the drivers' meeting and was ready for action long before the start of the race.

Pitting from the 14th spot up pit road, between the teams of Ward Burton and Johnny Benson, Rusty's "over-the-wall" squad was also pumped up and eager to get the race started.

The engines were fired at 11:54 a.m. and the field was rolling off pit road at 11:57 a.m. After three parade laps, the green flag flew at 12:01 p.m.

Kurt Busch grabbed the lead from pole-winner Kasey Kahne on the first lap, but Kahne was back up front and with a 2.3-second lead on Busch after 10 laps.

While Rusty was moving forward from the drop of the green, Newman's tight handling condition saw him fall back immediately from his fifth-place start. Gaughan was reporting a tight condition, " from the center of the turn out," and was getting coaching and spotting help from Buddy Baker and Roger Penske, viewing the race from high above.

At Lap 25, Kahne held a 0.7-second lead over second-place Jimmie Johnson, with Busch third, rookie Brian Vickers fourth and Tony Stewart fifth. Gaughan was running 10th, with Rusty up to 15th and Newman dropping to 24th.

Newman's tight condition continued to get worse and he finally hit pit road on Lap 31, thinking he had a flat tire. During the stop, his crew took several rounds of wedge out.

Gaughan had fallen to 20th on Lap 39 when the first yellow of the race flew for Scott Wimmer's blown engine. That put Newman a lap down to the leaders.

The ensuing pit stops saw Rusty take on four tires with a wedge and air pressure adjustment in 14.807 seconds. Johnson collided with another car when exiting his pits and did substantial damage to his car's front end.

For the Lap 46 restart, Kahne held the lead, with Busch, Stewart, Jamie McMurray and Elliott Sadler rounding out the top five. Rusty gained two spots under the stop and was up to 12th for the restart.

Kahne got a good jump at the green, but Stewart was the man on the move, as he got around the No. 9 Dodge for the lead on Lap 54.

"It's still too tight," Rusty radioed on Lap 58. "We're going to have to loosen it up some more."

Gaughan's water temp was up to near 260 degrees at Lap 65 and there was concern that he might cook his engine if the torrid pace continued.

At Lap 75, Stewart held a 1.1-second lead over Kahne, but it was Matt Kenseth the big mover as he was up to third and only 3.2-seconds back. Rusty had continued to move forward and was up to ninth.

Newman wanted a caution badly, but didn't plan on causing one when he spun in Turn 4 on Lap 86 to bring out the second yellow flag of the race.

Rusty's 16.352-second stop for four tires, fuel and wedge and air pressure adjustments dropped him back to 10th for the lap 93 restart. The caution allowed Gaughan's crew to address his overheating problem, but he was 27th and the final car on the lead lap for the restart. Newman was already a lap down and running in the 34th spot.

Even though Stewart got a good jump on the restart, Kenseth showed his muscle as he powered by to take the lead on Lap 95 and increased his lead to 3.1 seconds on Lap 107.

Rusty's adjustments picked his car up and he was back up to eighth at Lap 125.

Kenseth was flying up front and managed to lap Gaughan on Lap 127 and put Newman down a second lap one circuit later.

"It just doesn't have any grip - none at all," Newman radioed on Lap 130.

Rusty was running like a man on a mission as he passed Busch for the sixth spot on Lap 134 and appeared to be headed to the front. "You're running great lap times and you're faster than anybody out there except the leader," Larry radioed on Lap 136.

The following lap saw the third caution of the race fly - this when Jeff Green smacked the Turn 2 wall.

During the pit stops that followed on Lap 138, Rusty went with four tires and a track bar adjustment. A hung lugnut on the right rear slowed the stop to 17.016 seconds and saw Rusty drop to 10th for the Lap 143 restart.

Kenseth led, with Kevin Harvick up to second, Bobby Labonte third, Stewart fourth and Kahne fifth. Busch, Casey Mears, Sadler, Johnson and Rusty completed the top 10. Gaughan was 26th and running one lap down and Newman 29th and two laps down at the time.

While Kenseth got another great restart, the field was tightened again when Michael Waltrip crashed hard into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 164 after contact from Bill Elliott.

Rusty's Lap 168 pit stop was disastrous as the jack failed to get under the left side and that slowed the stop to 18.871 seconds. "This is killing me guys," he radioed. "I think we've taken so much wedge out that the car was too low to get the jack under," Larry explained.

The end result saw Rusty fall to 17th for the Lap 173 restart. Stewart, Kenseth, Labonte, Harvick and Busch made up the top five up front.

Kevin Lepage's blown engine on Lap 182 caused the fifth yellow and sent all the cars back to the pits for more service. While a few of the teams gambled with getting only right side tires, Rusty and crew went with four (in 15.022 seconds) and was 15th for the Lap 193 restart. Harvick held the lead, with Stewart second, Labonte third, Busch fourth and Mark Martin fifth.

Kenseth had fallen to seventh for the restart, but by Lap 200 he was back up to fourth when the sixth caution of the day flew for debris. Again the leaders hit pit road. This time Rusty's crew came through with a 14.099-second stop which put him back up to 12th for the Lap 207 restart.

Harvick held the lead, with Stewart second, Johnson third, Kenseth fourth and Busch fifth. Gaughan was 17th and the benefactor of the caution to get back in the lead lap. Newman was 27th and still two laps down to the leader.

Rusty reported that his car was a bit on the loose side on Lap 220, as Kenseth had moved back into second, running only 0.9 seconds behind leader Harvick. Kenseth used the low line to pass Harvick for the lead on Lap 230. His torrid pace saw him pass Gaughan again on Lap 242 to put the No. 77 car down a lap once again.

"Looks like some of these guys may not have the fuel to go the distance," Roger radioed to Rusty on Lap 245. "Just keep it up Rusty, you're doing a great job down there."

Roger's words were prophetic as several cars, including Harvick ran out of fuel in the closing laps. Kahne was making a last minute charge with three laps remaining as Harvick was forced to the pits for fuel. That moved Rusty back into the top 10.

At the stripe, it was Kenseth taking a 3.4-second victory over Kahne, with Stewart finishing third, McMurray fourth and Martin fifth. Sadler, Mears, Labonte, Busch and Rusty rounded out the top 10 finishers. Gaughan finished in the 22nd spot, while Newman was credited with a 27th-place finish.

"Guys, you did a helluva job giving me a great race car here today," Rusty radioed on the cool-down lap. "We just have to get better in the pits and you guys know that. If we keep having great cars like this and we can get better in the pits, we'll win some races, I'll guarantee you that."

"Driver, we're sorry we let you down here in the trenches today, but we'll get it fixed, I promise you that," Larry radioed back. "We'll either fix the problem or get somebody else who can."

Kenseth's second win in as many races sees him atop the point standings with 523 points. Stewart is second with 435, Sadler third with 405, Jeff Gordon fourth with 404 and Busch fifth with 400. Rusty is up to 12th in the standings with 356. Newman is 21st with 307 and Gaughan holds down the 23rd spot with 306 points.

The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series now heads back to the lightning-fast Atlanta Motor Speedway for next Sunday's 500-mile battle on that high-banked 1.5-mile track. FOX-TV and PRN Radio again provide live coverage of the race.

RUSTY WALLACE (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Intrepid)
"We pulled out a top-10 finish, but I think we really had a top-five car," Rusty said after the race back in the garage ares. "We just need to work on our pit stops. We got way behind on one of them today. The guys did a great job giving me a good car, but we've got to work on those pit stops. When we can get that turned around, if we keep having these great race cars, we're gonna win us some races, I guarantee you that."