Yuji Takata takes on NASCAR.
Having moved to America for the 2003 racing season, Japanese racer Yuji Takata entered the ARCA series, a junior feeder series to NASCAR's top divisions. Backed by namesake company, Takata, Yuji Takata finished 18th in the final standings, crashing out of around half of the races and achieved a best finish of 12th at Salem. Nevertheless, Takata felt ready for the next step, the 2004 NASCAR Busch Series and began talking to some teams with the Takata company behind him to help sweeten the deal.
Contents
2004 Season
Off Season News
2004 will see the new 'Car of Tomorrow' make its debut, made mandatory for the Nextel Cup Series but optional for the Busch Series to help out the lesser funded teams. The COT is very much different to the traditional stock car concept seen previously in NASCAR taking a look that is much more authentic and true to the road car designs they are based from, a look very similar to that in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship. The change to was first announced back in the 2001 season in response to the fatal accident of Dale Earnhardt during the Daytona 500, the powers that be deciding a safer car design would be needed. The prototype COT design was released early on in the 2003 season with an emphasis on safety in mind. Since then NASCAR's top teams have been developing their own COTs to race in the 2004 season. But the American trio of Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet would no longer be alone as the new regulations had succeeded in attracting some foreign brands into the series.
Chevrolet will continue to fund three of their teams, each of which are building their own version of their new car, the Chevrolet SS, essentially a rebranded Holden VY Commodore. These three teams are Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Ford will fund two teams, Roush Racing and Robert Yates Racing, both building their own cars. Ford's new car is the Ford BA Falcon, similar to that seen in the Australian V8s. Hence with proven designs, Chevrolet and Ford are expected to have the early advantage.
Dodge will back Evernham Motorsports, the only team opting to build Dodge's new entry, the Dodge Stratus.
Audi will enter NASCAR for the first time with Richard Childress Racing with the Audi A6 C5.
Honda will enter with Penske Racing with the Honda Accord MK7.
Mercedes-Benz will enter with Chip Ganassi Racing with the C-Class W203.
Petty Enterprises will receive partial backing from BMW to build BMW M3 E46s.
Bill Davis Racing will receive partial backing from Mazda to build the Mazda 6.
Toyota, Hyundai and Nissan are reported to be considering an entry in future seasons.
In other news, the proposed 'Chase for the Cup' concept has been rejected and the conventional method for deciding the championship will be retained. Instead the a new points system will be adopted where only the top thirty finishers will score points. Finally drivers signed to full time drives in the Nextel Cup Series will be banned from competing in the Busch and Craftsman Truck series.
The Nextel Cup will also include a handful of flyaway races in Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, Japan and Australia.
The Busch Series still allowed the old NASCAR spec stock cars to be raced up until the end of the 2005 season. However these cars would be forced to carry ballast and run a smaller engine to prevent them from any performance advantage.
Constructor and Customer Teams
| Manufacturer | Constructor Team | Customer Team |
| Audi | Richard Childress Racing | Andy Petree Racing |
| BACE Motorsports | ||
| Brewco Motorsports | ||
| Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | ||
| Marsh Racing | ||
| PPI Motorsports | ||
| Richard Childress Racing | ||
| BMW | Petty Enterprises | BAM Racing |
| Curb Agajanian Racing | ||
| Petty Enterprises | ||
| Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chance 2 Motorsports |
| Dale Earnhardt Inc. | ||
| Fitz Bradshaw Racing | ||
| Michael Waltrip Racing | ||
| Joe Gibbs Racing | Dave Watson Racing | |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Lewis Motorsports | ||
| SCORE Motorsports | ||
| Hendrick Motorsports | Haas CNC Racing | |
| Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| MB2 Motorsports | ||
| NEMCO Motorsports | ||
| Morgan McClure Motorsports | Morgan McClure Motorsports | |
| Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | Akins Motorsports |
| Carl Long Racing | ||
| Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Foyt Racing | ||
| Tommy Baldwin Racing | ||
| Ultra Motorsports | ||
| Victory in Jesus Racing | ||
| Ford | Roush Racing | Biagi Brothers Racing |
| Mach One Inc. | ||
| PPC Racing | ||
| Roush Racing | ||
| ST Motorsports | ||
| Wood Brothers Racing | ||
| Robert Yates Racing | Hover Motorsports | |
| Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Team Rensi Motorsports | ||
| Honda | Penske Racing | Jasper Racing |
| Penske Racing | ||
| Rusty Wallace Inc. | ||
| Mazda | Bill Davis Racing | Arnold Motorsports |
| Bill Davis Racing | ||
| Mercedes-Benz | Chip Ganassi Racing | Braun Racing |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | ||
| Phoenix Racing |
Entry List
Nextel Cup
| Team | Car | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Earnhardt Inc. | Chevrolet VY SS | 1 |  John Andretti
|
1 |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr.
|
1 | ||
| 15 | Michael Waltrip
|
1 | ||
| Penske Team Honda | Honda Accord | 2 | Rusty Wallace
|
1 |
| 12 | Ryan Newman
|
1 | ||
| Jasper Racing (Penske) | 77 | Brendan Gaughan
|
1 | |
| Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | 4 | Kevin Lepage
|
1 |
| Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | 5 | Terry Labonte
|
1 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon
|
1 | ||
| 25 | Brian Vickers
|
1 | ||
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson
|
1 | ||
| Haas CNC Racing (Hendrick) | 0 | Ward Burton
|
1 | |
| Ford Roush Racing | Ford BA Falcon | 6 | Mark Martin
|
1 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle
|
1 | ||
| 17 | Matt Kenseth
|
1 | ||
| 97 | Kurt Busch
|
1 | ||
| 99 | Jeff Burton
|
1 | ||
| Dodge Evernham Motorsports | Dodge Stratus | 9 | Kasey Kahne
|
1 |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield
|
1 | ||
| Ultra Motorsports (Evernham) | 7 | Jimmy Spencer
|
1 | |
| MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | 10 | Scott Riggs
|
1 |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek
|
1 | ||
| Foyt Racing | Dodge Stratus | 14 | Larry Foyt
|
1 |
| Chevrolet Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet VY SS | 18 | Bobby Labonte
|
1 |
| 20 | Tony Stewart
|
1 | ||
| Wood Brothers Racing | Ford BA Falcon | 21 | Ricky Rudd
|
1 |
| Bill Davis Racing | Mazda 6 | 22 | Scott Wimmer
|
1 |
| 23 | Dave Blaney
|
1 | ||
| Audi Childress Racing | Audi A6 | 29 | Kevin Harvick
|
1 |
| 30 | Johnny Sauter
|
1 | ||
| 31 | Robby Gordon
|
1 | ||
| 33 | Mike Skinner
|
1 | ||
| PPI Motorsports | Audi A6 | 32 | Ricky Craven
|
1 |
| Ford Yates Racing | Ford BA Falcon | 38 | Elliott Sadler
|
1 |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett
|
1 | ||
| Ganassi Mercedes-Benz Racing | Mercedes-Benz C-Class W203 | 40 | Sterling Marlin
|
1 |
| 41 | Casey Mears
|
1 | ||
| 42 | Jamie McMurray
|
1 | ||
| Petty Enterprises | BMW M3 E46 | 43 | Jeff Green
|
1 |
| 45 | Kyle Petty
|
1 | ||
| BAM Racing | BMW M3 E46 | 49 | Ken Schrader
|
1 |
| Arnold Motorsports | Mazda 6 | 50 | Derrike Cope
|
1 |
| Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Audi A6 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine
|
1 |
| Hover Motorsports | Ford BA Falcon | 80 | Andy Hillenburg
|
1 |
| Phoenix Racing | Mercedes-Benz C-Class W203 | 09 | Johnny Benson Jr.
|
1 |
Busch Series
| Team | Car | Car Spec | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Davis Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 0 |  Yuji Takata
|
1 |
| 10 | Jason Schuler
|
1 | |||
| Phoenix Racing | Mercedes-Benz C-Class W203 | COT | 1 | Johnny Benson Jr.
|
1 |
| Audi Childress Racing | Audi A6 | COT | 2 | Ron Hornaday Jr.
|
1 |
| 21 | Clint Bowyer
|
1 | |||
| Biagi-Bros Racing | Ford BA Falcon | COT | 4 | Mike Wallace
|
1 |
| Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 5 | Kyle Busch
|
1 |
| Haas CNC Racing (Hendrick) | 00 | Jason Leffler
|
1 | ||
| Tommy Baldwin Racing (Evernham) | Dodge Stratus | COT | 6 | Paul Wolfe
|
1 |
| Chance 2 Motorsports (DEI) | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 8 | Martin Truex Jr.
|
1 |
| Fitz Bradshaw Racing | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 12 | Tim Fedewa
|
1 |
| 14 | Casey Atwood
|
1 | |||
| Day Enterprise Racing | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 16 | Justin Ashburn
|
1 |
| Chevrolet Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 18 | J.J. Yeley
|
1 |
| 20 | Mike Bliss
|
1 | |||
| PPC Racing | Ford BA Falcon | COT | 22 | Jason Keller
|
1 |
| Bill Davis Racing | Mazda 6 | COT | 23 | Kenny Wallace
|
1 |
| Mixon Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 24 | Mike Harmon
|
1 |
| Team Rensi Motorsports | Ford BA Falcon | COT | 25 | Bobby Hamilton Jr.
|
1 |
| Brewco Motorsports | Audi A6 | COT | 27 | Chase Montgomery
|
1 |
| 37 | David Green
|
1 | |||
| White Motorsports | Pontiac Firebird | NASCAR | 28 | Kim Crosby
|
1 |
| Braun Racing | Mercedes-Benz C-Class W203 | COT | 32 | David Stremme
|
1 |
| Andy Petree Racing | Audi A6 | COT | 33 | Paul Menard
|
1 |
| DCT Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 36 | Steve Grissom
|
1 |
| Akins Motorsports (Evernham) | Dodge Stratus | COT | 38 | Bill Elliott
|
1 |
| Jay Robinson Racing | Ford Taurus | NASCAR | 39 | Robby Benton
|
1 |
| 49 | Mark Green
|
1 | |||
| Curb Agajanian Racing (Petty) | BMW M3 E46 | COT | 43 | Josh Richeson
|
1 |
| Lewis Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 46 | Ashton Lewis Jr.
|
1 |
| ST Motorsports | Ford BA Falcon | COT | 47 | Robert Pressley
|
1 |
| 59 | Stacy Compton
|
1 | |||
| Rick Ware Racing | Dodge Charger | NASCAR | 51 | Kevin Conway
|
1 |
| 57 | Stan Boyd
|
1 | |||
| MacHill Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 56 | Regan Smith
|
1 |
| Ford Roush Racing | Ford BA Falcon | COT | 60 | Carl Edwards
|
1 |
| SWAT Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 62 | Larry Hollenbeck
|
1 |
| Mike Smith Racing | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 67 | C.W. Smith
|
1 |
| Markle Racing | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 68 | Rick Markle
|
1 |
| MacDonald Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 72 | Larry Gunselman
|
1 |
| BACE Motorsports | Audi A6 | COT | 74 | Damon Lusk
|
1 |
| Moy Racing | Ford Taurus | NASCAR | 77 | Donnie Neuenberger
|
1 |
| Benning Racing | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 84 | Norm Benning
|
1 |
| NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 87 | David Reutimann
|
1 |
| Pontiac Firebird | NASCAR | 88 | Wally Dallenbach Jr.
|
1 | |
| Stanton Barrett Racing | Pontiac Firebird | NASCAR | 91 | Stanton Barrett
|
1 |
| Sadler Brothers Racing | Ford Taurus | NASCAR | 95 | David Keith
|
1 |
| Chris Holles Motorsports | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 96 | Gus Wasson
|
1 |
| SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet VY SS | COT | 02 | Hermie Sadler
|
1 |
| Conz Racing | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR | 05 | Brian Conz
|
1 |
Season Calenders
Nextel Cup
| Date | Race | Track | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02/15/04 | Daytona 500
|
Daytona International Speedway | ||||
| 2 | 02/22/04 | Subway 250
|
North Carolina Speedway | ||||
| 3 | 02/29/04 |  Telcel Motorola 200
|
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | ||||
| 4 | 03/07/04 | UAW-Daimler Chrysler 300
|
Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||||
| 5 | 03/21/04 | Sebring 200
|
Sebring Raceway | ||||
| 6 | 03/28/04 | Food City 500
|
Bristol Motor Speedway | ||||
| 7 | 04/04/04 | Samsung / Radio Shack 300
|
Texas Motor Speedway | ||||
| 8 | 04/11/04 | Pepsi 300
|
Nashville Superspeedway | ||||
| 9 | 04/18/04 | Advance Auto Parts 250
|
Martinsville Speedway | ||||
| 10 | 04/25/04 | Aaron's 499
|
Talladega Superspeedway | ||||
| 11 | 05/09/04 |  Fosters 200
|
Oulton Park | ||||
| 12 | 05/30/04 | Coca-Cola 600
|
Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||||
| 13 | 06/06/04 | MBNA America 200
|
Dover International Speedway | ||||
| 14 | 06/13/04 | Pocono 250
|
Pocono Raceway | ||||
| 15 | 06/20/04 | Meijer 300
|
Kentucky Speedway | ||||
| 16 | 06/27/04 | Dodge / Save Mart 200
|
Sonoma Raceway | ||||
| 17 | 07/03/04 | Pepsi 400
|
Daytona International Speedway | ||||
| 18 | 07/11/04 | Tropicana 300
|
Chicagoland Speedway | ||||
| 19 | 07/18/04 |  NAPA Autoparts 200
|
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | ||||
| 20 | 07/25/04 | Siemens 300
|
New Hampshire Motor Speedway | ||||
| 21 | 08/01/04 | Elkhart Lake 200
|
Road America | ||||
| 22 | 08/08/04 | Brick Yard 400
|
Indianapolis Motor Speedway | ||||
| 23 | 08/15/04 | Sirius at the Glen
|
Watkins Glen International | ||||
| 24 | 08/22/04 | GFS Marketplace 300
|
Michigan International Speedway | ||||
| 25 | 08/28/04 | Sharpie 500
|
Bristol Motor Speedway | ||||
| 26 | 09/05/04 | Auto Club 300
|
California Motor Speedway | ||||
| 27 | 09/11/04 | Chevy Rock and Roll 250
|
Richmond International Raceway | ||||
| 28 | 09/19/04 |  Sandown 200
|
Sandown International Raceway | ||||
| 29 | 09/26/04 | Honda 200
|
Suzuka Circuit | ||||
| 30 | 10/10/04 | Banquet 300
|
Kansas Speedway | ||||
| 31 | 10/16/04 | UAW-GM Quality 300
|
Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||||
| 32 | 10/24/04 | Sam's Town 250
|
Memphis Motorsports Park | ||||
| 33 | 10/31/04 | Bass Pro Shops NBMA 300
|
Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||||
| 34 | 11/07/04 | Checker Auto Parts 250
|
Phoenix International Raceway | ||||
| 35 | 11/14/04 | Mountain Dew Southern 250
|
Darlington Raceway | ||||
| 36 | 11/21/04 | Ford 300
|
Homestead-Miami Speedway |
Busch Series
| Date | Race | Track | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02/14/04 | Hershey's Kisses 300
|
Daytona International Speedway | ||||
| 2 | 02/21/04 | Goody's Headache Powder 150
|
North Carolina Speedway | ||||
| 3 | 03/06/04 | Sam's Town 200
|
Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||||
| 4 | 03/20/04 | Sebring 100
|
Sebring Raceway | ||||
| 5 | 03/27/04 | Sharpie Professional 200
|
Bristol Motor Speedway | ||||
| 6 | 04/03/04 | O'Reilly 200
|
Texas Motor Speedway | ||||
| 7 | 04/10/04 | Pepsi 200
|
Nashville Superspeedway | ||||
| 8 | 04/17/04 | Martinsville 150
|
Martinsville Speedway | ||||
| 9 | 04/24/04 | Aaron's 312
|
Talladega Superspeedway | ||||
| 10 | 05/08/04 | Charter 150
|
Gateway Motorsports Park | ||||
| 11 | 05/16/04 | Mid-Ohio 100
|
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | ||||
| 12 | 05/23/04 | Goulds Pumps / ITT Industries 200
|
Nazareth Speedway | ||||
| 13 | 05/29/04 | Carquest Auto Parts 300
|
Charlotte Motor Speedway | ||||
| 14 | 06/05/04 | MBNA America 150
|
Dover International Speedway | ||||
| 15 | 06/12/04 | Sonoma 100
|
Sonoma Raceway | ||||
| 16 | 06/19/04 | Meijer 200
|
Kentucky Speedway | ||||
| 17 | 06/26/04 | Alan Kulwicki 200
|
Milwaukee Mile | ||||
| 18 | 07/02/04 | Winn-Dixie 250
|
Daytona International Speedway | ||||
| 19 | 07/10/04 | Tropicana 200
|
Chicagoland Speedway | ||||
| 20 | 07/24/04 | Siemens 200
|
New Hampshire Motor Speedway | ||||
| 21 | 07/31/04 | Goulds Pumps / ITT Industries Salute to the Troops 200
|
Pikes Peak International Raceway | ||||
| 22 | 08/07/04 | Kroger 200
|
Indy Raceway Park | ||||
| 23 | 08/14/04 | Zippo 100
|
Watkins Glen International | ||||
| 24 | 08/21/04 | Cabela's 200
|
Michigan International Speedway | ||||
| 25 | 08/27/04 | Food City 250
|
Bristol Motor Speedway | ||||
| 26 | 09/04/04 | Lime Rock 100
|
Lime Rock Park | ||||
| 27 | 09/11/04 | Emerson Radio 200
|
Richmond International Raceway | ||||
| 28 | 09/18/04 | Pocono 150
|
Pocono Raceway | ||||
| 29 | 10/02/04 | Starbucks 100
|
Portland International Raceway | ||||
| 30 | 10/09/04 | Mr. Goodcents 200
|
Kansas Speedway | ||||
| 31 | 10/16/04 | Mazda 100
|
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | ||||
| 32 | 10/23/04 | Sam's Town 150
|
Memphis Motorsports Park | ||||
| 33 | 10/30/04 | Aaron's 200
|
Atlanta Motor Speedway | ||||
| 34 | 11/06/04 | Basha's Supermarket 150
|
Phoenix International Raceway | ||||
| 35 | 11/13/04 | Bi-Lo 200
|
Darlington Raceway | ||||
| 36 | 11/24/04 | Ford 200
|
Homestead-Miami Speedway |
