Gateway International Raceway has been counting down the days to the Nationwide Series Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 on Saturday by looking back at past series events at the track in Madison, Ill.

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Truex Dominates Gateway with Win from the Pole

By Josh Weinrich

Gateway International Raceway has seen its fair share of young NASCAR stars compete at the 1.25-mile facility, but not in the quantity on display in 2004. Seven current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers were making their way through the Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series and stopped at Gateway on May 8, 2004. Eventual two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, J.J. Yeley, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann, Paul Menard, and Regan Smith were all in one of the most impressive fields to date at GIR.

Two present Sprint Cup stars went toe to toe in 2004 for the Busch Series title. Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch waged a spirited, year-long battle that propelled both drivers to the heights of the sport. Through nine races coming into the 250-miler at GIR, Truex had scored two wins at Bristol and Talladega and had four top-fives. Busch was still looking for his first career win in the series and had three top-fives and six top-tens. Busch, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, looked to keep pace with his Dale Earnhardt Jr.-/Teresa Earnhardt-owned Chance 2 counterpart.

Looking back on the seven previous Nationwide Series races at GIR, race winners had come back from as far as 18th position, where Dale Earnhardt Jr. started in 1998. Truex came to Gateway looking for his third win of the season and to make himself a serious title contender.

Truex took the pole by setting a then-track record and paced the practice sessions earlier in the day, elevating himself as the clear favorite when the race went green. Truex was challenged early on by second-place starter David Green, and Ron Hornaday, who led 52 laps over the course of the night. Truex’s machine was too strong and took control prior to the halfway point. As the race wore on, Truex’s #8 became more dominant and pulled away to win by 6.6 seconds, the largest margin of victory in GIR history. In the process, Truex led a race-high 123 laps and became the first and only driver to win at GIR from the pole. His owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., became the first and only person to win at Gateway as both a driver and an owner.

Along with Truex, Busch, Menard, Yeley, Boywer, and Reutimann were all making their first starts here. Clint Bowyer was sharing a Richard Childress Racing entry with two-time Gateway winner Kevin Harvick, finishing 12th in just his fourth series start. Reutimann was also running in the series on a part-time basis driving for Joe Nemecheck. Reutimann’s efforts earned him a ride with former three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip the following year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

One of the most consistent and successful drivers of all time in the Busch Series has found much success at GIR. Jason Keller scored his sixth-straight top-six finish at Gateway in 2004 by finishing third. Keller’s 2004 performance was his seventh top-six finish in his eight Gateway starts to that point.

See Keller, Bowyer, Reutimann and the rest of the NASCAR Nationwide Series this Saturday for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway. For tickets, call 866-35-SPEED or visit GatewayRaceway.com.

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