RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Jeremy Mayfield won Saturday night's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
The Dodge driver crossed the finish line more than four seconds ahead of runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. The victory was Mayfield's first of the season and first since June 2000 at Pocono. It was his fourth career NASCAR win.
Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Mayfield and Ryan Newman clinched positions in NASCAR's new playoff format. The four drivers joined Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Elliott Sadler to make up the 10-driver field eligible for the 2004 Nextel Cup title.
Mayfield led the most laps (151), but he still needed help from the competition. He was sitting in second when leader Kurt Busch ran out of gas on lap 392 of 400.
