Highlights

SUBWAY 400 If only every race could have a finish like this. Matt Kenseth held off Kahne by .01 of a second to win the fourth-closest race in NASCAR history.

Surprise of the Year

ELLIOTT SADLER The talented Sadler, who was 22nd in points in '03, emerged as a star in '04 with two wins and eight top five finishes, finishing in ninth place overall. Just 29, the Yates driver looks like a Top 10 player for years to come.

BEHIND the Wall

On Oct. 12, the same day that NASCAR docked Dale Earnhardt Jr. 25 points for using profanity in a postrace interview, Junior celebrated his 30th birthday with a party in Charlotte. Among the guests was NASCAR president Mike Helton, the man who issued the penalty. Said Tony Stewart, who was also at the bash, "I'm surprised his invitation still held up. I can promise you that if it had been my case, he wouldn't have gotten in." ... University of Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith, his wife, Donna, and Nextel Cup driver Joe Nemechek have formed a Busch Series team that will begin racing in 2005. The three will own a car to be driven by 34-year-old Kentucky native Jamie Mosley.

The TOP GUNS

It was 10 divided by 10 in an all-out sprint for the championship

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

The NEXT 10

These guys proved there was life outside the Top 10