Subway 400

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The Subway 400 was the second race of the NASCAR Nextel Cup season until 2004, held a week after the Daytona 500. This 400 mile (644 km) annual race was sponsored by Subway and was held at North Carolina Speedway (The Rock) since 1966. From 1966 to 1995, a 500 mile (805 km) race was held; the race was initially known as the Carolina 500 (1966-1985), and then as the Goodwrench 500 (1986-1995). In 1996, the race was shortened to its current distance of 400 miles; the 400 mile race has been called the Goodwrench Service 400 (1996-1997), the KMart/Dura Lube 400 (1998-2001), and the Subway 400 (2002-2004.).

Until the 2004 Nextel Cup season, two annual races were held at Rockingham. After the 2003 season, the fall race (the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400) — which was held in November — was moved to California Speedway, to be held on the lucrative Labor Day weekend. This has displaced the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, which has been moved to November. This is part of the trend of less races being held in the southeast and a broader distribution across the United States.

The 2004 Subway 400 had one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history. Nextel Cup rookie, Kasey Kahne, in just his second series start, lost the race to Matt Kenseth by inches at the line. Sadly, this great image will be the last one ever seen at Rockingham. In 2005, the North Carolina Speedway will no longer be a part of NASCAR.