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The Pepsi 400 is one of the biggest races on the Nextel Cup Series year in and year out and the 2005 edition is sure to be as exciting as last season’s Independence Day spectacle where Jeff Gordon held on to win over teammate Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gordon was on the pole to start the race and was the first winner from that position since Cale Yarborough in 1981. All four Hendrick Motorsports cars finished in the top 9 places with Gordon, Johnson, Terry Labonte (eighth) and rookie Brian Vickers (ninth) at Daytona International Speedway. This season’s edition of the Pepsi 400 will take place on July 2 nd at the Daytona and will be 160 laps on the 2 ½ mile oval. The Pepsi 400 is one of the races on the circuit that features restrictor plate driving, a device used to limit the speed of the cars at certain faster tracks. The late Dale Earnhardt Sr. was very much against restrictor plates, saying that a driver’s objective is to be the fastest, and that restrictor plates defeat the purpose of the sport itself, a sentiment many drivers tend to agree with. Another reason for the plates might be the fact the race tends to be run in the evening, and if driving at speeds in excess of 200 mph is dangerous during the day, it’s even more complicated under the stadium lights of Daytona. Past winners of the Pepsi 400 include Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr, all of whom should be prominently involved this season as well.
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