2004 Daytona 500

The 2004 Daytona 500 was held on February 15 at Daytona International Speedway. The race was the first in the Sprint/Nextel era. The race was televised by NBC, with Allen Bestwick, 1975 winner Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. calling the action for the second time, following their 2002 commentary.

Qualifying

Greg Biffle won his first career pole, but an engine change during Speedweeks sent him to the rear of the field. The inside column of cars all moved forward one row, promoting Gatorade 125 winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to the number one starting spot. Elliott Sadler won the second of Thursday's Gatorade 125s, holding off former 125 and 500 champion Sterling Marlin. Of the 45 cars entered, the two who failed to qualify were Kirk Shelmerdine, driving his own #72, and ARCA veteran Andy Hillenburg in one of Junie Donlavey's final attempts at entering a Cup car.

Top finishers, Gatorade 125s

Race One

1. 8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. 20-Tony Stewart
3. 42-Jamie McMurray
4. 15-Michael Waltrip
5. 99-Jeff Burton
6. 18-Bobby Labonte
7. 97-Kurt Busch
8. 77-Brendan Gaughan
9. 0-Ward Burton
10. 30-Johnny Sauter

Race Two

1. 38-Elliott Sadler
2. 40-Sterling Marlin
3. 48-Jimmie Johnson
4. 6-Mark Martin
5. 29-Kevin Harvick
6. 17-Matt Kenseth
7. 01-Joe Nemechek
8. 21-Ricky Rudd
9. 2-Rusty Wallace
10. 12-Ryan Newman

Race Summary

Before the start of the race, several cars dropped to the rear of the field. Engine changes sent polesitter Greg Biffle to the back, with Ryan Newman, Ricky Craven, and 1990 winner Derrike Cope. Rookie and Nextel Cup debutant Scott Riggs started his backup car from the back of the field as well.

Opening Laps

New 1st place starter Dale Earnhardt, Jr. led the opening laps. Championship hopeful Mark Martin, coming off a disappointing 2003 season, exited the race with a blown engine on Lap 8, causing the first yellow of the day. On Lap 26 his Roush Racing teammate Jeff Burton joined him in the garage, likewise with an engine failure. Kevin Harvick produced the first lead change of the season on Lap 30. 4 laps later, Derrike Cope spun the Germain Racing Dodge in Turn 4, collecting Scott Riggs and summoning the yellow flag. After the first round of pit stops, Tony Stewart led the field. He and Jimmie Johnson swapped the lead a few times while navigating lapped cars (most of whom were on the "tail-end" of the lead lap, given that the Cope/Riggs accident happened during pit stops) before Earnhardt Jr reclaimed the lead.

The Big One

On Lap 60 the third caution flag was displayed when Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Jeff Green crashed their Dodge Intrepids on the backstretch. After the restart, Stewart and Earnhardt Jr dueled each other for the lead until rookies Brian Vickers and Johnny Sauter got together exiting Turn 2. They collected several other cars, most notably 2001 and 2003 winner Michael Waltrip, who barrel-rolled 3 times. A brief delay was centered around whether or not to aright the overturned car before extricating the uninjured Waltrip. The wreck also involved John Andretti, Kevin Lepage, Terry Labonte, Johnny Benson, Scott Riggs, Ryan Newman, and the aforementioned Sauter who would continue, but Waltrip and Vickers were immediately finished, and Robby Gordon, Sterling Marlin, and Jamie McMurray retired their cars after making a very limited number of laps after repairs.

Long Green Flag Run

Jeff Gordon led the field at the Lap 81 restart, but the main combatants over the next 120 laps would be Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who combined to lead 101 of the final 116 laps. When the leaders pitted at Lap 137, rookie Johnny Sauter (5 laps down after accident damage) tried to pit with them, but had evident braking issues. He had to swerve to miss Kurt Busch (one lap down, after contact with Earnhardt Jr earlier in the race punctured a tire) and flew through the pitlane at over 100 miles per hour. Wisely, he did not try to stop in his stall, and came around the track to try again. His speeding penalty dropped him further back. During the final round of pit stops, with approximately 30 laps remaining, Bud Pole winner Greg Biffle tried to gain ground on the leaders at the pit entry, but was quite evidently faster than the pack of cars running at pit lane speed. He dropped behind them prior to pitting, but his speeding penalty dropped him out of the Top 10 and from contention for the win.

Run to the Finish

After the final pit stops, rookie Scott Wimmer of Bill Davis Racing led the field. The crew only changed right-side tires, elevating him from a likely 7th or 8th place finish to a chance to win. Unfortunately, he had no drafting parter and was caught up by the faster Stewart and Earnhardt with 25 laps to go. Earnhardt Jr passed Tony Stewart on Lap 181 and held him off in the remaining laps to win his first Daytona 500, six years to the day after his father won his first and only Daytona 500, and just three years after the Daytona 500 that took his life.

Results

1. 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Led 58 of 200 laps
2. 20- Tony Stewart, Led 98 laps
3. 22- Scott Wimmer*, Led 5 laps
4. 29- Kevin Harvick, Led 6 laps
5. 48- Jimmie Johnson, Led 16 laps
6. 01- Joe Nemechek
7. 38- Elliott Sadler
8. 24- Jeff Gordon, Led 8 laps
9. 17- Matt Kenseth, Led 2 laps
10. 88- Dale Jarrett
11. 18- Bobby Labonte
12. 16- Greg Biffle
13. 1- John Andretti, Led 1 lap
14. 41- Casey Mears
15. 23- Dave Blaney
16. 97- Kurt Busch, 1 Lap down
17. 0- Ward Burton, 1 Lap down
18. 21- Ricky Rudd, 1 Lap down
19. 77- Brendan Gaughan*, 1 Lap down
20. 5- Terry Labonte, 1 Lap down; Led 1 lap
21. 45- Kyle Petty, 1 Lap down; Led 5 laps
22. 33- Mike Skinner, 2 Laps down
23. 32- Ricky Craven, 2 Laps down
24. 7- Jimmy Spencer
25. 19- Jeremy Mayfield, 5 Laps down
26. 30- Johnny Sauter*, 7 Laps down
27. 09- Johnny Benson, 177 Laps (Accident Damage)
28. 14- Larry Foyt, 24 Laps down
29. 2- Rusty Wallace, 46 Laps down
30. 50- Derrike Cope, 47 Laps down
31. 12- Ryan Newman, 51 Laps down
32. 4- Kevin Lepage, 68 Laps down
33. 43- Jeff Green, 110 Laps (Accident Damage)
34. 10- Scott Riggs*, 109 Laps (Accident Damage)
35. 31- Robby Gordon, 78 Laps (Accident Damage)
36. 42- Jamie McMurray, 75 Laps (Accident Damage)
37. 40- Sterling Marlin, 75 Laps (Accident Damage)
38. 15- Michael Waltrip, 70 Laps (Accident)
39. 25- Brian Vickers*, 70 Laps (Accident)
40. 49- Ken Schrader, 59 Laps (Accident)
41. 9- Kasey Kahne*, 42 Laps (Engine Failure)
42. 99- Jeff Burton, 25 Laps (Engine Failure)
43. 6- Mark Martin, 7 Laps (Engine Failure).

Failed to qualify

• 72- Kirk Shelmerdine
• 90- Andy Hillenburg

Stat Wrap

• Time of the Race: 3 hours, 11 minutes, 53 seconds (22 minutes, 58 seconds longer than Buddy Baker's 1980 record)
• Average Speed: 172.284mph (Baker's record: 177.602 mph)
• Cautions: 4 for 23 laps; Laps 8-11 (oil from Martin's blown engine), Laps 34-38 (Cope, Riggs Turn 4 accident), Laps 60-64 (Green, Schrader, Wallace backstretch accident), Laps 72-80 (Andretti, Benson, R.Gordon, T.Labonte, Lepage, Marlin, McMurray, Newman, Riggs, Sauter, Vickers, Waltrip backstretch accident).
• Lead Changes: 26 among 10 drivers; Earnhardt Jr (1-29) Harvick (30-35) Stewart (36-39) Johnson (40-41) Stewart (42-43) Johnson (44-52) Earnhardt Jr (53-58) Stewart (59) Earnhardt Jr (60) Stewart (61-71) Earnhardt Jr (72) Petty (73-77) J.Gordon (78-84) Stewart (85-104) Johnson (105-107) Kenseth (108) Andretti (109) Stewart (110-136) J.Gordon (137) Kenseth (138) Johnson (139) T.Labonte (140) Stewart (141-168) Earnhardt Jr (169) Johnson (170) Wimmer* (171-175) Stewart (176-180) Earnhardt Jr (181-200).
• Led the Most Laps: Tony Stewart, 97 of 200 laps
• Cars running at the finish: 31
• Rookie of the race: Scott Wimmer
• Dale Earnhardt Jr's win was the 3rd for DEI.
• Earnhardt is the most recent driver from North Carolina, and from traditional "NASCAR Country", to win the Daytona 500.
• For the third year in a row, the Pole winner did not lead a lap.
• Nextel Cup debut for Brendan Gaughan, Kasey Kahne, and Scott Riggs.
• Final Daytona 500 for Johnny Benson, Derrike Cope, 2002 winner Ward Burton, Ricky Craven, Larry Foyt, & Jimmy Spencer.

• Detailed Results