2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series

The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season began on Saturday, February 12 and will end on Sunday, November 20. The Chase for the Nextel Cup will begin with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18.

Tony Stewart was the dominant driver going into the 2005 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, with five wins going into the final ten races. Going into the final race before the Chase for the Cup, had amassed a 209 point lead over his nearest competitor, Greg Biffle. (Although, points are reset going into the Chase for the Cup.) Nevertheless, the race to be a part of the Chase for the Cup was especially tight. Going into the final race before the Chase, ten racers were still mathematically contending for the final four spots in the Chase for the Cup and only one point seperated Jamie McMurray in 10th from Ryan Newman in 11th. In the end, the ten racers who qualified for the Chase for the Cup were:

Tony Stewart (3716)
Greg Biffle (-185)
Rusty Wallace (-304)
Jimmie Johnson (-316)
Kurt Busch (-412)
Mark Martin (-443)
Jeremy Mayfield (-488)
Carl Edwards (-602)
Matt Kenseth (-602)
Ryan Newman (-661)

Overall, however, Roush Racing was the dominant team going into the Chase for the Cup with five of the ten final racers from their team (Biffle, Busch, Martin, Edwards and Kenseth).

The 2005 season is the first year of competition for the Dodge Charger, which is replacing the Dodge Intrepid, a model that Dodge dropped for the 2005 model year. The change did little to improve Dodge's fortunes as a distant third manufacturer in NASCAR Nextel Cup behind Ford and Chevrolet. In 2004 with the Intrepid, Dodge won 4 of 36 races. In 2005 with the Charger, Dodge has won only three races after 32. (However, the Charger was much more of a success in the Busch Series, winning 10 of 32.)

The 2005 season is the final year for the Ford Taurus, which will be replaced by the Ford Fusion in the 2006 season. In addition, two prominent drivers announced that this would be their final season in NASCAR: Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace. Since, however, Martin has announced that he will return for another season due to the inavailibility of a driver for next year.

Perhaps the biggest controversy prior to the season involved the elimination two races: one at Darlington and another at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham. The eliminated Rockingham race thereby ends NASCAR's 38-year association with Rockingham. The races were replaced by new races at Texas and Phoenix.

Budweiser Shootout

On February 12, at the Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson took this 70-lap night-time exhibition race from Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon.

Top Ten Results

Gatorade Duel

The main story out of the Gatorade Duel was a racing accident between Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick, which turned into a minor feud. Michael Waltrip won race one and Tony Stewart won race two, where the controversial incident took place.

Race One Top Ten

Race Two Top Ten

Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 was held on February 20th at the Daytona International Speedway. The Grand Marshall was Matthew McConaughey. Dale Jarrett started on pole, but lost the first lap to Jimmie Johnson, and fell back down the field after a small bump from behind from Dale Earnhardt, Jr..

The first caution flag came out on the fifteenth lap, halfway through the first fuel run, when Bobby Labonte's engine blew up. Tony Stewart had been leading for 11 laps. Scott Wimmer, who had only changed two tires, led after the caution.

The second caution came out on lap 28 when Ricky Rudd spun in the middle of the field while Michael Waltrip was leading, collecting five cars. On lap 36, Matt Kenseth, one of the pre-race favorites, in trouble with a smoking exhaust, pitted under green.

On lap 61 was the start of a series of green flag pitstops, with the Dodges coming in first as they did not get as good fuel mileage as others. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was pushed by Jeff Burton coming into his pitstop, and had to back up to get out after his tires were changed, causing him to drop down the field. There were about 7 speeding violations on pit road during this round of pit stops, most notably Jimmie Johnson. Once the green flag pitstops cycled through on lap 64, Jeff Gordon had the lead.

Debris on the racetrack saw the third caution come out on lap 86, with Jeff Gordon still in the lead. Tony Stewart led on the restart, and was also leading at halfway and at the point of the fourth caution, for debris, on lap 105.

Around lap 137 there was another cycle of green flag pitstops, with Tony Stewart retaining the lead, before the fifth caution came out on lap 144 and the sixth caution on lap 155. Michael Waltrip caused the seventh caution, which caused him to leave the race and led to another round of pitstops on lap 164. Jason Leffler and Kyle Busch came together on pit road, dropping them both well down the field.

With 32 laps to go John Andretti, running three wide, and following a group of cars going four wide, crashed and turned into Jason Leffler, putting Leffler out of the race and bringing up the eighth caution, with Tony Stewart still in the lead.

Tony Stewart is the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1981/2 to lead the most laps in two consecutive Daytona 500s.

The 'big one', the nickname for massive accidents that are frequent at restrictor-plate tracks, occurred on lap 184, when Greg Biffle turned in to Scott Riggs, collecting 11 cars total and which saw Scott Wimmer's car roll 4 times and spin on its nose, brought out the ninth caution. Only some cars chose to pit, with Stewart and others remaining out. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, who had languished in midfield for the earlier part of the race, was now up to third.

On the restart on lap 187, John Andretti drove straight into Mike Skinner as part of a chain reaction crash involving eight or so cars to bring out an immediate tenth caution. This accident was likely due to somebody ahead of them (or Skinner himself) missing a shift on the restart.

The race restarted with 6 laps to go. With 5 laps to go, Earnhardt, Jr briefly took the lead. Tony Stewart retook it the next lap, then with him and Earnhardt racing side by side, Earnhardt managed to regain the lead. Then Gordon passed Stewart then Earnhardt before the eleventh caution came out with 3 laps to go.

The race length of 500 miles (200 laps) was run under yellow, so a green-white-checkered finish was in order. The race restarted on lap 202 with 2 to go. Despite much activity behind him Jeff Gordon was able to hold on to win from Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt, Jr..

Top Ten Results

Auto Club 500

The Auto Club 500 is run over 250 2-mile laps on a D oval at California Speedway, Fontana.

Magic Johnson invited the drivers to start their engines, and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger waved the green flag, which was taken by 19-year-old Kyle Busch. Busch became the youngest driver to ever take the green flag on pole position. Busch was still leading after the first lap, with Brian Vickers in second place.

Before the race, Greg Biffle had promised to reporters and commentators that he would have the lead within 5 laps. He also happened to promise to win the race.

Greg Biffle took the lead in only 4 laps, followed by Matt Kenseth in second place, and Biffle was still in the lead after 26 laps, when Bill Elliott went into the wall. Biffle was immediately overtaken by Matt Kenseth after the restart. Dale Earnhardt, Jr pitted on lap 38, going down a lap, with problems on his left front tire. Carl Edwards took over the lead around lap 46.

On lap 59, Earnhardt - already a lap down has another problem with his left front tire - debris brings out caution a lap later. Ultimately Earnhardt would end up 13 laps behind. Edwards was still in the lead when the caution came out. At the restart at end of lap 66, Kenseth was in the lead, Edwards retook it within a lap, with Kenseth recapturing it at lap 70.

Green flag pitstops started on lap 105. However, on lap 107, well before the green flag pitstops have cycled, a caution came out for debris. Joe Nemechek led on the restart on lap 116. Dave Blaney hit the wall on lap 143 leading to the third caution, with Nemechek still leading over Johnson. At the restart on lap 151, Nemechek was leading from Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson with 26 cars on the lead lap. Within a lap Johnson was second.

Another caution came out on lap 161 when Kasey Kahne went into the wall. At the restart Johnson led over Nemechek, but after a three-car tussle for the lead, Nemechek lead on lap 166. However, Nemechek's success was short-lived: around lap 180, engine problems saw him fall down the leader board and he had to retire. Edwards took over the lead. Harvick then took over with about 55 laps to go.

With 48 laps to go Jamie McMurray’s engine blew, bringing out the 6th caution, and when the green came out with 41 laps to go, Harvick was leading in front of Kenseth and Gordon. With 34 laps to go, the 7th caution came out because Jason Leffler was in trouble. Most of the leaders pitted, but cars that stayed out took the first six places on the restart, led by Kurt Busch. The race restarted with 29 laps to go.

With 25 laps to go, Busch and Biffle pulled out into a 2 second lead, vying together for first place. Greg Biffle finally retook the lead on lap 228 and kept it to win the race ahead of Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch, with only 0.525 of a second separating the top three men.

Top Ten Results

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 is run over 267 laps of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ryan Newman started on pole. Greg Biffle soon took over. The first caution came out on lap 12. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. touched Brian Vickers coming into turn 1. Bobby Labonte and Ricky Rudd were also involved. All four cars left the race. On the restart on lap 20, Kurt Busch was in the lead, with Greg Biffle again taking over son after.

Ryan Newman then got up to within 0.5 seconds of Greg Biffle, and that position remained for a long run under green, which ended on lap 59 when Robby Gordon's engine blew up bringing out the second caution. Sterling Marlin stayed out to lead a lap, but at the restart Travis Kvapil led over Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle in second and third respectively. Shortly after the restart, on lap 65, a crash involvign Matt Kenseth nudged the back of Elliott Sadler's car, bringing out the third caution. Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart were also involved, though Stewart's car only received minor damage.

The restart came on lap 70, with the field led by Ryan Newman, Travis Kvapil, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle. Around lap 77, Matt Kenseth went a lap down after a tyre went down as a result of his touching Sadler a few laps back.

Lap 86 saw the fourth caution after Jason Leffler, trying to get onto pit road, was nudged by Ken Schrader. Most drivers pitted, with Kasey Kahne ending up in the lead from Newman and Kvapil. Kurt Busch was leading from Johnson and Biffle when the sixth caution came out around lap 126. An error in the pits, however, saw Kvapil drop down the field to 23rd place.

Jimmie Johnson took over the lead around lap 147. On lap 175, the race-record seventh caution came out for debris, with Johnson still in the lead. Newman took the green from Johnson, Busch and Biffle. Trouble happened when Scott Riggs bringing out the eighth caution with 74 laps to go, with Elliott Sadler getting the free pass.

Newman, Johnson and Nemechek led at the restart, with Johnson swiftly regaining the lead. Debris brought out yet another caution with 62 laps to go. Newman and Johnson battled for the lead on the restart. With 44 to go Hermie Sadler crashed into a wall inside the track bringing out yet another caution with Johnson leading over Gordon. The battle resumed with 39 laps left. Newman got into the back of Grodon with 34 laps to go, which caused them to lose 3 positions.

With 15 to go, Jimmie Johnson had got a 1.5 second lead over Kyle Busch, who was 5 seconds ahead of Kurt Busch. An error by Johnson lost him 0.8 seconds, but he then extended his lead again, and he won from Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch.

Top Ten Results

Golden Corral 500

The Golden Corral 500 was held on March 20th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Carl Edwards won the race, edging out driver Jimmie Johnson. Johnson switched the lead with Greg Biffle for most of the race.

Top Ten Results

Food City 500

The Food City 500 was held on April 3rd at Bristol.

Top Ten Results

Advance Auto Parts 500

The Advance Auto Parts 500 was held on April 10th at Martinsville.

Jeff Gordon won the race. He rallied from 3 laps down to win his sixth victory at Martinsville and his 71st career victory. Kasey Kahne was the runner-up and Mark Martin finished third.

Top Ten Results

Samsung/Radio Shack 500

The Samsung/Radio Shack 500 was held on April 17th at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Greg Biffle had a dominating performance, leading 219 of 334 laps, en route to victory. Jamie McMurray was second and Jimmie Johnson third.

Top Ten Results

Subway Fresh 500

The Subway Fresh 500 was a night race held on April 23rd at Phoenix International Raceway. This race was the first of two races held at Phoenix for the 2005 Nextel Cup season after only running one race in previous years.

Kurt Busch won the race. Michael Waltrip was the runner-up, leading a DEI resurgence. Jeff Burton finished third.

Top Ten Results

Aaron's 499

The Aaron's 499 was held on May 1st at Talladega.

Jeff Gordon won his third race of the year leading a dominating 139 of 194 laps for his 72nd career [Nextel Cup] win, winning 4 of his last 5 restrictor plate races, holding off Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip during a green-white-checkered finish. Notable events during the race:

Lap 132: The "Big One" strikes, with 25 cars involved in a wreck, when Mike Wallace, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. get together. Jeff Hammond's damage estimate: $8 million.(Note: 25 is not the record, missed the track record of 27 cars on April 8th, 2003 by 2, and the all-time record, a 37-car crash in the February 13, 1960 Daytona 500 by 12.)

Lap 186: 6 car crash, taking out a few of the leaders that had not been involved in the prior crash.

Scheduled distance: 188 laps. (501 mi, 807 km) Actual distance: 194 laps. (517 mi, 833 km)

Top Ten Results

Dodge Charger 500

The Dodge Charger 500 was held on May 7th at Darlington Raceway and was the first nighttime race held at the track. The race also broke two NASCAR traditions by being the only race held at Darlington in 2005 and by running the race on Mother's Day weekend.

Greg Biffle led a race-high 176 of 370 laps en route to his third Nextel Cup victory of 2005. With four laps to go, Biffle's Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin spun out (sliding into the apron)trying to pass third-place runner and pole-sitter Kasey Kahne. Biffle took two tires on his final pit stop, while race leader Ryan Newman and Ken Schrader stayed out. He passed both of them on a green-white-checkered restart after they spun their tires. Jeff Gordon finished second, followed by Kahne, Martin, and Newman, who fell back three spots in two laps. Schrader finished in 18th position.

Scheduled distance: 367 laps. (500.322 mi, 805.26 km.) Actual distance: 370 laps. (505.42 mi, 813.4 km.)

Top Ten Results

Chevy American Revolution 400

The Chevy American Revolution 400 was a night race held on May 14th at Richmond International Raceway.

Points leader Jimmie Johnson spun out and hit the wall on lap 81 and did it again while coming to pit road. He ended up finishing 40th and losing valuable ground in the points standings. Teammate Jeff Gordon had similar problems on lap 165 and ended up finishing 39th and losing second place in the standings to Greg Biffle. Kasey Kahne led 242 of 400 laps and pulled away from Tony Stewart in the closing laps to win his first Nextel Cup race in 47 starts, followed by Ryan Newman, rookie Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick. After winning this race, Kahne ended up accomplished several tasks during the weekend. He moved up four spots in the standings to 15th position, won the pole for this race and the Busch Series race the day before, was the first driver to win in the new Dodge Charger in 2005, was the final driver to qualify for the Nextel All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and gave Evernham Motorsports its second consecutive win at Richmond after Jeremy Mayfield's victory in September 2004.

Top Ten Results

Nextel All-Star Challenge

The Nextel-All Star Challenge was a non-points night race held on May 18th at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The 90-lap race was divided into three segments with the final paying the most money. Also, the top six finishing cars from the first segment were inverted for the second segment. About half of the field was taken out of the race at lap 35 when Tony Stewart ran into the back of Joe Nemechek which caused an incident in the infield between Nemechek and Kevin Harvick. Mark Martin won this race driving a special "retro" paint scheme that featured the old Valvoline colors but with Viagra as the sponsor. Ironically, his previous All-Star victory was in 1998 when Valvoline was his primary sponsor. Elliott Sadler finished in second place. The rest of the top-5 were Nextel Open winner Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson, who are all teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. Martin Truex, Jr. was chosen in an internet fan poll as the final entrant for the event.

In the Nextel Open qualifying race, Vickers spun out leader Mike Bliss on the last lap just before the start/finish line to win the event. Bliss was visibly upset.

Nextel Open Top Ten Results

Nextel All-Star Challenge Top Ten Results

Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600 was a night race held on May 26th at Lowe's Motor Speedway, which was the fourth consecutive night race for Nextel Cup in May 2005. This race had 22 caution flags which broke the previous record of 20 held by Bristol Motor Speedway. There was also one red flag which set up the final restart of the night. After approximately 5 1/2 hours of racing, Jimmie Johnson passed Bobby Labonte at the start/finish line on the final lap to win his third straight Coca-Cola 600. The rest of the top-5 were Carl Edwards, Jeremy Mayfield, and Ryan Newman with notable mention given to Ken Schrader in 9th, his second top ten of 2005 which has spearheaded his recent boon to 26th in the points standings.

Top Ten Results

MBNA RacePoints 400

The MBNA RacePoints 400 was held on June 5 at Dover International Speedway.

Since rain washed out qualifying for the event, the race lineup was determined by the point standings, Jimmie Johnson was on the pole. The MBNA RacePoints 400 had 7 cautions for a total of 33 laps of the 400 completed. The drama began early when on lap 41 an unintentional spin of Jeff Gordon by Tony Stewart brought out the third caution. This ended Jeff Gordon's day with a DNF, which also collected Ricky Rudd. At this point in the race Kyle Busch is the leader. Just 11 laps later on lap 52, Bobby Labonte incurs another DNF with a blown engine. On lap 145 Kyle Busch reclaims the lead from race leader Elliott Sadler. On lap 285, the last caution of the race is brought out after Kasey Kahne hits the wall, and after pitting Greg Biffle takes the lead. On lap 374, the first in a series of green flag pit stops takes place. Greg Biffle takes 4 tires on lap 375 while Jimmie Johnson pits for right sides only on lap 384. At the finish of the race, Greg Biffle collects his 4th victory of the season, and had his only accident of the race during his burnout celebration.

Top Ten Results

Pocono 500

The Pocono 500 was held on June 12 at Pocono Raceway.

The victor was Carl Edwards.

Top Ten Results

Batman Begins 400

The Batman Begins 400 was held on June 19 at Michigan International Speedway.

The victor was Greg Biffle.

Top Ten Results

Dodge/Save Mart 350

The Dodge/Save Mart 350 was held on June 26 at Infineon Raceway.

The victor was Tony Stewart.

Top Ten Results

Pepsi 400

The Pepsi 400 was held on July 2 at Daytona International Speedway.

After a two and a half hour rain delay, the Pepsi 400 finally started, but under a green-yellow start. This start was to allow the cars to dry the track where the jet-dryers could not, mostly in the turns close to the wall. Tony Stewart dominated the race, leading a 400-mile Daytona record 151 of the 160 laps. After the race, Tony Stewart climbed the fence in front of the tri-oval, near the starter's stand. In Victory Lane, he stated, "I'm just too damn fat to be climbing fences, but had to!"

The first laps were uneventful, up to the point of green flag pit stops. On lap 35, coming around Turn 4, Jeff Gordon signalled to pit, and slowed down accordingly. Jamie McMurray saw the signal, and slowed down accordingly, but the driver behind him, Scott Riggs, did not. Riggs drove into the back end of McMurray, forcing Mark Martin to take evasive measures to try to escape, but could not, bouncing off of the wall, creating a nine-car pileup in the process, and heading to the garage on the back of a flat bed tow truck. Also collected in the wreck was Kurt Busch, whose car was wrecked beyond competative form. Busch complained on camera that he thought the current points system was stupid, where it would force him to take a wrecked car out on the track. The caution was at the very end of the pit window, as Elliott Sadler ran out of gas on lap 39, and had to be pushed back to pit road, losing a lap in the process, but gaining it back on a lap 65 caution (debris).

On lap 101 Bobby Hamilton, Jr.'s car hits the wall, right after Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler pit, allowing them to take the lead. Lap 109, Sadler took the lead from Jarrett, only to give it back to Tony Stewart on lap 110.

Lap 141: Caution again, with the leaders on pit road. Tony Stewart takes four tires and nearly stalls, losing five spots, only to take them back on lap 145, in a four wide pass.

Other cautions: Lap 69, Jeff Green; Lap 72, Michael Waltrip loses control due to a flat tire, giving serious damage to the car of Greg Biffle; Lap 113, Boris Said takes a spin in the grass; Lap 147, seven car incident.

Top Ten Results

USG Sheetrock 400

The USG Sheetrock 400 was held on July 10 at the Chicagoland Speedway, and it ended up being a story of tires. Five of the ten cautions were due to blown tires, and on the last caution, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took only two tires, giving him the lead.

Matt Kenseth arguably had the best car on the track, leading 176 of the 267 laps, 66% of the race, but on lap 243, a debris caution brought most of the field, including Kenseth, come to pit road, allowing Scott Wimmer, who did not pit, to take the lead, followed by Earnhardt, and three cars between him and Kenseth. With one full lap of green-flag racing (249) before another caution, the race was essentially yellow until lap 255, and with only twelve laps, Kenseth was unable to pass four cars and Earnhardt.

Top Ten Results

New England 300

The New England 300 was held on July 17 at the New Hampshire International Speedway.

Tony Stewart dominated the race, leading 232 of the 300 laps, on his way to win his third race of the year. Qualifying in 14th position, he wasted little time in moving to the front, gaining seven spots in the first eight green-flag laps, seizing control of the race on lap 51. The only car that seemed remotly close to being able to catch Stewart, was that of Kurt Busch. Once Stewart took the lead, Busch was the only car that could catch up to and pass Stewart under the green flag, only to be passed again five laps later.

As part of his victory celebration, Tony Stewart again climbed the catch fence up to the flag stand, similar to how he celebrated after the Pepsi 400, two races earlier. When later asked he commented: "Yes, it wore me out climbing the fence again. Yes, I'm still too old and too fat to do it. But I'm not going to stop, so I'll have to hire a trainer."

Top Ten Results

Pennsylvania 500

The Pennsylvania 500 was held on July 24 at Pocono Raceway.

Kurt Busch was the victor in the race that was lengthened by three laps due to the "Green/White/Checkers" rule.

Top Ten Results

Allstate 400 at The Brickyard

The Allstate 400 at The Brickyard was held on August 7 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Tony Stewart won in front of his home state crowd in Indiana and for the fourth time in the season. A late race crash by Jimmie Johnson, combined with the win by Stewart, put him into the Nextel Cup points lead. As part of the victory celebration, Tony Stewart went to turn two, where a fan had him a can of Coke-Cola. Then upon returning to the frontstrech, Tony Stewart climbed the fence, along with the rest of his teammates.

Top Ten Results

Sirius at The Glen

The Sirius at The Glen was held on August 14 at Watkins Glen International.

Tony Stewart was the victor in the race that was lengthened due to the "Green/White/Checkers" rule.

Top Ten Results

* Scott Pruett was substituting for Sterling Marlin.

GFS Marketplace 400

The GFS Marketplace 400 was held on August 21 at Michigan International Speedway.

Joe Nemechek sat on the pole. The race saw an unusually-high number of drivers suffering from flat left-rear tires, including Jeff Green, Mike Bliss, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick and Stuart Kirby. Overheating continued to be a problem at Michigan, with trash frequently getting caught in the grills of the cars. Johnny Benson lost his engine due to overheating. As the race ended, many drivers were running out of fuel. Some drivers pitted while others risked staying out to try and win. Jeremy Mayfield gambled on fuel mileage, taking the lead in the waning laps to win the race.

Top Ten Results

Note: Tony Stewart clinched a spot in the "Chase for the Cup" top-ten as a result of this race.

Sharpie 500

The Sharpie 500 was held on August 27 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth won from the pole and led 415 of the 500 laps on his way to victory.

Top Ten Results

Note: Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, and Rusty Wallace clinched a spot in the "Chase for the Cup" top-ten as a result of this race, with two races until the "chase" is locked in.

Sony HD 500

The Sony HD 500 was held on September 4 at California Speedway. In the next-to-the-last race prior to the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Kyle Busch, at 20 years, 4 months, 2 days, became the youngest driver ever to win a Nextel Cup race. The race was lengthened by five laps due to the "Green/White/Checkers" rule. Carl Edwards sat on the pole.

Top Ten Results

Note: Mark Martin and Kurt Busch clinched a spot in the "Chase for the Cup" top-ten as a result of this race, with only one race left until the "chase" is locked in.

Chevy Rock and Roll 400

The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was held on September 10 at Richmond International Raceway. Kevin Harvick sat on the pole after winning the Busch Series race the night before. Coming into the race, which was the final race before the chase for the 2005 NEXTEL Cup, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler, Dale Jarrett and Kevin Harvick were on the outside looking in at eleventh place and lower. Jamie McMurray and Tony Raines got into each other at lap 362, ending McMurray's chances to get into the Chase for the Cup.

Kevin Harvick led many of the laps early on, but fell behind late and ended up finishing 10th. Kurt Busch won his third race of the season.

Top Ten Results

This was the final race to determine the contenders for the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Those final ten contenders were:

Tony Stewart (3716 - 5050)
Greg Biffle (3531 - 5045)
Rusty Wallace (3412 - 5040)
Jimmie Johnson (3400 - 5035)
Kurt Busch (3304 - 5030)
Mark Martin (3273 - 5025)
Jeremy Mayfield (3228 - 5020)
Carl Edwards (3114 - 5015)
Matt Kenseth (3114 - 5015)
Ryan Newman (3055 - 5005)

The first number is the number of points on the old system. Following the race, the Chase contenders had their points reset to the second number. For the complete coverage of the playoff, along with driver results, see the 2005 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup section.

Sylvania 300

The Sylvania 300 was held on September 18 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Tony Stewart sat on the pole and led most of the laps in the first race of the Chase to the NASCAR Nextel Cup, battling with Ryan Newman in the final laps and ultimately finishing second behind him. Kurt Busch, one of the ten Chase drivers, was involved in an incident with Scott Riggs early on that set him 66 laps behind the leader. After pulling into the garage, Busch stormed to Riggs' pit and had words with his crew chief, Rodney Childers. Busch finished 35th.

Several other incidents also happened during the race. Kyle Busch got tangled with Kasey Kahne, who was sent hard into the wall. Kahne, who was out for the day, maneuvered his wrecked car in front of Busch under caution. Kahne was later fined $25,000 and docked 25 points and was placed on probation for the remainder of the season. Later on, Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon got together, ending Gordon's day. On the following caution lap, Gordon tried to ram Waltrip's car with his wrecked car and on the lap after that, Gordon threw his helmet at Waltrip's passing car. In the subsequent live interview on TNT, Gordon called Waltrip a "piece of [poop]," and TNT quickly ended the interview. Gordon was later fined a total of $35,000, docked 50 points and like Kahne, was placed on probation for the remainder of the season for the two incidents. Waltrip was fined $10,000 and docked 25 points for apparently using an obscene gesture, but Waltrip and DEI contested the fine with NASCAR and it was overturned. Following that incident, NASCAR waved the red flag to stop the field and clean the track, but also warned all teams and crew chiefs to restrain themselves from further retributive incidents.

In a side note to this incident, Gordon put the helmet up for auction on eBay for the benefit of his race team's sponsor Harrah's relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina, and Waltrip signed the helmet as well. At one point, bidding was stopped at $10 million (US) because the bidding was getting out of hand. When the auction reopened, internet gambling site Goldenpalace.com won the bidding, paying $51,100 (US).

Top Ten Results

MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400

The MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400 was held on September 25 at Dover International Speedway. Ryan Newman sat on the pole and won the Busch Series race the night before. Several Chase for the Cup contenders had difficulties with tire problems that caused them to finish poorly, including Matt Kenseth (35th), Greg Biffle (13th) and Kurt Busch (23rd), who led the most laps in the race. Jimmie Johnson battled his teammate Kyle Busch at the end of the race, but Johnson was able to hold on to win. With the win, Johnson moves into the lead in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

The race was extended by five laps because of the Green-White-Checkered rule.

Top Ten Results

UAW Ford 500

The UAW Ford 500 was held on October 2 at Talladega Superspeedway. The race was peppered by some early wrecks at this restrictor plate race. On lap 19, Jimmie Johnson spun Elliot Sadler which caused a large wreck that also ended the day for Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip. On lap 66, Ryan Newman spun Casey Mears, leading to an accident that also took out Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle and sent Scott Riggs tumbling end over end.

The leaders battled at the end of the race, but after Ken Schrader got a flat tire and brought out the yellow on lap 185 of 188, Dale Jarrett took the checkered in a race that was extended by 2 laps due to the Green-White-Checkered rule, but ended before the end of the final lap due to the caution coming out for an accident by Kyle Petty.

Top Ten Results

Banquet 400

The Banquet 400 was held on October 9 at Kansas Speedway. Matt Kenseth sat on the pole. Mark Martin got his first victory of the season as Roush Racing cars finished 1-2-3. Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers finished in the top seven positions.

Top Ten Results

UAW-GM Quality 500

The race, held on October 15 at Lowe's Motor Speedway was delayed by the finish of the Southern California-Notre Dame college football game which was being broadcast on NBC by forty-five minutes and ended after midnight (EDT) because of the green-white-checkers rule and continuing tire problems. When the smoke cleared, Jimmie Johnson won his fourth straight points-paying race at Lowe's and surged into a tie with Tony Stewart for the top of the standings. Stewart, who has five wins, holds the tie-breaker and retained the lead, finishing 25th. The top three finishers were involved in the 2005 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

Top Ten Results

Subway 500

The event, held on October 23 at Martinsville Speedway saw Tony Stewart lead the most laps, but Jeff Gordon, nearing the one-year anniversary of a tragic plane crash that saw many members of the Hendrick Motorsports family parish en route to the race, went home with the checkered flag.

Top Ten Finishers

Jeff Gordon
Tony Stewart
Jimmie Johnson
Bobby Labonte
Kurt Busch
Jeff Burton
Jamie MacMurray
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Busch
Ryan Newman

Preceded by 2004 in NASCAR	NASCAR seasons 2005	Succeeded by 2006 in NASCAR