# 2004 Budweiser Shootout

The 2004 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, February 7, 2004, before a crowd of 75,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida, at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5-mile (4.0-km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 70 laps to complete. Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would make a last lap pass and defend against Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win his third Budweiser Shootout. To fill out the podium, Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would finish third.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Format and eligibility

The race was broken up into two segments: a 20-lap segment, followed by a ten-minute intermission, concluding with a 50-lap second segment. While a pit stop was no longer required by rule, a reduction in fuel cell size (from 22 gallons to 13.5 gallons) made a fuel stop necessary. (In 2007, fuel cells were expanded to 18.5 gallons.) Many drivers also changed two tires during their fuel stop, as the time required to fuel the car allowed for a two-tire change without additional delay.
Pole winners of the previous season were automatically eligible for the race. Then, previous winners who had not already qualified would receive automatic berths.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 01 | Boris Said | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | U. S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Kraft, Oscar Mayer |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser Born On Date 7 Feb 2004 |
| 10 | Mike Skinner | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline Max Life |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, 2004 NHL All-Star Game |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot |
| 23 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Whelen Engineering |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's Black and White |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Texaco, Havoline |
| 43 | Jeff Green* | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Cheerios |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 91 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Leukemia & Lymphoma Society |
*Withdrew due to the team's owner, Richard Petty, holding a 50-year promise to his mother that his race team would not be affiliated with alcohol in any way.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, February 6, at 3:45 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.756 and an average speed of 188.458 miles per hour (303.294 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.756 | 188.458 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 47.832 | 188.159 |
| 3 | 01 | Boris Said | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.856 | 188.064 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Friday, February 6, at 6:30 PM EST, and would last for one hour. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 47.111 and an average speed of 191.038 miles per hour (307.446 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 47.111 | 191.038 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 47.125 | 190.981 |
| 3 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.362 | 190.026 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Starting lineup

The starting lineup was determined by a blind draw. Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports would win the pole.

### Full starting lineup

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make |
| 1 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge |
| 4 | 23 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge |
| 5 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 01 | Boris Said | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 91 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge |
| 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge |
| 12 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 10 | Mike Skinner | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge |
| 15 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 16 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge |
| 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet |
| Withdrew |||||
| WD | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge |

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Winnings |
| 1 | 15 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 70 | 1 | running | $213,000 |
| 2 | 19 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | running | $113,000 |
| 3 | 5 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 10 | running | $63,000 |
| 4 | 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 70 | 0 | running | $53,000 |
| 5 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 16 | running | $51,000 |
| 6 | 11 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 70 | 0 | running | $49,000 |
| 7 | 18 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | running | $47,000 |
| 8 | 6 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 17 | running | $46,000 |
| 9 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | running | $45,000 |
| 10 | 8 | 01 | Boris Said | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | running | $44,000 |
| 11 | 12 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | running | $42,000 |
| 12 | 9 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 70 | 1 | running | $41,000 |
| 13 | 14 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 70 | 0 | running | $40,000 |
| 14 | 10 | 91 | Bill Elliott | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 70 | 0 | running | $39,000 |
| 15 | 13 | 10 | Mike Skinner | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70 | 0 | running | $38,000 |
| 16 | 16 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 69 | 4 | accident | $37,000 |
| 17 | 3 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 68 | 8 | accident | $36,000 |
| 18 | 1 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 59 | 0 | accident | $35,000 |
| 19 | 4 | 23 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 59 | 0 | accident | $34,000 |
| Withdrew ||||||||||
| WD | | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | | | | |
| Official race results ||||||||||