# 2004 Siemens 300

The 2004 Siemens 300 was the 19th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 12th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 25, 2004, before a crowd of 99,000 in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Raceway, a 1.058 miles (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Kurt Busch of Roush Racing would hold off the field on the final restart, defeating a dominant Ryan Newman with three to go to take his 10th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports and Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero Hi Speed |
| 00 | Ryan McGlynn* | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | U. S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | SCORE Motorsports |
| 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Morgan–McClure Motorsports |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr.** | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 09 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | National Guard |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | Smirnoff Ice |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft |
| 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | GMAC Financial Services |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 30 | Johnny Sauter | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Target |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Texaco, Havoline |
| 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Cheerios, Betty Crocker |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific Brawny |
| 46 | Carl Long | Glenn Racing | Dodge | Howes Lubricator, Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 50 | Mike Wallace | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | LesCare Kitchens |
| 51 | Kevin Lepage | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Negotiations Seminar |
| 72 | Ted Christopher | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing |
| 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Kodak |
| 84 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Carquest |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | Racing With Jesus, Red Line Oil |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Irwin Industrial Tools |
| 98 | Todd Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | Lucas Oil |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Roush Racing |
| Official entry list |||||
*Withdrew due to not fitting inspection templates numerous times.
**While he had started the race, he would have to be relieved by Martin Truex Jr. for practice sessions and qualifying, as Earnhardt Jr. was recovering from burns suffered from a sports car race. However, as Earnhardt Jr. did start the race, he was credited with the finish.

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 23, at 11:20 AM EST and would last for two hours. Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.678 and an average speed of 132.813 miles per hour (213.742 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 28.678 | 132.813 |
| 2 | 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.834 | 132.094 |
| 3 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 28.906 | 131.765 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session would occur on Saturday, July 24, at 9:30 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.209 and an average speed of 130.398 miles per hour (209.855 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.209 | 130.398 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.211 | 130.389 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 29.255 | 130.193 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, July 24, at 11:10 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes. Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.249 and an average speed of 130.220 miles per hour (209.569 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 29.249 | 130.220 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.277 | 130.095 |
| 3 | 09 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 29.288 | 130.046 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would occur on Friday, July 23, at 3:05 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. Positions 1-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.
Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 28.776 and an average speed of 132.360 miles per hour (213.013 km/h).
Kyle Busch, driving a part-time schedule for Hendrick Motorsports, would crash in turn 4 on his warm-up lap. Since the No. 84 did not have enough owner's points for a provision, Busch would miss the race.
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Kevin Lepage and Kyle Busch. In addition, Ryan McGlynn, who had taken part in some of the weekend's practice sessions, also withdrew due to unknown reasons.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 28.776 | 132.360 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.858 | 131.984 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.929 | 131.660 |
| 4 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.967 | 131.488 |
| 5 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 28.977 | 131.442 |
| 6 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 28.984 | 131.410 |
| 7 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.031 | 131.198 |
| 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 29.051 | 131.107 |
| 9 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.062 | 131.058 |
| 10 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.079 | 130.981 |
| 11 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.087 | 130.945 |
| 12 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 29.112 | 130.833 |
| 13 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.121 | 130.792 |
| 14 | 30 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.147 | 130.676 |
| 15 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.151 | 130.658 |
| 16 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.190 | 130.483 |
| 17 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 29.205 | 130.416 |
| 18 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.236 | 130.278 |
| 19 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.250 | 130.215 |
| 20 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 29.263 | 130.158 |
| 21 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.275 | 130.104 |
| 22 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.296 | 130.011 |
| 23 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.300 | 129.993 |
| 24 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.330 | 129.860 |
| 25 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.354 | 129.754 |
| 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.358 | 129.736 |
| 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.385 | 129.617 |
| 28 | 09 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 29.387 | 129.608 |
| 29 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 29.461 | 129.283 |
| 30 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 29.475 | 129.221 |
| 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.481 | 129.195 |
| 32 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.503 | 129.099 |
| 33 | 46 | Carl Long | Glenn Racing | Dodge | 29.513 | 129.055 |
| 34 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.530 | 128.981 |
| 35 | 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.599 | 128.680 |
| 36 | 50 | Mike Wallace | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 29.622 | 128.580 |
| 37 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.646 | 128.476 |
| 38 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 29.653 | 128.446 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 29.736 | 128.087 |
| 40 | 98 | Todd Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 30.369 | 125.417 |
| 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 30.089 | 126.585 |
| 42 | 72 | Ted Christopher | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 29.872 | 127.504 |
| 43 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.129 | 126.416 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 44 | 51 | Kevin Lepage | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.193 | 126.148 |
| 45 | 84 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | — | — |
| WD | 00 | Ryan McGlynn | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 32 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 110 | running | 185 | $227,225 |
| 2 | 24 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 170 | $170,458 |
| 3 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 300 | 187 | running | 175 | $160,997 |
| 4 | 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 160 | $146,103 |
| 5 | 9 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 155 | $126,178 |
| 6 | 4 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 150 | $110,481 |
| 7 | 5 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 146 | $84,600 |
| 8 | 6 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 142 | $106,075 |
| 9 | 25 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 138 | $103,317 |
| 10 | 7 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 134 | $98,500 |
| 11 | 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 130 | $89,700 |
| 12 | 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 127 | $103,917 |
| 13 | 19 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 124 | $106,203 |
| 14 | 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 121 | $76,800 |
| 15 | 13 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 118 | $104,008 |
| 16 | 11 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 115 | $94,625 |
| 17 | 20 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 112 | $107,933 |
| 18 | 38 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 109 | $89,050 |
| 19 | 28 | 09 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 106 | $65,750 |
| 20 | 18 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 103 | $88,400 |
| 21 | 37 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 100 | $98,125 |
| 22 | 29 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 97 | $72,800 |
| 23 | 35 | 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 3 | running | 99 | $65,425 |
| 24 | 30 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 91 | $90,450 |
| 25 | 21 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 88 | $96,372 |
| 26 | 22 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 85 | $74,175 |
| 27 | 39 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 300 | 0 | running | 82 | $71,739 |
| 28 | 15 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 79 | $88,362 |
| 29 | 12 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 76 | $62,390 |
| 30 | 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 298 | 0 | running | 73 | $103,483 |
| 31 | 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 70 | $108,628 |
| 32 | 36 | 50 | Mike Wallace | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 298 | 0 | running | 67 | $59,230 |
| 33 | 14 | 30 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 0 | running | 64 | $67,960 |
| 34 | 23 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 0 | running | 61 | $66,800 |
| 35 | 16 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 270 | 0 | crash | 58 | $66,600 |
| 36 | 42 | 72 | Ted Christopher | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 260 | 0 | engine | 55 | $58,410 |
| 37 | 17 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 221 | 0 | engine | 52 | $58,250 |
| 38 | 10 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | crash | 49 | $66,100 |
| 39 | 34 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 208 | 0 | crash | 46 | $84,091 |
| 40 | 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 192 | 0 | ignition | 43 | $57,950 |
| 41 | 40 | 98 | Todd Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 153 | 0 | engine | 40 | $57,900 |
| 42 | 33 | 46 | Carl Long | Glenn Racing | Dodge | 100 | 0 | transmission | 37 | $57,800 |
| 43 | 43 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 87 | 0 | overheating | 34 | $57,959 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||||
| 44 | | 51 | Kevin Lepage | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 84 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| WD | | 00 | Ryan McGlynn | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||