# 2004 Pennsylvania 500

The 2004 Pennsylvania 500 was the 20th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 1, 2004, before a crowd of 90,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would hold off the field on the final restart with five to go to win his 10th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his fourth win of the season, sweeping both Pocono races in 2004. To fill out the podium, Mark Martin of Roush Racing and Kasey Kahne of Evernham Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero Hi Speed |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | U. S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Jason Jarrett | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | SCORE Motorsports |
| 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Morgan–McClure Motorsports |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's "Official Sponsor of USA Olympics" |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr.* | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Summer Sales Deal |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Mobil 1, Speedpass |
| 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | Vita Coco, ARC Dehooker |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | National Guard |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt Power Tools |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Summer Sales Deal |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft, U. S. Air Force |
| 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 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 37 | Andy Hillenburg | R&J Racing | Dodge | R&J Racing |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Aspen Edge |
| 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 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 50 | P. J. Jones | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | Arnold Development Companies |
| 51 | Kevin Lepage | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Negotiations Seminar |
| 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | L. R. Lyons & Son Transportation |
| 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Kodak |
| 80 | Carl Long | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Commercial Truck & Trailer |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | Racing With Jesus, Red Line Oil |
| 90 | A. J. Henriksen | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 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 |||||
*While Earnhardt Jr. had originally intended to run all of the race, he would eventually exit the car, being replaced by John Andretti on lap 52 due to injuries sustained at a sports car race. Earnhardt Jr. would go onto say that he also did not want to run the race due to problems with the car all weekend. However, as Earnhardt Jr. did start the race, he was credited with the finish.

## Practice

Initially, three practices were originally going to be held- one on Friday, and two on Saturday. However, rain on Saturday would cancel the two Saturday practices, only leaving the Friday session to be run.

### First and final practice

The only 2-hour practice session was held on Friday, July 30, at 11:20 AM EST. Joe Nemechek of MBV Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 52.511 and an average speed of 171.393 miles per hour (275.830 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.511 | 171.393 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.729 | 170.684 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 52.776 | 170.532 |
| Full practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, July 30, at 3:10 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.
Casey Mears of Chip Ganassi Racing would win his first ever pole, setting a time of 52.411 and an average speed of 171.720 miles per hour (276.357 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Kevin Lepage, Andy Hillenburg, and, in Donlavey Racing’s final attempt at a race, A. J. Henriksen.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 52.411 | 171.720 |
| 2 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.431 | 171.654 |
| 3 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 52.466 | 171.540 |
| 4 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 52.553 | 171.256 |
| 5 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 52.580 | 171.168 |
| 6 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.629 | 171.008 |
| 7 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 52.634 | 170.992 |
| 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 52.698 | 170.785 |
| 9 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 52.701 | 170.775 |
| 10 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 52.739 | 170.652 |
| 11 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 52.748 | 170.623 |
| 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 52.748 | 170.623 |
| 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.779 | 170.522 |
| 14 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.796 | 170.467 |
| 15 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 52.823 | 170.380 |
| 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 52.880 | 170.197 |
| 17 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 52.934 | 170.023 |
| 18 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.038 | 169.690 |
| 19 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.065 | 169.603 |
| 20 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 53.083 | 169.546 |
| 21 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.084 | 169.543 |
| 22 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.119 | 169.431 |
| 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.168 | 169.275 |
| 24 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.173 | 169.259 |
| 25 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 53.197 | 169.182 |
| 26 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.233 | 169.068 |
| 27 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 53.243 | 169.036 |
| 28 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 53.370 | 168.634 |
| 29 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.439 | 168.416 |
| 30 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 53.479 | 168.290 |
| 31 | 30 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.591 | 167.939 |
| 32 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 53.602 | 167.904 |
| 33 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 53.707 | 167.576 |
| 34 | 50 | P. J. Jones | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 53.841 | 167.159 |
| 35 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.905 | 166.960 |
| 36 | 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.956 | 166.803 |
| 37 | 98 | Todd Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 54.058 | 166.488 |
| 38 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | 54.220 | 165.990 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 54.481 | 165.195 |
| 40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 54.958 | 163.761 |
| 41 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 55.432 | 162.361 |
| 42 | 02 | Jason Jarrett | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.913 | 163.896 |
| 43 | 80 | Carl Long | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 54.328 | 165.660 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 51 | Kevin Lepage | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.493 | 165.159 |
| 45 | 37 | Andy Hillenburg | R&J Racing | Dodge | 55.046 | 163.500 |
| 46 | 90 | A. J. Henriksen | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 56.516 | 159.247 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 14 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 124 | running | 190 | $276,950 |
| 2 | 21 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 11 | running | 175 | $132,895 |
| 3 | 20 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 165 | $131,645 |
| 4 | 19 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 160 | $98,430 |
| 5 | 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 11 | running | 160 | $121,728 |
| 6 | 29 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $103,440 |
| 7 | 22 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $105,827 |
| 8 | 15 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $113,968 |
| 9 | 9 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $92,490 |
| 10 | 5 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $101,823 |
| 11 | 28 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $87,040 |
| 12 | 33 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 132 | $87,506 |
| 13 | 30 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $103,457 |
| 14 | 6 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $69,215 |
| 15 | 4 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $94,290 |
| 16 | 2 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 31 | running | 120 | $85,590 |
| 17 | 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 112 | $99,423 |
| 18 | 1 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 200 | 17 | running | 114 | $82,215 |
| 19 | 25 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 200 | 0 | running | 106 | $67,029 |
| 20 | 35 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 103 | $68,265 |
| 21 | 39 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 200 | 1 | running | 105 | $57,990 |
| 22 | 26 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 97 | $82,877 |
| 23 | 36 | 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 94 | $58,290 |
| 24 | 24 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 194 | 1 | running | 96 | $88,032 |
| 25 | 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 | running | 88 | $101,093 |
| 26 | 3 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 192 | 0 | transmission | 85 | $74,165 |
| 27 | 31 | 30 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 2 | running | 87 | $64,615 |
| 28 | 10 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 177 | 0 | crash | 79 | $63,965 |
| 29 | 17 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 176 | 0 | crash | 76 | $98,373 |
| 30 | 7 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 170 | 0 | engine | 73 | $61,640 |
| 31 | 27 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 162 | 0 | transmission | 70 | $52,990 |
| 32 | 18 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 141 | 0 | engine | 67 | $88,618 |
| 33 | 32 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 128 | 1 | engine | 69 | $78,890 |
| 34 | 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 126 | 0 | handling | 61 | $86,782 |
| 35 | 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 108 | 0 | crash | 58 | $99,043 |
| 36 | 11 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | engine | 55 | $88,121 |
| 37 | 40 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 79 | 0 | engine | 52 | $51,900 |
| 38 | 37 | 98 | Todd Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 72 | 0 | engine | 49 | $51,785 |
| 39 | 43 | 80 | Carl Long | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 44 | 0 | too slow | 46 | $51,660 |
| 40 | 42 | 02 | Jason Jarrett | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40 | 0 | handling | 43 | $51,505 |
| 41 | 41 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 40 | 0 | too slow | 40 | $51,365 |
| 42 | 38 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | 19 | 0 | vibration | 37 | $51,275 |
| 43 | 34 | 50 | P. J. Jones | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 8 | 0 | brakes | 34 | $51,459 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 51 | Kevin Lepage | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 37 | Andy Hillenburg | R&J Racing | Dodge | | | | | |
| 46 | | 90 | A. J. Henriksen | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||