# 2004 Ford 400

The 2004 Ford 400 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on November 21, 2004 at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 36th and final race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Greg Biffle won the race and Kurt Busch won the championship, both driving for Roush Racing. This was the last race without Kyle Busch until the 2011 AAA Texas 500.

## Background

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a motor racing track located in Homestead, Florida. The track, which has several configurations, has promoted several series of racing, including NASCAR, the IndyCar Series, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the Championship Cup Series.
From 2002 to 2019, Homestead–Miami Speedway hosted the final race of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Ford Motor Company sponsors all three of the season-ending races; the races have the names Ford 400, Ford 300 and Ford 200, respectively, and the weekend is marketed as Ford Championship Weekend.

## Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Mike Bliss | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero |
| 00 | Kenny Wallace | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Enterprise Rent-A-Car |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | U.S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | Drive for Diversity, Sam Bass |
| 4 | Mike Wallace | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 06 | Travis Kvapil | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Mobil 1, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 09 | Johnny Sauter | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline |
| 11 | J. J. Yeley | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Vigoro, The Home Depot |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Ford | ARC Dehooker, Vita Coco |
| 14 | John Andretti | ppc Racing | Ford | VB, APlus at Sunoco |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | National Guard, Subway |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Home Depot |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft, U.S. Air Force |
| 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar |
| 23 | Shane Hmiel | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Bill Davis Racing |
| 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 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 36 | Boris Said | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | USG Durock |
| 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | Carter's Royal Dispos-all |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, 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 | Chex Party Mix |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Ford | Georgia-Pacific, Brawny |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 50 | Todd Bodine | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | Arnold Development Companies |
| 51 | Tony Raines | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Consort Hair Care for Men |
| 70 | Larry Foyt | BAM Racing | Dodge | BAM Racing |
| 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | Freddie B's |
| 75 | Mike Garvey | Haefele Racing | Dodge | Jani-King |
| 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Kodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 80 | Carl Long | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Adesa Impact |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Ford | Racing With Jesus, Red Line Oil |
| 93 | Geoff Bodine | GIC–Mixon Motorsports | Chevrolet | Global Industrial Contractors |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Sharpie, Irwin Industrial Tools |
| 98 | Randy LaJoie | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | Mach One Inc. |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | Roush Racing |

## Qualifying

Qualifying took place on November 19, 2004. During Casey Mears' warmup lap, Mears would lose the back end of his car in the middle of Turns 3-4, slamming the back end into the wall and destroying the car. Mears would not be able to complete a lap in qualifying, so the #41 team took a provisional because the team was in the Top 35 in owner's points. However, they would have to start in the back because they had to bring in a backup car. The #93 of Geoff Bodine would also not run qualifying laps, this time due to unspecified reasons and would withdraw from the event.
| Pos. | # | Driver | Make | Team | Time | Avg. Speed (mph) |
| 1 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Ford | Roush Racing | 30.114 | 179.319 |
| 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Racing | 30.116 | 179.307 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | 30.152 | 179.093 |
| 4 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | 30.186 | 178.891 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 30.215 | 178.719 |
| 6 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing | 30.245 | 178.542 |
| 7 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | 30.336 | 178.006 |
| 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing | 30.360 | 177.866 |
| 9 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 30.370 | 177.807 |
| 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | 30.387 | 177.708 |
| 11 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | Roush Racing | 30.405 | 177.602 |
| 12 | 0 | Mike Bliss | Chevrolet | Haas CNC Racing | 30.425 | 177.486 |
| 13 | 23 | Shane Hmiel | Dodge | Bill Davis Racing | 30.436 | 177.421 |
| 14 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 30.471 | 177.218 |
| 15 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | Robert Yates Racing | 30.475 | 177.194 |
| 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 30.491 | 177.101 |
| 17 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | 30.497 | 177.067 |
| 18 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | 30.504 | 177.026 |
| 19 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | MBV Motorsports | 30.522 | 176.922 |
| 20 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | 30.529 | 176.881 |
| 21 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Dodge | Bill Davis Racing | 30.531 | 176.869 |
| 22 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Racing | 30.535 | 176.846 |
| 23 | 14 | John Andretti | Ford | ppc Racing | 30.535 | 176.846 |
| 24 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 30.595 | 176.499 |
| 25 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Chevrolet | MBV Motorsports | 30.601 | 176.465 |
| 26 | 06 | Travis Kvapil | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | 30.642 | 176.229 |
| 27 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | Robert Yates Racing | 30.667 | 176.085 |
| 28 | 4 | Mike Wallace | Chevrolet | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | 30.671 | 176.062 |
| 29 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton, Jr. | Chevrolet | PPI Motorsports | 30.719 | 175.787 |
| 30 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Racing | 30.723 | 175.764 |
| 31 | 43 | Jeff Green | Dodge | Petty Enterprises | 30.742 | 175.656 |
| 32 | 36 | Boris Said | Chevrolet | MB2 Motorsports | 30.758 | 175.564 |
| 33 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 30.766 | 175.518 |
| 34 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Dodge | Sacks Motorsports | 30.801 | 175.319 |
| 35 | 1 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | 30.812 | 175.256 |
| 36 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | Chevrolet | SCORE Motorsports | 30.814 | 175.245 |
| 37 | 00 | Kenny Wallace | Chevrolet | Michael Waltrip Racing | 30.849 | 175.046 |
| 38 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | 30.850 | 175.040 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson* | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 30.852 | 175.029 |
| 40 | 30 | Jeff Burton* | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 30.866 | 174.950 |
| 41 | 41 | Casey Mears* | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| 42 | 5 | Terry Labonte** | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 31.318 | 172.425 |
| 43 | 49 | Ken Schrader* | Dodge | BAM Racing | 31.076 | 173.768 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises | 30.896 | 174.780 |
| 45 | 09 | Johnny Sauter | Dodge | Phoenix Racing | 31.037 | 173.986 |
| 46 | 75 | Mike Garvey | Dodge | Haefele Racing | 31.040 | 173.969 |
| 47 | 51 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | Competitive Edge Motorsports | 31.083 | 173.728 |
| 48 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Dodge | R&J Racing | 31.134 | 173.444 |
| 49 | 50 | Todd Bodine | Dodge | Arnold Motorsports | 31.254 | 172.778 |
| 50 | 11 | J. J. Yeley | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing | 31.365 | 172.166 |
| 51 | 70 | Larry Foyt | Dodge | BAM Racing | 31.485 | 171.510 |
| 52 | 98 | Randy LaJoie | Ford | Mach 1 Motorsports | 31.604 | 170.864 |
| 53 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Dodge | Shepherd Racing Ventures | 31.705 | 170.320 |
| 54 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Ford | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | 32.185 | 167.780 |
| 55 | 80 | Carl Long | Ford | Hover Motorsports | 32.319 | 167.084 |
| WD | 93 | Geoffrey Bodine*** | Chevrolet | GIC–Mixon Motorsports | 0.000 | 0.000 |
*Qualified by being Top 35 in owner's points.
**Champion's Provisional.
***Did not start qualifying due to problems.

## Race recap

This race was known as the deciding race of the 2004 Nextel Cup champion in the first ever Chase for the Nextel Cup, in which five drivers were still mathematically alive for the championship including the points leader, Kurt Busch with an 18-point margin ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who earned the most wins in 2004, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and veteran Mark Martin. Those five chasers are separated by an 82-point margin from first to fifth for the final race. At the start of lap 1, Hermie Sadler got turned sideways while Mike Bliss was spun around but Johnson survived the wreck in the following caution. On lap 93, championship leader Kurt Busch was about to come to pit road. Busch told his crew on the radio that he had a flat right front tire. As Busch came out of the access road off of turn 4 that leads to the pits, Kurt lost the right front wheel. As the wheel came off, he almost hit the yellow barrels on the entrance of pit road which could have ended in a much different result. The caution came out as the wheel rolled down the entire front stretch. As a result of the tire loss, he lost the championship lead to Jeff Gordon, though Busch took back the points lead. With 3 laps to go, race leader Ryan Newman made some contact and lost the right side of the tire, the caution was out and set a Green-white-checker finish at Homestead. At the restart, Greg Biffle held off the hard charging Hendrick teams of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon for the race lead and took the checkered flag to win the Ford 400, while Johnson and Gordon finished 2nd and 3rd. Kurt Busch won the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship by just 8 points over Johnson with a 5th-place finish after starting on the Pole and leading the opening 4 laps, the closest margin in Cup history until the 2011 season, won by Tony Stewart. Stewart and Carl Edwards were tied following the 2011 season's last race, the Cup going to Stewart by virtue of more wins on the season, 5 to 1 respectively.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Team | Sponsor | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Racing | National Guard, Subway | 271 | 117 | running | 190 | $314,850 |
| 2 | 39 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Lowe's | 271 | 0 | running | 170 | $231,705 |
| 3 | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | DuPont | 271 | 0 | running | 165 | $208,708 |
| 4 | 8 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing | Home Depot | 271 | 34 | running | 165 | $167,003 |
| 5 | 1 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Ford | Roush Racing | Sharpie, Irwin Industrial Tools | 271 | 4 | running | 160 | $130,650 |
| 6 | 17 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | Kodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions | 271 | 0 | running | 150 | $102,000 |
| 7 | 18 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | Texaco, Havoline | 271 | 0 | running | 146 | $88,950 |
| 8 | 10 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | Miller Lite | 271 | 26 | running | 147 | $110,983 |
| 9 | 7 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | Motorcraft, U.S. Air Force | 271 | 0 | running | 138 | $90,806 |
| 10 | 9 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | GM Goodwrench | 271 | 0 | running | 134 | $99,728 |
| 11 | 11 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | Roush Racing | Viagra | 271 | 8 | running | 135 | $67.950 |
| 12 | 6 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing | Interstate Batteries | 271 | 10 | running | 132 | $100,133 |
| 13 | 21 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Dodge | Bill Davis Racing | Caterpillar | 271 | 0 | running | 124 | $86,175 |
| 14 | 22 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Racing | Roush Racing | 271 | 0 | running | 121 | $91,867 |
| 15 | 25 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Chevrolet | MBV Motorsports | Valvoline | 271 | 0 | running | 118 | $84,712 |
| 16 | 38 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, Coors Light | 271 | 0 | running | 115 | $91,925 |
| 17 | 24 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | NAPA Auto Parts | 271 | 0 | running | 112 | $89,881 |
| 18 | 14 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | GMAC Financial Services | 271 | 0 | running | 109 | $65,225 |
| 19 | 30 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Racing | DeWalt | 271 | 0 | running | 106 | $104,203 |
| 20 | 23 | 14 | John Andretti | Ford | ppc Racing | VB, APlus at Sunoco | 271 | 0 | running | 103 | $55,150 |
| 21 | 29 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton, Jr. | Chevrolet | PPI Motorsports | Tide | 271 | 0 | running | 100 | $79,500 |
| 22 | 37 | 00 | Kenny Wallace | Chevrolet | Michael Waltrip Racing | Aaron's | 271 | 0 | running | 97 | $52,800 |
| 23 | 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Budweiser | 271 | 0 | running | 94 | $100,703 |
| 24 | 27 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | Robert Yates Racing | UPS | 270 | 0 | running | 91 | $86,717 |
| 25 | 43 | 49 | Ken Schrader | Dodge | BAM Racing | Schwan's Home Service | 269 | 0 | running | 88 | $55,500 |
| 26 | 41 | 41 | Casey Mears | Dodge | Chip Ganassi Racing | Target | 268 | 0 | running | 85 | $68,575 |
| 27 | 19 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | MBV Motorsports | U.S. Army | 267 | 0 | running | 82 | $73,375 |
| 28 | 32 | 36 | Boris Said | Chevrolet | MB2 Motorsports | USG Durock | 266 | 0 | transmission | 79 | $51,575 |
| 29 | 33 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | Cingular Wireless | 266 | 0 | running | 76 | $86,552 |
| 30 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | Alltel | 264 | 72 | crash | 78 | $107,017 |
| 31 | 42 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Kellogg's | 264 | 0 | running | 70 | $81,100 |
| 32 | 35 | 1 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Chevrolet | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | 251 | 0 | tire | 67 | $50,750 |
| 33 | 28 | 4 | Mike Wallace | Chevrolet | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Lucas Oil | 247 | 0 | wheel bearing | 64 | $54,480 |
| 34 | 15 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | Robert Yates Racing | M&M's | 232 | 0 | running | 61 | $89,183 |
| 35 | 20 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge Dealers, UAW | 231 | 0 | running | 58 | $69,039 |
| 36 | 40 | 30 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | America Online | 231 | 0 | running | 55 | $57,935 |
| 37 | 31 | 43 | Jeff Green | Dodge | Petty Enterprises | Chex Party Mix | 223 | 0 | engine | 52 | $75,975 |
| 38 | 4 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge Dealers, UAW | 192 | 0 | crash | 49 | $73,400 |
| 39 | 26 | 06 | Travis Kvapil | Dodge | Penske-Jasper Racing | Mobil 1, Jasper Engines & Transmissions | 163 | 0 | crash | 46 | $49325 |
| 40 | 12 | 0 | Mike Bliss | Chevrolet | Haas CNC Racing | NetZero | 145 | 0 | crash | 43 | $49,100 |
| 41 | 13 | 23 | Shane Hmiel | Dodge | Bill Davis Racing | Bill Davis Racing | 115 | 0 | crash | 40 | $48,910 |
| 42 | 34 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Dodge | Sacks Motorsports | ARC Dehooker, Vita Coco | 3 | 0 | overheating | 37 | $48,605 |
| 43 | 36 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | Chevrolet | SCORE Motorsports | Drive for Diversity, Sam Bass | 0 | 0 | crash | 34 | $48,630 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||||
| 44 | | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises | Georgia-Pacific, Brawny | | | | | |
| 45 | | 09 | Johnny Sauter | Dodge | Phoenix Racing | Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts | | | | | |
| 46 | | 75 | Mike Garvey | Dodge | Haefele Racing | Jani-King | | | | | |
| 47 | | 51 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Consort Hair Care for Men | | | | | |
| 48 | | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Dodge | R&J Racing | Carter's Royal Dispos-all | | | | | |
| 49 | | 50 | Todd Bodine | Dodge | Arnold Motorsports | Arnold Development Companies | | | | | |
| 50 | | 11 | J. J. Yeley | Chevrolet | Joe Gibbs Racing | Vigoro, The Home Depot | | | | | |
| 51 | | 70 | Larry Foyt | Dodge | BAM Racing | BAM Racing | | | | | |
| 52 | | 98 | Randy LaJoie | Ford | Mach 1 Motorsports | Mach One Inc. | | | | | |
| 53 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Dodge | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Racing With Jesus, Red Line Oil | | | | | |
| 54 | | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Ford | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Freddie B's | | | | | |
| 55 | | 80 | Carl Long | Ford | Hover Motorsports | Adesa Impact | | | | | |
| WD | | 93 | Geoffrey Bodine | Chevrolet | GIC–Mixon Motorsports | Global Industrial Contractors | | | | | |

## Race statistics

* Time of race: 3:50:55
* Average Speed: 105.623 miles per hour (169.984 km/h)
* Pole Speed: 179.319 miles per hour (288.586 km/h)
* Cautions: 14 for 79 laps
* Margin of Victory: 0.342
* Lead changes: 14
* Percent of race run under caution: 29.2%
* Average green flag run: 12.8 laps