# 2005 Dodge Charger 500

The 2005 Dodge Charger 500, the 56th running of the event, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on May 7, 2005 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington County, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the tenth race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. The race was extended to 370 laps because of a green-white-checker finish. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing won the race.
In 2004, Francis Ferko, a shareholder of the company that owned Texas Motor Speedway, sued NASCAR, saying they had violated antitrust laws by refusing to have a second race at Texas Motor Speedway, as many other tracks had. The case was settled in his favor, and NASCAR was forced to give up one of its Darlington dates so that a second race could be held at Texas. In 2005, Darlington was forced to contract down to one race per year. The race was situated on the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend in mid-May, a date that was normally avoided by NASCAR over its history. The Carolina Dodge Dealers, a consortium of Dodge dealerships in North and South Carolina, continued the sponsorship of this race, having it renamed to promote Dodge's Charger automobiles.

## Background

Darlington Raceway, nicknamed by many NASCAR fans and drivers as "The Lady in Black" or "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and advertised as a "NASCAR Tradition", is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
The track, Darlington Raceway, is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval. The track's first two turns are banked at twenty-five degrees, while the final two turns are banked two degrees lower at twenty-three degrees. The front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch is banked at six degrees. Darlington Raceway can seat up to 60,000 people.

## Entry list

| Car # | Driver | Hometown | Make | Sponsor | Team |
| 0 | Mike Bliss | Milwaukie, OR | Chevrolet | NetZero Best Buy | Gene Haas |
| 00 | Kenny Wallace | St. Louis, MO | Chevrolet | Bryan Foods | Buffy Waltrip |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | Lakeland, FL | Chevrolet | U.S. Army | Nelson Bowers |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | St. Louis, MO | Dodge | Miller Lite | Roger Penske |
| 4 | Mike Wallace | St. Louis, MO | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil Products | Larry McClure |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Las Vegas, NV | Chevrolet | Kellogg's | Rick Hendrick |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Batesville, AR | Ford | Viagra | Jack Roush |
| 07 | Dave Blaney | Hartford, OH | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's | Richard Childress |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Bellflower, CA | Chevrolet | Harrah's | James Smith |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Kannapolis, NC | Chevrolet | Budweiser | Teresa Earnhardt |
| 09 | Johnny Sauter | Necedah, WI | Dodge | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming | James Finch |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Enumclaw, WA | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | Ray Evernham |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | Bahama, NC | Chevrolet | Valvoline | James Rocco |
| 11 | Jason Leffler | Long Beach, CA | Chevrolet | FedEx Express "Birdies for St. Jude" | J D Gibbs |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | South Bend, IN | Dodge | Alltel | Roger Penske |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Owensboro, KY | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts | Teresa Earnhardt |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Vancouver, WA | Ford | National Guard / Travelodge | Geoff Smith |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Cambridge, WI | Ford | Carhartt | Mark Martin |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Corpus Christi, TX | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries | Joe Gibbs |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Owensboro, KY | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | Ray Evernham |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Rushville, IN | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | Joe Gibbs |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Chesapeake, VA | Ford | Motorcraft Genuine Parts | Glen Wood |
| 22 | Scott Wimmer | Wausau, WI | Dodge | Caterpillar | Bill Davis |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Vallejo, CA | Chevrolet | DuPont | Rick Hendrick |
| 25 | Brian Vickers | Thomasville, NC | Chevrolet | GMAC / ditech.com | Mary Hendrick |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Bakersfield, CA | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench | Richard Childress |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | South Boston, VA | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless | Richard Childress |
| 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Nashville, TN | Chevrolet | Tide | Calvin Wells III |
| 34 | Jeff Fuller | Auburn, MA | Chevrolet | Mach One Inc. | William Edwards |
| 37 | Kevin Lepage | Shelburne, VT | Dodge | R&J Racing | John Carter |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Emporia, VA | Ford | M&M's | Robert Yates |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Columbia, TN | Dodge | Coors Light | Felix Sabates |
| 41 | Casey Mears | Bakersfield, CA | Dodge | Target | Chip Ganassi |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Joplin, MO | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline | Floyd Ganassi |
| 43 | Jeff Green | Owensboro, KY | Dodge | Cheerios / Betty Crocker | Richard L Petty |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Trinity, NC | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific / Brawny / Mother's Day | Kyle Petty |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | El Cajon, CA | Chevrolet | Lowe's | Jeff Gordon |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | Fenton, MO | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service | Elizabeth Morgenthau |
| 61 | Tony Raines | LaPorte, IN | Dodge | Buddy Sisco Racing | Buddy Sisco |
| 66 | Hermie Sadler | Emporia, VA | Ford | East Tennessee Trailers | Jeff Stec |
| 77 | Travis Kvapil | Janesville, WI | Dodge | Kodak / Jasper Engines | Douglas Bawel |
| 80 | Carl Long | Roxboro, NC | Chevrolet | Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties | Raynard McGlynn |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Hickory, NC | Ford | UPS | Robert Yates |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Conover, NC | Dodge | Victory in Jesus / Red Line Oil | Cindy Shepherd |
| 92 | Stanton Barrett | Bishop, CA | Chevrolet | Front Row Motorsports | Bob Jenkins |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Las Vegas, NV | Ford | IRWIN Industrial Tools / Sharpie | Georgetta Roush |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Columbia, MO | Ford | Office Depot / Scotts | Jack Roush |

## Qualifying

| Pos | Car # | Driver | Make | Primary Sponsor | Team | Speed | Time | Behind |
| 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | Evernham Motorsport | 170.024 | 28.923 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Dodge | Alltel | Penske Racing | 169.555 | 29.003 | -0.080 |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | National Guard / Travelodge | Roush Racing | 169.222 | 29.060 | -0.137 |
| 4 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Ford | M&M's | Robert Yates Racing | 168.665 | 29.156 | -0.233 |
| 5 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Chevrolet | GMAC / ditech.com | Hendrick Motorsport | 168.607 | 29.166 | -0.243 |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Chevrolet | Kellogg's | Hendrick Motorsport | 168.089 | 29.256 | -0.333 |
| 7 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Dodge | Coors Light | Chip Ganassi Racing | 167.773 | 29.311 | -0.388 |
| 8 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dodge | Dodge Dealers / UAW | Evernham Motorsport | 167.693 | 29.325 | -0.402 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Lowe's | Hendrick Motorsport | 167.676 | 29.328 | -0.405 |
| 10 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Office Depot / Scotts | Roush Racing | 167.642 | 29.334 | -0.411 |
| 11 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Ford | IRWIN Industrial Tools / Sharpie | Roush Racing | 167.550 | 29.350 | -0.427 |
| 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Dodge | Miller Lite | Penske Racing | 167.436 | 29.370 | -0.447 |
| 13 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Dodge | Texaco / Havoline | Chip Ganassi Racing | 167.351 | 29.385 | -0.462 |
| 14 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | DuPont | Hendrick Motorsport | 167.322 | 29.390 | -0.467 |
| 15 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | The Home Depot | Joe Gibbs Racing | 167.322 | 29.390 | -0.467 |
| 16 | 41 | Casey Mears | Dodge | Target | Chip Ganassi Racing | 167.123 | 29.425 | -0.502 |
| 17 | 77 | Travis Kvapil | Dodge | Kodak / Jasper Engines | Penske Racing | 167.095 | 29.430 | -0.507 |
| 18 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Chevrolet | Valvoline | MBV Motorsport | 167.083 | 29.432 | -0.509 |
| 19 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts | Dale Earnhardt Inc | 167.021 | 29.443 | -0.520 |
| 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Ford | Viagra | Roush Racing | 166.953 | 29.455 | -0.532 |
| 21 | 80 | Carl Long | Chevrolet | Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties | McGlynn Motorsports | 166.760 | 29.489 | -0.566 |
| 22 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | UPS | Robert Yates Racing | 166.388 | 29.555 | -0.632 |
| 23 | 43 | Jeff Green | Dodge | Cheerios / Betty Crocker | Petty Enterprises | 166.146 | 29.598 | -0.675 |
| 24 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench | Richard Childress Racing | 165.995 | 29.625 | -0.702 |
| 25 | 11 | Jason Leffler | Chevrolet | FedEx Express "Birdies for St. Jude" | Joe Gibbs Racing | 165.950 | 29.633 | -0.710 |
| 26 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr | Chevrolet | Tide | PPI Motorsport | 165.855 | 29.650 | -0.727 |
| 27 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | U.S. Army | MB2 Motorsport | 165.749 | 29.669 | -0.746 |
| 28 | 49 | Ken Schrader | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service | BAM Racing | 165.531 | 29.708 | -0.785 |
| 29 | 0 | Mike Bliss | Chevrolet | NetZero Best Buy | Haas Automation | 165.381 | 29.735 | -0.812 |
| 30 | 07 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's | Richard Childress Racing | 165.342 | 29.742 | -0.819 |
| 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Carhartt | Roush Racing | 165.331 | 29.744 | -0.821 |
| 32 | 00 | Kenny Wallace | Chevrolet | Bryan Foods | Michael Waltrip Racing | 165.076 | 29.790 | -0.867 |
| 33 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Dodge | Caterpillar | Bill Davis Racing | 165.031 | 29.798 | -0.875 |
| 34 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless | Richard Childress Racing | 165.026 | 29.799 | -0.876 |
| 35 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | Motorcraft Genuine Parts | Wood Brothers Racing | 164.976 | 29.808 | -0.885 |
| 36 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries | Joe Gibbs Racing | 164.970 | 29.809 | -0.886 |
| 37 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific / Brawny / Mother's Day | Petty Enterprises | 164.854 | 29.830 | -0.907 |
| 38 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | Dodge | R&J Racing | R&J Racing | 164.722 | 29.854 | -0.931 |
| 39 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Chevrolet | Budweiser | Dale Earnhardt Inc. | 164.628 | 29.871 | -0.948 |
| 40 | 34 | Jeff Fuller | Chevrolet | Mach One Inc. | Mach One Motorsport | 164.177 | 29.953 | -1.030 |
| 41 | 66 | Hermie Sadler | Ford | East Tennessee Trailers | Peak Performance Motorsport | 164.040 | 29.978 | -1.055 |
| 42 | 4 | Mike Wallace | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil Products | Morgan McClure Motorsport | 163.202 | 30.132 | -1.209 |
| 43 | 92 | Stanton Barrett | Chevrolet | Front Row Motorsports | Front Row Motorsports | 163.408 | 30.094 | -1.171 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||
| 44 | 09 | Johnny Sauter | Dodge | Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts | Phoenix Racing | | 30.152 | |
| 45 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Chevrolet | Harrah's | Robby Gordon Motorsports | | 30.233 | |
| 46 | 61 | Tony Raines | Dodge | Buddy Sisco Racing | Buddy Sisco Racing | | 30.249 | |
| 47 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Dodge | Victory In Jesus / Red Line Oil | Morgan Shepherd Racing | | 30.587 | |
| WD | 08 | Shane Hmiel | Chevrolet | WinFuel | | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| WD | 13 | Greg Sacks | Dodge | Vitacoco Coconut Water | | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
Failed to qualify: Johnny Sauter (No. 09), Robby Gordon (No. 7), Tony Raines (No. 61), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89)

## Race recap

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. Newman was expecting more of the teams, like Schrader in the #49 Dodge, at the tail of the lead lap (18 in all) to stay out for track position. Newman accelerated on the restart, brake-checked Schrader to hold off the pack, and accelerated again, leaving Schrader spinning his tires. Biffle passed both of them on a green-white-checker finish restart. Jeff Gordon finished second, followed by Kahne, Martin, and Newman, who fell back three spots in two laps. Schrader finished in 18th position.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Sponsor | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | National Guard, Travelodge | Ford | 370 | 176 | running | 190 |
| 2 | 14 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont | Chevy | 370 | 20 | running | 175 |
| 3 | 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Dodge Dealers, UAW | Dodge | 370 | 60 | running | 170 |
| 4 | 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Viagra | Ford | 370 | 0 | running | 160 |
| 5 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Alltel | Dodge | 370 | 47 | running | 160 |
| 6 | 13 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Texaco, Havoline | Dodge | 370 | 0 | running | 150 |
| 7 | 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's | Chevy | 370 | 55 | running | 151 |
| 8 | 39 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Budweiser | Chevy | 370 | 0 | running | 142 |
| 9 | 10 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Office Depot, Scotts | Ford | 370 | 4 | running | 143 |
| 10 | 15 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot | Chevy | 370 | 0 | running | 134 |
| 11 | 27 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | U.S. Army | Chevy | 370 | 2 | running | 135 |
| 12 | 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Miller Lite | Dodge | 370 | 0 | running | 127 |
| 13 | 35 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Motorcraft | Ford | 370 | 0 | running | 124 |
| 14 | 24 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | GM Goodwrench | Chevy | 370 | 0 | running | 121 |
| 15 | 22 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | UPS | Ford | 370 | 0 | running | 118 |
| 16 | 5 | 25 | Brian Vickers | GMAC, ditech.com | Chevy | 370 | 1 | running | 120 |
| 17 | 36 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Interstate Batteries | Chevy | 370 | 0 | running | 112 |
| 18 | 28 | 49 | Ken Schrader | Schwan's Home Service | Dodge | 370 | 0 | running | 109 |
| 19 | 29 | 0 | Mike Bliss | NetZero, Best Buy | Chevy | 370 | 0 | running | 106 |
| 20 | 4 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | M&M's | Ford | 369 | 0 | running | 103 |
| 21 | 34 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Cingular Wireless | Chevy | 369 | 0 | running | 100 |
| 22 | 23 | 43 | Jeff Green | Cheerios, Betty Crocker | Dodge | 369 | 0 | running | 97 |
| 23 | 6 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Kellogg's | Chevy | 369 | 0 | running | 94 |
| 24 | 42 | 4 | Mike Wallace | Lucas Oil | Chevy | 369 | 1 | running | 96 |
| 25 | 33 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Caterpillar | Dodge | 368 | 0 | running | 88 |
| 26 | 31 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Carhartt | Ford | 367 | 1 | running | 90 |
| 27 | 32 | 00 | Kenny Wallace | Bryan Foods | Chevy | 367 | 0 | running | 82 |
| 28 | 37 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Georgia-Pacific, Brawny | Dodge | 366 | 0 | running | 79 |
| 29 | 30 | 07 | Dave Blaney | Jack Daniel's | Chevy | 366 | 0 | running | 76 |
| 30 | 26 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton, Jr. | Tide | Chevy | 365 | 0 | running | 73 |
| 31 | 43 | 92 | Stanton Barrett | Front Row Motorsports | Chevy | 365 | 0 | running | 70 |
| 32 | 38 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | 363 | 1 | running | 72 |
| 33 | 8 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Dodge Dealers, UAW | Dodge | 333 | 1 | crash | 69 |
| 34 | 19 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | NAPA Auto Parts | Chevy | 330 | 0 | running | 61 |
| 35 | 17 | 77 | Travis Kvapil | Kodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions | Dodge | 323 | 0 | running | 58 |
| 36 | 18 | 10 | Scott Riggs | Valvoline | Chevy | 311 | 0 | running | 55 |
| 37 | 11 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Irwin Industrial Tools, Sharpie | Ford | 306 | 0 | running | 52 |
| 38 | 25 | 11 | Jason Leffler | FedEx Express Birdies for St. Jude | Chevy | 285 | 0 | running | 49 |
| 39 | 16 | 41 | Casey Mears | Target | Dodge | 285 | 0 | running | 46 |
| 40 | 41 | 66 | Hermie Sadler | East Tennessee Trailers | Ford | 234 | 0 | steering | 43 |
| 41 | 7 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Coors Light | Dodge | 221 | 1 | engine | 45 |
| 42 | 21 | 80 | Carl Long | Buyer's Choice Auto Warranties | Chevy | 69 | 0 | rear end | 37 |
| 43 | 40 | 34 | Jeff Fuller | Mach One Inc. | Chevy | 24 | 0 | transmission | 34 |
| Failed to qualify ||||||||||
| 44 | | 09 | Johnny Sauter | Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts | Dodge | | | | |
| 45 | | 7 | Robby Gordon | Harrah's | Chevrolet | | | | |
| 46 | | 61 | Tony Raines | Buddy Sisco Racing | Dodge | | | | |
| 47 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Victory In Jesus / Red Line Oil | Dodge | | | | |
| WD | | 08 | Shane Hmiel | WinFuel | Chevrolet | | | | |
| WD | | 13 | Greg Sacks | Vitacoco Coconut Water | Dodge | | | | |

## Race statistics

* Time of race: 4:06:29
* Average Speed: 123.031 miles per hour (197.999 km/h)
* Pole Speed: 170.024
* Cautions: 12 for 48 laps
* Margin of Victory: 0.990
* Lead changes: 30
* Percent of race run under caution: 13%
* Average green flag run: 24.8 laps