page_title: 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
hierarchical_section_title: 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
caption_attribution_description: NASCAR driver en:Jeff Gordon in August 2007 at en:Bristol Motor Speedway. Cropped from original
context_page_description: The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion.
  This was the first season that NASCAR utilized the Chase for the Nextel Cup format that began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 19. Under the format rules, the top 10 drivers by the end of the 26th race would be eligible to compete in a final 10-race playoff to determine the NASCAR Nextel Cup champion. Following the 26th race, the eligible drivers would have their points reset to bring the drivers closer together in the standings, with only five points separating each driver. The season would then continue as normal, with the driver with the most points at the end of the season becoming the champion.
  The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet when they captured 26 wins and 266 points. Ford finished in second place with 10 wins, and 224 points, while Dodge followed in third with 4 wins and 194 points.
  This was the first year for the new series sponsorship.
context_section_description: The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21.  Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion.
  This was the first season that NASCAR utilized the Chase for the Nextel Cup format that began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 19.  Under the format rules, the top 10 drivers (and any additional drivers within 400 points of the leader) by the end of the 26th race would be eligible to compete in a final 10-race playoff to determine the NASCAR Nextel Cup champion.  Following the 26th race, the eligible drivers would have their points reset to bring the drivers closer together in the standings, with only five points separating each driver.  The season would then continue as normal, with the driver with the most points at the end of the season becoming the champion.
  The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Chevrolet when they captured 26 wins and 266 points.  Ford finished in second place with 10 wins, and 224 points, while Dodge followed in third with 4 wins and 194 points.
  This was the first year for the new series sponsorship. Mobile phone provider Nextel assumed sponsorship of the NASCAR championship series from cigarette brand Winston. Winston was the title sponsor of the Cup Series for 33 seasons, from 1971 to 2003. Nextel would become only the second title sponsor in Cup Series history. This was also the first year for Sunoco as it replaced Unocal's 76 Brand as the official fuel of NASCAR. Sunoco would become only the second gas company to be NASCAR's official fuel since Unocal had been the official fuel since the sport's inception in 1948.
  The season was also marked by tragedy. On October 24, a charter airplane owned by Hendrick Motorsports crashed at Bull Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, near Martinsville Speedway.  Ten people aboard the plane died, including four relatives of team owner Rick Hendrick, as well as Randy Dorton, Hendrick's chief engine builder.  Jimmie Johnson, a Hendrick driver, had won the race, but the post-race victory ceremony was canceled as word spread of the incident.
  2004 was the first season without Pontiac (though a few Pontiacs without factory support ran several early-season races). It was also the last season before Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer join NASCAR as drivers (They would join as full-time in 2006).
caption: Jeff Gordon finished third in the championship.
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