2004 MBNA America 400
# 2004 MBNA America 400

The 2004 MBNA America 400 was the 28th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, the second race of the 2004 Chase for the Nextel Cup, and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 26, 2004, before a crowd of 140,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1 mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would dominate to win his 11th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his second and final win of the season. To fill out the podium, Mark Martin of Roush Racing and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1 mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero Hi Speed |
| 00 | Carl Long | 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 | Jenkins & Jenkins Attorneys at Law |
| 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil |
| 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 | Joe Ruttman | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 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 | MBNA America |
| 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 Genuine Parts, 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 | 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 |
| 35 | Kenny Hendrick | Gary Keller Racing | Chevrolet | Gary Keller Racing |
| 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 | 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 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 50 | Jeff Fuller | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | Arnold Motorsports |
| 51 | Tony Raines | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lee Jeans |
| 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | Vote for Bush |
| 75 | Mike Garvey | Haefele Racing | Dodge | Jani-King |
| 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Kodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 80 | Derrike Cope | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Commercial Truck & Trailer |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | Racing with Jesus "Keep The Passion Going" |
| 92 | Stanton Barrett | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Sharpie |
| 98 | Geoff Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | Mach 1 Motorsports |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | Roush Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session would occur on Friday, September 24, at 11:05 AM EST and would last for one hour and 55 minutes. Rusty Wallace of Penske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.536 and an average speed of 159.744 miles per hour (257.083 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 22.536 | 159.744 |
| 2 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 22.595 | 159.327 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 22.643 | 158.990 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session would occur on Saturday, September 25, at 9:30 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes. Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.213 and an average speed of 155.085 miles per hour (249.585 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.213 | 155.085 |
| 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.283 | 154.619 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 23.305 | 154.473 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, September 25, at 11:10 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes. Ward Burton of Haas CNC Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.213 and an average speed of 155.085 miles per hour (249.585 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 23.387 | 153.932 |
| 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 23.389 | 153.919 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 23.393 | 153.892 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would occur on Friday, September 24, at 2:40 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.

Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 28.776 and an average speed of 132.360 miles per hour (213.013 km/h).

Terry Labonte would crash on his second lap, losing the backend of his car in Turn 1. However, he had made a lap that was able to get him in on time, and would still be able to qualify without a provisional.

Seven drivers would fail to qualify: Hermie Sadler, Carl Long, Stanton Barrett, Greg Sacks, Kenny Hendrick, Derrike Cope, and Mike Garvey.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 22.584 | 159.405 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 22.639 | 159.018 |
| 3 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.735 | 158.346 |
| 4 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.749 | 158.249 |
| 5 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.756 | 158.200 |
| 6 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 22.787 | 157.985 |
| 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 22.822 | 157.742 |
| 8 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.828 | 157.701 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.831 | 157.680 |
| 10 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 22.837 | 157.639 |
| 11 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.841 | 157.611 |
| 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.842 | 157.604 |
| 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.861 | 157.473 |
| 14 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 22.866 | 157.439 |
| 15 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.907 | 157.157 |
| 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 22.917 | 157.089 |
| 17 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 22.935 | 156.965 |
| 18 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.957 | 156.815 |
| 19 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.971 | 156.719 |
| 20 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 22.975 | 156.692 |
| 21 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.977 | 156.678 |
| 22 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.994 | 156.563 |
| 23 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 23.001 | 156.515 |
| 24 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.010 | 156.454 |
| 25 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 23.040 | 156.250 |
| 26 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 23.068 | 156.060 |
| 27 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 23.098 | 155.858 |
| 28 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 23.104 | 155.817 |
| 29 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 23.124 | 155.682 |
| 30 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.134 | 155.615 |
| 31 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 23.149 | 155.514 |
| 32 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.185 | 155.273 |
| 33 | 30 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.185 | 155.273 |
| 34 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 23.189 | 155.246 |
| 35 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | 23.222 | 155.025 |
| 36 | 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.284 | 154.613 |
| 37 | 51 | Tony Raines | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.327 | 154.328 |
| 38 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.341 | 154.235 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 50 | Jeff Fuller | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 23.751 | 151.573 |
| 40 | 09 | Joe Ruttman | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 23.355 | 154.143 |
| 41 | 98 | Geoff Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 23.595 | 152.575 |
| 42 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 23.717 | 151.790 |
| 43 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 24.351 | 147.838 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.379 | 153.984 |
| 45 | 00 | Carl Long | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | 23.614 | 152.452 |
| 46 | 92 | Stanton Barrett | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 23.700 | 151.899 |
| 47 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | 23.788 | 151.337 |
| 48 | 35 | Kenny Hendrick | Gary Keller Racing | Chevrolet | 24.135 | 149.161 |
| 49 | 80 | Derrike Cope | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 24.813 | 145.085 |
| 50 | 75 | Mike Garvey | Haefele Racing | Dodge | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 400 | 325 | running | 190 | $195,477 |
| 2 | 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 2 | running | 175 | $138,560 |
| 3 | 21 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running | 170 | $140,533 |
| 4 | 11 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $122,877 |
| 5 | 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 12 | running | 160 | $99,745 |
| 6 | 23 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $117,168 |
| 7 | 1 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $105,015 |
| 8 | 10 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $79,715 |
| 9 | 16 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 399 | 1 | running | 143 | $113,293 |
| 10 | 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 134 | $86,415 |
| 11 | 19 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 130 | $75,630 |
| 12 | 14 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $92,321 |
| 13 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 398 | 0 | running | 124 | $105,348 |
| 14 | 6 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 121 | $107,123 |
| 15 | 34 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 398 | 0 | running | 118 | $104,415 |
| 16 | 5 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 115 | $96,671 |
| 17 | 27 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $79,415 |
| 18 | 15 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 109 | $97,417 |
| 19 | 30 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 106 | $99,493 |
| 20 | 4 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 103 | $100,648 |
| 21 | 28 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 396 | 0 | running | 100 | $89,565 |
| 22 | 25 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 396 | 0 | running | 97 | $72,565 |
| 23 | 29 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 395 | 0 | running | 94 | $84,740 |
| 24 | 26 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 395 | 0 | running | 91 | $73,065 |
| 25 | 31 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 394 | 1 | running | 93 | $62,265 |
| 26 | 36 | 4 | Jimmy Spencer | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 85 | $62,415 |
| 27 | 38 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 82 | $88,515 |
| 28 | 37 | 51 | Tony Raines | Competitive Edge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 79 | $58,590 |
| 29 | 22 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 385 | 0 | running | 76 | $77,829 |
| 30 | 32 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 385 | 0 | running | 73 | $93,377 |
| 31 | 18 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 363 | 0 | wheel bearing | 70 | $85,802 |
| 32 | 8 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 319 | 58 | crash | 72 | $118,833 |
| 33 | 33 | 30 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 168 | 0 | crash | 64 | $66,730 |
| 34 | 42 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 105 | 0 | handling | 61 | $57,595 |
| 35 | 24 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | overheating | 58 | $65,380 |
| 36 | 35 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | 86 | 0 | vibration | 55 | $57,250 |
| 37 | 17 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | engine | 52 | $57,125 |
| 38 | 3 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46 | 0 | crash | 49 | $65,100 |
| 39 | 41 | 98 | Geoff Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 40 | 0 | oil pressure | 46 | $56,875 |
| 40 | 43 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 37 | 0 | engine | 43 | $56,705 |
| 41 | 40 | 09 | Joe Ruttman | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 27 | 0 | rear end | 40 | $56,550 |
| 42 | 20 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 13 | 0 | flywheel | 37 | $86,300 |
| 43 | 39 | 50 | Jeff Fuller | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 7 | 0 | overheating | 34 | $56,555 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 00 | Carl Long | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 92 | Stanton Barrett | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | | | | | |
| 48 | | 35 | Kenny Hendrick | Gary Keller Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 80 | Derrike Cope | Hover Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 50 | | 75 | Mike Garvey | Haefele Racing | Dodge | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
