2005 Pennsylvania 500
# 2005 Pennsylvania 500

The 2005 Pennsylvania 500 was the 20th stock car racing race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 24, 2005, before a crowd of 100,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race was extended from 200 laps to 203 due to a green–white–checker finish caused by Michael Waltrip spinning with two to go. The race would end under caution, with Kurt Busch of Roush Racing pulling ahead of Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing when the caution came out due to Kasey Kahne hitting the wall on the final lap. The race would be Busch's 13th NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win of his career and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Mark Martin of Roush Racing would finish third.

## 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 | Mike Bliss | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero, Best Buy |
| 00 | Carl Long | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | Champion Builders, Sundance Vacations |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | U. S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 4 | Mike Wallace | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil, Wide Open Energy Drink |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet | Jim Bean |
| 07 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Jack Daniel's |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline |
| 11 | Jason Leffler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | FedEx Ground |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | Mobil 1, Speedpass |
| 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | Sacks Motorsports |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | Post-it Notes, National Guard |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 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 |
| 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ditech.com, GMAC |
| 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | L. R. Lyon & Sons, Salem RV |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 34 | P. J. Jones | Mach 1 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Mach One Inc. |
| 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | BOSpoker |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | Target |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | Texaco, Havoline |
| 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Cheerios, Betty Crocker |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Chick-fil-A, Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 52 | Derrike Cope | Rick Ware Racing | Dodge | Pro30, Sugar Hollow Farms |
| 66 | Mike Garvey | Peak Fitness Racing | Ford | Peak Fitness |
| 77 | Travis Kvapil | Penske Racing | Dodge | Kodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | Cornerstone Bancard, Victory in Jesus |
| 92 | Hermie Sadler | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | Front Row Motorsports |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Irwin Industrial Tools |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | Office Depot |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 22, at 1:20 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 20 minutes. Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.007 and an average speed of 166.645 miles per hour (268.189 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 54.007 | 166.645 |
| 2 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.218 | 165.997 |
| 3 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.454 | 165.277 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session would occur on Friday, July 22, at 4:00 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.213 and an average speed of 166.012 miles per hour (267.170 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 54.213 | 166.012 |
| 2 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 54.272 | 165.831 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 54.304 | 165.734 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying would take place on Saturday, July 23, at 12:10 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.

Jamie McMurray of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates would win the pole, with a lap of 53.330 and an average speed of 168.761 miles per hour (271.595 km/h).

Two incidents would occur in qualifying: first, Derrike Cope would hit the wall in Turn 2, then in Turn 3 during his first lap, causing Cope to not set a lap time. Then, Carl Long would spin in Turn 1 and hit the wall during his first lap, causing him to also not set a lap time.

Four drivers would fail to qualify: Morgan Shepherd, Hermie Sadler, Carl Long, and Derrike Cope.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 53.330 | 168.761 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.402 | 168.533 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.450 | 168.382 |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 53.492 | 168.249 |
| 5 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 53.617 | 167.857 |
| 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 53.721 | 167.532 |
| 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.818 | 167.230 |
| 8 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.818 | 167.230 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.869 | 167.072 |
| 10 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 53.869 | 167.072 |
| 11 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 53.921 | 166.911 |
| 12 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 53.985 | 166.713 |
| 13 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 54.027 | 166.583 |
| 14 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.063 | 166.472 |
| 15 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 54.146 | 166.217 |
| 16 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 54.153 | 166.196 |
| 17 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.224 | 165.978 |
| 18 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.233 | 165.951 |
| 19 | 11 | Jason Leffler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 54.265 | 165.853 |
| 20 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 54.282 | 165.801 |
| 21 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.298 | 165.752 |
| 22 | 07 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.324 | 165.673 |
| 23 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 54.347 | 165.603 |
| 24 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 54.470 | 165.229 |
| 25 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 54.521 | 165.074 |
| 26 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 54.561 | 164.953 |
| 27 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.621 | 164.772 |
| 28 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.645 | 164.699 |
| 29 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.645 | 164.699 |
| 30 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 57.711 | 164.501 |
| 31 | 4 | Mike Wallace | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.854 | 164.072 |
| 32 | 66 | Mike Garvey | Peak Fitness Racing | Ford | 54.858 | 164.060 |
| 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 54.954 | 163.773 |
| 34 | 0 | Mike Bliss | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 55.058 | 163.464 |
| 35 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | 55.063 | 163.449 |
| 36 | 34 | P. J. Jones | Mach 1 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.091 | 163.366 |
| 37 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | 55.132 | 163.245 |
| Qualified on owner's points |||||||
| 38 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 55.375 | 162.528 |
| 39 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 55.567 | 161.705 |
| 40 | 77 | Travis Kvapil | Penske Racing | Dodge | 55.967 | 160.809 |
| 41 | 99 | Bobby Gerhart* | Roush Racing | Ford | 56.466 | 159.388 |
| 42 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 60.488 | 148.790 |
| Last car to qualify on time |||||||
| 43 | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 55.154 | 163.179 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 55.330 | 162.660 |
| 45 | 92 | Hermie Sadler | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | 56.199 | 160.145 |
| 46 | 00 | Carl Long | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | — | — |
| 47 | 52 | Derrike Cope | Rick Ware Racing | Dodge | — | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

*Gerhart would qualify for Carl Edwards, as Edwards would later race in the day's NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 203 | 131 | running | 190 | $261,275 |
| 2 | 13 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | 203 | 18 | running | 175 | $178.858 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 203 | 26 | running | 170 | $134,400 |
| 4 | 41 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford | 203 | 0 | running | 160 | $125,900 |
| 5 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | 203 | 1 | running | 160 | $133,066 |
| 6 | 10 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 150 | $131,661 |
| 7 | 6 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 146 | $125,336 |
| 8 | 23 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 142 | $112,250 |
| 9 | 34 | 0 | Mike Bliss | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 138 | $77,925 |
| 10 | 5 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 203 | 0 | running | 134 | $103,489 |
| 11 | 1 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 203 | 0 | running | 130 | $90,500 |
| 12 | 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 127 | $115,566 |
| 13 | 21 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 124 | $115,411 |
| 14 | 8 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 121 | $76,725 |
| 15 | 20 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 203 | 0 | running | 118 | $103,183 |
| 16 | 39 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 203 | 0 | running | 115 | $103,116 |
| 17 | 7 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 203 | 17 | running | 117 | $81,325 |
| 18 | 16 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 203 | 0 | running | 109 | $94,270 |
| 19 | 26 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 203 | 0 | running | 106 | $95,211 |
| 20 | 22 | 07 | Dave Blaney | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 103 | $76,000 |
| 21 | 42 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 203 | 0 | running | 100 | $91,788 |
| 22 | 14 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MB2 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 8 | running | 102 | $89,483 |
| 23 | 27 | 32 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 94 | $80,083 |
| 24 | 19 | 11 | Jason Leffler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 91 | $64,750 |
| 25 | 11 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 203 | 0 | running | 88 | $84,483 |
| 26 | 24 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 203 | 0 | running | 85 | $91,389 |
| 27 | 15 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 202 | 0 | running | 82 | $96,000 |
| 28 | 25 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates | Dodge | 202 | 0 | running | 79 | $91,683 |
| 29 | 31 | 4 | Mike Wallace | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 202 | 1 | running | 81 | $63,125 |
| 30 | 33 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 202 | 0 | running | 73 | $70,522 |
| 31 | 12 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 202 | 0 | running | 70 | $60,325 |
| 32 | 38 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | running | 67 | $107,583 |
| 33 | 18 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 | running | 64 | $68,925 |
| 34 | 32 | 66 | Mike Garvey | Peak Fitness Racing | Ford | 201 | 0 | running | 61 | $61,275 |
| 35 | 37 | 37 | Kevin Lepage | R&J Racing | Dodge | 201 | 0 | running | 58 | $59,625 |
| 36 | 30 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 55 | $107,341 |
| 37 | 17 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 52 | $85,570 |
| 38 | 40 | 77 | Travis Kvapil | Penske Racing | Dodge | 179 | 0 | running | 49 | $67,100 |
| 39 | 28 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 150 | 0 | crash | 46 | $66,975 |
| 40 | 29 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | engine | 43 | $58,825 |
| 41 | 36 | 34 | P. J. Jones | Mach 1 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23 | 1 | transmission | 45 | $58,685 |
| 42 | 43 | 27 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 11 | 0 | overheating | 37 | $58,535 |
| 43 | 35 | 13 | Greg Sacks | Sacks Motorsports | Dodge | 5 | 0 | brakes | 34 | $58,394 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | | | | | |
| 45 | | 92 | Hermie Sadler | Front Row Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 00 | Carl Long | McGlynn Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 52 | Derrike Cope | Rick Ware Racing | Dodge | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
