2004 Gatorade 125s
# 2004 Gatorade 125s

The 2004 Gatorade 125s were a pair of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series held on Thursday, February 12, 2004, that were the qualifying races for that year's Daytona 500, the premier event of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The pair of 50-lap races was held in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The first race was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., who held off the field after passing teammate Michael Waltrip on lap 36. The second race was won by Elliott Sadler of Robert Yates Racing.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. Its standard track is a four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway. Daytona's turns are banked at 31 degrees and the front stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at 18 degrees.

In the early years, qualifying for the Daytona 500 had varying formats: from one timed lap, to the average of two laps, to the better of two laps. The idea of having two individual races to establish the starting lineup of the Daytona 500 dates back to the first race in 1959. The first of the 100-mile (160 km) qualifying races consisted of Convertible division cars and the second of Grand National cars. Between 1960 and 1967, the races were 100 miles (160 km) and were increased to 125 miles (201 km) in 1969. Prior to 1971, the races yielded points to the Drivers' Championship. Large well-established teams approach the races as practice sessions for the Daytona 500 while a successful qualification into the Daytona 500 for smaller less-established teams would allow them to enter future NASCAR events during the season. An unsuccessful qualification meant the team would risk closing down until sponsorship was found. Corporate sponsors purchased naming rights to qualifying races; between 1981 and 1984, Uno cards was the title sponsor for the "Uno Twin 125’s" qualifying events. In 1985 they became known as "7-Eleven Twin 125's"; no sponsors funded the 1988, 1989 and 1990 qualifying events and the races were called "Daytona Twin Qualifiers". Gatorade became the sponsor of the dual qualifying events in 1991 and the races were increased to 150 miles (240 km) as it became known as the "Gatorade Duels" in 2005. The races were rebranded as the "Budweiser Duels" in 2013 and became known as the "Can-Am Duels" in 2016.

The Twin 125-Mile Qualifying Races would determine positions 3 through 30. The drivers who posted the odd-number rankings in the qualifying rounds compete in the first race, which will set the inside rows -- positions 3, 5, 7, etc. -- for the Daytona 500. The even-number rankings from the timed qualifying compete in the second 125-mile race and set the outside rows -- positions 4, 6, 8, etc. In the event of cancellation, the top 30 positions would be set from the timed qualifying sessions. Starting positions 31 through 38 are determined by qualifying speeds set in qualifying. The 30 cars in the field are removed from the equation, and the remaining cars with the fastest official qualifying speeds fill the six positions. Starting positions 39 through 42 are provisionals assigned beginning with the car owner ranked highest in the previous Winston Cup championship points standings who did not qualify for positions 1 through 38. Starting position 43 is assigned to any car owner who has a past NASCAR Winston Cup champion driver who participated in the Winston Cup Series last season and did not otherwise qualify. The most recent past champion driver not assigned a position will receive this starting spot. If the 43rd position remains unused, it will be assigned to the next eligible owner based on last seasons final owner points standings.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | Ward Burton (W) | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero Hi Speed |
| 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Maxwell House, Post |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | U. S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | YokeTV |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's, Got Milk? |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | Ultra Motorsports |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser Born On Date 12 Feb 2004 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne (R) | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 09 | Johnny Benson | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming |
| 10 | Scott Riggs (R) | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 14 | Larry Foyt (R) | A. J. Foyt Racing | Dodge | A. J. Foyt Racing |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip (W) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | Jackson Hewitt |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt Power Tools |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries, The Passion of the Christ |
| 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 |
| 22 | Scott Wimmer (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar |
| 23 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Whelen Engineering |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Brian Vickers (R) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | GMAC Financial Services |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 30 | Johnny Sauter (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 33 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | M&M's Black and White |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin (W) | 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 | Derrike Cope (W) | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | Arnold Development Companies |
| 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine (R) | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | Tucson, Freddie B's |
| 77 | Brendan Gaughan (R) | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Kodak |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 90 | Andy Hillenburg | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Donlavey Racing |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Sharpie |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | NBA All-Star Game on TNT |
| Official entry list |||||

## Qualifying

Daytona 500 qualifying for positions 1-2 and the starting positions for the Duels was held on Sunday, February 8, at 12:00 PM EST.

Greg Biffle of Roush Racing would win the overall pole for the Daytona 500 and the pole for the first duel. Meanwhile, outside polesitter Elliott Sadler would get the first spot for the second duel.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Speed | Time | Grid position in Duel |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 188.387 | 47.774 | 1st in Duel 1 |
| 2 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188.355 | 47.782 | 1st in Duel 2 |
| 3 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 188.210 | 47.819 | 2nd in Duel 1 |
| 4 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188.163 | 47.831 | 2nd in Duel 2 |
| 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 187.884 | 47.902 | 3rd in Duel 1 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187.876 | 47.904 | 3rd in Duel 2 |
| 7 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 187.766 | 47.932 | 4th in Duel 1 |
| 8 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187.750 | 47.936 | 4th in Duel 2 |
| 9 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 187.672 | 47.956 | 5th in Duel 1 |
| 10 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 187.602 | 47.974 | 5th in Duel 2 |
| 11 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 187.602 | 47.974 | 6th in Duel 1 |
| 12 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 187.477 | 48.006 | 6th in Duel 2 |
| 13 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 187.274 | 48.058 | 7th in Duel 1 |
| 14 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187.223 | 48.071 | 7th in Duel 2 |
| 15 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 187.200 | 48.077 | 8th in Duel 1 |
| 16 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 187.176 | 48.083 | 8th in Duel 2 |
| 17 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 187.165 | 48.086 | 9th in Duel 1 |
| 18 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 187.095 | 48.104 | 9th in Duel 2 |
| 19 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 187.071 | 48.110 | 10th in Duel 1 |
| 20 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 186.986 | 48.132 | 10th in Duel 2 |
| 21 | 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 186.939 | 48.144 | 11th in Duel 1 |
| 22 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 186.652 | 48.218 | 11th in Duel 2 |
| 23 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 186.648 | 48.219 | 12th in Duel 1 |
| 24 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 186.598 | 48.232 | 12th in Duel 2 |
| 25 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 186.525 | 48.251 | 13th in Duel 1 |
| 26 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186.505 | 48.256 | 13th in Duel 2 |
| 27 | 30 | Johnny Sauter | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 186.478 | 48.263 | 14th in Duel 1 |
| 28 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 186.474 | 48.264 | 14th in Duel 2 |
| 29 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186.397 | 48.284 | 15th in Duel 1 |
| 30 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 186.274 | 48.316 | 15th in Duel 2 |
| 31 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186.193 | 48.337 | 16th in Duel 1 |
| 32 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 186.127 | 48.354 | 16th in Duel 2 |
| 33 | 23 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 185.981 | 48.392 | 17th in Duel 1 |
| 34 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 185.575 | 48.498 | 17th in Duel 2 |
| 35 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 185.536 | 48.508 | 18th in Duel 1 |
| 36 | 33 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 185.456 | 48.529 | 18th in Duel 2 |
| 37 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 185.219 | 48.591 | 19th in Duel 1 |
| 38 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 184.911 | 48.672 | 19th in Duel 2 |
| 39 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 184.721 | 48.722 | 20th in Duel 1 |
| 40 | 09 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 184.676 | 48.734 | 20th in Duel 2 |
| 41 | 50 | Derrike Cope | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 184.158 | 48.871 | 21st in Duel 1 |
| 42 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 184.057 | 48.898 | 21st in Duel 2 |
| 43 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 182.567 | 49.297 | 22nd in Duel 1 |
| 44 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 180.523 | 49.855 | 22nd in Duel 2 |
| 45 | 90 | Andy Hillenburg | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 177.515 | 50.700 | 23rd in Duel 1 |
| Official Duel 1 lineup ||||||||
| Official Duel 2 lineup ||||||||

## Race results

| Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 1 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 | Duel 2 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Fin. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Winnings | Fin. | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 50 | 14 | running | $55,612 | 1 | 1 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 50 | 26 | running | $56,689 |
| 2 | 19 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $40,612 | 2 | 6 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 50 | 1 | running | $41,689 |
| 3 | 6 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 50 | 1 | running | $35,612 | 3 | 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $36,689 |
| 4 | 7 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 50 | 12 | running | $30,612 | 4 | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | running | $31,689 |
| 5 | 9 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | running | $28,612 | 5 | 5 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $29,689 |
| 6 | 18 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $26,212 | 6 | 14 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | running | $27,289 |
| 7 | 12 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | running | $25,112 | 7 | 4 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $26,189 |
| 8 | 10 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $24,112 | 8 | 2 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 50 | 21 | running | $25,189 |
| 9 | 8 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $24,087 | 9 | 8 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $25,164 |
| 10 | 14 | 30 | Johnny Sauter | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $24,062 | 10 | 21 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $25,139 |
| 11 | 17 | 23 | Dave Blaney | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $24,037 | 11 | 9 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 50 | 2 | running | $25,114 |
| 12 | 5 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $24,012 | 12 | 20 | 09 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $25,089 |
| 13 | 4 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $23,987 | 13 | 17 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $25,064 |
| 14 | 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 50 | 22 | running | $23,962 | 14 | 16 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $25,039 |
| 15 | 11 | 1 | John Andretti | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $23,937 | 15 | 11 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $25,014 |
| 16 | 21 | 50 | Derrike Cope | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $23,912 | 16 | 18 | 33 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $24,989 |
| 17 | 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 50 | 0 | running | $23,887 | 17 | 12 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $24,964 |
| 18 | 16 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $23,837 | 18 | 15 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $24,914 |
| 19 | 22 | 14 | Larry Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $23,812 | 19 | 19 | 7 | Jimmy Spencer | Ultra Motorsports | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $24,889 |
| 20 | 13 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 50 | 0 | running | $23,787 | 20 | 13 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 | running | $24,864 |
| 21 | 20 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 0 | running | $23,762 | 21 | 22 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 49 | 0 | running | $24,839 |
| 22 | 23 | 90 | Andy Hillenburg | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31 | 1 | handling | $23,737 | 22 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | engine | $24,814 |
| 23 | 15 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 | accident | $23,687 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 1 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results | Official Duel 2 results |
