2005 Sony HD 500

February 2025 August 2026 Stock car race held in Fontana, California (2005) NASNEX Sony HD 500 The Race: Sony HD 500 http://www.jayski.com/next/2005/2005calif2.htm Jayski's Silly Season Site ESPN Internet Ventures August 2, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20050924173501/http://www.jayski.com/next/2005/2005calif2.htm September 24, 20052005 Sony HD 500 live https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2005_Sony_HD_500/W Racing Reference NASCAR Digital Media April 11, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20210429054025/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2005_Sony_HD_500/W/ April 29, 2021 2005 09 4 2005 25 36 2005_Sony_HD_500_program_cover.png 200px The 2005 Sony HD 500 program cover, featuring Elliott Sadler. Sony HD 500 California Speedway, Fontana, California 2.0 3.219 254 508 817.547 250 500 804.672 Temperatures up to 93.4 F C; wind speeds around 5.18 mph km/h onWeather History for Fontana, CA on September 4, 2005 https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/CA/Fontana/2005-09-04 live Old Farmer's Almanac Yankee Publishing August 2, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20260802200719/https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/CA/Fontana/2005-09-04 August 2, 2026 136.356 mi/h 100,000 Carl Edwards Roush Racing 38.906 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports 95 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports NBC Bill Weber, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach Jr. 5.2/10 (Final) 4.4/8 (Overnight)Final California ratings rise September 7, 2005 http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2005/09/05/scene_daily10.html Scene Daily American City Business Journals, Inc. August 2, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20051103113516/http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2005/09/05/scene_daily10.html November 3, 2005 Motor Racing Network Joe Moore, Adam Alexander Dave Moody (1 & 2), and Dan Hubbard (3 & 4) Permanent racing facility The 2005 Sony HD 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on September 4, 2005, in Fontana, California at California Speedway, a superspeedway track, before a crowd of approximately 100,000 spectators. It was the twenty-fifth race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Kyle Busch of the Hendrick Motorsports team won the 254-lap race, which was extended by four laps because of a green–white–checkered finish. Roush Racing driver Greg Biffle finished second, and Busch's teammate Brian Vickers was third. Tony Stewart led the Drivers' Championship by 213 points over Jimmie Johnson before the race. Carl Edwards earned his first pole position by recording the quickest lap time of qualifications. Beginning on lap two, the lead was traded several times between Edwards' Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, and Biffle before Edwards reclaimed the top position during a restart on the 27th lap; he led until a tire puncture caused him to spin on lap 47. Kyle Busch became the first non-Roush Racing driver to lead on lap 82, and although Matt Kenseth consistently made fast pit stops to claim the lead during caution periods, Busch repeatedly overtook him on restarts. During a lap-242 caution for debris, Kyle Busch switched two tires as opposed to four because he parked his car too close to the pit wall, but quickly passed the two cars ahead of him and held off his competitors to achieve his first Nextel Cup Series win, becoming the youngest driver to do so.yungwin The lead was changed 30 times between 12 drivers and the caution flag was issued 11 times. The final result meant that Stewart maintained his Drivers' Championship lead, while Biffle took the second position from Johnson and Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon were displaced from the final two provisional spots of the Chase for the Nextel Cup by Kenseth and Jamie McMurray, respectively. Joe Gibbs also kept his lead in the Owners' Championship, as did Chevrolet in the Manufacturers' Championship with 11 races left in the season. Background 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series#Teams and drivers left|thumb|250x250px|California Speedway (later renamed to Auto Club Speedway, pictured in 2007), where the race was held. The 2005 Sony HD 500 was the 25th of 36 scheduled stock car races of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. It was scheduled to run for 250 laps over a distance of 500 mi km out,August 24, 2005 SONY HD 500 Fact Sheet & Media Info http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=406 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051126100804/http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=406 November 26, 2005 August 2, 2026 California Speedway and was held on Sunday, September 4, 2005, in Fontana, California at California Speedway, a superspeedway that hosted NASCAR races.Tracks http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks dead https://web.archive.org/web/20111124190039/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks November 24, 2011 August 2, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Its standard layout is a four-turn, 1.5 mi km on-long D-shaped oval track with banking of 14 degrees in the turns, 11 degrees in the front stretch (where the start-finish line is located), and three degrees in the back stretch.California Speedway http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/cal/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051216103757/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/cal/index.html December 16, 2005 August 2, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.Track Facts http://californiaspeedway.com/track/TrackFacts.jsp dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930235712/http://californiaspeedway.com/track/TrackFacts.jsp September 30, 2005 August 2, 2026 California Speedway The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series raced at the track every year since 1997;California Speedway Past Winners http://www.nascar.com/kyn/nbtn/cup/data/tracks/cal_winners.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051102145148/http://www.nascar.com/kyn/nbtn/cup/data/tracks/cal_winners.html November 2, 2005 August 2, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. beginning in 2004, a second event at the track was added to the schedule on Labor Day weekend, taking the traditional slot of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.Rodman Dave June 13, 2003 Winston Cup schedule shuffle set for 2004 http://www.nascar.com/2003/news/headlines/wc/06/13/2004_schedule/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051127063221/http://www.nascar.com/2003/news/headlines/wc/06/13/2004_schedule/index.html November 27, 2005 August 2, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Heading into the race, Tony Stewart led the Drivers' Championship with 3,410 points, 213 more than Jimmie Johnson in second place and 224 more than third-place Greg Biffle.2005 Official Driver Standings After: Sharpie 500 Bristol Motor Speedway Race 24 of 36 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/data/standings_official.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050831022101/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/data/standings_official.html August 31, 2005 August 2, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Rusty Wallace was fourth with 3,139 points and Mark Martin was fifth with 3,014. Jeremy Mayfield, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top ten positions.2005 Nextel Cup Drivers/Owners Points after Bristol – August 27, 2005 - Race 24 of 36 http://www.jayski.com/stats/2005standings/aug27.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050924170222/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2005standings/aug27.htm September 24, 2005 August 2, 2026 Jayski's Silly Season Site ESPN Internet Ventures Stewart, Johnson, and Biffle had already clinched spots for the ten-race season-ending 2005 Chase for the Nextel Cup, while Wallace simply needed to start the Sony HD 500 to ensure his spot and Martin had to finish no worse than fifth.September 1, 2005 SONY HD 500 Crucial to Chase http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=427 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051126100945/http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=427 November 26, 2005 August 3, 2026 California Speedway The respective cars that they drove, owned by Joe Gibbs (Stewart's No. Car number 20 car), Jeff Gordon (Johnson's No. 48 car), Geoff Smith (Biffle's No. 16 car), Roger Penske (Wallace's No. 2 and Newman's No. 12 cars), Jack Roush (Martin's No. 6 and Edwards' No. 99 cars), Ray Evernham (Mayfield's No. 19 car), Georgetta Roush (Kurt Busch's No. 97 car), and Rick Hendrick (Gordon's No. 24 car), were ordered in the same positions with the same point amounts for the Owners' Championship. Chevrolet led the Manufacturers' Championship with 176 points, followed by Ford (160 points) and Dodge (120 points).2005 Manufacturer Standings http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/data/standings_manufacturer.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050831125512/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/data/standings_manufacturer.html August 31, 2005 August 2, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Elliott Sadler was the race's defending winner. After earning his first win of the season in the preceding Sharpie 500, Matt Kenseth hoped to carry his team's positive momentum into the Sony HD 500 with a car that performed well in the races at Michigan International Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway.September 1, 2005 Virtual Pit Reporter: News on 25 Cup drivers http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4827350 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930224434/http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4827350 September 30, 2005 August 3, 2026 Fox Sports Fox Sports Interactive Media Stewart, who had finished inside the top-ten in the past ten races, compared California Speedway to Michigan because of their similar layouts: "California is a lot like Michigan. I like to call it Michigan West. I'm not sure that it has the amount of banking that Michigan has, but it is a flatter track than Michigan. The way you approach the weekend is pretty much the same as far as setups on The Home Depot Chevrolet go. You just don't have the banking to help you like you do at Michigan."August 29, 2005 Tony Stewart - West Coast Offense http://joegibbsracing.com/season_2005/news_cup/08_aug/050829_ts_pre.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051123102252/http://joegibbsracing.com/season_2005/news_cup/08_aug/050829_ts_pre.php November 23, 2005 August 3, 2026 Joe Gibbs Racing Atlanta Sadler revealed that he would be driving the same car that he raced in the Brickyard 400, which he considered his team's best car, and was optimistic in his chance to claim a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.Cross B. Duane September 2, 2005 Sadler back at Fontana confident, determined http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/02/fontana.preview.02/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930201006/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/02/fontana.preview.02/index.html September 30, 2005 August 3, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Johnson spoke of his new approach to upcoming races for the Chase: "Last year, we tested too close to race time and weren't able to get the full benefit from the test session. This year, we've got a little better plan and are leaving ourselves some more time to get prepared."Spoor Mark September 3, 2005 Johnson aiming to hit the ground running in Chase http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/02/jjohnson_chase/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930201434/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/02/jjohnson_chase/index.html September 30, 2005 August 3, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. There was one change of driver before the race; NASCAR Busch Series driver J. J. Yeley made his season début in the race, taking Terry Labonte's seat. He expressed confidence ahead of the race because of previous tests that he had completed at Kentucky Speedway and New Hampshire International Speedway.August 31, 2005 Express Facts - California Speedway http://www.joegibbsracing.com/season_2005/news_cup/08_aug/050831_jj_pre.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051123102316/http://www.joegibbsracing.com/season_2005/news_cup/08_aug/050831_jj_pre.php November 23, 2005 August 4, 2026 Joe Gibbs Racing Ricky Rudd was substituted by Jon Wood in the practice and qualifying sessions as he mourned his father, Al Rudd Sr., who died the Tuesday before the race; he arrived in California on Saturday, one day after attending his funeral, to compete in the race.September 5, 2005 Drivers take cautious approach until sun sets http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?series=wc&id=2152160 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051219223019/http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?series=wc&id=2152160 December 19, 2005 August 5, 2026 ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures Fontana, California Associated Press Many cars, including all five from the Roush Racing team, ran with decals commemorating Rudd's father.Spoor Mark September 3, 2005 Gordon fast at Fontana with Roush on his heels http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/02/fontana_practice/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051119070306/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/02/fontana_practice/index.html November 19, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Fontana, California Evernham Motorsports also entered a third car with 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott for the first time since the Batman Begins 400 in June as part of a two-race sponsorship deal with McDonald's. Practice and qualifying thumb|280x280px|Carl Edwards (pictured in 2010) earned the first pole position of his career with a 38.906-second lap. Two practice sessions were held before the Sunday race, one 100-minute session on Friday and another 50-minute session on Saturday.Sony HD 500 * September 2 – 4, 2005 http://www.californiaspeedway.com/uploads/assets/news/revisedSONYHD500Schedule.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060425233151/http://www.californiaspeedway.com/uploads/assets/news/revisedSONYHD500Schedule.pdf April 25, 2006 August 4, 2026 California Speedway Jeff Gordon was quickest in the first practice session with a lap time of 39.354 seconds;September 2, 2005 Jeff Gordon Quickest in NEXTEL Cup Practice http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=429 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051126101011/http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=429 November 26, 2005 August 4, 2026 California Speedway Kurt Busch, Johnson, Martin, and Kenseth rounded out the session's five fastest drivers.Practice 1 Speeds – Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/practice1_speeds.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930195141/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/practice1_speeds.html September 30, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. On Saturday morning, Gordon bettered his quickest time with a 39.187-second lap in the second practice session.Rodman Dave September 3, 2005 Day or night, Gordon goes fastest http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/03/hh_fontana/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051118161545/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/03/hh_fontana/index.html November 18, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Edwards was second-quickest, Kyle Busch was third, Joe Nemechek was fourth, and Michael Waltrip was fifth.Practice 2 Speeds – Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/practice2_speeds.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051123150146/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/practice2_speeds.html November 23, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. A total of 45 cars were entered for the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, but due to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, only 43 were allowed to race.45 drivers on California Cup entry list http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4820544 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051117031316/http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4820544 November 17, 2005 August 4, 2026 Fox Sports Fox Sports Interactive Media The order of qualifications was set by a random draw earlier that morning.Qualifying Order – Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/qual_order.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930200649/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/qual_order.html September 30, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Each driver was required to complete two timed laps to determine the first 42 starting positions, while the driver in 43rd would qualify through the use of a provisional if needed. Edwards took the first pole position of his career with a time of 38.906 seconds and was joined on the grid's front row by Martin, who was 0.048 seconds slower and held the position until Edwards' lap.September 3, 2005 Edwards wins first Cup pole, leads Roush sweep http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/03/edwards_fontana_pole/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051119073451/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/03/edwards_fontana_pole/index.html November 19, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Fontana, California Associated PressRace Lineup – Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/lineup.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050930200048/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/lineup.html September 30, 2005 August 4, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Kurt Busch was third and Biffle fourth to complete a top-four sweep for Roush Racing; it was the first time in the Nextel Cup Series' modern era (1972–present) that a team qualified in the first four positions. Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Yeley, Brian Vickers, and Scott Riggs completed the top-ten starters.September 4, 2005 Qualifying times - California. https://www.crash.net/nascar/results/89772/1/qualifying-times-california June 14, 2021 Crash en https://web.archive.org/web/20210615000138/https://www.crash.net/nascar/results/89772/1/qualifying-times-california June 15, 2021 dead The two drivers that failed to qualify were P. J. Jones and John Andretti, the latter of whom suffered an issue that forced him to miss qualifications.JAYSKI's Semi-Live QUALIFYING/GRID page for the Sony HD 500 at the California Speedway http://jayski.com/stats/2005grids/2005cal2-grid.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051001003139/http://jayski.com/stats/2005grids/2005cal2-grid.htm October 1, 2005 August 4, 2026 Jayski's Silly Season Site ESPN Internet Ventures After qualifying, Edwards remained focused on making the Chase: "We still have to deal with two really tough races. In our position with our Office Depot team, I feel like we're so close to being in it or out of it that we're just gonna do our best. If we don't make it, we've got a million reasons why we shouldn't, but if we do it would be just awesome. It would mean the world to me."September 12, 2005 Edwards scores first career pole in Fontana https://au.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/edwards-scores-first-career-pole-in-fontana/1271051/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260804123813/https://au.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/edwards-scores-first-career-pole-in-fontana/1271051/ August 4, 2026 August 4, 2026 Motorsport.com Motorsport Network Australia Qualifying results Grid No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Time in seconds Speed Speed in miles per hour (mph) 1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Racing Ford 38.906 185.061 2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 38.954 184.833 3 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 39.045 184.403 4 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 39.052 184.370 5 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.120 184.049 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.166 183.833 7 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 39.172 183.805 8 11 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 39.182 183.758 9 25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.194 183.702 10 10 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Chevrolet 39.241 183.482 11 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. PPI Motorsports Chevrolet 39.251 183.435 12 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 39.276 183.318 13 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 39.278 183.309 14 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 39.347 182.987 15 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.357 182.941 16 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.363 182.913 17 43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge 39.400 182.741 18 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.403 182.727 19 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 39.439 182.560 20 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 39.443 182.542 21 07 Dave Blaney Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.448 182.519 22 01 Joe Nemechek MB2 Motorsports Chevrolet 39.455 182.486 23 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 39.478 182.380 24 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet 39.499 182.2831 25 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.518 182.195 26 36 Boris Said MB/Sutton Motorsports Chevrolet 39.551 182.043 27 22 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge 39.615 181.749 28 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge 39.620 181.726 29 77 Travis Kvapil Penske Racing Dodge 39.702 181.351 30 91 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 39.729 181.228 31 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 39.748 181.141 32 37 Tony Raines R&J Racing Dodge 39.781 180.991 33 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 39.807 180.873 34 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Dodge 39.881 180.537 35 51 Stuart Kirby Competitive Edge Motorsports Chevrolet 39.884 180.523 36 66 Mike Garvey Peak Performance Motorsports Ford 39.908 180.415 37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.944 180.252 38 0 Mike Bliss Haas Automation Chevrolet 39.976 180.108 39 21 Jon Wood Wood Brothers Racing Ford 40.041 179.8161 40 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 40.057 179.744 41 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 40.071 179.681 42 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 40.763 176.631 43 92 Hermie Sadler Front Row Motorsports Dodge 40.798 176.479 Failed to qualify 44 34 P. J. Jones Mach One Motorsports Chevrolet 40.900 176.039 45 4 John Andretti Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet No time No speed 1 Moved to the back of the field for changing transmissions (#7) and for changing drivers (#21) Sources: Race left|thumb|268x268px|Dale Earnhardt Jr. (pictured in 2020) was eliminated from contention for the Chase for the Nextel Cup by virtue of a 38th-place finish. Live television coverage of the 250-lap race in the United States was broadcast on NBC and began at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−07:00). Commentary was provided by Bill Weber, Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. The air temperature towards the start of the race was 93 F C on.September 5, 2005 Lap by Lap: Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/2005/races/lapbylap/09/04/calif/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051118191119/http://www.nascar.com/2005/races/lapbylap/09/04/calif/index.html November 18, 2005 August 5, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Motor Racing Outreach member Tim Griffin began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation, and country singer Josh Kelley performed the national anthem.NASCAR on NBC September 4, 2005 Television production en Fontana, California Actor Josh Duhamel of the NBC television series Las Vegas commanded the drivers to start their engines.August 23, 2005 Duhamel to Serve as SONY HD 500 Grand Marshal http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=403 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051126100707/http://www.californiaspeedway.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=403 November 26, 2005 August 5, 2026 California Speedway During the pace laps, Robby Gordon dropped to the rear of the 43-car field for switching transmissions, as did Rudd for a driver change during the weekend. Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda waved the green flag at 5:10 p.m. to begin the race. Edwards maintained the lead on the first lap, but Martin passed him the next. Exiting turn four, Yeley was spun from behind by Kahne and contacted the wall with the rear end of his car. The accident prompted the first caution flag on lap three. Martin led the field back up to speed at the restart on lap six; he was promptly overtaken by Kurt Busch approaching turn one. Five laps later, Biffle got by Busch at the start-finish line, while Stewart had improved from 14th to fifth. Casey Mears similarly moved up 13 positions to 21st by lap 14. On the 20th lap, Kenseth fell to 26th after hitting the wall four laps earlier because of visibility issues from the sun setting. Four laps later, Mike Garvey brought put the race's second caution flag when his car spewed smoke. All of the racers made pit stops during the caution period, with Biffle leaving pit road first to defend his lead over Edwards, Kurt Busch, Johnson, and Martin. On the lap-27 restart, however, Edwards quickly passed Biffle for the lead. By lap 36, Kyle Busch and Waltrip moved into the top-ten for the first time, while Jeff Gordon dropped to 34th place six laps later because of a loose-handling car. On the 47th lap, Edwards spun after his left-rear tire flattened in turn four but avoided hitting anything, though the spin still prompted the third caution. Edwards rejoined the race in the 37th position as he and all other leaders made pit stops under caution. Green-flag racing resumed on lap 51, with Kurt Busch, Stewart, Johnson, Vickers, and Kyle Busch in the top-five. Five laps later, Johnson hit the front stretch wall, but continued without losing his pace and passed Stewart for second place on the back stretch, only for Johnson to be demoted to fifth behind Stewart and Kyle Busch the following lap. Mears made an unscheduled pit stop on the 59th lap for a vibration within his car. By lap 70, Edwards made his way up to 28th, whereas Jeff Gordon remained stuck in 31st place. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also made up 20 positions to hold 19th place by the 80th lap. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch began reeling in his older brother Kurt and, on lap 82, he passed him for the lead, becoming the first non-Roush Racing driver to lead a lap. As Wallace made a pit stop under green-flag conditions, the caution flag was issued for the fourth time on lap 94 when Hermie Sadler parked his car sideways on the back stretch. The leaders made pit stops again for tires and fuel. Johnson's stop was elongated as his team replaced a faulty shock absorber within his right-front tire, which dropped him to 32nd. Stewart, Martin, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Vickers were in the top-five at the restart on lap 99, during which Wallace was lapped by Stewart. He held a 0.995-second advantage over Martin when the caution flag was flown for the fifth time for debris spotted in between the first and second turns. After the ensuing pit stops, Waltrip emerged as the new leader ahead of Stewart, Martin, and Biffle because he changed two tires rather than four. However, Stewart immediately overtook him for the lead during the lap-119 restart and by the 121st lap, he had already fallen to seventh. The next green-flag stint, which saw Rudd improve to 13th by lap 136 and Johnson to 12th by lap 139, was interrupted by the race's sixth caution for Kurt Busch spinning through the infield grass on the front stretch on lap 145. Kenseth beat Stewart off of pit road to claim the lead from him ahead of the restart on lap 149, with Martin in third, Kyle Busch in fourth, and Sterling Marlin in fifth. It only took one lap for Kenseth to be demoted to third place behind Stewart and Kyle Busch. On lap 152, Kyle Busch drove past Stewart to reclaim the lead. He quickly pulled out an advantage of nearly a second over Stewart by the 160th lap, while Edwards recovered from his earlier spin to climb up to eighth place. Mike Bliss brought out the caution flag for the seventh time on lap 166 when he spun at the exit of the second corner. During the pit stops, Kenseth again advanced to the front of the field, with Stewart, Martin, Kyle Busch, and Biffle completing the top-five. Sadler was relegated to 33rd place because of two extra pit stops. Stewart, meanwhile, quickly took back the lead from Kenseth on the lap-170 restart. Four laps later, Kyle Busch made another pass on Stewart to retake the top position. On the 187th lap, a hard-charging Kahne began to battle for the second position with Stewart, who eventually got by him five laps later. On lap 200, the caution was thrown for the eighth time as Boris Said lost control and spun off of turn two. All of the leaders made what they anticipated would be their final pit stops to top off on fuel. Once again, Kenseth had a quick stop and regained the lead for the restart on the 206th lap, followed by Kyle Busch, Stewart, Martin, and Edwards. Four laps later, Busch reclaimed the lead from Kenseth. On the 211th lap, Earnhardt blew an engine and spewed oil from his car, forcing him to pull into the garage.Peters Ken September 5, 2005 Junior's slim Chase chances go up in smoke http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/05/dearnhardtjr_fontana/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051107152253/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/05/dearnhardtjr_fontana/index.html November 7, 2005 August 5, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Fontana, California Associated Press His subsequent retirement from the race effectively eliminated his chances of joining the Chase for the Nextel Cup.September 5, 2005 Kenseth, McMurray move into top 10; Little E out http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?series=wc&id=2152171 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110524124715/http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?series=wc&id=2152171 May 24, 2011 August 5, 2026 ESPN ESPN Internet Ventures Fontana, Californiathumb|271x271px|Kyle Busch (pictured in 2010) earned his first victory and was the youngest winner in Nextel Cup Series history.The ninth caution of the race to clean up the track was issued for only three laps before Kyle Busch led the field back to green-flag racing on the 216th lap, with Kenseth second and Stewart third. Edwards made his way up to the second position by lap 228, but six laps later, he fell to fourth place behind Kenseth and Stewart, while Busch amassed a lead of three seconds. On lap 242, however, Busch's win was threatened when the tenth caution was flown for debris on the track. Kyle Busch steered into pit road with the intent of faking out, but when his competitors followed him in, he opted to make a pit stop. His crew chief Alan Gustafson initially called to replace all four tires, but decided only to switch his right-side tires because he came in too close to the pit wall for his crew members to swap his tires on the left side.Pearce Al January 25, 2022 Why Kyle Busch's First NASCAR Cup Win Was True California Dream https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a38887633/kyle-busch-first-nascar-win-california/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260112051237/https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a38887633/kyle-busch-first-nascar-win-california/ January 12, 2026 August 6, 2026 Autoweek Hearst AutosRedmayne Tim September 5, 2005 Kyle Busch Youngest Ever Winner https://www.autosport.com/nascar/news/kyle-busch-youngest-ever-winner-5328138/5328138/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210420123055/https://www.autosport.com/nascar/news/kyle-busch-youngest-ever-winner-5328138/5328138/ April 20, 2021 August 6, 2026 Autosport Motorsport Network Biffle and Vickers also made two-tire stops, while Robby Gordon and Jeff Green remained on-track and assumed the top-two positions for the restart on lap 244. Despite having a disadvantage of less fresher tires over the drivers behind him, Kyle Busch easily got around the two drivers to take the lead once more. On the 248th lap, the 11th caution was thrown: Marlin hit Riggs from behind in turn two, causing Riggs to veer into Robby Gordon, who then hit the wall. Riggs was hit again by Scott Wimmer. Jeff Burton also collided with the wall. Because there was too little time to clear the track of debris, the race was extended beyond its scheduled 250-lap distance for a green–white–checkered finish. Undeterred, Kyle Busch led the final two laps to earn his first Nextel Cup Series victory in his 31st start. He became the youngest winner in the series' history at the age of 20 years, four months, and two days, outdoing the previous record set by Donald Thomas in a 1952 race at Lakewood Speedway by four days.The record was later broken by Joey Logano, who won the 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at 19 years, one month, and four days old. yungwin Biffle finished second, Vickers third, Edwards fourth, and Stewart fifth.Official Race Results – Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/results_official.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051124193058/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/25/data/results_official.html November 24, 2005 August 6, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Kahne nosed ahead of Kenseth to take sixth, followed by Jamie McMurray in eighth, Rudd in ninth, and Nemechek in tenth. The race had 11 cautions and 30 lead changes among 12 different drivers. Kyle Busch led five times for a total of 95 laps, more than any other racer. Post-race "There was a lot of redemption with that first win at Fontana. You know, from not being allowed to run the Truck race [in 2001] because I was too young to coming back and winning in just my third time there. As it’s turned out, I’ve had pretty good success there. I enjoy going out to California." Kyle Busch recalling his first Nextel Cup Series victory to Autoweek in 2022. left 33% Kyle Busch appeared in victory lane in front of a crowd of 100,000 spectators to celebrate his first career victory, which earned him $241,065. He planned on donating his winner's purse to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, telling his team owner Rick Hendrick: "We're going to donate your share and my share to them down there. I saw Carl Edwards [the Busch Series race winner on Saturday] do that last night and I thought it was a real class act, so I'm going to do the same." He also spoke on his team's last pit stop: "My nerves were getting to me. When I made that last pit stop, everybody followed me in and I thought, 'Cool, we're going to be all right.' That stop is what got us the win."Harris Mike September 6, 2005 Busch breaks into the win column at Fontana http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/05/bc.car.nascar.california.ap/index.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060130213522/http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/cup/09/05/bc.car.nascar.california.ap/index.html January 30, 2006 August 6, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Associated Press Second-place Biffle was pleased with his team's recent string of consistent top-five finishes: "That means a lot. A sixth at Michigan, that was a win for us. We went there and ran really well and led a lot of laps and finished sixth, but then third at Bristol and second here tonight. We can't be happier right now. The whole team is just excited."September 12, 2005 Fontana II: Ford teams race quotes https://au.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/fontana-ii-ford-teams-race-quotes-2005-09-12/1270623/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260806121155/https://au.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/fontana-ii-ford-teams-race-quotes-2005-09-12/1270623/ August 6, 2026 August 6, 2026 Motorsport.com Motorsport Network Australia Vickers, in third, discussed the issues he faced with the handling of his car, which he felt was loose in the majority of the race and tight after the last pit stop.September 12, 2005 Fontana II: Vickers post-race interview https://au.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/fontana-ii-vickers-post-race-interview/1270663/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20260806130700/https://au.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/fontana-ii-vickers-post-race-interview/1270663/ August 6, 2026 August 6, 2026 Motorsport.com Motorsport Network Australia Earnhardt was annoyed with his engine's poor performance during the race, stating: "It finally broke. We struggled all day and all night down the straightaway. We ran it hot in qualifying, I did, and might have burned something up in the motor and it finally just broke. Our car was horrible. But it's real disappointing." He added that his championship hopes "ha[d] been over for at least 80 laps" and was "surprised you all are surprised." Jeff Gordon was in 10th place during the lap-216 restart, but an ill-handling car dropped him to 21st by the end; he was pessimistic about his chances to clinch a Chase spot: "It was pathetic. We'll go to Richmond and see what we can do. It doesn't matter right now [where we race]. Everywhere we go, we either stink or we're good. Apparently what we've done in the past doesn't mean anything right now." Newman had a positive outlook about his Chase hopes, stating: "We're still alive now. We've got our heads just barely below water. We've got a chance to come up for a breath of fresh air." The final race result meant that Stewart held onto the Drivers' Championship lead with 3,570 points and a 209-point gap over Biffle, who demoted Johnson (3,312 points) to third. Wallace, in fourth place on 3,257 points, and Martin, fifth on 3,149, solidified their positions in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, while sixth-place Kurt Busch (3,114 points) only needed to start the next round, the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, in order to do so.2005 Official Driver Standings After: Sony HD 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/data/standings_official.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20050907023430mp_/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2005/data/standings_official.html September 7, 2005 August 6, 2026 NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Mayfield, Edwards, Kenseth, and McMurray assumed the last four Chase spots, the latter two displacing Newman and Jeff Gordon out. Gibbs' No. 20 team also maintained his Owners' Championship lead, ahead of Smith's No. 16, Jeff Gordon's No. 48, Penske's No. 2, Jack Roush's No. 6, Georgetta Roush's No. 97, Evernham's No. 19, Jack Roush's No. 99, Martin's No. 17, and Floyd Ganassi's No. 42 teams. For the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet continued leading with 185 points, with Ford in second on 166 and Dodge in third on 124 with 11 races remaining in the season.2005 Manufacturers Championship and all time Manufacturers Wins http://www.jayski.com/stats/2005/manu2005.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120118192023/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2005/manu2005.htm January 18, 2012 August 6, 2026 Jayski's Silly Season Site ESPN Internet Ventures The race took three hours, forty-three minutes, and thirty-three seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 0.554 seconds. Race results Pos Position Grid No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Points 1 25 5 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 254 1902 2 4 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 254 1751 3 9 25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 254 165 4 1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Racing Ford 254 1651 5 14 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 254 1601 6 7 9 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 254 150 7 23 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 254 1511 8 40 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 254 142 9 39 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 254 138 10 22 01 Joe Nemechek MB2 Motorsports Chevrolet 254 134 11 2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 254 1351 12 3 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 254 1321 13 19 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 254 1291 14 18 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 254 121 15 34 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Dodge 254 118 16 5 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 254 115 17 15 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 254 112 18 28 12 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge 254 109 19 12 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 254 106 20 42 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 254 103 21 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 254 100 22 21 07 Dave Blaney Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 254 97 23 11 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. PPI Motorsports Chevrolet 254 94 24 37 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 254 91 25 17 43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge 254 931 26 13 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 254 901 27 38 0 Mike Bliss Haas Automation Chevrolet 254 82 28 32 37 Tony Raines R&J Racing Dodge 254 79 29 31 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 253 76 30 26 36 Boris Said MB/Sutton Motorsports Chevrolet 253 73 31 27 22 Scott Wimmer Bill Davis Racing Dodge 250 70 32 33 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 249 67 33 29 77 Travis Kvapil Penske Racing Dodge 249 64 34 24 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Chevrolet 248 661 35 16 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 248 58 36 10 10 Scott Riggs Evernham Motorsports Chevrolet 246 55 37 36 66 Mike Garvey Peak Performance Motorsports Ford 232 52 38 41 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 211 541 39 8 11 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 209 46 40 30 91 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge 180 43 41 20 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 171 40 42 43 92 Hermie Sadler Front Row Motorsports Dodge 87 37 43 35 51 Stuart Kirby Competitive Edge Motorsports Chevrolet 31 34 1 Includes five bonus points for leading a lap2 Includes ten bonus points for leading the most lapsSources: Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Position +/– Driver Points 1 10px Tony Stewart 3,570 2 10px 1 Greg Biffle 3,361 (−209) 3 10px 1 Jimmie Johnson 3,312 (−258) 4 10px Rusty Wallace 3,257 (−313) 5 10px Mark Martin 3,149 (−421) 6 10px 1 Kurt Busch 3,114 (−456) 7 10px 1 Jeremy Mayfield 3,073 (−497) 8 10px Carl Edwards 3,014 (−556) 9 10px 2 Matt Kenseth 2,939 (−631) 10 10px 2 Jamie McMurray 2,929 (−641) Sources: Owners' Championship standings Pos Position +/– Owner No. Car number Points 1 10px Joe Gibbs 20 3,570 2 10px 1 Geoff Smith 16 3,361 (−209) 3 10px 1 Jeff Gordon 48 3,312 (−258) 4 10px Roger Penske 2 3,257 (−313) 5 10px Jack Roush 6 3,149 (−421) 6 10px 1 Georgetta Roush 97 3,114 (−456) 7 10px 1 Ray Evernham 19 3,073 (−497) 8 10px Jack Roush 99 3,014 (−556) 9 10px 2 Mark Martin 17 2,939 (−631) 10 10px 2 Floyd Ganassi 42 2,929 (−641) Source:2005 Nextel Cup Drivers/Owners Points after California – September 4, 2005 - Race 25 of 36 http://jayski.com/stats/2005standings/sept4.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20051116115828/http://jayski.com/stats/2005standings/sept4.htm November 16, 2005 August 6, 2026 Jayski's Silly Season Site ESPN Internet Ventures Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Position +/– Manufacturer Points 1 10px Chevrolet 185 2 10px Ford 166 (−19) 3 10px Dodge 124 (−61)Source: Note: Only the top ten positions are included for the driver and owner standings. Notes and references Notes References Nextel Cup Series 2005 2005 Sharpie 500 2005 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Sports United States Sony HD 500 Sony HD 500 Category:NASCAR races at Auto Club Speedway Category:September 2005 sports events in the United States