2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500

Auto race at Atlanta in 2004 February 2025 NASNEX Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 2004 10 31 2004 33 36 Atlanta Motor Speedway.svg Atlanta Motor Speedway (after 1997, before Atlanta International Speedway) Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 1.540 2.478 325 500.5 805.5 Temperatures reaching up to 78.8 F C; wind speeds up to 8.9 mph km/hWeather Information for the 2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/GA/Hampton/2004-10-31 The Old Farmer's Almanac November 1, 2014 145.847 mph km/h on Ryan Newman Penske-Jasper Racing 28.939 seconds Mark Martin Roush Racing 227 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports NBC Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. 4.2/10http://www.jayski.com/pages/tvratings2004.htm TV RATINGS 2004 Jayski's Silly Season Site October 24, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140213040237/http://www.jayski.com/pages/tvratings2004.htm February 13, 2014 dead The 2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on October 31, 2004 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 325 laps, the race was the 33rd of the 36-race 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing won the pole, while Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. Roush Racing teammates Mark Martin and Carl Edwards finished second and third, respectively. Background thumb|Brian Vickers' car with decals of the ten people killed in the Hendrick plane crash Atlanta Motor Speedway was formerly a 1.522 mi km ovalhttp://racing-reference.info/race/1997_APCO_EasyCare_300/A 1996 General Tire Hoosier 500k Racing-Reference October 31, 2014 until 1997, when two doglegs were added and the track became 1.54 miles long and a quad-oval.http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/media/history/ TRACK HISTORY Atlanta Motor Speedway October 31, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141101053119/http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/media/history/ November 1, 2014 dead mdy-all As of the 2014 season, the track is considered one of 16 intermediate tracks on the Cup schedule.http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/schedule/tracks.html SPRINT CUP TRACKS NASCAR October 31, 2014 One week after the plane crash prior to the Subway 500 that killed ten people, six of whom affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports,Smith Marty https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/11747941/nascar-reminders-plane-crash-tragedy-always-present-rick-hendrick Hendrick stronger 10 years later ESPN October 23, 2014 the four teams replaced their standard hood designs with a decal of the ten people killed.Van Brimmer Andy http://onlineathens.com/stories/110104/spo_20041101022.shtml Johnson wins a week after plane crash Athens Banner-Herald November 1, 2004 October 31, 2014 59 cars were initially entered for the race, the most since the 1999 Daytona 500. After the preliminary list was released, J. J. Yeley, Greg Sacks, Larry Hollenbeck, and Andy Belmont entered the race, while Carl Long and Derrike Cope withdrew.http://www.jayski.com/stats/2004grids/2004ams2-entry.htm 2004 Atlanta Entry List Jayski's Silly Season Site October 31, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141112103107/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2004grids/2004ams2-entry.htm November 12, 2014 dead Afterwards, Randy LaJoie replaced Larry Gunselman, and two days later, Cope replaced Stanton Barrett, and Mike Wallace replaced Jimmy Spencer. Entry list # Driver Team Make 0 Ward Burton Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet 00 Kenny Wallace Michael Waltrip Racing Chevrolet 1 Martin Truex Jr. Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 01 Joe Nemechek MBV Motorsports Chevrolet 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 02 Hermie Sadler SCORE Motorsports Chevrolet 4 Mike Wallace Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 06 Travis Kvapil Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 9 Kasey Kahne (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge 09 Johnny Sauter (R) Phoenix Racing Dodge 10 Scott Riggs (R) MBV Motorsports Chevrolet 11 J. J. Yeley Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 12 Ryan Newman Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 13 Greg Sacks Sacks Motorsports Dodge 14 John Andretti ppc Racing Ford 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Scott Wimmer (R) Bill Davis Racing Dodge 23 Shane Hmiel Bill Davis Racing Dodge 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25 Brian Vickers (R) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. PPI Motorsports Chevrolet 33 Kerry Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 37 Kevin Lepage R&J Racing Dodge 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge 43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge 50 Todd Bodine Arnold Motorsports Dodge 51 Tony Raines Competitive Edge Motorsports Chevrolet 59 Larry Foyt BAM Racing Dodge 62 Larry Hollenbeck Hollenbeck Motorsports Chevrolet 72 Kirk Shelmerdine Kirk Shelmerdine Racing Ford 77 Brendan Gaughan (R) Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge 80 Andy Belmont Hover Motorsports Ford 84 Kyle Busch Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Dodge 94 Derrike Cope W.W. Motorsports Dodge 96 Randy LaJoie Mach 1 Motorsports Ford 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 98 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Dodge 99 Carl Edwards Roush Racing Ford Qualifying Brendan Gaughan went out for qualifying first, and Larry Foyt was the last driver to qualify.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2004/33/data/qual_order.html Qualifying Order NASCAR October 31, 2004 October 31, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20081205021405/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2004/33/data/qual_order.html December 5, 2008 Ryan Newman won the pole with a lap time of 28.939 seconds and speed of 191.575 mph km/h, his 26th career pole and second straight. Joe Nemechek started second, followed by Elliott Sadler, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Gordon. Scott Riggs, Scott Wimmer, Kerry Earnhardt, Johnny Sauter, Hermie Sadler, Wallace, Cope, LaJoie, Sacks, Foyt, Kirk Shelmerdine, Morgan Shepherd, Belmont, Hollenbeck, and Kenny Wallace failed to qualify;http://racing-reference.info/race/2004_Bass_Pro_Shops_MBNA_500/W 2004 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Racing-Reference October 31, 2014 Wallace never made an attempt due to a battery failure.http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2004/10/Newman-Rockets-To-Pole.aspx Newman Rockets To Pole Motor Racing Network October 29, 2014 October 31, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141101053402/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2004/10/Newman-Rockets-To-Pole.aspx November 1, 2014 dead Due in most part of Riggs and Wimmer—who made every race to that point—failing to qualify, it led to the creation of the "Top 35 Rule" in 2005 to ensure NASCAR's top-tier teams make the field.https://atlanta.sbnation.com/2012/10/17/3515594/nascar-2013-qualifying-rules-change-top-35-rule-provisionals NASCAR to do away with top-35 qualifying rule; 2004 Atlanta race was instrumental in rule's creation SB Nation Atlanta October 17, 2012 July 20, 2017 Pos.#DriverMakeTeamTimeAvg. Speed (mph) 1 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing 28.939 191.575 2 01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet MBV Motorsports 28.978 191.318 3 38 Elliott Sadler Ford Robert Yates Racing 29.014 191.080 4 99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing 29.028 190.988 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Racing 29.093 190.561 6 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc. 29.198 189.876 7 6 Mark Martin Ford Roush Racing 29.219 189.740 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 29.256 189.500 9 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 29.264 189.448 10 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 29.290 189.280 11 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Evernham Motorsports 29.307 189.170 12 2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing 29.361 188.822 13 25 Brian Vickers (R) Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 29.371 188.758 14 31 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 29.373 188.745 15 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 29.374 188.738 16 41 Casey Mears Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 29.388 188.648 17 14 John Andretti Ford ppc Racing 29.393 188.616 18 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Petty Enterprises 29.398 188.584 19 18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 29.443 188.296 20 88 Dale Jarrett Ford Robert Yates Racing 29.456 188.213 21 30 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 29.476 188.085 22 97 Kurt Busch Ford Roush Racing 29.533 187.722 23 37 Kevin Lepage Dodge R&J Racing 29.567 187.505 24 50 Todd Bodine Dodge Arnold Motorsports 29.581 187.418 25 77 Brendan Gaughan (R) Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing 29.597 187.316 26 06 Travis Kvapil Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing 29.651 186.975 27 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet PPI Motorsports 29.663 186.899 28 84 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 29.682 186.780 29 42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 29.686 186.755 30 51 Tony Raines Chevrolet Competitive Edge Motorsports 29.721 186.535 31 23 Shane Hmiel Dodge Bill Davis Racing 29.723 186.522 32 9 Kasey Kahne (R) Dodge Evernham Motorsports 29.728 186.491 33 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc. 29.735 186.447 34 0 Ward Burton Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing 29.750 186.353 35 43 Jeff Green Dodge Petty Enterprises 29.770 186.228 36 11 J. J. Yeley Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing 29.812 185.965 37 49 Ken Schrader Dodge BAM Racing 29.831 185.847 38 98 Bill Elliott Dodge Bill Elliott Racing 29.841 185.785Provisionals 39 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Racing 29.942 185.158 40 15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc. 30.447 182.087 41 40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing 29.877 185.561 42 5 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports 30.075 184.339 43 21 Ricky Rudd Ford Wood Brothers Racing 30.142 183.929Failed to qualify 44 10 Scott Riggs (R) Chevrolet MBV Motorsports 29.941 185.164 45 22 Scott Wimmer (R) Dodge Bill Davis Racing 30.032 184.603 46 33 Kerry Earnhardt Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing 30.063 184.413 47 09 Johnny Sauter (R) Dodge Phoenix Racing 30.169 183.765 48 02 Hermie Sadler Chevrolet SCORE Motorsports 30.223 183.436 49 4 Mike Wallace Chevrolet Morgan–McClure Motorsports 30.225 183.424 50 94 Derrike Cope Dodge W.W. Motorsports 30.331 182.783 51 96 Randy LaJoie Ford Mach 1 Motorsports 30.437 182.147 52 13 Greg Sacks Dodge Sacks Motorsports 30.447 182.087 53 59 Larry Foyt Dodge BAM Racing 30.558 181.425 54 72 Kirk Shelmerdine Ford Kirk Shelmerdine Racing 30.710 180.528 55 89 Morgan Shepherd Dodge Shepherd Racing Ventures 31.468 176.179 56 80 Andy Belmont Ford Hover Motorsports 31.581 175.549 57 62 Larry Hollenbeck Chevrolet Hollenbeck Motorsports 32.272 171.790 58 00 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet Michael Waltrip Racing 0.000 0.000 Race Prior to the race, a moment of silence was held for the ten killed in the Hendrick plane crash. Rock band Third Day performed the national anthem.http://www.jayski.com/next/2004/2004ams2.htm THE RACE: Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Jayski's Silly Season Site October 31, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130443/http://www.jayski.com/next/2004/2004ams2.htm March 4, 2016 dead Joe Nemechek took the lead on lap one, though Ryan Newman led for the next 48 laps. Carl Edwards led for four laps before losing the lead to Newman during a caution period for oil on the track; Bobby Labonte was the beneficiary, allowing him to gain back a lap. From laps 54 to 74, Newman and Edwards led 10 and 11 laps, respectively, before Mark Martin led for 41 laps. Jimmie Johnson led briefly for four laps from 116 to 119, before Martin reclaimed the lead on lap 120; 18 laps later, Bobby Labonte spun in turn 2, bringing out the second caution, and allowing Casey Mears to regain a lap. Martin would lead until lap 178, when another oil caution was called, Greg Biffle the beneficiary, with Michael Waltrip leading lap 179, before Martin reclaimed the lead. Johnson and Nemechek led laps 237 and 238-239, respectively, until Martin led for another 70 laps; during Martin's lead, another oil caution was waved on lap 287 with Jeff Burton getting a lap back, and on lap 301, Kevin Harvick stalled on pit road; Biffle was once again the beneficiary. Johnson led for two laps until lap 312, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed on the backstretch after Edwards made contact with him, allowing Kasey Kahne to lead for four laps. Brian Vickers was the beneficiary of the caution. On the final restart, Johnson took the lead from Jeff Burton, and led for the remainder of the race. With 9 laps to go, things started to get crazy behind Johnson. 6 cars with those being Jeff Burton, Michael Waltrip (whose 1 lap down), Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Joe Nemechek, and Ryan Newman began to race hard behind Johnson. The 6 drivers came off of turn 4 going 3 by 3 down the front stretch. With 8 to go off of turn 2, Jeff Burton slid up the race track in front of Ryan Newman and somehow never wrecked. Johnson beat Martin by 0.293 seconds.Associated Press Associated Press http://lubbockonline.com/stories/110104/pro_110104055.shtml Johnson gets emotional win in Atlanta Lubbock Avalanche-Journal November 1, 2004 November 2, 2014 The win was Johnson's 13th career Cup win, seventh of 2004, first at Atlanta, and third consecutive, making him the first driver to win three straight races since Hendrick teammatehttp://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2004/10/Emotional-Win-For-Johnson.aspx Emotional Win For Johnson Motor Racing Network October 31, 2014 November 2, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141103024529/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2004/10/Emotional-Win-For-Johnson.aspx November 3, 2014 dead Jeff Gordon in 1998–1999, and the first to do so in a season since Gordon during the 1998 season. Martin finished second, and the top five consisted of Edwards, Nemechek, and Kahne; Burton, Vickers, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, and Biffle rounded out the top ten. Race results Fin St # Driver Make Team Sponsor Laps Led Status Pts Winnings 1 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's 325 17 running 185 $298,250 2 7 6 Mark Martin Ford Roush Racing Viagra 325 227 running 180 $238,500 3 4 99 Carl Edwards Ford Roush Racing World Financial Group 325 15 running 170 $180,117 4 2 01 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet MBV Motorsports U.S. Army 325 3 running 165 $145,050 5 32 9 Kasey Kahne (R) Dodge Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dealers / UAW 325 4 running 160 $137,275 6 21 30 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing America Online 325 0 running 150 $110,700 7 13 25 Brian Vickers (R) Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports GMAC 325 0 running 146 $100,250 8 29 42 Jamie McMurray Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing Texaco / Havoline 325 0 running 142 $99,325 9 15 20 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot 324 0 running 138 $130,063 10 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford Roush Racing National Guard 324 0 running 134 $95,735 11 12 2 Rusty Wallace Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing Miller Lite 324 0 running 130 $128,233 12 43 21 Ricky Rudd Ford Wood Brothers Racing Rent-A-Center / Motorcraft 324 0 running 127 $108,456 13 16 41 Casey Mears Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing Target 324 0 running 124 $98,625 14 40 15 Michael Waltrip Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc. NAPA Auto Parts 324 1 running 126 $113,081 15 20 88 Dale Jarrett Ford Robert Yates Racing UPS 324 0 running 118 $111,742 16 14 31 Robby Gordon Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing Cingular Wireless 324 0 running 115 $110,512 17 1 12 Ryan Newman Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing Mobil 1 / Alltel 323 58 running 117 $138,092 18 25 77 Brendan Gaughan (R) Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing Jasper Engines & Transmissions / Kodak 323 0 running 109 $85,225 19 41 40 Sterling Marlin Dodge Chip Ganassi Racing Coors Light 323 0 running 106 $109,400 20 19 18 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing Wellbutrin XL 323 0 running 103 $119,233 21 35 43 Jeff Green Dodge Petty Enterprises Bugles 322 0 running 100 $101,050 22 38 98 Bill Elliott Dodge Bill Elliott Racing McDonald's 322 0 running 97 $70,700 23 37 49 Ken Schrader Dodge BAM Racing Red Baron Frozen Pizza 321 0 running 94 $73,200 24 31 23 Shane Hmiel Dodge Bill Davis Racing Bill Davis Racing 321 0 running 91 $73,325 25 17 14 John Andretti Ford ppc Racing VB / A-Plus @ Sunoco 320 0 running 88 $69,000 26 11 19 Jeremy Mayfield Dodge Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dealers / UAW 320 0 running 85 $92,000 27 36 11 J. J. Yeley Chevrolet Joe Gibbs Racing MBNA 319 0 running 82 $67,400 28 23 37 Kevin Lepage Dodge R&J Racing Carter's Royal Dispos-all 319 0 running 79 $66,800 29 18 45 Kyle Petty Dodge Petty Enterprises Georgia-Pacific / Brawny 319 0 running 76 $80,150 30 34 0 Ward Burton Chevrolet Haas CNC Racing NetZero 318 0 running 73 $69,500 31 42 5 Terry Labonte Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Kellogg's 318 0 running 70 $93,100 32 26 06 Travis Kvapil Dodge Penske-Jasper Racing Mobil 1 317 0 running 67 $66,175 33 6 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc. Budweiser 311 0 crash 64 $114,103 34 10 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports DuPont 299 0 running 61 $113,228 35 9 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing GM Goodwrench 296 0 engine 58 $101,478 36 3 38 Elliott Sadler Ford Robert Yates Racing M&M's 262 0 running 55 $104,883 37 33 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet Dale Earnhardt Inc. Bass Pro Shops 259 0 engine 52 $65,400 38 27 32 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Chevrolet PPI Motorsports Tide 225 0 running 49 $81,664 39 24 50 Todd Bodine Dodge Arnold Motorsports U.S. Micro 222 0 handling 46 $65,150 40 30 51 Tony Raines Chevrolet Competitive Edge Motorsports Universal Chevrolet / Marathon Oil 220 0 engine 43 $65,025 41 39 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Racing DeWalt 175 0 engine 40 $115,678 42 22 97 Kurt Busch Ford Roush Racing Sharpie / Irwin Industrial Tools 51 0 engine 37 $84,790 43 28 84 Kyle Busch Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports Carquest 44 0 timing 34 $64,909 Post-race "The No. 6 car was coming, but I had 10 angels riding along." Jimmie Johnson, speaking in victory lane Over the radio, Johnson stated, "in loving memory, all the way," and celebrated his win by driving to the flagstand to receive the checkered flag, then performing a Polish victory lap; Johnson later stated he had felt guilty for destroying one of Hendrick Director of Engine Operations Randy Dorton'shttp://heritage.hendrickmotorsports.com/people/348 RANDY DORTON Hendrick Motorsports October 23, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141024035733/http://heritage.hendrickmotorsports.com/people/348 2014-10-24 dead (who was among those killed on the flight) engines while celebrating his first career win.James Brant http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/01/Sports/Johnson_s_victory_in_.shtml Johnson's victory in memory of fallen St. Petersburg Times November 1, 2004 November 2, 2014 In victory lane, Hendrick competition director Ken Howes gave Johnson a cell phone with Rick Hendrick on the line. The three other Hendrick drivers (Gordon, Labonte, Vickers) joined Johnson in victory lane,http://www.news-daily.com/news/2004/nov/01/johnson-wins-at-atlanta-motor-speedway/ Johnson wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway Clayton Daily Herald November 1, 2004 October 31, 2014 and the team wore their caps backwards in honor of Hendrick's son Ricky Hendrick.Associated Press Associated Press http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/nov/01/jimmie_johnson_nabs/ Jimmie Johnson nabs poignant win Lawrence Journal-World November 1, 2004 October 31, 2014 After the race, Martin, who led a race-high 227 laps, defended crew chief Pat Tryson for their late pit stop strategy, stating, "We were a sitting duck. If we pitted, they stay out and win. If we stay out, they pit. So it was nobody's fault but those caution flags." Seven of the Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers suffered problems during the race: points leader Kurt Busch suffered an engine failure on lap 52, and finished 42nd; defending Cup champion Matt Kenseth also blew an engine, finishing 41st; Elliott Sadler crashed in pit road, damaging his steering, and finished 36th; Gordon finished 34th after being forced to go into the garage for a poor-handling car; Jeremy Mayfield's tire was cut, forcing him into the wall, and finished 26th; Ryan Newman suffered from pit stop errors, and finished 17th and two laps down; finally, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crash on the backstretch relegated him to 33rd. Standings after the race thumb|Kurt Busch (pictured in 2015) led the Chase standings after the race. Source: Pos Driver Points 1 Kurt Busch 6052 2 Jimmie Johnson 5993 3 Jeff Gordon 5980 4 Mark Martin 5971 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5954 6 Tony Stewart 5907 7 Ryan Newman 5866 8 Elliott Sadler 5815 9 Matt Kenseth 5795 10 Jeremy Mayfield 5736 References 30em Nextel Cup Series 2004 2004 Subway 500 2004 Checker Auto Parts 500 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Category:NASCAR races at Atlanta Motor Speedway