The 2004 Auto Club 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on May 2, 2004 at California Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 250 laps on the 2-mile (3.23km) asphalt D-shaped oval, it was the tenth race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Rookie Kasey Kahne of Evernham Motorsports won the pole, and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.

Background

The layout of California Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

The track, California Speedway, was a four-turn superspeedway that was 2 miles (3.2km) long. The track's turns were banked from fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, was banked at eleven degrees. Unlike the front stretch, the backstraightaway was banked at three degrees.

Entry list
#DriverTeamMake
0Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet
01Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet
02Hermie SadlerSCORE MotorsportsChevrolet
2Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge
4Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet
5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord
8Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet
9Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge
09Joe RuttmanPhoenix RacingDodge
10Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet
12Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge
15Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet
16Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord
17Matt KensethRoush RacingFord
18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet
19Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge
20Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet
21Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord
22Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge
24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
25Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
30Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
31Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet
32Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet
38Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord
40Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge
41Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge
42Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge
43Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge
45Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge
48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
49Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge
50Derrike CopeArnold MotorsportsDodge
72Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord
77Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge
88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord
89Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge
94Stanton BarrettW. W. MotorsportsChevrolet
97Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord
98Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord
99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord

Qualifying

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
19Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge38.515186.940
201Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet38.557186.737
343Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge38.644186.316
410Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet38.679186.148
577Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge38.742185.845
625Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet38.750185.806
712Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge38.760185.759
840Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge38.763185.744
92Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge38.806185.538
108Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet38.808185.529
1120Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet38.886185.157
1242Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge38.912185.033
1341Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge38.954184.883
1438Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord38.978184.720
150Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet39.007184.582
1624Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39.028184.483
1715Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet39.037184.440
1816Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord39.075184.261
1948Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39.083184.223
2019Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge39.089184.195
2197Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord39.090184.190
224Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet39.116184.068
2331Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39.150183.908
2429Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39.158183.870
2517Matt KensethRoush RacingFord39.167183.828
266Mark MartinRoush RacingFord39.167183.828
2718Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet39.180183.767
2845Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge39.239183.491
295Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet39.275183.323
3099Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord39.310183.159
3188Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord39.372182.871
3249Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge39.438182.565
3309Johnny Benson Jr.*Phoenix RacingDodge39.499182.283
3432Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet39.505182.255
3521Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord39.573181.942
3650Derrike CopeArnold MotorsportsDodge39.577181.924
3730Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet39.672181.488
3889Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge39.717181.283
Provisionals
3922Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge40.173179.225
4002Hermie SadlerSCORE MotorsportsChevrolet40.181179.189
4198Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord40.421178.094
4272Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord41.273174.448
4394Stanton BarrettW. W. MotorsportsChevrolet41.108175.148

*Driver would change to Joe Ruttman for the race.

Results

FinStNo.DriverTeamMakeLapsLaps LedStatusPtsWinnings
11624Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25081running190$318,628
21948Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25037running175$194,675
3712Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge2502running170$191,267
42517Matt KensethRoush RacingFord25011running165$172,578
52718Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet2500running155$150,233
6577Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge2501running155$106,125
7295Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2500running146$119,625
81341Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge2500running142$108,375
92429Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet2503running143$123,203
10150Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet2500running134$88,350
11266Mark MartinRoush RacingFord2500running130$90,450
122331Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet2500running127$112,437
1319Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge25077running129$127,250
142019Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge2491running126$112,437
151242Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge2490running118$87,725
161120Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet2490running115$120,603
173521Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord2490running112$102,981
183432Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet2490running109$97,225
19108Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2490running106$119,203
203249Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge2491running108$74,925
213730Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet2490running100$84,175
221438Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord2490running97$109,058
232197Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord2490running94$90,550
243188Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord2490running91$103,217
25410Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet2490running88$97,187
263099Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord2490running85$104,317
27840Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge2490running82$103,200
28201Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet2492running84$88,100
29625Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2481running81$76,900
303922Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge2480running73$83,039
313650Derrike CopeArnold MotorsportsDodge2480running70$65,975
321715Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2450running67$101,831
331816Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord22328running69$74,500
344198Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord2091engine66$65,375
3592Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge1930running58$109,008
363889Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge1631electrical60$65,025
37343Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge1470engine52$91,050
38224Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet1273engine54$64,550
392845Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge400engine46$64,430
404394Stanton BarrettW. W. MotorsportsChevrolet200crash43$64,280
414002Hermie SadlerSCORE MotorsportsChevrolet200transmission40$64,155
424272Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord50handling37$64,050
433309Joe RuttmanPhoenix RacingDodge20vibration34$64,161
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