The 2004 Pocono 500 was the 14th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 13, 2004, before a crowd of 90,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would win the race under caution, after Jeff Burton blew an engine on lap 196. The win was Johnson's ninth NASCAR Nextel Cup Series career win and his third win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Jeremy Mayfield of Evernham Motorsports and Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2004 Pocono 500 program cover, featuring Tony Stewart, winner of the 2003 Pocono 500. | |||
| Date | June 13, 2004 | ||
| Official name | 23rd Annual Pocono 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 112.129 miles per hour (180.454 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 90,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Evernham Motorsports | ||
| Time | 52.164 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 126 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
editThe 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
editPractice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session would take place on Friday, June 11, at 11:20 AM EST, and would last for two hours.[2] Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a 52.254 and an average speed of 172.236 miles per hour (277.187 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.254 | 172.236 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.327 | 171.995 |
| 3 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 52.412 | 171.716 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session would occur on Saturday, June 12, at 9:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Mark Martin of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a 53.731 and an average speed of 167.501 miles per hour (269.567 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.731 | 167.501 |
| 2 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 53.762 | 167.404 |
| 3 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 53.852 | 167.125 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Third and final practice
editThe third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, June 12, at 11:10 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes.[2] Kasey Kahne of Evernham Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a 53.681 and an average speed of 167.657 miles per hour (269.818 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 53.681 | 167.657 |
| 2 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 53.804 | 167.274 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.841 | 167.159 |
| Official Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying would occur on Friday, June 11, at 3:05 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.[2] Positions 1-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[6]
Kasey Kahne of Evernham Motorsports would win the pole, setting a lap of 52.164 and an average speed of 172.533 miles per hour (277.665 km/h).[7]
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Stanton Barrett and Andy Hillenburg.
Full qualifying results
editRace results
editReferences
edit- ^ Utter, Jim (June 13, 2004). "Johnson gets the win at Pocono as it gets weird near the end". ThatsRacin. Archived from the original on October 21, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Jayski's® Silly Season Site - 2004 Pocono 1 Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Pocono 1 Practice 1 Results". NASCAR.com. 2004-06-11. Archived from the original on 2004-10-30. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Pocono 1 Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. 2004-06-12. Archived from the original on 2005-04-06. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ "NASCAR.com - Races - 2004 Pocono 1 Practice 3 Results". NASCAR.com. 2004-06-12. Archived from the original on 2005-04-06. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ "Jayski's® Silly Season Site - Provisional Land Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ "Kahne Sets Mark, Seizes Pocono 500 Pole". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ "2004 Pocono 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-09.