The 2004 Brickyard 400, the 11th running of the event, was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on August 8, 2004, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Contested at 161 laps – extended from 160 laps due to a green–white–checker finish – on the 2.5 mile (4.023 km) speedway, it was the twenty-first race of the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.

2004 Brickyard 400
Race details[1]
Race 21 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season
2004 Brickyard 400 program cover
2004 Brickyard 400 program cover
Date August 8, 2004 (2004-August-08)
Official name Brickyard 400
Location Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 161 laps, 402.5 mi (647.76 km)
Scheduled Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 77 °F (25 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
Average speed 115.037 miles per hour (185.134 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Chip Ganassi Racing
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 124
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network NBC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Benny Parsons

Background

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis. It is a four-turn rectangular-oval track that is 2.5 miles (4.023 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 9 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, has no banking. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a zero degree banking. The racetrack has seats for more than 250,000 spectators.

Summary

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For the first time in Nextel Cup Series history, the Green-white-checker finish rule caused a race to be extended, in this case for one additional lap. On the extra lap, Casey Mears blew a tire, Ricky Rudd hit the wall, then Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered tire failures. Jeff Gordon retained the lead to become the first four-time winner of the Brickyard.

Race results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford
3 38 Elliott Sadler Robert Yates Racing Ford
4 9 Kasey Kahne (R) Evernham Motorsports Dodge
5 20 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet
6 16 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford
7 42 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge
8 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 91 Bill Elliott Evernham Motorsports Dodge
10 97 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford
11 19 Jeremy Mayfield Evernham Motorsports Dodge
12 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford
13 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge
14 43 Jeff Green Petty Enterprises Dodge
15 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet
16 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford
17 01 Joe Nemechek MBV Motorsports Chevrolet
18 49 Ken Schrader BAM Racing Dodge
19 4 Jimmy Spencer Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet
20 15 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
21 30 Dave Blaney Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
22 31 Robby Gordon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
23 45 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge
24 32 Ricky Craven PPI Motorsports Chevrolet
25 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford
26 41 Casey Mears Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge
27 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
28 21 Ricky Rudd Wood Brothers Racing Ford
29 25 Brian Vickers Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
30 23 Tony Raines Bill Davis Racing Dodge
31 12 Ryan Newman Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge
32 22 Scott Wimmer (R) Bill Davis Racing Dodge
33 40 Sterling Marlin Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge
34 00 Kenny Wallace Michael Waltrip Racing Chevrolet
35 77 Brendan Gaughan (R) Penske-Jasper Racing Dodge
36 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
37 10 Scott Riggs (R) MBV Motorsports Chevrolet
38 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
39 0 Ward Burton Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet
40 98 Derrike Cope Mach 1 Motorsports Ford
41 50 Todd Bodine Arnold Motorsports Dodge
42 09 Scott Pruett Phoenix Racing Dodge
43 60 Jason Leffler Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet

Failed to qualify: Kevin Lepage (#51), Hermie Sadler (#02), Morgan Shepherd (#89), Greg Sacks (#13), Andy Hillenburg (#37), Geoffrey Bodine (#34), Kirk Shelmerdine (#72)

Race statistics

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  • Time of race: 3:29:56
  • Average Speed: 115.037 miles per hour (185.134 km/h)
  • Pole Speed: 186.293
  • Cautions: 13 for 47 laps
  • Margin of Victory: under caution
  • Lead changes: 9
  • Percent of race run under caution: 29.2%
  • Average green flag run: 8.8 laps

References

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  1. ^ "2004 Brickyard 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved November 10, 2015.