2004 Mountain Dew Southern 500
Motor car race / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2004 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 55th running of the event was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on November 14, 2004, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 miles (2.198 km) speedway, it was the thirty-fifth race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.
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Race details[1] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 35 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season | |||
Date | November 14, 2004 (2004-November-14) | ||
Official name | Mountain Dew Southern 500 | ||
Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington County, South Carolina | ||
Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.800 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures hovering around 44.8 °F (7.1 °C); wind speeds up to 13.8 miles per hour (22.2 km/h)[2] | ||
Average speed | 125.044 miles per hour (201.239 km/h) | ||
Attendance | 70,000 | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Roush Racing | ||
Time | no time trials | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Laps | 155 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | NBC | ||
Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach Jr. |
For the 2004 season, a shuffling of the NASCAR schedule saw the race move to November. Track management believed the November date would allow for cooler, more comfortable weather for fans, who had increasingly voiced concerns about the hot, humid, weather. In addition, it meant the race would be part of the new Chase for the Nextel Cup playoff date. Rockingham lost its fall date to Fontana, and the Pop Secret 500 was moved to the prestigious Labor Day weekend date. The track also installed lights.
Qualifying was canceled due to rain and the starting lineup was set by owner's points. Kurt Busch was the points leader and sat on the front row. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.