The 2005 Pennsylvania 500 was the 20th stock car racing race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 24, 2005, before a crowd of 100,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race was extended from 200 laps to 203 due to a green–white–checker finish caused by Michael Waltrip spinning with two to go. The race would end under caution, with Kurt Busch of Roush Racing pulling ahead of Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing when the caution came out due to Kasey Kahne hitting the wall on the final lap. The race would be Busch's 13th NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win of his career and his second of the season. To fill out the podium, Mark Martin of Roush Racing would finish third.

Background

The 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 #DriverTeamMakeSponsor0Mike BlissHaas CNC RacingChevroletNetZero, Best Buy00Carl LongMcGlynn RacingChevroletChampion Builders, Sundance Vacations01Joe NemechekMB2 MotorsportsChevroletU. S. Army2Rusty WallacePenske RacingDodgeMiller Lite4Mike WallaceMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletLucas Oil, Wide Open Energy Drink5Kyle BuschHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKellogg's6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordViagra7Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsChevroletJim Bean07Dave BlaneyRichard Childress RacingChevroletJack Daniel's8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.ChevroletBudweiser9Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodgeDodge Dealers, UAW10Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevroletValvoline11Jason LefflerJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletFedEx Ground12Ryan NewmanPenske RacingDodgeMobil 1, Speedpass13Greg SacksSacks MotorsportsDodgeSacks Motorsports15Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.ChevroletNAPA Auto Parts16Greg BiffleRoush RacingFordPost-it Notes, National Guard17Matt KensethRoush RacingFordDeWalt18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletInterstate Batteries19Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodgeDodge Dealers, UAW20Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevroletThe Home Depot21Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFordMotorcraft Genuine Parts22Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodgeCaterpillar24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevroletDuPont25Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevroletditech.com, GMAC27Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFordL. R. Lyon & Sons, Salem RV29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench31Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevroletCingular Wireless32Bobby Hamilton Jr.PPI MotorsportsChevroletTide34P. J. JonesMach 1 MotorsportsChevroletMach One Inc.37Kevin LepageR&J RacingDodgeBOSpoker38Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFordM&M's40Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodgeCoors Light41Casey MearsChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodgeTarget42Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodgeTexaco, Havoline43Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodgeCheerios, Betty Crocker45Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodgeChick-fil-A, Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevroletLowe's49Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodgeSchwan's Home Service52Derrike CopeRick Ware RacingDodgePro30, Sugar Hollow Farms66Mike GarveyPeak Fitness RacingFordPeak Fitness77Travis KvapilPenske RacingDodgeKodak, Jasper Engines & Transmissions88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFordUPS89Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodgeCornerstone Bancard, Victory in Jesus92Hermie SadlerFront Row MotorsportsChevroletFront Row Motorsports97Kurt BuschRoush RacingFordIrwin Industrial Tools99Carl EdwardsRoush RacingFordOffice DepotOfficial entry list

Practice

First practice The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 22, at 1:20 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 20 minutes. Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.007 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed112Ryan NewmanPenske RacingDodge54.007166.645225Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.218165.997301Joe NemechekMB2 MotorsportsChevrolet54.454165.277Full first practice results

Second and final practice The second and final practice session would occur on Friday, July 22, at 4:00 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.213 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed112Ryan NewmanPenske RacingDodge54.213166.012215Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet54.272165.831340Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge54.304165.734Full final practice results

Qualifying Qualifying would take place on Saturday, July 23, at 12:10 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.

Jamie McMurray of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates would win the pole, with a lap of 53.330 and an average speed of .

Two incidents would occur in qualifying: first, Derrike Cope would hit the wall in Turn 2, then in Turn 3 during his first lap, causing Cope to not set a lap time. Then, Carl Long would spin in Turn 1 and hit the wall during his first lap, causing him to also not set a lap time.

Four drivers would fail to qualify: Morgan Shepherd, Hermie Sadler, Carl Long, and Derrike Cope.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed142Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge53.330168.761297Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord53.402168.53336Mark MartinRoush RacingFord53.450168.382412Ryan NewmanPenske RacingDodge53.492168.249521Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord53.617167.857620Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet53.721167.532716Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord53.818167.230825Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet53.818167.230948Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet53.869167.0721029Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet53.869167.0721122Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge53.921166.9111249Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge53.985166.713132Rusty WallacePenske RacingDodge54.027166.5831401Joe NemechekMB2 MotorsportsChevrolet54.063166.472159Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge54.146166.2171619Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge54.153166.1961731Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet54.224165.9781810Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet54.233165.9511911Jason LefflerJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet54.265165.8532088Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord54.282165.8012124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.298165.7522207Dave BlaneyRichard Childress RacingChevrolet54.324165.6732318Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet54.347165.6032415Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet54.470165.2292540Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge54.521165.0742643Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge54.561164.9532732Bobby Hamilton Jr.PPI MotorsportsChevrolet54.621164.772285Kyle BuschHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet54.645164.699297Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsChevrolet54.645164.6993017Matt KensethRoush RacingFord57.711164.501314Mike WallaceMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet54.854164.0723266Mike GarveyPeak Fitness RacingFord54.858164.0603345Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge54.954163.773340Mike BlissHaas CNC RacingChevrolet55.058163.4643513Greg SacksSacks MotorsportsDodge55.063163.4493634P. J. JonesMach 1 MotorsportsChevrolet55.091163.3663737Kevin LepageR&J RacingDodge55.132163.245Qualified on owner's points388Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet55.375162.5283938Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord55.567161.7054077Travis KvapilPenske RacingDodge55.967160.8094199Bobby Gerhart*Roush RacingFord56.466159.3884241Casey MearsChip Ganassi Racing with Felix SabatesDodge60.488148.790Last car to qualify on time4327Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord55.154163.179Failed to qualify4489Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge55.330162.6604592Hermie SadlerFront Row MotorsportsChevrolet56.199160.1454600Carl LongMcGlynn RacingChevrolet——4752Derrike CopeRick Ware RacingDodge——Official qualifying results *Gerhart would qualify for Carl Edwards, as Edwards would later race in the day's NASCAR Busch Grand National Series race.

Race results