The 2004 Aaron's 499 was the ninth stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 25, 2004, before a crowd of 155,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In a controversial end to the race, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the race under caution over fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., after Brian Vickers caused a caution with 5 to go. The win was Gordon’s 65th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would finish third, after a review of the results of the last scoring loop.
The race is primarily remembered for its controversial finish. With 5 to go, Brian Vickers would spin in Turn 3, making NASCAR throw a caution. At the moment of caution, Jeff Gordon led fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the middle of the turn. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would pass Gordon coming to the line. This led many to believe that Earnhardt Jr. had taken the lead, and since no green–white–checkered finish rule had been instituted, Earnhardt Jr. had won, to the pleasure of fans. However, the season before, NASCAR had instituted a new rule that eliminated racing back to the line. In its place, now, the field would be frozen at the last scoring loop when the caution came out. As a result, Gordon, who led at the last scoring loop, took the win. This angered many in the audience, as they thought that Earnhardt Jr. had been robbed of a win. During Gordon's burnout, many pelted Gordon's car with beer cans and seat cushions, littering both Gordon's car and the racetrack. In a statement released by NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter, he said that NASCAR did not throw a one lap shootout for safety reasons, stating "Here and at Daytona we're not going to have a one-lap shootout just because of safety. We're just not going to do that." Earnhardt Jr. had stated that NASCAR had made the right call, saying that "As much as it sucks not to win the race and get the trophy, I'm glad one of those calls finally went against me. It's going to shut a lot of people up." Gordon would take the beer can throwing in a light-hearted manner, saying in interviews years after that "[That was] the greatest day of my life... They were going crazy on my ass. Honestly, we had to have a lot of security.”
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.
Entry list #DriverTeamMake0Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet00Kenny WallaceMichael Waltrip RacingChevrolet01Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet2Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge02Andy Belmont*SCORE MotorsportsChevrolet4Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet04Eric McClureMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet9Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge09Johnny Benson Jr.Phoenix RacingDodge10Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet12Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge14Larry FoytA. J. Foyt EnterprisesDodge15Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet16Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord17Matt KensethRoush RacingFord18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet19Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge20Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet21Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord22Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge23Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet32Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet33Kerry EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet38Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord40Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge41Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge42Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge43Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge45Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge50Derrike CopeArnold MotorsportsDodge72Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord77Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge80Andy Hillenburg*Hover MotorsportsFord88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord89Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge97Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord98Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordOfficial entry list *Withdrew.
Practice
First practice The first practice session would take place on Friday, April 23, at 12:00 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Ricky Rudd of Wood Brothers Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a 50.126 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed121Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord50.126191.03928Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet50.256190.544338Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord50.366190.128Full first practice results
Second practice The second practice session would occur on Saturday, April 24, at 10:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Johnny Sauter of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a 48.744 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed130Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet48.744196.455232Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet48.765196.370322Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge48.804196.213Full second practice results
Third and final practice The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, April 24, at 12:10 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a 49.064 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed129Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet49.064195.174223Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge49.165194.773325Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49.182194.705Full Happy Hour practice results
Qualifying Qualifying would take place on Friday, April 23, at 3:10 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. 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.
Ricky Rudd of Wood Brothers Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 50.089 and an average speed of .
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Larry Foyt, Todd Bodine, and Kirk Shelmerdine.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed121Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord50.089191.180215Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet50.143190.97438Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet50.311190.336401Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet50.371190.109510Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet50.395190.01966Mark MartinRoush RacingFord50.425189.906788Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord50.434189.872848Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet50.490189.661940Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge50.527189.522100Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet50.558189.4061124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet50.561189.3951238Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord50.599189.253135Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet50.605189.2301429Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet50.618189.1821543Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge50.639189.1031641Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge50.644189.0851712Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge50.675188.9691816Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord50.690188.9131918Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet50.705188.8572077Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge50.727188.7752131Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet50.745188.7082297Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord50.754188.675234Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet50.763188.6412432Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet50.778188.5862599Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord50.781188.574269Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge50.789188.5452700Kenny WallaceMichael Waltrip RacingChevrolet50.797188.5152845Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge50.820188.4302930Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet50.855188.3003022Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge50.859188.2853117Matt KensethRoush RacingFord50.863188.270322Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge50.863188.2703342Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge50.878188.2153409Johnny Benson Jr.Phoenix RacingDodge50.896188.1483504Eric McClureMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet50.931188.0193633Kerry EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet50.956187.9273720Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet50.960187.9123819Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge50.980187.838Provisionals3925Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet51.010187.7284049Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge51.103187.3864150Derrike CopeArnold MotorsportsDodge51.197187.0424223Dave BlaneyBill Davis RacingDodge51.129187.2914389Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge52.312183.055Failed to qualify or withdrew4414Larry FoytA. J. Foyt EnterprisesDodge51.470186.0504598Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord52.787181.4084672Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord——WD02Andy BelmontSCORE MotorsportsChevrolet——WD80Andy HillenburgHover MotorsportsFord——Official qualifying results
Race results