The 2004 Tropicana 400 presented by Meijer was the 18th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 4th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 11, 2004, before a crowd of 80,000 in Joliet, Illinois, at Chicagoland Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway. The race took the scheduled 267 laps to complete. At race's end, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would win a controversial race, after an altercation with Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne left owner Ray Evernham accusing Stewart of numerous occasions of reckless driving and stating that "He needs to get suspended, and he should have his ass beat." The win was Stewart's 18th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports finished 2nd and Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing finished 3rd.
Background
Chicagoland Speedway is a 1.5 miles (2.41 km) tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IndyCar Series, recording numerous close finishes including the closest finish in IndyCar history. The speedway is owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation and located adjacent to Route 66 Raceway.
Entry list #DriverTeamMake0Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet1John AndrettiDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet01Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet2Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge02Hermie SadlerSCORE MotorsportsChevrolet4Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet9Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge09Bobby Hamilton Jr.Phoenix RacingDodge10Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet12Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge13Greg SacksSacks MotorsportsDodge15Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet16Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord17Matt KensethRoush RacingFord18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet19Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge20Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet21Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord22Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30Johnny SauterRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet32Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet37Chad BlountR&J RacingDodge38Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord40Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge41Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge42Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge43Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge45Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge50P. J. JonesArnold MotorsportsDodge51Kevin LepageCompetitive Edge MotorsportsChevrolet72Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord77Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge80Mike BlissJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord89Morgan Shepherd*Shepherd Racing VenturesDodge97Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord98Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordOfficial entry list
Practice
First practice The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 9, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for two hours. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.106 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed148Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.106185.52929Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge29.117185.45936Mark MartinRoush RacingFord29.268184.502Full first practice results
Second practice The second practice session would occur on Saturday, July 10, at 8:30 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Mark Martin of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.662 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed16Mark MartinRoush RacingFord29.662182.051248Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.775181.360341Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge29.787181.287Full second practice results
Third and final practice The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, July 10, at 11:10 AM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.563 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed125Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.563182.661248Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.832181.01436Mark MartinRoush RacingFord29.932180.409Full Happy Hour practice results
Qualifying Qualifying would take occur on Friday, July 9, 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.
Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 28.886 and an average speed of .
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.886186.94229Kasey KahneEvernham MotorsportsDodge28.897186.871348Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28.987186.290425Brian VickersHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.070185.758516Greg BiffleRoush RacingFord29.074185.733699Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord29.109185.510780Mike BlissJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet29.124185.414812Ryan NewmanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge29.146185.274901Joe NemechekMBV MotorsportsChevrolet29.152185.2361020Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet29.157185.2041118Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingChevrolet29.157185.2041241Casey MearsChip Ganassi RacingDodge29.179185.0651338Elliott SadlerRobert Yates RacingFord29.196184.9571442Jamie McMurrayChip Ganassi RacingDodge29.198184.9441577Brendan GaughanPenske-Jasper RacingDodge29.200184.9321610Scott RiggsMBV MotorsportsChevrolet29.206184.8931729Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet29.232184.729186Mark MartinRoush RacingFord29.240184.6781919Jeremy MayfieldEvernham MotorsportsDodge29.247184.634202Rusty WallacePenske-Jasper RacingDodge29.301184.2942197Kurt BuschRoush RacingFord29.305184.269220Ward BurtonHaas CNC RacingChevrolet29.309184.2442331Robby GordonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet29.321184.168245Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet29.344184.024258Dale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet29.382183.7862617Matt KensethRoush RacingFord29.410183.6112751Kevin LepageCompetitive Edge MotorsportsChevrolet29.413183.5922809Bobby Hamilton Jr.Phoenix RacingDodge29.434183.4612988Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord29.436183.4363021Ricky RuddWood Brothers RacingFord29.440183.424311John AndrettiDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet29.496183.0763240Sterling MarlinChip Ganassi RacingDodge29.532182.8523302Hermie SadlerSCORE MotorsportsChevrolet29.561182.673344Jimmy SpencerMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet29.562182.6673532Ricky CravenPPI MotorsportsChevrolet29.567182.6363630Dave BlaneyRichard Childress RacingChevrolet29.597182.4513737Chad BlountR&J RacingDodge29.655182.0943843Jeff GreenPetty EnterprisesDodge29.702181.806Provisionals3915Michael WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet29.831181.0204022Scott WimmerBill Davis RacingDodge29.821181.0804149Ken SchraderBAM RacingDodge29.734181.6104245Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesDodge29.911180.5364350P. J. JonesArnold MotorsportsDodge29.731181.629Failed to qualify or withdrew4498Todd BodineMach 1 MotorsportsFord29.794181.2454513Greg SacksSacks MotorsportsDodge30.176178.9504672Kirk ShelmerdineKirk Shelmerdine RacingFord30.803175.308WD89Morgan ShepherdShepherd Racing VenturesDodge——Official qualifying results
Race Pole sitter Jeff Gordon led the first lap of the race. On lap 15, rookie Kasey Kahne took the lead from Gordon. On lap 18, the first caution flew when Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch crashed in turn 2. Tony Stewart was the leader of the race on the restart. On that restart, rookie Brendan Gaughan's car began smoking. The caution flew to check for oil. Gaughan had actually broken a trackbar and the race was back underway on lap 30. On lap 39, the third caution came out for debris laying all over the backstretch with drivers like Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick running over the debris. After the longest green flag run of 78 laps, the fourth caution came out when Ricky Craven's engine blew. Kasey Kahne won the race off of pit road and was the race leader. But on the restart, chaos would ensue. On the restart, Tony Stewart jumped to the outside of Sterling Marlin. Stewart then got on Kahne's back bumper when Kahne's car got loose and crashed into the outside wall causing an 8 car wreck in turn 1. The cars involved were Kahne, Stewart, John Andretti, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Scott Riggs, Jeff Gordon, Dave Blaney, and Jeff Burton. On pit road, Kahne's crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. and his crew went over to talk to Tony Stewart's crew chief Greg Zipadelli when a big fight occurred on pit road between Baldwin and Zipadelli with the crews getting in the middle of it. The race got back going again on lap 135 with Stewart as the leader. On lap 172, the 6th caution came out for debris. On lap 181, Jimmie Johnson took the lead from Stewart. On lap 209, the 7th caution would fly when Mike Bliss crashed off of turn 2. Jeremy Mayfield would be the race leader on the restart. On lap 241, Stewart would pass Mayfield for the race lead. With 23 to go, the 8th caution flew for debris in turn 4. With 15 to go, The 9th and final caution flew when Robby Gordon spun Jeff Green in turn 3. On the restart with 11 to go, Stewart took the lead and took the win for his first win of 2004. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, and Jeremy Mayfield rounded out the top 5 while Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek, Michael Waltrip, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 10. After the race, all of the pit crew, crew chiefs (Baldwin Jr. and Zipadelli) and owners (Ray Evernham and Joe Gibbs) of cars #9 and #20 were fined $50,000 and placed on probation for their actions. Stewart was not penalized.
Race results