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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2004 Tropicana 400 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 11, 2004 | ||
| Official name | Fourth Annual Tropicana 400 presented by Meijer | ||
| Location | Joliet, Illinois, Chicagoland Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 129.507 miles per hour (208.421 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 80,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.886 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 160 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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."[1] 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 and Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
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
Practice
First practice
The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 9, at 11:20 AM CST, and would last for two hours.[2] Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.106 and an average speed of 185.529 miles per hour (298.580 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.106 | 185.529 |
| 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 29.117 | 185.459 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.268 | 184.502 |
| Full 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.[2] Mark Martin of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.662 and an average speed of 182.051 miles per hour (292.983 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.662 | 182.051 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.775 | 181.360 |
| 3 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 29.787 | 181.287 |
| Full 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.[2] Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.563 and an average speed of 182.661 miles per hour (293.964 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.563 | 182.661 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.832 | 181.014 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.932 | 180.409 |
| Full 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.[2] 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.[6]
Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 28.886 and an average speed of 186.942 miles per hour (300.854 km/h).[7]