2004 Daytona 500

2004 Daytona 500

Race details
Race 1 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2004 Daytona 500 logo
Date	February 15, 2004 (2004-02-15)
Location	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km)
Distance	200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather	Temperatures reaching up to 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds approaching 20 miles per hour (32 km/h)[1]
Average speed	156.341 miles per hour (251.606 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Greg Biffle	Roush Racing
Time	47.774
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Duel 2 Winner	Elliott Sadler	Robert Yates Racing
Most laps led
Driver	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps	98
Winner
No. 8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Television in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach Jr.
Nielsen Ratings	10.6/24 (17.8 million viewers)

The 2004 Daytona 500, the 46th running of the event, was the first race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. It was a race held on February 15, 2004, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was televised by NBC, with Allen Bestwick, 1975 race winner Benny Parsons, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. calling the action for the second time after the 2002 race. It was the first NASCAR Nextel Cup race to air in high definition.

This was the first Daytona 500 without 2-time Daytona 500 Champion and 4-time pole-sitter Bill Elliott since 1976.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race, making this his first Daytona 500 victory exactly six years to the day after his father Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won his first and only Daytona 500 in the 1998 race. Tony Stewart finished second and rookie Scott Wimmer finished third.