2004 Golden Corral 500

The 2004 Golden Corral 500 was the fourth race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, held at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 14, 2004. The race was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led 55 laps that day.

2004 Golden Corral 500

Race details
Race 4 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The 2004 Golden Corral 500 program cover.
Date	March 14, 2004 (2004-03-14)
Location	Atlanta Motor Speedway,
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	1.54 miles (2.478 km)
Distance	325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.5 km)
Scheduled distance	325 laps, 500.5 mi (805.5 km)
Average speed	158.679 mph (255.369 km/h)
Attendance	125,000
Pole position
Driver	Ryan Newman	Penske Racing
Time	28.640 secs
Most laps led
Driver	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps	127
Winner
No. 8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Television in the United States
Network	FOX
Announcers	Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

Ryan Newman of Penske Racing would win the pole, while Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing would lead the most laps with 127 laps led. 125,000 were in attendance for the race.

Entry list

Car #[1]	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Hometown	Team	Crew Chief
0	Ward Burton	NetZero Hi Speed	Chevrolet	South Boston, VA	Gene Haas
01	Joe Nemechek	U.S. Army	Chevrolet	Lakeland, FL	Nelson Bowers
02	Andy Belmont	Intell Food Brokers	Pontiac	Langhorne, PA	Hermie Sadler
2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Lite	Dodge	St. Louis, MO	Roger Penske
4	Kevin Lepage	Morgan-McClure	Chevrolet	Shelburne, VT	Larry McClure
5	Terry Labonte	Kellogg's	Chevrolet	Corpus Christi, TX	Rick Hendrick
6	Mark Martin	Viagra	Ford	Batesville, AR	Jack Roush
8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Budweiser	Chevrolet	Kannapolis, NC	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
09	Joe Ruttman	Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts	Dodge	Upland, CA	James Finch
9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers / UAW	Dodge	Enumclaw, WA	Ray Evernham
10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline	Chevrolet	Bahama, NC	James Rocco
12	Ryan Newman	Alltel	Dodge	South Bend, IN	Roger Penske
15	Michael Waltrip	NAPA	Chevrolet	Owensboro, KY	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
16	Greg Biffle	National Guard	Ford	Vancouver, WA	Jack Roush
17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt Power Tools	Ford	Cambridge, WI	Jack Roush
18	Bobby Labonte	Interstate Batteries	Chevrolet	Corpus Christi, TX	Joe Gibbs
19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge Dealers / UAW	Dodge	Owensboro, KY	Ray Evernham
20	Tony Stewart	Home Depot	Chevrolet	Rushville, IN	Joe Gibbs
21	Ricky Rudd	Motorcraft / U.S. Air Force	Ford	Chesapeake, VA	Wood Brothers
22	Scott Wimmer	Caterpillar	Dodge	Wausau, WI	Bill Davis
23	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	Hartford, OH	Bill Davis
24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont	Chevrolet	Vallejo, CA	Rick Hendrick
25	Brian Vickers	GMAC Financial Services	Chevrolet	Thomasville, NC	Rick Hendrick
29	Kevin Harvick	GM Goodwrench	Chevrolet	Bakersfield, CA	Richard Childress
30	Johnny Sauter	America Online	Chevrolet	Necedah, WI	Richard Childress
31	Robby Gordon	Cingular Wireless	Chevrolet	Bellflower, CA	Richard Childress
32	Ricky Craven	Tide	Chevrolet	Newburgh, ME	Cal Wells
38	Elliott Sadler	M&M's	Ford	Emporia, VA	Yates Racing
40	Sterling Marlin	Coors Light	Dodge	Columbia, TN	Chip Ganassi
41	Casey Mears	Target	Dodge	Bakersfield, CA	Chip Ganassi
42	Jamie McMurray	Texaco / Havoline	Dodge	Joplin, MO	Chip Ganassi
43	Jeff Green	Cheerios / Betty Crocker	Dodge	Owensboro, KY	Petty Enterprises
45	Kyle Petty	Georgia-Pacific / Brawny	Dodge	Trinity, NC	Petty Enterprises
48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's	Chevrolet	El Cajon, CA	Rick Hendrick
49	Ken Schrader	Schwan's Home Service	Dodge	Fenton, MO	Beth Ann Morgenthau
50	Derrike Cope	Arnold Development Companies	Dodge	Spanaway, WA	Don Arnold
72	Kirk Shelmerdine	Tucson	Ford	Winston-Salem, NC	Kirk Shelmerdine
77	Brendan Gaughan	Kodak Easy Share	Dodge	Las Vegas, NV	Doug Bawel
80	Andy Hillenburg	Commercial Truck & Trailer	Ford	Indianapolis, IN	Stan Hover
88	Dale Jarrett	UPS / Arnold Palmer Tribute	Ford	Hickory, NC	Yates Racing
89	Morgan Shepherd	Voyles / Carter's Royal Dispos-all	Dodge	Ferguson, NC	Shepherd Racing Ventures
97	Kurt Busch	Irwin Industrial Tools	Ford	Las Vegas, NV	Jack Roush
98	Todd Bodine	Lucas Oil Products	Ford	Chemung, NY	William Edwards
99	Jeff Burton	SKF	Ford	South Boston, VA	Jack Roush

Qualifying

Ryan Newman would win the pole with a 28.640. Kirk Shelmerdine would qualify for his first ever NASCAR Cup Series race.

Pos.[2]	Car	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Time	Avg. (mph)	Behind
1	12	Ryan Newman	Alltel	Dodge	28.640	193.57
2	25	Brian Vickers	GMAC Financial Services	Chevrolet	28.780	192.63
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's	Chevrolet	28.818	192.38
4	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont	Chevrolet	28.820	192.37
5	38	Elliott Sadler	M&M's	Ford	28.974	191.34
6	88	Dale Jarrett	UPS / Arnold Palmer Tribute	Ford	28.976	191.33
7	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Budweiser	Chevrolet	28.984	191.28
8	29	Kevin Harvick	GM Goodwrench	Chevrolet	28.991	191.23
9	41	Casey Mears	Target	Dodge	28.994	191.21
10	18	Bobby Labonte	Interstate Batteries	Chevrolet	29.002	191.16
11	2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Lite	Dodge	29.035	190.94
12	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers / UAW	Dodge	29.055	190.81
13	16	Greg Biffle	National Guard	Ford	29.088	190.59
14	23	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing	Dodge	29.102	190.50
15	15	Michael Waltrip	NAPA	Chevrolet	29.107	190.47
16	19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge Dealers / UAW	Dodge	29.107	190.47
17	10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline	Chevrolet	29.155	190.16
18	43	Jeff Green	Cheerios / Betty Crocker	Dodge	29.169	190.07
19	20	Tony Stewart	Home Depot	Chevrolet	29.176	190.02
20	97	Kurt Busch	Irwin Industrial Tools	Ford	29.194	189.90
21	0	Ward Burton	NetZero Hi Speed	Chevrolet	29.202	189.85
22	42	Jamie McMurray	Texaco / Havoline	Dodge	29.220	189.73
23	31	Robby Gordon	Cingular Wireless	Chevrolet	29.224	189.71
24	49	Ken Schrader	Schwan's Home Service	Dodge	29.229	189.68
25	77	Brendan Gaughan	Kodak Easy Share	Dodge	29.234	189.64
26	01	Joe Nemechek	U.S. Army	Chevrolet	29.261	189.47
27	45	Kyle Petty	Georgia-Pacific / Brawny	Dodge	29.371	188.76
28	6	Mark Martin	Viagra	Ford	29.395	188.60
29	32	Ricky Craven	Tide	Chevrolet	29.422	188.43
30	17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt Power Tools	Ford	29.471	188.12
31	40	Sterling Marlin	Coors Light	Dodge	29.476	188.09
32	99	Jeff Burton	SKF	Ford	29.503	187.91
33	21	Ricky Rudd	Motorcraft / U.S. Air Force	Ford	29.520	187.81
34	50	Derrike Cope	Arnold Development Companies	Dodge	29.523	187.79
35	4	Kevin Lepage	Morgan-McClure	Chevrolet	29.565	187.52
36	5	Terry Labonte	Kellogg's	Chevrolet	29.649	186.99
37	22	Scott Wimmer	Caterpillar	Dodge	29.661	186.91
38	98	Todd Bodine	Lucas Oil Products	Ford	29.755	186.32
39	30	Johnny Sauter	America Online	Chevrolet	29.779	186.17
40	09	Joe Ruttman	Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts	Dodge	29.835	185.82
41	02	Andy Belmont	Intell Food Brokers	Pontiac	32.115	172.63
42	72	Kirk Shelmerdine	Tucson	Ford	31.074	178.41
43	80	Andy Hillenburg	Commercial Truck & Trailer	Ford	31.745	174.64
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:
44	89	Morgan Shepherd	Voyles / Carter's Royal Dispos-all	Dodge	30.010	184.74

Results

POS[3]	ST	#	DRIVER	SPONSOR / OWNER	CAR	LAPS	MONEY	STATUS	LED	PTS
1	7	8	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Budweiser   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)	Chevrolet	325	180078	running	55	185
2	16	19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham)	Dodge	325	137750	running	22	175
3	12	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers / UAW   (Ray Evernham)	Dodge	325	120125	running	0	165
4	3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's   (Rick Hendrick)	Chevrolet	325	97400	running	0	160
5	1	12	Ryan Newman	Alltel   (Roger Penske)	Dodge	325	120467	running	43	160
6	30	17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt Power Tools   (Jack Roush)	Ford	325	120728	running	0	150
7	19	20	Tony Stewart	Home Depot   (Joe Gibbs)	Chevrolet	325	133778	running	127	156
8	13	16	Greg Biffle	National Guard   (Jack Roush)	Ford	325	74000	running	2	147
9	6	88	Dale Jarrett	UPS / Arnold Palmer Tribute   (Yates Racing)	Ford	325	96217	running	0	138
10	4	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont   (Rick Hendrick)	Chevrolet	325	114228	running	38	139
11	14	23	Dave Blaney	Bill Davis Racing   (Bill Davis)	Dodge	325	64275	running	0	130
12	20	97	Kurt Busch	Irwin Industrial Tools   (Jack Roush)	Ford	325	78950	running	0	127
13	21	0	Ward Burton	NetZero Hi Speed   (Gene Haas)	Chevrolet	324	63775	running	0	124
14	28	6	Mark Martin	Viagra   (Jack Roush)	Ford	324	70550	running	0	121
15	26	01	Joe Nemechek	U.S. Army   (Nelson Bowers)	Chevrolet	324	86750	running	0	118
16	31	40	Sterling Marlin	Coors Light   (Chip Ganassi)	Dodge	323	94800	running	0	115
17	23	31	Robby Gordon	Cingular Wireless   (Richard Childress)	Chevrolet	323	92987	running	1	117
18	10	18	Bobby Labonte	Interstate Batteries   (Joe Gibbs)	Chevrolet	323	102673	running	0	109
19	18	43	Jeff Green	Cheerios / Old El Paso   (Petty Enterprises)	Dodge	322	83615	running	0	106
20	32	99	Jeff Burton	SKF   (Jack Roush)	Ford	322	96182	running	0	103
21	2	25	Brian Vickers	GMAC Financial Services   (Rick Hendrick)	Chevrolet	322	69315	running	0	100
22	29	32	Ricky Craven	Tide   (Cal Wells)	Chevrolet	322	81310	running	0	97
23	15	15	Michael Waltrip	NAPA   (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.)	Chevrolet	321	93591	running	0	94
24	36	5	Terry Labonte	Got Milk? / Kellogg's   (Rick Hendrick)	Chevrolet	321	86560	running	0	91
25	17	10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline   (James Rocco)	Chevrolet	321	85072	running	0	88
26	24	49	Ken Schrader	Schwan's Home Service   (Beth Ann Morgenthau)	Dodge	321	59235	running	0	85
27	37	22	Scott Wimmer	Caterpillar   (Bill Davis)	Dodge	321	77420	running	0	82
28	27	45	Kyle Petty	Georgia-Pacific / Brawny   (Petty Enterprises)	Dodge	321	67059	running	0	79
29	5	38	Elliott Sadler	M&M's   (Yates Racing)	Ford	320	87293	running	0	76
30	39	30	Johnny Sauter	America Online   (Richard Childress)	Chevrolet	320	66335	running	0	73
31	33	21	Ricky Rudd	Motorcraft / U.S. Air Force   (Wood Brothers)	Ford	320	81316	running	0	70
32	8	29	Kevin Harvick	GM Goodwrench   (Richard Childress)	Chevrolet	318	90963	running	0	67
33	25	77	Brendan Gaughan	Kodak Easy Share   (Doug Bawel)	Dodge	314	63120	running	0	64
34	9	41	Casey Mears	Target   (Chip Ganassi)	Dodge	302	56000	engine	37	66
35	11	2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Lite   (Roger Penske)	Dodge	291	88873	running	0	58
36	35	4	Kevin Lepage	Morgan-McClure   (Larry McClure)	Chevrolet	287	55005	running	0	55
37	22	42	Jamie McMurray	Texaco / Havoline   (Chip Ganassi)	Dodge	245	62970	engine	0	52
38	34	50	Derrike Cope	Arnold Development Companies   (Don Arnold)	Dodge	186	54935	engine	0	49
39	41	02	Andy Belmont	Intell Food Brokers   (Hermie Sadler)	Pontiac	80	54890	rear end	0	46
40	42	72	Kirk Shelmerdine	Tucson   (Kirk Shelmerdine)	Ford	60	54840	handling	0	43
41	38	98	Todd Bodine	Lucas Oil Products   (William Edwards)	Ford	16	54800	engine	0	0
42	43	80	Andy Hillenburg	Lowe's Motor Speedway   (Stan Hover)	Ford	15	54760	engine	0	37
43	40	09	Joe Ruttman	Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts   (James Finch)	Dodge	6	54071	vibration	0	34
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes:
44		89	Morgan Shepherd	Voyles / Carter's Royal Dispos-all	Dodge