The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 34th modern-era Cup series. The season began on Saturday, February 12. The ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400.
The 2002 NASCAR Busch Series began February 16 and ended November 16. Greg Biffle of Roush Racing was crowned champion.
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.
The 2007 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard, the 14th running of the event, was the twentieth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the first of the season that was televised by NASCAR on ESPN. It was held on July 29, 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
The 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 was the third stock car race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on March 2, 2008, before a crowd of 153,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, an intermediate track that holds NASCAR races. The 267-lap race was won by Carl Edwards of the Roush Fenway Racing team, who started from second position. Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Edwards's teammate Greg Biffle was third.
The Big One is a phrase describing any crash usually involving five or more cars in NASCAR, ARCA, and IndyCar racing. It is most commonly used at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, although occasionally seen at other tracks as well, such as Dover Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International.
The 2010 Aaron's 499 was the 9th race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and the first of two Sprint Cup races held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. It started at 1 p.m. EDT on April 25, 2010. The race was televised on Fox and was also broadcast on MRN Radio at 12 p.m. After Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman previous crash, officials decided that they would change from the rear wing to the rear spoiler which debuted in the 2010 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500. The race, which was extended by 12 laps, shattered numerous NASCAR records: it marked the first time under the modified green-white-checkered finish rules that a race had gone to the maximum three attempts allowed. There were eight caution flags, a record-setting 29 different leaders and a record-setting 88 lead changes. Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing won the race, his first win of the season and his first since the 2007 Daytona 500, while the Earnhardt-Ganassi teammates of Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya finished second and third.
The 2010 AAA Texas 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on November 7, 2010, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps, it was the thirty-fourth race during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the eighth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The race was won by Denny Hamlin of the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Matt Kenseth finished second, and Mark Martin clinched third.
The 2012 Coke Zero 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 7, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 160 laps, it was the eighteenth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tony Stewart of Stewart-Haas Racing took his third win of the season, while Jeff Burton finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.
The 2003 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 23, 2003, before a crowd of approximately 160,000, in Bristol, Tennessee, at Bristol Motor Speedway, a short tracks that holds NASCAR races. The 500-lap race was won by Kurt Busch of the Roush Racing team after starting from ninth position. Matt Kenseth of Roush Racing finished in second and Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte placed third.
The 2005 UAW-Ford 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race that took place on October 2, 2005 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. It was the 29th race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the third in the ten-race, season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup. Dale Jarrett of Robert Yates Racing would win the race.
The 2005 Aaron's 499 was the 9th race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, held on May 1, 2005, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race was won by Jeff Gordon, who led 139 laps of the 194 lap race.
The 2004 MBNA America 400 "A Salute to Heroes" was the 13th stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 6, 2004, before a crowd of 140,000 in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Mark Martin of Roush Racing would survive through a wreck-fest to win his 34th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win, his first of the season, and would break a 72-race losing streak. To fill out the podium, Tony Stewart of Joe Gibbs Racing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2004 UAW-GM Quality 500 was the 31st stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, the fifth race of the 2004 Chase for the Nextel Cup, and the 45th iteration of the event. The race was on Saturday, October 16, 2004, before a crowd of 140,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. At the race's end, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports would take advantage of Kasey Kahne's bad luck at the end of the race, holding off the field on the final restart to win his 11th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his third of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 Sharpie 500 was the 24th stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 24, 2002, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would complete a bump-and-run with less than three to go on eventual second-place finisher, Penske Racing driver Rusty Wallace, to win his 59th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would finish third. But the race became notable for it being a night of tempers were there was 4 different instances where drivers showed their tempers to other drivers.
The 2006 Hershey's Kissables 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series race held on February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. This was the first race of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series and was also the 25th season of the Busch Series. The race was the 25th running of the event. Out of the 49 cars that attempted the race, 18 of those drivers were currently running full time in the Nextel Cup Series. Nextel Cup Series rookie J. J. Yeley won the pole but in the race's end, Tony Stewart would win the Busch Series opener for the second season in a row after a spectacular last lap crash as this race became known as a wreckfest.
The 2010 DRIVE4COPD 300 was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held on February 13, 2010, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was the first of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series. It was the 29th iteration of the event. The race featured the NASCAR debut of IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick. This would be the last race at Daytona for the Generation 4 cars as the Nationwide Series would debut their Car of Tomorrow cars at the next Daytona race. Kyle Busch won the pole since he was the reigning Series champion from the 2009 season after Qualifying got rained out but it would be Tony Stewart who led the most laps and won the race after starting in 32nd position and it would be his 3rd Nationwide Series opener in a row and his 5th of the last 6 opening races. But the race would be mostly remembered for a flip by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The 2006 Sharpie Mini 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on March 25, 2006. The race was the 6th of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was once again dominated by Cup Series regulars. Kevin Harvick won the pole and led the most laps at 120 but it was Kyle Busch who would win his first ever Busch Series race at Bristol. But the race was most remembered when Snow fell onto the track during the race that caused a long red flag and would become one of the most remembered red flagged events and one of the craziest weather events in NASCAR history.
The 2006 Dollar General 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series race held on Friday October 13, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The race was the 34th iteration of the event. The race was the 31st race of the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series. The race itself was Friday the 13th fashion as Carl Edwards won the pole and led the most laps but he was taken out with just two laps to go racing for the lead with Casey Mears and he handed the win to Dave Blaney who beat a hard charging Matt Kenseth to take home the win.
The 2010 Scotts Turf Builder 300 was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on March 20, 2010. The race was 28th iteration of the event and the 4th race of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series. The event was dominated by Penske Racing as Brad Keselowski won the pole and led the most laps. But it was Justin Allgaier who would hold off Cup Series regulars like Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Greg Biffle to win his first career Nationwide Series race in his 43rd Nationwide Series start.
