| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 35 of 36 in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
| Date | November 13, 2005 | ||
| Official name | Checker Auto Parts 500 | ||
| Location | Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.000 miles (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Average speed | 102.641 miles per hour (165.185 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 26.831 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 189 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach, and Benny Parsons | ||
The 2005 Checker Auto Parts 500 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race held on November 13, 2005 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the 1-mile (1.6-kilometre) asphalt oval, it was the thirty-fifth race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Kyle Busch of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a 1-mile (1.6-kilometre), low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5-mile (4.0-kilometre) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51-mile (2.43-kilometre) interior layout. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Denny Hamlin, in his sixth career Nextel Cup Series start, took his first pole position for Joe Gibbs Racing. The race was surrounded by controversy when defending champion Kurt Busch was cited for reckless driving and was reported by a cop to have "had the whiff of alcohol", although he was below the legal limit of .008 in Arizona, with a recorded value of .0018. Due to his actions, he was suspended by Roush Racing for the rest of the season, and Kenny Wallace took the wheel of the No. 97 car. Ironically, his brother Kyle won the race, and in victory lane, he criticized the media for their handling of the case.
Jerry Robertson made his only NASCAR Nextel Cup Series start in this event. [1]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 77 | Travis Kvapil | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge |