| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2005 USG Sheetrock 400 program cover, paying tribute to Rusty Wallace's and Mark Martin's farewell seasons. | |||
| Date | July 10, 2005 | ||
| Official name | 5th Annual USG Sheetrock 400 | ||
| Location | Joliet, Illinois, Chicagoland Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Average speed | 127.638 miles per hour (205.413 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 80,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 28.701 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 176 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Bill Weber, Benny Parsons, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2005 USG Sheetrock 400 was the 18th stock car race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the fifth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 10, 2005, 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, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would have better pit strategy, taking only two tires to best eventual second-place finisher, Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth. [1] [2] [3] The win was Earnhardt Jr.'s 17th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his only win of the season. To fill out the podium, Jimmie Johnson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish third.
