2004 Aaron's 499

The 2004 Aaron's 499 was the ninth stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 25, 2004, before a crowd of 155,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In a controversial end to the race, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would win the race under caution over fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., after Brian Vickers caused a caution with 5 to go. The win was Gordon’s 65th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would finish third, after a review of the results of the last scoring loop.

Background

, the venue where the race was held. Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval. Entry list • Withdrew. == Practice ==

Practice

First practice The first practice session would take place on Friday, April 23, at 12:00 PM EST, and would last for one hour and 30 minutes. Second practice The second practice session would occur on Saturday, April 24, at 10:30 AM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. Third and final practice The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, April 24, at 12:10 PM EST, and would last for 45 minutes. == Qualifying ==

Qualifying

Qualifying would take place on Friday, April 23, at 3:10 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. Ricky Rudd of Wood Brothers Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 50.089 and an average speed of . Three drivers would fail to qualify: Larry Foyt, Todd Bodine, and Kirk Shelmerdine. Full qualifying results == Race results ==

Source: Wikipedia ↗

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