| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 19 of 36 in the2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2004 Siemens 300 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 25, 2004 | ||
| Official name | 12th Annual Siemens 300 | ||
| Location | Loudon, New Hampshire,New Hampshire International Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.058 miles (1.703 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Average speed | 97.862 miles per hour (157.494 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 99,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Jasper Racing | ||
| Time | 28.776 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | |
| Laps | 187 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick,Benny Parsons,Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The2004 Siemens 300 was the 19thstock car race of the2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 12th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, July 25, 2004, before a crowd of 99,000 inLoudon, New Hampshire, atNew Hampshire International Raceway, a 1.058 miles (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end,Kurt Busch ofRoush Racing would hold off the field on the final restart, defeating a dominantRyan Newman with three to go to take his 10th careerNASCAR Nextel Cup Series win and his second of the season.[1] To fill out the podium,Jeff Gordon ofHendrick Motorsports andRyan Newman ofPenske-Jasper Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km)oval speedway located inLoudon, New Hampshire which has hostedNASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as anIndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated bySpeedway Motorsports.
*Withdrew due to not fitting inspection templates numerous times.[2]
**While he had started the race, he would have to be relieved byMartin Truex Jr. for practice sessions and qualifying, as Earnhardt Jr. was recovering from burns suffered from a sports car race. However, as Earnhardt Jr. did start the race, he was credited with the finish.[3]
The first practice session would occur on Friday, July 23, at 11:20 AMEST and would last for two hours.[2]Ryan Newman ofPenske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.678 and an average speed of 132.813 miles per hour (213.742 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 28.678 | 132.813 |
| 2 | 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 28.834 | 132.094 |
| 3 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 28.906 | 131.765 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The second practice session would occur on Saturday, July 24, at 9:30 AMEST and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Greg Biffle ofRoush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.209 and an average speed of 130.398 miles per hour (209.855 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.209 | 130.398 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.211 | 130.389 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 29.255 | 130.193 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, July 24, at 11:10 AMEST and would last for 45 minutes.[2]Ryan Newman ofPenske-Jasper Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.249 and an average speed of 130.220 miles per hour (209.569 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 29.249 | 130.220 |
| 2 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.277 | 130.095 |
| 3 | 09 | Bobby Hamilton Jr. | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 29.288 | 130.046 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying would occur on Friday, July 23, at 3:05 PMEST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[2] Positions 1-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]
Ryan Newman ofPenske-Jasper Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 28.776 and an average speed of 132.360 miles per hour (213.013 km/h).[8]
Kyle Busch, driving a part-time schedule forHendrick Motorsports, would crash in turn 4 on his warm-up lap. Since the No. 84 did not have enough owner's points for a provision, Busch would miss the race.[9]
Two drivers would fail to qualify:Kevin Lepage andKyle Busch. In addition,Ryan McGlynn, who had taken part in some of the weekend's practice sessions, also withdrew for unknown reasons.
| Previous race: 2004 Tropicana 400 | NASCAR Nextel Cup Series 2004 season | Next race: 2004 Pennsylvania 500 |