2005 Batman Begins 400

Race details[1][2][3]
Race 15 of 36 in the2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
2005 Batman Begins 400 program cover
Date	June 19, 2005 (2005-06-19)
Location	Michigan International Speedway,Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	2.0 miles (3.219 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather	Mild with temperatures approaching 73 °F (23 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed	150.596 miles per hour (242.361 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Ryan Newman	Penske Racing
Most laps led
Driver	Tony Stewart	Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps	97
Winner
No. 16	Greg Biffle	Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Mike Joy,Darrell Waltrip,Larry McReynolds
Nielsen ratings	4.76

The2005 Batman Begins 400 (named after the2005 film of the same name for sponsorship reasons was aNASCARNEXTEL Cup Series racing event held on June 19, 2005, atMichigan International Speedway in the American community ofBrooklyn, Michigan.

Run over 200 laps, the race was the fifteenth in the2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and took place on the same date of the controversial2005 United States Grand Prix thatMichael Schumacher would dominate.

*Had an accident during qualifying

On April 27, 2005, Warner Bros. would announce that the race would be sponsored by the movieBatman Begins, marking the first time a motion picture sponsored a Cup Series race.^[7] In a press release, NASCAR CEO and chairmanBrian France said "Batman will cheer on the 43 super heroes that will be competing for the Batman Begins 400 at Michigan International Speedway."^[8] Along with the sponsorship, theBatmobile served as the honorarypace car for the race,^[2] whileBatman was the grand marshal, andKaren Newman sang the national anthem.^[9]

Mark Martin also ran aBatman Begins paint scheme, along withRicky Craven at theParamount Health Insurance 200 on the previous day.^[10] Defending race winnerRyan Newman^[11] ofPenske Racing won thepole position after breaking the track record with a speed of 194.232 miles per hour (312.586 km/h), breaking the original record held byDale Earnhardt Jr. in 2001,^[9] whileRoush Racing'sGreg Biffle won the race.^[12] Michigan International Speedway has been a Ford dominated track starting in 1984, and a Mercury track before that from 1969-78. It was also a track that suited a smooth driver or a driver that could change his driving tactics for Michigan International Speedway.

Tony Stewart would dominate the race, he would end up leading a race-high 97 laps. However, on lap 168, Stewart took a four-tire pit stop, whileGreg Biffle,Elliott Sadler andRoush Racing teammatesMatt Kenseth,Carl Edwards andKurt Busch, as they and other drivers had pitted 12 laps earlier;Joe Nemechek andMichael Waltrip also beat Stewart to the track, forcing him to start in eighth on lap 174. Biffle, who led 67 laps, would go on to win his eighth career Cup race and fifth of the season.^[13] Stewart was able to fight his way into second, whileMark Martin finished in third.^[14] Kenseth and Edwards rounded out the top five.Jeff Gordon andDale Earnhardt Jr. finished the race in 32nd and 17th, respectively, and were knocked out of contention for the2005 Chase for the Nextel Cup.^[9]

• 2005 in sports in Michigan
• 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
• Batman in other media
• NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway

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