Race Summary
Before the start of the race, several cars had to move to the rear of the field: engine changes for polesitter Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Ricky Craven, and 1990 winner Derrike Cope. Rookie and Sprint Cup debutant Scott Riggs started from the rear in a backup car.
This meant that Gatorade Duel #1 winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. became the polesitter and led the opening laps. Championship hopeful Mark Martin, coming off a disappointing 2003 season, exited the race with a blown engine on Lap 8, causing the first yellow of the day. On Lap 26 his Roush Racing teammate Jeff Burton joined him in the garage, likewise with an engine failure. Kevin Harvick produced the first lead change of the season on Lap 30. 4 laps later, Derrike Cope spun the Arnold Motorsports Dodge in Turn 4, collecting Scott Riggs and causing another caution. After the first round of pit stops, Tony Stewart became the leader. He and Jimmie Johnson swapped the lead a few times while navigating lapped cars (most of whom were on the "tail-end" of the lead lap, given that the Cope/Riggs accident happened during pit stops) before Earnhardt, Jr. reclaimed the lead.
On Lap 60 the third caution flag was displayed when Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Jeff Green crashed their Dodge Intrepids on the backstretch. After the restart, Stewart and Earnhardt, Jr. dueled for the lead until a large crash occurred on lap 71, when rookies Brian Vickers and Johnny Sauter got together on the back straightaway, also collecting Michael Waltrip, John Andretti, Kevin Lepage, Terry Labonte, Johnny Benson, Scott Riggs, Ryan Newman, Robby Gordon, Sterling Marlin, and Jamie McMurray. Waltrip took the worst ride, as his car was sent into the infield grass. The friction, combined with the fact that the rains that had washed out the Busch race the day before, caused the tire rim to dig into the infield grass, and Waltrip's car flipped over three full times, kicking up a lot of dirt, before coming to a rest on its roof. A temporary delay ensued as emergency crews debated whether or not to upright Waltrip's car before extricating him. The problem was exacerbated by Waltrip's size.
Jeff Gordon led the field at the Lap 81 restart. The last half of the race (laps 81-200) were run caution free. The main competitors during the second half of the race were still Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who combined led 101 of the final 120 laps (Earnhardt, Jr. and Stewart were the two strongest cars of the race, leading for more than 75% of the race, or 156 laps - 98 by Stewart, 56 by Earnhardt, Jr.). When the leaders pitted at Lap 137, rookie Johnny Sauter (5 laps down after accident damage) tried to pit with them, but had evident braking issues. He had to swerve to miss Kurt Busch (one lap down, after contact with Earnhardt, Jr. earlier in the race punctured a tire) and flew through the pitlane at over 100 mph. Wisely, he did not try to stop in his stall, and came around the track to try again. His speeding penalty dropped him further back. During the final round of pit stops, with approximately 30 laps remaining, Bud Shootout pole winner Greg Biffle tried to gain ground on the leaders at the pit entry, but was quite evidently faster than the pack of cars running at pit lane speed. He dropped behind them prior to pitting, but his speeding penalty dropped him out of the Top 10 and from contention for the win.
After the final pit stops, rookie Scott Wimmer of Bill Davis Racing was leading. The crew had only changed right-side tires, elevating him from a likely 7th or 8th place finish to a chance to win. Unfortunately, he had no drafting partner and was caught up by the faster Stewart and Earnhardt, Jr. with 25 laps to go. Earnhardt Jr. passed Tony Stewart on Lap 181 and held him off in the remaining laps to win his first Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. won the race exactly three years after his father's fatal crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, where Waltrip had won his first race, which itself came three years after Earnhardt's 1998 Daytona 500 win.
This pattern of a driver with some connection to Earnhardt winning the Daytona 500 every three years (since Earnhardt's win in 1998) has continued, with Kevin Harvick, who took over Earnhardt's ride after his death, winning in 2007 and Earnhardt Ganassi driver Jamie McMurray winning in 2010.
Read more about this topic: 2004 Daytona 500
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