2005 Nextel Cup Series

2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
Tony Stewart (pictured in 2015) won his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship
Duration	February 20, 2005 through November 20, 2005
TV	Fox/FX; NBC/TNT
Season statistics
No. of races	36
First race	2005 Daytona 500
Last race	2005 Ford 400
Drivers' champion	Tony Stewart
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Kyle Busch
Most popular driver	Dale Earnhardt, Jr
Previous	2004
Next	2006

The 2005 Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20 and ended with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20.

Tony Stewart was the dominant driver during the season, amassing a full race lead over second-place Greg Biffle during the first 26 races. Leading into the cutoff race for the Chase, 10 drivers were mathematically eligible for the final 4 spots in the Chase grid. In the end, Stewart, Biffle, Rusty Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman qualified for the Chase. Roush Racing managed to ensure all 5 of their teams qualified for the Chase, while Jeff Gordon missed out on the Top 10 in points for the first time since 1993, and the last time in his career.

Stewart would briefly lose the points lead after the second race in the Chase, but would reclaim the lead at Talladega and hold the lead through the remainder of the season. It was his second championship in 7 seasons, and Joe Gibbs Racing's third title.

2005 was notable for being the final season for the Ford Taurus, and the first season for the Dodge Charger. Mark Martin & Rusty Wallace announced that the season would be their final full time season. Wallace would go on to retire following the season, but Martin returned and would continue racing until the 2013 season. Ricky Rudd moved to a partial schedule following the 2005 season, but would return to a full time schedule in 2007.

2005 marked the final season for several major driver-team pairings, including Kurt Busch-Roush Racing, Bobby Labonte-Joe Gibbs Racing, Sterling Marlin & Jamie McMurray-Chip Ganassi Racing, and Michael Waltrip-Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

2005 was the first season where the Top 35 teams in Owner's points were guaranteed a starting position in each race. For the first 4 races, the previous season's owner's points were used to determine the Top 35, but at the fifth race, the current year's points would determine the Top 35.

Full Time Teams

Manufacturer	Team	Number	Driver	Sponsor
	Dale Earnhardt, Inc.	8	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Budweiser
		15	Michael Waltrip	NAPA
	Front Row Motorsports	92	Stanton Barrett * (12) Tony Raines (3) Hermie Sadler (8) Eric McClure (2) Kenny Wallace (1) Johnny Miller (1) Joey McCarthy (1) Mike Skinner (1) P.J. Jones (4) Chad Chaffin (3)	First Trust Portfolios
	Haas CNC Racing	0	Mike Bliss	NetZero
	Hendrick Motorsports	5	Kyle Busch *	Kellogg's
		24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont
		25	Brian Vickers	GMAC
		48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's
	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	Jason Leffler (20) Terry Labonte (5) J.J. Yeley (4) Denny Hamlin (7)	FedEx
		18	Bobby Labonte	Interstate Batteries
		20	Tony Stewart	Home Depot
	MB2 Motorsports	01	Joe Nemechek	U.S. Army
		10	Scott Riggs	Valvoline
	Morgan-McClure Motorsports	4	Mike Wallace (31) P.J. Jones (2) John Andretti (2) Todd Bodine (1)	Lucas Oil
	PPI Motorsports	32	Bobby Hamilton, Jr. (34) Ron Fellows (2)	Tide
	Richard Childress Racing	07	Dave Blaney	Jack Daniels
		29	Kevin Harvick	GM Goodwrench
		31	Jeff Burton	Cingular Wireless
	Robby Gordon Motorsports	7	Robby Gordon	Harrah's Jim Beam Fruit of the Loom Menards
	BAM Racing	49	Ken Schrader	Schwan's
	Bill Davis Racing	22	Scott Wimmer	Caterpillar
	Chip Ganassi Racing	40	Sterling Marlin	Coors Light
		41	Casey Mears	Target
		42	Jamie McMurray	Havoline
	Evernham Motorsports	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge Dealers
		19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge Dealers
	Penske-Jasper Racing	2	Rusty Wallace	Miller Lite
		12	Ryan Newman	Alltel
		77	Travis Kvapil *	Kodak
	Petty Enterprises	43	Jeff Green	Cheerios
		45	Kyle Petty	Georgia Pacific
	R&J Racing	37	Kevin Lepage (21) Anthony Lazzaro (1) Tony Raines (8) Mike Garvey (1) Jimmy Spencer (1) Mike Skinner (4)	BoSpoker Patròn Spirits
	Peak Fitness Racing	66	Hermie Sadler (14) Mike Garvey (11) Johnny Borneman III (1) Jimmy Spencer (1) Kevin Lepage (8)	Peak Fitness JaniKing EAS Arbor Mortgage Dickies Cabela's
	Robert Yates Racing	38	Elliott Sadler	M&M's
		88	Dale Jarrett	UPS
	Roush Racing	6	Mark Martin	Viagra
		16	Greg Biffle	National Guard Post-It Jackson Hewitt Subway
		17	Matt Kenseth	DeWalt
		97	Kurt Busch	Sharpie Irwin Tools Crown Royal
		99	Carl Edwards	Office Depot AAA World Financial Group Scotts
	Wood Brothers Racing	21	Ricky Rudd	Motorcraft

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	TV
	February 12, 2005	Budweiser Shootout	Daytona International Speedway	FOX
	February 17, 2005	Gatorade Duel 150s	Daytona International Speedway	FX
1	February 20, 2005	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	FOX
2	February 27, 2005	Auto Club 500	California Speedway	FOX
3	March 13, 2005	UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	FOX
4	March 20, 2005	Golden Corral 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	FOX
5	April 3, 2005	Food City 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	FOX
6	April 10, 2005	Advance Auto Parts 500	Martinsville Speedway	FOX
7	April 17, 2005	Samsung / Radio Shack 500	Texas Motor Speedway	FOX
8	April 23, 2005	Subway Fresh 500	Phoenix International Raceway	FOX
9	May 1, 2005	Aaron's 499	Talladega Superspeedway	FOX
10	May 7, 2005	Dodge Charger 500	Darlington Raceway	FOX
11	May 14, 2005	Chevy American Revolution 400	Richmond International Raceway	FX
	May 21, 2005	Nextel All-Star Challenge	Lowe's Motor Speedway	FX
12	May 29, 2005	Coca-Cola 600	Lowe's Motor Speedway	FOX
13	June 5, 2005	MBNA RacePoints 400	Dover International Speedway	FX
14	June 12, 2005	Pocono 500	Pocono Raceway	FOX
15	June 19, 2005	Batman Begins 400	Michigan International Speedway	FOX
16	June 26, 2005	Dodge / Save Mart 350	Infineon Raceway	FOX
17	July 2, 2005	Pepsi 400	Daytona International Speedway	NBC
18	July 10, 2005	USG Sheetrock 400	Chicagoland Speedway	NBC
19	July 17, 2005	New England 300	New Hampshire International Speedway	TNT
20	July 24, 2005	Pennsylvania 500	Pocono Raceway	TNT
21	August 7, 2005	Allstate 400 At The Brickyard	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	NBC
22	August 14, 2005	Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen	Watkins Glen International	NBC
23	August 21, 2005	GFS Marketplace 400	Michigan International Speedway	TNT
24	August 27, 2005	Sharpie 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	TNT
25	September 4, 2005	Sony HD 500	California Speedway	NBC
26	September 10, 2005	Chevy Rock & Roll 400	Richmond International Raceway	TNT
Chase for the Nextel Cup
27	September 18, 2005	Sylvania 300	New Hampshire International Speedway	TNT
28	September 25, 2005	MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400	Dover International Speedway	TNT
29	October 2, 2005	UAW-Ford 500	Talladega Superspeedway	NBC
30	October 9, 2005	Banquet 400 Presented by ConAgra Foods	Kansas Speedway	NBC
31	October 15, 2005	UAW-GM Quality 500	Lowe's Motor Speedway	NBC
32	October 23, 2005	Subway 500	Martinsville Speedway	NBC
33	October 30, 2005	Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	NBC
34	November 6, 2005	Dickies 500	Texas Motor Speedway	NBC
25	November 13, 2005	Checker Auto Parts 500	Phoenix International Raceway	NBC
36	November 20, 2005	Ford 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	NBC

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	2005 Budweiser Shootout	Dale Jarrett	Jimmie Johnson		0	0	181.399	5
	2005 Gatorade Duel 150 (Race #1)	Dale Jarrett	Michael Waltrip		3	12	140.442	5
	2005 Gatorade Duel 150 (Race #2)	Jimmie Johnson	Tony Stewart		2	10	145.161	3
1	2005 Daytona 500	Dale Jarrett	Jeff Gordon		11	45	135.173	22
2	2005 Auto Club 500	Kyle Busch	Greg Biffle		7	40	139.697	26
3	2005 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400	Ryan Newman	Jimmie Johnson		10	46	121.038	25
4	2005 Golden Corral 500	Ryan Newman	Carl Edwards		8	40	143.478	27
5	2005 Food City 500	Elliott Sadler	Kevin Harvick		14	115	77.496	14
6	2005 Advance Auto Parts 500	Scott Riggs	Jeff Gordon		16	91	72.099	17
7	2005 Samsung / Radio Shack 500	Ryan Newman	Greg Biffle		11	56	130.055	25
8	2005 Subway Fresh 500	Jeff Gordon	Kurt Busch		9	43	102.707	16
9	2005 Aaron's 499	Kevin Harvick	Jeff Gordon		8	30	146.904	33
10	2005 Dodge Charger 500	Kasey Kahne	Greg Biffle		12	48	123.031	30
11	2005 Chevy American Revolution 400	Kasey Kahne	Kasey Kahne		9	53	100.316	21
	2005 Nextel All-Star Challenge	Ryan Newman	Mark Martin		2	7	113.951	7
12	2005 Coca-Cola 600	Ryan Newman	Jimmie Johnson		22	103	114.698	37
13	2005 MBNA RacePoints 400	N/A	Greg Biffle		7	33	122.626	9
14	2005 Pocono 500	Michael Waltrip	Carl Edwards		8	32	129.177	14
15	2005 Batman Begins 400	Ryan Newman	Greg Biffle		4	23	150.596	20
16	2005 Dodge / Save Mart 350	Jeff Gordon	Tony Stewart		8	18	72.845	7
17	2005 Pepsi 400	Tony Stewart	Tony Stewart		9	41	131.016	7
18	2005 USG Sheetrock 400	Jimmie Johnson	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.		10	47	127.638	17
19	2005 New England 300	Brian Vickers	Tony Stewart		10	49	102.608	14
20	2005 Pennsylvania 500	Jamie McMurray	Kurt Busch		13	40	125.283	13
21	2005 Allstate 400 At The Brickyard	Elliott Sadler	Tony Stewart		10	43	118.782	15
22	2005 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen	N/A	Tony Stewart		7	14	86.804	9
23	2005 GFS Marketplace 400	Joe Nemechek	Jeremy Mayfield		7	30	141.551	19
24	2005 Sharpie 500	Matt Kenseth	Matt Kenseth		16	88	84.678	17
25	2005 Sony HD 500	Carl Edwards	Kyle Busch		11	43	136.356	30
26	2005 Chevy Rock & Roll 400	Kevin Harvick	Kurt Busch		12	60	98.567	23
27	2005 Sylvania 300	Tony Stewart	Ryan Newman		10	60	95.891	18
28	2005 MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400	Ryan Newman	Jimmie Johnson		11	50	115.054	15
29	2005 UAW-Ford 500	Elliott Sadler	Dale Jarrett		10	33	143.818	50
30	2005 Banquet 400 Presented by ConAgra Foods	Matt Kenseth	Mark Martin		7	28	137.774	16
31	2005 UAW-GM Quality 500	Elliott Sadler	Jimmie Johnson		15	84	120.334	35
32	2005 Subway 500	Tony Stewart	Jeff Gordon		19	113	69.695	15
33	2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500	Ryan Newman	Carl Edwards		9	39	146.834	27
34	2005 Dickies 500	Ryan Newman	Carl Edwards		6	27	151.055	23
35	2005 Checker Auto Parts 500	Denny Hamlin	Kyle Busch		9	44	102.641	10
36	2005 Ford 400	Carl Edwards	Greg Biffle		8	37	131.431	21

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Tony Stewart	36	5	17	25	3	6533
2	Greg Biffle	36	6	15	21	0	6498	-35
3	Carl Edwards	36	4	13	18	2	6498	-35
4	Mark Martin	36	1	12	19	0	6428	-105
5	Jimmie Johnson	36	4	13	22	1	6406	-127
6	Ryan Newman	36	1	8	16	8	6359	-174
7	Matt Kenseth	36	1	12	17	2	6352	-181
8	Rusty Wallace	36	0	8	17	0	6140	-393
9	Jeremy Mayfield	36	1	4	9	0	6073	-460
10	Kurt Busch	34	3	9	18	0	5974	-559
11	Jeff Gordon	36	4	8	14	2	4174	-2,359
12	Jamie McMurray	36	0	4	10	1	4130	-2,403
13	Elliott Sadler	36	0	1	12	4	4084	-2,449
14	Kevin Harvick	36	1	3	10	2	4072	-2,461
15	Dale Jarrett	36	1	4	7	1	3960	-2,573
16	Joe Nemechek	36	0	2	9	1	3953	-2,580
17	Brian Vickers	36	0	5	10	1	3847	-2,686
18	Jeff Burton	36	0	3	6	0	3803	-2,730
19	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	36	1	7	13	0	3780	-2,753
20	Kyle Busch	36	2	9	13	1	3753	-2,780
21	Ricky Rudd	36	0	2	9	0	3667	-2,866
22	Casey Mears	36	0	3	9	0	3637	-2,896
23	Kasey Kahne	36	1	5	8	2	3611	-2,922
24	Bobby Labonte	36	0	4	7	0	3488	-3,045
25	Michael Waltrip	36	0	3	7	1	3452	-3,081
26	Dave Blaney	36	0	0	2	0	3289	-3,244
27	Kyle Petty	36	0	0	2	0	3288	-3,245
28	Mike Bliss	36	0	0	2	0	3262	-3,271
29	Jeff Green	36	0	0	0	0	3241	-3,292
30	Sterling Marlin	35	0	1	5	0	3183	-3,350
31	Ken Schrader	36	0	0	3	0	3159	-3,374
32	Scott Wimmer	36	0	0	0	0	3122	-3,411
33	Travis Kvapil	36	0	0	2	0	3077	-3,456
34	Scott Riggs	36	0	2	4	1	2965	-3,568
35	Mike Wallace	28	0	0	1	0	2269	-4,264
36	Bobby Hamilton, Jr.	33	0	0	0	0	2183	-4,350
37	Robby Gordon	29	0	1	2	0	2117	-4,416
38	Jason Leffler	19	0	0	0	0	1538	-4,995
39	Kevin Lepage	21	0	0	1	0	1460	-5,073
40	Terry Labonte	14	0	0	1	0	1071	-5,462
41	Denny Hamlin	7	0	0	3	1	806	-5,727
42	Boris Said	9	0	1	1	0	791	-5,742
43	Johnny Sauter	10	0	0	1	0	722	-5,811
44	Hermie Sadler	12	0	0	0	0	717	-5,816
45	Bill Elliott	9	0	0	0	0	695	-5,838
46	Jimmy Spencer	11	0	0	0	0	667	-5,866
47	Martin Truex Jr.	7	0	0	1	0	589	-5,944
48	Mike Garvey	9	0	0	0	0	491	-6,042
49	Mike Skinner	10	0	0	0	0	487	-6,046
50	Tony Raines	6	0	0	0	0	419	-6,114

Drivers in the Chase for the Nextel Cup are highlighted in yellow. Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.

Rookie of the Year

Kyle Busch won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award for 2005.

Rookie of the Year Standings

Position	Driver	Points	Race Wins
1	Kyle Busch	349	2
2	Travis Kvapil	269	0

Manufacturer's Championship

With 17 wins, Chevrolet won the 2005 Manufacturer's Championship.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		259	17
2		246	16
3		179	3

Other Season Awards

• Chex National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
• USG Improving the Finish Award: Elliott Sadler
• Clevite Engine Builder of the Year Award: Joe Gibbs Racing
• Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Tony Stewart
• Wix Filters Lap Leader Award: Tony Stewart
• MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award: Tony Stewart
• Commit Lozenges Commit to Win Award: Kasey Kahne
• Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Season Award: Ryan Newman
• Bud Pole Award: Ryan Newman
• Goodyear Tire Award: Tony Stewart
• Goodyear Gatorback Belts Fastest Lap Award: Tony Stewart
• Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award (voted by fellow crew chiefs): #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Pit Crew, led by Greg Zipadelli
• Checkers/Rally's Double Drive Thru Challenge Award (lowest amount of time spent on pit road): Ryan Newman