The year 2004 was a year of big changes for NASCAR’s top series. Nextel stepped in as the new sponsor for the 36-race series as old sponsor Winston stepped out after 32 seasons. Naturally, the series was renamed for the new sponsor. Then NASCAR made another change: a major modification in how the series championship would be determined.

Partially discarding the old points system, NASCAR introduced the “Chase for the Nextel Cup,” a 10-race playoff “chase” in which only the top 10 drivers competed for the championship. The Chase was intended to add suspense and excitement to the title run, and it was an overwhelming success. The fight for the championship literally came down to the last lap of the last race of the season in the tightest battle in the series’ history.

After the 26th race of the season, the top 10 drivers (determined by the “old-fashioned” points system) were declared eligible for the Cup Chase. They were Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, defending champion Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield and Ryan Newman.

Busch won the first Chase race, Newman the second and Earnhardt the third. Joe Nemechek, an ineligible driver, took the fourth race. And then Johnson won a stunning three races in a row. Earnhardt followed with another trip to Victory Lane and then it was Johnson again. Going into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch, Johnson, Gordon, Earnhardt and Martin were the only ones mathematically able to win the title. The race went into a four-lap “overtime” — the green-white-checkered flag format NASCAR inaugurated this year to avoid ending races on a caution whenever possible — with ineligible Greg Biffle getting the win and Johnson coming in second. But Busch, with a fifth-place finish, clinched the championship by eight points over Johnson. He was the sixth different champ in the past six years and the 27th driver to win the title.

Busch had winnings of $4,200,330 along with a $5 million championship bonus. He led the standings for the last eight weeks and ended up with 6,506 points from three wins, one pole, 10 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. His single victory made him the fourth champion in the past five years who didn’t lead the series in wins. That honor went to second-place Jimmie Johnson (6,498 points) with eight wins as well as 20 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes and $5,692,620.

Third place in the standings went to four-time former champion Jeff Gordon (6,490 points). He was in first going into the Chase and had five wins, six poles and a series-high 25 top-10 finishes. He won $6,437,660.

Mark Martin announced his retirement effective after the 2005 season. The veteran churned out one win, 10 top-fives and 15 top-10s for 6,399 points and a fourth-place overall finish for $3,948,500.

Six wins, 16 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes produced 6,368 points and $7,201,380 for fifth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. It was a disappointing season for “Li’l E.” He suffered burns in a non-NASCAR event that hampered his driving over the next few races. He also lost 25 points early in the year for intentionally spinning to bring out a caution flag and 25 points during the Chase for swearing on television.

Kevin Harvick, sponsored by GM Goodwrench Service, finished 14th with 14 top-10 finishes and a cool $4,739,010 in winnings. The 2001 Rookie of the Year, Harvick had three top-five finishes in the first nine races. He was in the standings top 10 for 16 weeks, but engine problems hurt him later in the season and kept him out of the Chase.

The 2004 Rookie of the Year award went to Kasey Kahne. He had five runner-up finishes and four poles. Although he missed out on the Chase, he was 13th in the standings and won $4,759,020.

Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Jamie McMurray, ended up 11th, taking a $1 million bonus for being the highest-finishing driver not part of the Chase. Ryan Newman had nine poles, the most of any driver.

The year 2004 also saw one of the NASCAR community’s biggest tragedies when a small plane carrying Hendrick Motorsports team and family members crashed, taking 10 lives.

The 2005 Nextel Cup season begins February 20 with the Daytona 500. We’ll be posting racing reports after every event, and we invite you to join us for all the fun and excitement throughout the season.

You can also check our 2004 Nextel Cup race reports and our archived 2003 Winston Cup race reports.