Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 36th and final race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season.

[3] The #93 of Geoff Bodine would also not run qualifying laps, this time due to unspecified reasons and would withdraw from the event.

This race was known as the deciding race of the 2004 Nextel Cup champion in the first ever Chase for the Nextel Cup, in which five drivers were still mathematically alive for the championship including the points leader, Kurt Busch with an 18-point margin ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who earned the most wins in 2004, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and veteran Mark Martin.

At the start of lap 1, Hermie Sadler got turned sideways while Mike Bliss was spun around but Johnson survived the wreck in the following caution.

With 3 laps to go, race leader Ryan Newman made some contact and lost the right side of the tire, the caution was out and set a Green-white-checker finish at Homestead.