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NASCAR 2004 Season Jumpstart
New points. New sponsors. New rules. A whole new pack of rookies. And more! Get a jump on all that’s new for the 2004 season. Scroll down to catch it all on NASCAR.com and on TV.


•Broadcast schedule

•New sponsors
•Points and rules
•People

•Preseason testing
New points at a glance
• 180 points awarded to winners of all Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series races, plus any bonus points. Assures all race winners earn more points than second-place finishers.
• After the 26th Nextel Cup Series race (the Monte Carlo 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 11), all drivers in the top 10 – plus all other drivers within 400 points of the leader at that point – have their points reset.
• Points leader will be reset to 5,050 points, with each successive driver reset with five points fewer than driver ahead of him. (See chart below)
• Only drivers with points reset are eligible for Chase for the Championship.
Get more on the new points system

Daytona 500
 = TrackPass Coverage

Date
Time
Event
02|06|04
3:45 p.m.
Budweiser Shootout Practice
02|06|04
6:30 p.m.
Budweiser Shootout Practice
02|07|04
10:10 a.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|07|04
1:30 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|07|04
8 p.m.
Budweiser Shootout
02|08|04
12:10 p.m.
Daytona 500 Qualifying
02|10|04
12:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|10|04
2:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|11|04
12:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|12|04
1 p.m.
Gatorade 125 Mile Qualifying Races
02|13|04
1:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|13|04
2:50 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|14|04
9 a.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|14|04
10:40 a.m.
Nextel Cup Happy Hour Practice
02|15|04
1:30 p.m.
Daytona 500
02|20|04
11:20 a.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|20|04
3:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Bud Pole Qualifying
02|21|04
9:30 a.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
02|21|04
11:10 a.m.
Nextel Cup Happy Hour Practice
02|22|04
1 p.m.
Subway 400
03|05|04
2:20 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
03|05|04
6:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Bud Pole Qualifying
03|06|04
12:30 p.m.
Nextel Cup Practice
03|06|04
2:10 p.m.
Nextel Cup Happy Hour Practice
03|07|04
2:30 p.m.
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

SPONSORS
NEXTEL IS NEXT: NASCAR's premier series will be known as the Nextel Cup Series in 2004. More

Related Links:
•
Sunoco new fuel supplier
•
Pontiac bows out

POINTS AND RULES
CHASE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP: NASCAR changed its scoring system by setting up a 10-race showdown for the Nextel Cup championship. More

Related Links:
•
More teams to qualify on time
•
More test dates added
•
Softer tires, shorter spoilers

PEOPLE
A NEW FRANCE AT THE HELM: Chairman Brian France, grandson of NASCAR's founder, hopes to keep the sport's "core values" intact. More

Related Links:
•
Q&A: Brian France
•
Chat Transcript: Brian France
•
New faces in new places

PRESEASON TESTING
BACK ON THE TRACK: For drivers, testing is tedious. But for crews, it's a golden opportunity to try new things. More

Related Links:
•
Cumulative test speeds
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