2005 Subway Fresh 500

2005 Subway Fresh 500

Race details
Race 8 of 36 in the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The 2005 Subway Fresh 500 program cover.
Date	April 23, 2005
Official name	Inaugural Subway Fresh 500
Location	Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway
Course	Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance	315 laps, 315 mi (506.943 km)
Scheduled Distance	312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km)
Average speed	102.707 miles per hour (165.291 km/h)
Attendance	105,000
Pole position
Driver	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports
Time	26.931
Most laps led
Driver	Kurt Busch	Roush Racing
Laps	219
Winner
No. 97	Kurt Busch	Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network	FOX
Announcers	Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip
Radio in the United States
Radio	Motor Racing Network

The 2005 Subway Fresh 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 23, 2005, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Kurt Busch would dominate the majority of the race to take his 12th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.^[1][2] To fill out the top three, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver Michael Waltrip and Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton would finish second and third, respectively.

Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

• (R) denotes rookie driver.

The first practice session was held on Thursday, April 21, at 5:55 PM EST. The session would last for one hour. Travis Kvapil, driving for Penske Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.466 and an average speed of 131.071 mph (210.938 km/h).^[3]

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Thursday, April 21, at 9:15 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. Ryan Newman, driving for Penske Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.356 and an average speed of 131.598 mph (211.786 km/h).^[3]

Qualifying was held on Friday, April 22, at 6:00 PM EST. Positions 1-42 would be decided by time, while the 43rd position would be given to a past champion who had not otherwise qualified. If no past champion needed it, the next team in owner's points would earn the spot. Also, if a team in the top 35 in owner's points had missed qualifying in the top 35, they would earn a spot between 36 and 42 if needed.^[3]

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 26.931 and an average speed of 133.675 miles per hour (215.129 km/h).^[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify.