Mark Griffith (Super Pro), Kelly King (Pro), Kevin Hale (Sportsman), and Dave Hill (Super Pro Bike) took top honors during the 2004 NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship, held in conjunction with the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway. The four outlasted the other competitors in their respective seven-car fields, which featured the champions from each division's NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals.

Griffith, the Division 3 champ, earned top honors in Super Pro by defeating Division 4's Larry Thomason. Division 2 runner King made the tow from Stockbridge, Ga., pay off when he bettered Division 5's Jason Novacek for the Pro trophy. In Sportsman, Division 4 ace Hale topped Division 5 champ Tim Larson, and Division 3's Hill bettered Michael Fulks from Division 2 in Super Pro Bike.

Each winner received $5,000, a jacket, champion's trophy, and NHRA Gold Card. All qualifiers were guaranteed a minimum of $3,500.

Prior to the on-track activities, the 28 division champions were welcomed to the event with a special banquet and ceremony Thursday at The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona. Competitors were welcomed by Summit's Kirk Heinbuch and Chuck Kresge, NHRA's Dick Wells, Tom Compton, Peter Clifford, Graham Light, Gary Darcy, John Covarrubias, Jerry Archambeault, and Adriane Ridder; and racers Greg Anderson, Dan Fletcher, Jason Line, and Craig Treble. NHRA's Johnny Moto was the event emcee. Also at the ceremony, Anderson, Fletcher, Line, and Treble conducted a random drawing to determine qualifying positions for the race. The No. 1 driver on the ladder received a first-round bye, and pairs were made of the second and fifth drivers, third and sixth, and fourth and seventh.