| # | Driver | Pts | Behind | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 5042 | 5 | |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 4995 | −47 | 8 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 4919 | −123 | 6 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | 4795 | −247 | 3 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | 4726 | −316 | 2 |
| 6 | Jamie McMurray | 4622 | −420 | |
| 7 | Mark Martin | 4597 | −445 | 1 |
| 8 | Matt Kenseth | 4376 | −666 | 2 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | 4361 | −681 | 2 |
| 10 | Elliott Sadler | 4315 | −727 | 2 |
| 11 | Kasey Kahne | 4299 | −743 | |
| 12 | Bobby Labonte | 4277 | −765 | |
| 13 | Kevin Harvick | 4228 | −814 | |
| 14 | Dale Jarrett | 4214 | −828 | |
| 15 | Jeremy Mayfield | 4183 | −859 | 1 |
| 16 | Rusty Wallace | 3960 | −1,082 | 1 |
| 17 | Greg Biffle | 3927 | −1,115 | 2 |
| 18 | Jeff Burton | 3902 | −1,140 | |
| 19 | Joe Nemechek | 3878 | −1,164 | 1 |
| 20 | Michael Waltrip | 3878 | −1,164 |
Jeff Gordon led on points, but the 2004 title went to Kurt Busch. Championships in this era were not decided by the points table alone (playoff/chase formats, dropped scores, or a different points system), so the standings order below is not the championship order.