2024 Food City 500

2024 Food City 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Race 5 of 36 in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series
Date March 17, 2024 (2024-03-17)
Location Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.890 km)
Average speed 79.678 miles per hour (128.229 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Team Penske
Time 15.356
Most laps led
Driver Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 163
Winner
No. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick
Radio in the United States
Radio PRN
Booth Announcers Doug Rice and Mark Garrow
Turn Announcers Rob Albright (Backstretch)

The 2024 Food City 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 17, 2024, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps on the 0.533 miles (0.858 km) short track, it was the fifth race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. Denny Hamlin won the race. Martin Truex Jr. finished 2nd, and Brad Keselowski finished 3rd. Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five, and John Hunter Nemechek, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell rounded out the top ten.

The race achieved prominent attention because of the combination of very serious tire wear to where drivers slowed their pace up to three seconds a lap and rampant passing to where the lead changed a NASCAR short track record 54 times.

Later, Hamlin was fined and the team stripped of all points from the race, and 31 additional points (75 points overall lost) when Toyota admitted they had broken NASCAR's sealed engine policy by rebuilding the race-winning engine from this race before it could be inspected.

Report

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Background

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Bristol Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking combined with short length, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.

In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Food City Dirt Race.[9]

On September 15, 2023, Bristol Motor Speedway announced that the race would return to being run on concrete.[10]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart–Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Noah Gragson Stewart–Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe Stewart–Haas Racing Ford
15 Kaz Grala (R) Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Ryan Preece Stewart–Haas Racing Ford
42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota
43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota
45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Haley Rick Ware Racing Ford
54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
71 Zane Smith (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

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Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 15.028 seconds and a speed of 127.682 mph (205.484 km/h).[11]

Practice results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 15.028 127.682
2 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.110 126.989
3 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 15.118 126.922
Official practice results

Qualifying

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Ryan Blaney scored the pole for the race with a time of 15.356 and a speed of 124.954 mph (201.094 km/h).[12]

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 15.134 15.356
2 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15.297 15.376
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.165 15.452
4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 15.387 15.506
5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.213 15.615
6 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15.165 15.618
7 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.384 15.714
8 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.405 15.771
9 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 15.260 15.778
10 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.209 16.743
11 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.335
12 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.414
13 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.353
14 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.437
15 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota 15.359
16 71 Zane Smith (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 15.490
17 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 15.382
18 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 15.496
19 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.399
20 31 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 15.575
21 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 15.422
22 10 Noah Gragson Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15.586
23 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 15.468
24 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.645
25 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15.474
26 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 15.663
27 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 15.488
28 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 15.756
29 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.505
30 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 15.848
31 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.534
32 51 Justin Haley Rick Ware Racing Ford 15.916
33 15 Kaz Grala (R) Rick Ware Racing Ford 15.694
34 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 16.078
35 77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 15.846
36 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 16.096
Official qualifying results

Race

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Race results

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Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 125

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 8
4 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 7
5 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 6
6 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 4
7 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
8 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 3
9 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 2
10 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 125

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 9
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 8
4 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 7
5 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 0*
8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 2
10 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage two results
  • Hamlin was stripped of all points from this race as part of a 75 point penalty because of an engine violation admitted by Toyota in August 2024.

Final Stage Results

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Stage Three Laps: 250

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 -31
2 11 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 44
3 17 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 500 50
4 29 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 33
5 10 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 44
6 26 42 John Hunter Nemechek Legacy Motor Club Toyota 499 44
7 34 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 499 38
8 5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 499 29
9 19 54 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 499 48
10 12 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 499 36
11 7 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 499 26
12 2 4 Josh Berry (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 499 26
13 6 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 498 24
14 25 41 Ryan Preece Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 498 26
15 36 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 498 22
16 1 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 498 26
17 32 51 Justin Haley Rick Ware Racing Ford 498 20
18 28 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet 498 19
19 33 15 Kaz Grala (R) Rick Ware Racing Ford 498 18
20 15 43 Erik Jones Legacy Motor Club Toyota 498 17
21 18 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 498 16
22 4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 498 23
23 30 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 498 0
24 31 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 498 13
25 14 8 Kyle Busch Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 498 12
26 24 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 497 11
27 35 77 Carson Hocevar (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 497 10
28 20 31 Daniel Hemric Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 496 9
29 9 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 496 10
30 23 45 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing Toyota 495 7
31 21 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Ford 495 6
32 13 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Ford 495 5
33 27 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 495 4
34 22 10 Noah Gragson Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 494 3
35 8 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 492 2
36 16 71 Zane Smith (R) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 192 1
Official race results

NOTE: On August 22, 2024, the No. 11 team was fined $100,000 with a 75 point penalty after Toyota officials admitted they had disassembled the No. 11 engine from Bristol, removing the NASCAR-imposed seals, before the engine could be presented to NASCAR for inspection. By rule, the long block must be reused during further races in the season, and the engine inspection is done after the engine has reached its end of life cycle before being rebuilt. A long block denotes the engine block, pistons, crankshaft, cylinder heads, valvetrain, and camshaft from that engine must be sealed with a NASCAR tag and when the engine is reused, must stay identical without being rebuilt. Those parts cannot be replaced.

During the August 2024 Daytona qualifying broadcast, Steve Letarte noted the engine was then used at the Goodyear 400 in May, but was not inspected by NASCAR after the race and instead, the long block was disassembled and rebuilt by Toyota in its Costa Mesa, California factory.[13]

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 54 among 16 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 9 for 98 laps
  • Red flags: 0
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 20 minutes and 41 seconds
  • Average speed: 79.678 miles per hour (128.229 km/h)

Media

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Television

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The Food City 500 was carried by Fox in the United States. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and three-time Bristol winner Kevin Harvick called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side, and Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox
Booth announcers Pit reporters In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer
Color-commentator: Kevin Harvick
Jamie Little
Regan Smith
Larry McReynolds

Radio

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PRN had the radio call for the race which was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race in the booth when the field raced down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop the turn 3 suites when the field raced down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan and Wendy Venturini covered the action on pit lane for PRN.

PRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Backstretch: Rob Albright Brad Gillie
Brett McMillan
Wendy Venturini

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "2024 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Sturniolo, Zach (October 4, 2023). "NASCAR reveals 2024 Cup schedule as Atlanta, Watkins Glen move to playoffs". NASCAR. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  4. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "Food City 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "NASCAR Cup Series to go dirt trackin' at Bristol in 2021 - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  10. ^ "Concrete to replace dirt for Bristol's springtime schedule in 2024". NASCAR. September 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Utter, Jim (March 16, 2024). "Ryan Blaney leads NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol". Motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Utter, Jim (March 16, 2024). "Ryan Blaney beats Josh Berry to NASCAR Cup pole at Bristol". Motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  13. ^ "No. 11 team, Denny Hamlin issued penalty for violating engine inspection requirements". NASCAR.COM. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved 2024-08-22.


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