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 | ||
| 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
[edit]Background
[edit]
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
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
[edit]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
[edit]| 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
[edit]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
[edit]Race
[edit]Race results
[edit]Stage Results
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
[edit]Television
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]
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References
[edit]- ^ "2024 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Sturniolo, Zach (October 4, 2023). "NASCAR reveals 2024 Cup schedule as Atlanta, Watkins Glen move to playoffs". NASCAR. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "Food City 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "NASCAR Cup Series to go dirt trackin' at Bristol in 2021 - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
- ^ "Concrete to replace dirt for Bristol's springtime schedule in 2024". NASCAR. September 15, 2023.
- ^ Utter, Jim (March 16, 2024). "Ryan Blaney leads NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol". Motorsport.com. Bristol, Tennessee: Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "No. 11 team, Denny Hamlin issued penalty for violating engine inspection requirements". NASCAR.COM. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved 2024-08-22.