# 2004 Food City 500

The 2004 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 28, 2004, before a crowd of 160,000 in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. Kurt Busch of Roush Racing would hold off the field on the final restart with two to go to win his fifth career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series win of his career and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Rusty Wallace of Penske-Jasper Racing and Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The 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. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | NetZero Hi Speed |
| 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | U. S. Army |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Pontiac | East Tennessee Trailers |
| 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Food City |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's, Got Milk? |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Viagra |
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 09 | Joe Ruttman | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | Miccosukee Resort & Gaming |
| 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | Valvoline, Harlem Globetrotters, Eagle One |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Alltel |
| 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | Jackson Hewitt, National Guard |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | DeWalt Power Tools |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Wellbutrin XL, Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | Dodge Dealers, UAW |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Rent-A-Center, Motorcraft |
| 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | Caterpillar |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | GMAC Financial Services |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 30 | Johnny Sauter | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | America Online |
| 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cingular Wireless |
| 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Pedigree |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Coors Light |
| 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Target |
| 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | Texaco, Havoline |
| 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Cheerios, Betty Crocker |
| 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | Georgia-Pacific Brawny |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | Schwan's Home Service |
| 50 | Derrike Cope | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | Arnold Development Companies |
| 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | Black Wolf Harley-Davidson |
| 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | Kodak Easy Share, The Punisher |
| 80 | Andy Hillenburg | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Commercial Truck & Trailer |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | UPS |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | Racing With Jesus, Voyles Equipment Co. |
| 94 | Stanton Barrett | W. W. Motorsports | Chevrolet | Bojangles, AmericInn |
| 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | Sharpie, Irwin Industrial Tools |
| 98 | Geoff Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | Lucas Oil |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Roush Racing |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session occurred on Friday, March 26, at 11:20 AM EST and would last for two hours. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.009 and an average speed of 127.843 miles per hour (205.743 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.009 | 127.843 |
| 2 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 15.040 | 127.580 |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.054 | 127.461 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session occurred on Saturday, March 27, at 9:30 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.447 and an average speed of 124.218 miles per hour (199.909 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 15.447 | 124.218 |
| 2 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 15.473 | 124.010 |
| 3 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 15.486 | 123.905 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Third and final practice

The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, occurred on Saturday, March 27, at 11:10 AM EST and would last for 45 minutes. Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.604 and an average speed of 122.968 miles per hour (197.898 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.604 | 122.968 |
| 2 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 15.607 | 122.945 |
| 3 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.608 | 122.937 |
| Full final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying occurred on Friday, March 27, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. Positions 1-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.
Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 14.954 and an average speed of 128.314 miles per hour (206.501 km/h).
Kirk Shelmerdine would crash on his second lap in turn 3, slamming the outside wall. While he had set a lap, he was forced to use a provisional.
Morgan Shepherd would be the only driver to not qualify for the race.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 14.954 | 128.314 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14.957 | 128.288 |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 14.970 | 128.176 |
| 4 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 14.982 | 128.074 |
| 5 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 15.007 | 127.860 |
| 6 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 15.046 | 127.529 |
| 7 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 15.064 | 127.377 |
| 8 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 15.108 | 127.006 |
| 9 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 15.116 | 126.938 |
| 10 | 30 | Johnny Sauter | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.126 | 126.854 |
| 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.147 | 126.679 |
| 12 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 15.157 | 126.595 |
| 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.160 | 126.570 |
| 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.162 | 126.553 |
| 15 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 15.172 | 126.470 |
| 16 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 15.186 | 126.353 |
| 17 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 15.195 | 126.278 |
| 18 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 15.196 | 126.270 |
| 19 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 15.197 | 126.262 |
| 20 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 15.204 | 126.204 |
| 21 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.208 | 126.170 |
| 22 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.227 | 126.013 |
| 23 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.236 | 125.939 |
| 24 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 15.237 | 125.930 |
| 25 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.242 | 125.889 |
| 26 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.285 | 125.535 |
| 27 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 15.291 | 125.486 |
| 28 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.294 | 125.461 |
| 29 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 15.304 | 125.379 |
| 30 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 15.314 | 125.297 |
| 31 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.314 | 125.297 |
| 32 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.315 | 125.289 |
| 33 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.348 | 125.020 |
| 34 | 98 | Geoff Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 15.371 | 124.832 |
| 35 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.379 | 124.768 |
| 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 15.439 | 124.283 |
| 37 | 50 | Derrike Cope | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 15.492 | 123.857 |
| 38 | 94 | Stanton Barrett | W. W. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.501 | 123.786 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 40 | 09 | Joe Ruttman | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 15.717 | 122.084 |
| 41 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 16.599 | 115.597 |
| 42 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Pontiac | 15.622 | 122.827 |
| 43 | 80 | Andy Hillenburg | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 17.313 | 110.830 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 15.639 | 122.693 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 13 | 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 119 | running | 190 | $173,965 |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 500 | 100 | running | 175 | $141,878 |
| 3 | 14 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $131,978 |
| 4 | 17 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 500 | 72 | running | 165 | $135,125 |
| 5 | 23 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $136,098 |
| 6 | 19 | 49 | Ken Schrader | BAM Racing | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $77,945 |
| 7 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 500 | 25 | running | 151 | $124,862 |
| 8 | 6 | 42 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 117 | $87,095 |
| 9 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 138 | $120,168 |
| 10 | 8 | 15 | Michael Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 134 | $110,796 |
| 11 | 18 | 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 500 | 91 | running | 110 | $118,748 |
| 12 | 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 58 | running | 132 | $84,890 |
| 13 | 20 | 22 | Scott Wimmer | Bill Davis Racing | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 124 | $102,440 |
| 14 | 9 | 38 | Elliott Sadler | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 121 | $103,273 |
| 15 | 10 | 30 | Johnny Sauter | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 1 | running | 123 | $83,090 |
| 16 | 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 8 | running | 120 | $90,215 |
| 17 | 16 | 19 | Jeremy Mayfield | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 112 | $96,565 |
| 18 | 33 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 109 | $100,065 |
| 19 | 32 | 31 | Robby Gordon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 1 | running | 111 | $104,792 |
| 20 | 7 | 77 | Brendan Gaughan | Penske-Jasper Racing | Dodge | 500 | 0 | running | 103 | $81,900 |
| 21 | 30 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 100 | $104,557 |
| 22 | 25 | 32 | Ricky Craven | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 97 | $93,390 |
| 23 | 21 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 94 | $81,045 |
| 24 | 12 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 498 | 25 | running | 96 | $115,518 |
| 25 | 36 | 45 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 498 | 0 | running | 88 | $82,570 |
| 26 | 37 | 50 | Derrike Cope | Arnold Motorsports | Dodge | 497 | 0 | running | 85 | $68,440 |
| 27 | 26 | 01 | Joe Nemechek | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 496 | 0 | running | 82 | $87,694 |
| 28 | 39 | 0 | Ward Burton | Haas CNC Racing | Chevrolet | 496 | 0 | running | 79 | $71,150 |
| 29 | 29 | 43 | Jeff Green | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 496 | 0 | running | 76 | $94,285 |
| 30 | 35 | 4 | Kevin Lepage | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 | running | 73 | $70,685 |
| 31 | 42 | 02 | Hermie Sadler | SCORE Motorsports | Pontiac | 490 | 0 | running | 70 | $66,890 |
| 32 | 38 | 94 | Stanton Barrett | W. W. Motorsports | Chevrolet | 453 | 0 | crash | 67 | $66,845 |
| 33 | 27 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 428 | 0 | running | 64 | $112,808 |
| 34 | 28 | 10 | Scott Riggs | MBV Motorsports | Chevrolet | 404 | 0 | crash | 61 | $91,922 |
| 35 | 22 | 25 | Brian Vickers | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 377 | 0 | running | 58 | $74,690 |
| 36 | 24 | 41 | Casey Mears | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dodge | 331 | 0 | running | 55 | $66,645 |
| 37 | 15 | 21 | Ricky Rudd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 166 | 0 | crash | 52 | $92,666 |
| 38 | 31 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 138 | 0 | too slow | 49 | $99,977 |
| 39 | 34 | 98 | Geoff Bodine | Mach 1 Motorsports | Ford | 59 | 0 | brakes | 46 | $66,505 |
| 40 | 5 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Evernham Motorsports | Dodge | 57 | 0 | crash | 43 | $96,315 |
| 41 | 41 | 72 | Kirk Shelmerdine | Kirk Shelmerdine Racing | Ford | 7 | 0 | handling | 40 | $66,390 |
| 42 | 40 | 09 | Joe Ruttman | Phoenix Racing | Dodge | 4 | 0 | rear end | 37 | $66,335 |
| 43 | 43 | 80 | Andy Hillenburg | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 4 | 0 | brakes | 34 | $65,656 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||