# 1995 Food City 500

The 1995 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 2, 1995, 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. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace and owner-driver Darrell Waltrip 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

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Skoal |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Genuine Draft |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | Exide |
| 8 | Jeff Burton | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Raybestos |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Spam |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Lowe's |
| 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Mane 'n Tail |
| 15 | Dick Trickle | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Ford Quality Care |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Western Auto |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Randy LaJoie (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Smokin' Joe's |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 26 | Steve Kinser | King Racing | Ford | Quaker State |
| 27 | Loy Allen Jr. | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | Hooters |
| 28 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Meineke |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Ward Burton | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | Hardee's |
| 32 | Chuck Bown | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | Active Trucking |
| 33 | Robert Pressley (R) | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Little Caesars, Kmart |
| 40 | Greg Sacks | Dick Brooks Racing | Pontiac | Kendall |
| 41 | Ricky Craven (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | Coors Light Silver Bullet |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 47 | Billy Standridge | Standridge Motorsports | Ford | World Championship Wrestling |
| 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | Jimmy Means Racing |
| 66 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | RaDiUs Motorsports |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Terramite |
| 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Factory Stores of America |
| 77 | Davy Jones (R) | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | US Airways, Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 78 | Hut Stricklin | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Equipment Supply Company |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | Burger King |
| 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 31, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, April 1, at 12:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-32 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; up to four provisionals were given. If needed, a past champion who did not qualify on either time or provisionals could use a champion's provisional, adding one more spot to the field.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.399 and an average speed of 124.605 miles per hour (200.532 km/h) in the first round.
Nine drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.399 | 124.605 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.419 | 124.444 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 15.429 | 124.363 |
| 4 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 15.442 | 124.259 |
| 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 15.442 | 124.259 |
| 6 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 15.479 | 123.961 |
| 7 | 41 | Ricky Craven (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.495 | 123.833 |
| 8 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 15.506 | 123.746 |
| 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 15.506 | 123.746 |
| 10 | 8 | Jeff Burton | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 15.512 | 123.698 |
| 11 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 15.532 | 123.539 |
| 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.533 | 123.531 |
| 13 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 15.559 | 123.324 |
| 14 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 15.563 | 123.292 |
| 15 | 40 | Greg Sacks | Dick Brooks Racing | Pontiac | 15.564 | 123.285 |
| 16 | 32 | Chuck Bown | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.567 | 123.261 |
| 17 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 15.578 | 123.174 |
| 18 | 33 | Robert Pressley (R) | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.585 | 123.118 |
| 19 | 28 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 15.597 | 123.024 |
| 20 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | 15.599 | 123.008 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.567 | 123.261 |
| 22 | 15 | Dick Trickle | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 15.603 | 122.976 |
| 23 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 15.609 | 122.929 |
| 24 | 22 | Randy LaJoie (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 15.619 | 122.850 |
| 25 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 15.624 | 122.811 |
| 26 | 77 | Davy Jones (R) | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 15.634 | 122.733 |
| 27 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.640 | 122.685 |
| 28 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 15.641 | 122.678 |
| 29 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 15.654 | 122.576 |
| 30 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 15.662 | 122.513 |
| 31 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.665 | 122.490 |
| 32 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 15.665 | 122.490 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 33 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 34 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 35 | 31 | Ward Burton | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 37 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 26 | Steve Kinser | King Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 47 | Billy Standridge | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 78 | Hut Stricklin | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 66 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 43 | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 27 | Loy Allen Jr. | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 205 | running | 185 | $67,645 |
| 2 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 500 | 101 | running | 175 | $42,045 |
| 3 | 12 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $35,845 |
| 4 | 17 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 500 | 2 | running | 165 | $28,631 |
| 5 | 13 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $32,260 |
| 6 | 19 | 28 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 150 | $27,660 |
| 7 | 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 146 | $28,060 |
| 8 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 499 | 155 | running | 147 | $44,860 |
| 9 | 31 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 138 | $25,055 |
| 10 | 18 | 33 | Robert Pressley (R) | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 134 | $24,605 |
| 11 | 34 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 130 | $17,955 |
| 12 | 24 | 22 | Randy LaJoie (R) | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 497 | 0 | running | 127 | $21,105 |
| 13 | 4 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 124 | $15,430 |
| 14 | 20 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Hardy Racing | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 121 | $10,980 |
| 15 | 30 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 118 | $20,530 |
| 16 | 23 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 495 | 0 | running | 115 | $14,755 |
| 17 | 28 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 495 | 0 | running | 112 | $10,705 |
| 18 | 6 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 495 | 0 | running | 109 | $19,455 |
| 19 | 8 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 106 | $10,645 |
| 20 | 32 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 492 | 0 | running | 103 | $20,536 |
| 21 | 35 | 31 | Ward Burton | A.G. Dillard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 489 | 0 | running | 100 | $10,380 |
| 22 | 33 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 489 | 0 | running | 97 | $18,930 |
| 23 | 11 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 488 | 0 | running | 94 | $24,980 |
| 24 | 26 | 77 | Davy Jones (R) | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 486 | 0 | running | 91 | $13,705 |
| 25 | 25 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 479 | 0 | running | 88 | $36,360 |
| 26 | 27 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 475 | 0 | running | 85 | $18,530 |
| 27 | 14 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 460 | 0 | running | 82 | $23,106 |
| 28 | 10 | 8 | Jeff Burton | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 413 | 0 | running | 79 | $18,355 |
| 29 | 7 | 41 | Ricky Craven (R) | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 407 | 0 | running | 76 | $13,225 |
| 30 | 22 | 15 | Dick Trickle | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 407 | 0 | running | 73 | $17,800 |
| 31 | 16 | 32 | Chuck Bown | Active Motorsports | Chevrolet | 395 | 0 | running | 70 | $12,200 |
| 32 | 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 67 | $16,700 |
| 33 | 29 | 75 | Todd Bodine | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 64 | $16,200 |
| 34 | 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 354 | 0 | running | 61 | $9,200 |
| 35 | 3 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 276 | 37 | crash | 63 | $14,000 |
| 36 | 15 | 40 | Greg Sacks | Dick Brooks Racing | Pontiac | 212 | 0 | engine | 55 | $13,700 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 37 | | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 38 | | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 39 | | 26 | Steve Kinser | King Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 40 | | 47 | Billy Standridge | Johnson Standridge Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 41 | | 78 | Hut Stricklin | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 66 | Butch Miller | RaDiUs Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 43 | | 52 | Brad Teague | Jimmy Means Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 27 | Loy Allen Jr. | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||