# 2024 Food City 500

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
### Background

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

#### Entry list

* (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

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).

### Practice results

| 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

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).

### Qualifying results

| 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
### Race results
#### Stage Results

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 | 4 |
| 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 ||||||

### Final Stage Results

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 ||||||||

### Race statistics

* 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
### Television

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

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

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Kyle Larson | 185 |
| 1 | 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 185 (–0) |
| 3 | 3 | Ty Gibbs | 178 (–7) |
| 3 | 4 | Ryan Blaney | 177 (–8) |
| 3 | 5 | Denny Hamlin | 173 (–12) |
| 3 | 6 | Chase Elliott | 152 (–33) |
| | 7 | Ross Chastain | 151 (–34) |
| 4 | 8 | Christopher Bell | 138 (–47) |
| 4 | 9 | Tyler Reddick | 137 (–48) |
| 6 | 10 | William Byron | 136 (–49) |
| 1 | 11 | Daniel Suárez | 133 (–52) |
| 1 | 12 | Alex Bowman | 132 (–53) |
| 9 | 13 | Brad Keselowski | 125 (–60) |
| 2 | 14 | Chris Buescher | 124 (–61) |
| 6 | 15 | John Hunter Nemechek | 124 (–61) |
| 5 | 16 | Kyle Busch | 122 (–63) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 184 |
| 2 | Toyota | 181 (–3) |
| 3 | Ford | 166 (–18) |