1994 Food City 500

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1994 Food City 500
Race details
Race 6 of 31 in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1994 Food City 500.jpeg
The 1994 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
DateApril 10, 1994
Official name 34th Annual Food City 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 0.533 miles (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Scheduled distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Average speed 91.308 miles per hour (146.946 km/h)
Attendance 76,000
Pole position
Driver Bobby Allison Motorsports
Time 15.357
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Laps 183
Winner
No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1994 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 10, 1994, 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, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 61st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. [1] [2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader and Bud Moore Engineering driver Lake Speed would finish second and third, respectively.

Contents

Background

The layout of Bristol Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held. Bristol Motor Speedway map.png
The layout of Bristol Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

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

#DriverTeamMakeSponsor
1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 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 (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Raybestos
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford Budweiser
12 Chuck Bown Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford Masterbuilt
14 John Andretti (R) Hagan Racing Chevrolet Hagan Racing
15 Lake Speed 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 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet Interstate Batteries
19 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford Hooters
21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac Maxwell House
23 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford Smokin' Joe's
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford Quaker State
27 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford McDonald's
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Steve Grissom Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Diamond Ridge Motorsports
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet Hardee's
32 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet Active Motorsports
33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
40 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac Kendall
41 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Meineke
42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac Mello Yello
43 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford NAPA Auto Parts
55 Jimmy Hensley RaDiUs Motorsports Ford Petron Plus
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Tri-City Aviation
75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Factory Stores of America
77 Greg Sacks Jasper Motorsports Ford US Airways
90 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
95 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Sadler Brothers Racing Ford Shoney's Inn
98 Derrike Cope Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford Fingerhut

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 8, 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 9, 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 21-34 would be decided on time, [3] 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; which was usually two. 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.

Chuck Bown, driving for Bobby Allison Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.357 and an average speed of 124.946 miles per hour (201.081 km/h) in the first round. [4]

Five drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
112 Chuck Bown Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 15.357124.946
22 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 15.364124.889
36 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 15.369124.849
424 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.389124.686
516 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 15.431124.347
641 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.438124.291
728 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.440124.275
875 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 15.453124.170
922 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 15.474124.002
1021 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.481123.945
1110 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 15.485123.913
125 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.487123.897
1315 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford 15.494123.841
1442 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 15.509123.722
1511 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 15.514123.682
1627 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 15.520123.634
1798 Derrike Cope Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 15.523123.610
184 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 15.540123.475
1926 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 15.548123.411
2033 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 15.552123.380
Failed to lock in Round 1
2131 Ward Burton (R) A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 15.464124.082
2225 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.564123.285
2330 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 15.584123.126
243 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.589123.087
2590 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 15.604122.968
2623 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 15.610122.921
277 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 15.624122.811
281 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 15.634122.733
2971 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 15.638122.701
3029 Steve Grissom (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 15.659122.537
3177 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford 15.666122.482
3232 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet 15.670122.451
3343 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Petty Enterprises Pontiac 15.686122.326
3440 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac 15.691122.287
Provisionals
358 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford -*-*
3618 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet -*-*
Champion's Provisional
3717 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet -*-*
Failed to qualify
3814 John Andretti (R) Hagan Racing Chevrolet -*-*
3955 Jimmy Hensley RaDiUs Motorsports Ford -*-*
4019 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford -*-*
4195 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Sadler Brothers Racing Ford -*-*
4252 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford -*-*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
1243 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500183running185$72,570
22225 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 5000running170$43,445
31315 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford 5000running165$35,020
4277 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 499160running165$24,356
52330 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 4970running155$20,135
6922 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 4960running150$18,785
722 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 49481running151$23,385
8184 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 4910running142$20,285
93440 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac 4880running138$19,280
102971 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 4860running134$15,280
113177 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford 4820running130$9,480
123029 Steve Grissom (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 4800running127$10,230
131926 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 4780running124$16,155
142623 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 4780running121$8,905
153717 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 4760running118$15,755
16641 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4730running115$11,480
173343 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Petty Enterprises Pontiac 4640running112$11,330
181021 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 4570running109$18,580
19516 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 4310running106$15,170
201442 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 4260running103$19,511
2136 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 4258crash105$20,405
22424 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 42568crash102$14,855
23112 Chuck Bown Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 3930running94$19,105
24125 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3730running91$18,130
252131 Ward Burton (R) A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 3680running88$8,585
26875 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 3580running85$10,355
271798 Derrike Cope Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 2760running82$10,231
282590 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 2620engine79$10,080
29281 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 2220crash76$9,950
301511 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 1980crash73$13,625
31358 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 1970crash70$12,625
321110 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 1870crash67$6,625
33728 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 1670engine64$18,225
343232 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet 1640crash61$6,625
351627 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 1590head gasket58$6,625
363618 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 660crash55$12,025
372033 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 100crash52$10,625
Failed to qualify
3814 John Andretti (R) Hagan Racing Chevrolet
3955 Jimmy Hensley RaDiUs Motorsports Ford
4019 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford
4195 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Sadler Brothers Racing Ford
4252 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford
Official race results

Standings after the race

References

  1. Macenka, Joe (April 11, 1994). "New car proves Earnhardt wrong". The Morning Call. p. 33. Retrieved November 24, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. Higgins, Tom (April 11, 1994). "Earnhardt avoids trouble in 500". Kenosha News. p. 22. Retrieved November 24, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. "NASCAR today". The Charlotte Observer . April 8, 1996. p. 23. Retrieved November 24, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. Macenka, Joe (April 9, 1994). "Bown rocks Bristol". The State. p. 11. Retrieved November 24, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
Previous race:
1994 TranSouth Financial 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1994 season
Next race:
1994 First Union 400