2004 Food City 500
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 36 in the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series | |||
 The 2004 Food City 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | March 28, 2004 | ||
| Official name | 44th 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 | 82.607 miles per hour (132.943 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 160,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Jasper Racing | ||
| Time | 14.954 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 119 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 97 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FOX | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
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 ninth career Nextel Cup Series win and his first of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Rusty Wallace of Penske-Jasper Racing finished 2nd and Kevin Harvick of Richard Childress Racing finished 3rd.
Entry list
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.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session occurred on Friday, March 26, at 11:20 AM EST and would last for two hours.[2] 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).[3]
| 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.[2] 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).[4]
| 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.[2] 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).[5]
| 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 | ||||||