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.

1994 Food City 500
Race details
Race 6 of 31 in the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1994 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
The 1994 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
Date April 10, 1994
Official name 34th Annual Food City 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (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

Background

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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

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
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 U.S. Motorsports Inc. 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

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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

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Chuck Bown Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 15.357 124.946
2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 15.364 124.889
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 15.369 124.849
4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.389 124.686
5 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 15.431 124.347
6 41 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.438 124.291
7 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 15.440 124.275
8 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 15.453 124.170
9 22 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 15.474 124.002
10 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.481 123.945
11 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 15.485 123.913
12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.487 123.897
13 15 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford 15.494 123.841
14 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 15.509 123.722
15 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 15.514 123.682
16 27 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 15.520 123.634
17 98 Derrike Cope Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 15.523 123.610
18 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 15.540 123.475
19 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 15.548 123.411
20 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 15.552 123.380
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 31 Ward Burton (R) A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 15.464 124.082
22 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.564 123.285
23 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 15.584 123.126
24 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.589 123.087
25 90 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 15.604 122.968
26 23 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 15.610 122.921
27 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 15.624 122.811
28 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 15.634 122.733
29 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 15.638 122.701
30 29 Steve Grissom (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 15.659 122.537
31 77 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford 15.666 122.482
32 32 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet 15.670 122.451
33 43 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Petty Enterprises Pontiac 15.686 122.326
34 40 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac 15.691 122.287
Provisionals
35 8 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
36 18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Champion's Provisional
37 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
38 14 John Andretti (R) Hagan Racing Chevrolet -* -*
39 55 Jimmy Hensley RaDiUs Motorsports Ford -* -*
40 19 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford -* -*
41 95 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Sadler Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
42 52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford -* -*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 24 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 183 running 185 $72,570
2 22 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 running 170 $43,445
3 13 15 Lake Speed Bud Moore Engineering Ford 500 0 running 165 $35,020
4 27 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 499 160 running 165 $24,356
5 23 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 497 0 running 155 $20,135
6 9 22 Bobby Labonte Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 496 0 running 150 $18,785
7 2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 494 81 running 151 $23,385
8 18 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 491 0 running 142 $20,285
9 34 40 Bobby Hamilton SABCO Racing Pontiac 488 0 running 138 $19,280
10 29 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 486 0 running 134 $15,280
11 31 77 Greg Sacks U.S. Motorsports Inc. Ford 482 0 running 130 $9,480
12 30 29 Steve Grissom (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 480 0 running 127 $10,230
13 19 26 Brett Bodine King Racing Ford 478 0 running 124 $16,155
14 26 23 Hut Stricklin Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 478 0 running 121 $8,905
15 37 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 476 0 running 118 $15,755
16 6 41 Joe Nemechek (R) Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 473 0 running 115 $11,480
17 33 43 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Petty Enterprises Pontiac 464 0 running 112 $11,330
18 10 21 Morgan Shepherd Wood Brothers Racing Ford 457 0 running 109 $18,580
19 5 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 431 0 running 106 $15,170
20 14 42 Kyle Petty SABCO Racing Pontiac 426 0 running 103 $19,511
21 3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 425 8 crash 105 $20,405
22 4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 425 68 crash 102 $14,855
23 1 12 Chuck Bown Bobby Allison Motorsports Ford 393 0 running 94 $19,105
24 12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 373 0 running 91 $18,130
25 21 31 Ward Burton (R) A.G. Dillard Motorsports Chevrolet 368 0 running 88 $8,585
26 8 75 Todd Bodine Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 358 0 running 85 $10,355
27 17 98 Derrike Cope Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 276 0 running 82 $10,231
28 25 90 Mike Wallace (R) Donlavey Racing Ford 262 0 engine 79 $10,080
29 28 1 Rick Mast Precision Products Racing Ford 222 0 crash 76 $9,950
30 15 11 Bill Elliott Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 198 0 crash 73 $13,625
31 35 8 Jeff Burton (R) Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 197 0 crash 70 $12,625
32 11 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 187 0 crash 67 $6,625
33 7 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 167 0 engine 64 $18,225
34 32 32 Dick Trickle Active Motorsports Chevrolet 164 0 crash 61 $6,625
35 16 27 Jimmy Spencer Junior Johnson & Associates Ford 159 0 head gasket 58 $6,625
36 36 18 Dale Jarrett Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 66 0 crash 55 $12,025
37 20 33 Harry Gant Leo Jackson Motorsports Chevrolet 10 0 crash 52 $10,625
Failed to qualify
38 14 John Andretti (R) Hagan Racing Chevrolet
39 55 Jimmy Hensley RaDiUs Motorsports Ford
40 19 Loy Allen Jr. (R) TriStar Motorsports Ford
41 95 Jeremy Mayfield (R) Sadler Brothers Racing Ford
42 52 Brad Teague Jimmy Means Racing Ford
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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