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.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace and owner-driver Darrell Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.

1995 Food City 500
Race details
Race 6 of 31 in the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1995 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. Artwork by Sam Bass.
The 1995 Food City 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. Artwork by Sam Bass.
Date April 2, 1995
Official name 35th Annual Food City 500
Location Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 342 laps, 182.286 mi (293.36 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Average speed 92.011 miles per hour (148.077 km/h)
Attendance 76,000
Pole position
Driver Roush Racing
Time 15.399
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 205
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
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 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

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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,[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; 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.[4]

Nine drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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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

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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

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (April 3, 1995). "Jeff Gordon flashes to third series victory". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 38. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Macenka, Joe (April 3, 1995). "Gordon is well-rounded". Morning Sentinel. p. 18. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Nuts and Bolts". The Charlotte Observer. March 31, 1995. p. 17. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Macenka, Joe (April 1, 1995). "Martin edges Gordon for pole at Bristol". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 15. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
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1995 TranSouth Financial 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1995 season
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