The 1999 Food City 500 was the seventh stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 39th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 11, 1999, 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, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would dominate most of the race to take home his 49th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only win of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 34 in the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1999 Food City 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | April 11, 1999 | ||
| Official name | 39th 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 | 93.363 miles per hour (150.253 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | ||
| Time | 14.954 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Laps | 425 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
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
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, April 9, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for two hours and 25 minutes.[3] Bobby Hamilton, driving for Morgan–McClure Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.406 and an average speed of 124.549 mph (200.442 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.406 | 124.549 |
| 2 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 15.483 | 123.929 |
| 3 | 66 | Darrell Waltrip | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 15.501 | 123.786 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Friday, April 9, at 1:15 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.339 and an average speed of 125.092 mph (201.316 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 15.339 | 125.092 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.399 | 124.605 |
| 3 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.445 | 124.234 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Third practice
editThe third practice session was held on Saturday, April 10, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour. Joe Nemechek, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.564 and an average speed of 123.284 mph (198.406 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 15.564 | 123.284 |
| 2 | 1 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 15.593 | 123.055 |
| 3 | 91 | Dick Trickle | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 15.598 | 123.015 |
| Full third practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, April 10, after the preliminary 1999 Moore's Snacks 250. The session would last for one hour.[3] Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.956 and an average speed of 120.255 mph (193.532 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 15.956 | 120.255 |
| 2 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 15.961 | 120.218 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 16.046 | 119.581 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 9, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap. During the first round, the top 25 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 10, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.[3] Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]
Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.333 and an average speed of 194.957 miles per hour (313.753 km/h).[8]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Rich Bickle, Stanton Barrett, and Derrike Cope.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (April 11, 1999). "New car, same old Rusty at Bristol". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Rusty Wallace gets redemption at Bristol". The Daily American. April 12, 1999. p. 9. Retrieved August 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Bristol 1 Race Info Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on May 8, 1999. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "First session Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 9, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "2nd session Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 9, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 10, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Jayski's Silly Season Site - 1999 Provisional Start Status". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
- ^ Macenka, Joe (April 9, 1999). "Another pole for Rusty Wallace at Bristol". That's Racin'. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "1999 Food City 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 14, 2022.