Entry List

The official 2024 Food City 500 NASCAR CUP Series entry list features top NASCAR drivers set to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway, highlighting the full lineup of race participants and teams.

Food City 500

Sunday, March 17th, 2024

Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN

  • 14 Chevrolet
  • 14 Ford
  • 8 Toyota

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Food City 500
  • Busch Pole Award Pole Winner: Ryan Blaney
  • Age: 30
  • Team : No. 12 - Menards/Dutch Boy Ford
  • Owner: Roger Penske
  • Crew Chief: Jonathan Hassler
  • Ryan Blaney won the Pole Award for the Food City 500 with a lap of 15.356 seconds, 124.954 mph.
  • This is his 10th pole in 311 NASCAR Cup Series races.
  • This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2024.
  • This is his first pole in 15 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Josh Berry (second) posted his first top-10 start of 2024 and his first in one race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Denny Hamlin (third) posted his 20th top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his third in five races this season.
  • Josh Berry (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

  • Sunday, March 17th, 2024
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Reid Spencer
Denny Hamlin wins battle of NASCAR Cup tire managers at Bristol

How appropriate.

On a day where tire management was the essential element in a NASCAR Cup Series race, three veterans swept the podium positions, with Denny Hamlin winning Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In a race that produced 54 lead changes—a record for Cup Series short tracks—Hamlin lost the lead briefly to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the closing laps but regained it in traffic and beat Truex to the finish line by 1.083 seconds.

In a return to concrete after three straight spring races on dirt, Hamlin won his second straight race at the 0.533-mile speedway and his fourth overall, second most among active drivers to Kyle Busch’s eight.

The victory was the 52ndof Hamlin’s career, 13thall-time, and his first this season.

But the story was the tires and the mysterious way they behaved in a race that saw the track start to eat through to the cords 45 laps into a green-flag run.

Goodyear brought the same tire that ran without issues in last fall’s Night Race, but on Sunday, the concrete surface did not take rubber. Instead, marbles (small balls of rubber from degraded tires) accumulated high in the corners, making the top of the track untenable.

There were two variables that might have helped to account for the tire issues. The temperature was roughly 10-15 degrees cooler than it was for last year’s Night Race, which was run on Sept. 16.

NASCAR also opted for a different resin the bottom lane from the PJ1 traction compound previously in use.

Whatever the cause, with his short-track background, Hamlin was best equipped to deal with the surprising situation.

“That’s what I grew up here doing in the short tracks in the Mid Atlantic, South Boston (Va.), Martinsville,” said Hamlin, who grew up in Chesterfield, Va. “Once it became a tire-management race, I really liked our chances.

“Obviously, the veteran in Martin, he knew how to do it as well. We just had a great car, great team. The pit crew just did a phenomenal job all day. Can’t say enough about them… Man, it feels so good to win in Bristol.”

Truex passed Hamlin for the lead in traffic on Lap 483 but surrendered the top spot to the race winner one lap later, as the teammates worked around slower cars. Truex’s tires gave up the ghost on the last few circuits, as Hamlin pulled away.

“Apparently, that’s what I needed to have happen here at Bristol to have a shot at winning—I guess this tire management thing fit into my wheelhouse here at Bristol,” Truex said.

“Man, the difference was just coming out of the pits so far behind Denny (after green-flag pit stops during the final run). I had to use mine up more on the last run. The last four, five laps of the race, was cord.”

Hamlin led a race-high 163 laps, as the four JGR drivers spent a combined 383 of 500 laps at the front field, with Ty Gibbs leading 137, Truex 54 and Christopher Bell 29.

Brad Keselowski, a three-time winner at the track, finished third, 7.284 seconds behind Hamlin.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson were fourth and fifth, respectively, as only five drivers finished on the lead lap.

The last time five or fewer drivers finished on the lead lap was the June 6, 2004 race at Dover.

John Hunter Nemechek, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Gibbs and Bell came home sixth through 10th, respectively.

Larson and Truex leave Bristol tied for the series lead, passing defending series champion Ryan Blaney, who finished 16th.

  • Drivers Entered: 36
  • Laps Scheduled: 500
  • Margin of Victory: 01.083 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 3 Hours 20 Minutes 41 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 79.678
  • Cautions: 9 for 98 laps
  • Lead Changes: 54
  • Green Flag Passes: 3,589 (8.9 passes per green flag lap)

  • Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Food City 500
  • Race Winner: Denny Hamlin
  • Age: 43
  • Team : No. 11 - Express Oil Change Toyota
  • Owner: Joe Gibbs
  • Crew Chief: Christopher Gabehart
  • Denny Hamlin won the Food City 500, his 52nd victory in 655 Cup Series races.
  • This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in 2024.
  • This is his fourth victory and 18th top-10 finish in 34 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Martin Truex Jr. (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in 34 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2024.
  • Brad Keselowski (third) posted his 10th top-10 finish in 26 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Josh Berry (12th) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • Kyle Larson leads the point standings by 0 points over Martin Truex Jr..
  • There were a track record high of 54 lead changes, the most since April 14, 1991 (40), and the number of leaders matched the previous record of 16 (April 9, 1989).
Kyle Busch celebrates with his wife Samantha and their son Brexton in Victory Lane
Bristol, Tennessee - April 7, 2019 : Kyle Busch celebrates with his wife Samantha and their son Brexton in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Jared C TiltonGetty Images
ENTRY
#
DRIVER
HOMETOWN
DOB
AGE
MAKE
SPONSOR
TEAM
CREW CHIEF

1
16
Los Gatos, CA
Dec 16, 1981
42
Chevrolet
Mountain Dew / Cheetos
2
6
Auburn Hills, MI
Feb 12, 1984
40
Ford
King's Hawaiian
3
11
Chesterfield, VA
Nov 18, 1980
43
Toyota
Mavis Express Oil Change
4
22
Middleton, CT
May 24, 1990
33
Ford
Shell Pennzoil
5
8
Las Vegas, NV
May 2, 1985
38
Chevrolet
FICO
6
19
Mayetta, NJ
Jun 29, 1980
43
Toyota
Auto-Owners Insurance
7
34
Phoenix, AZ
Dec 21, 1984
39
Ford
Love's Travel Stops
8
3
Lewisville, NC
Apr 27, 1990
33
Chevrolet
BREZTRI
9
47
Olive Branch, MS
Oct 2, 1987
36
Chevrolet
Ball Park Buns & Rolls
10
5
Sacremento, CA
Jul 31, 1992
31
Chevrolet
HendrickCars.com
11
48
Tuscon, AZ
Apr 25, 1993
30
Chevrolet
Ally
12
12
High Point, NC
Dec 31, 1993
30
Ford
Menards\Dutch Boy
13
7
Kannapolis, NC
Sep 25, 1991
32
Chevrolet
Gainbridge
14
9
Dawsonville, GA
Nov 28, 1995
28
Chevrolet
NAPA Auto Parts
15
17
Prosper, TX
Oct 29, 1992
31
Ford
BuildSubmarines.com
16
43
Byron, MI
May 30, 1996
27
Toyota
AdventHealth
17
41
Berlin, CT
Oct 25, 1990
33
Ford
HaasTooling.com
18
99
Monterrey, Mexico
Jan 7, 1992
32
Chevrolet
Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan / Bassmaster Classic
19
1
Alva, FL
Dec 4, 1992
31
Chevrolet
Busch Light Fishing
20
23
Mobile, AL
Oct 8, 1993
30
Toyota
Leidos
21
31
Kannapolis, NC
Jan 27, 1991
33
Chevrolet
Cirkul
22
24
Charlotte, NC
Nov 29, 1997
26
Chevrolet
Liberty University
23
45
Corning, CA
Jan 11, 1996
28
Toyota
Monster Energy
24
51
Winamac, IN
Apr 28, 1999
24
Ford
Ohanafy
25
42
Mooresville, NC
Jun 11, 1997
26
Toyota
Dollar Tree
26
20
Norman, OK
Dec 16, 1994
29
Toyota
DEWALT
27
15
Boston, MA
Dec 29, 1998
25
Ford
N29 Capital Partners
28
2
Columbus, OH
Sep 2, 1998
25
Ford
Discount Tire
29
14
Mitchell, IN
Dec 15, 1994
29
Ford
Mahindra Tractors
30
21
Huntersville, NC
Oct 9, 2000
23
Ford
DEX Imaging
31
10
Las Vegas, NV
Jul 15, 1998
25
Ford
Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats & ATVs/Ranger Boats
32
71
Huntington Beach, CA
Jun 9, 1999
24
Chevrolet
Focused Health
33
4
Hendersonville, TN
Oct 22, 1990
33
Ford
SunnyD
34
54
Charlotte, NC
Oct 4, 2002
21
Toyota
Sirius XM
35
38
Sherrills Ford, NC
May 15, 2000
23
Ford
CITGARD
36
77
Portage, MI
Jan 28, 2003
21
Chevrolet
Gainbridge Cal Ripken Sr. Fdn.