Food City 500
Bristol Motor Speedway, March 17, 2024
Denny Hamlin
Winner
500
Laps
36
Entries
16
Leaders
Denny Hamlin won the 2024 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 17, 2024, leading 163 of 500 laps. Martin Truex, Jr. finished second; Brad Keselowski rounded out the podium. The race featured 16 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Track
Season
2024
Winner
Leaders
16 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | +2 | Denny Hamlin |
| 2 | 11 | +9 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 3 | 17 | +14 | Brad Keselowski |
| 4 | 29 | +25 | Alex Bowman |
| 5 | 10 | +5 | Kyle Larson |
| 6 | 26 | +20 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 7 | 34 | +27 | Chris Buescher |
| 8 | 5 | -3 | Chase Elliott |
| 9 | 19 | +10 | Ty Gibbs |
| 10 | 12 | +2 | Christopher Bell |
| 11 | 7 | -4 | Michael McDowell |
| 12 | 2 | -10 | Josh Berry |
| 13 | 6 | -7 | Chase Briscoe |
| 14 | 25 | +11 | Ryan Preece |
| 15 | 36 | +21 | Ross Chastain |
| 16 | 1 | -15 | Ryan Blaney |
| 17 | 32 | +15 | Justin Haley |
| 18 | 28 | +10 | Daniel Suarez |
| 19 | 33 | +14 | Kaz Grala |
| 20 | 15 | -5 | Erik Jones |
| 21 | 18 | -3 | Corey LaJoie |
| 22 | 4 | -18 | Joey Logano |
| 23 | 30 | +7 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 24 | 31 | +7 | Austin Dillon |
| 25 | 14 | -11 | Kyle Busch |
| 26 | 24 | -2 | Todd Gilliland |
| 27 | 35 | +8 | Carson Hocevar |
| 28 | 20 | -8 | Daniel Hemric |
| 29 | 9 | -20 | Bubba Wallace |
| 30 | 23 | -7 | Tyler Reddick |
| 31 | 21 | -10 | Austin Cindric |
| 32 | 13 | -19 | Harrison Burton |
| 33 | 27 | -6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 34 | 22 | -12 | Noah Gragson |
| 35 | 8 | -27 | William Byron |
| 36 | 16 | -20 | Zane Smith |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Gibbs | 1 | 1 | — | 20 |
| Brad Keselowski | 4 | 2 | — | 16 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | 5 | 4 | — | 13 |
| Kyle Larson | 2 | 8 | — | 12 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 7 | 6 | — | 9 |
| Christopher Bell | 8 | 5 | — | 9 |
| Chris Buescher | 3 | — | — | 8 |
| Joey Logano | — | 3 | — | 8 |
| Ryan Blaney | 6 | — | — | 5 |
| Denny Hamlin | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| Ryan Preece | 9 | 10 | — | 3 |
| Bubba Wallace | — | 9 | — | 2 |
| Josh Berry | 10 | — | — | 1 |
| Alex Bowman | — | — | — | — |
| Chase Elliott | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Chase Briscoe | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Haley | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Kaz Grala | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Corey LaJoie | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Busch | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Carson Hocevar | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Hemric | — | — | — | — |
| Tyler Reddick | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Cindric | — | — | — | — |
| Harrison Burton | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
| William Byron | — | — | — | — |
| Zane Smith | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 32 matched drivers, the model averaged 8.4 positions off — close to the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 6.8 | 1 | +5.8 |
| 2 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 14.0 | 2 | +12.0 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | 13.8 | 3 | +10.8 |
| 4 | Alex Bowman | 15.6 | 4 | +11.6 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 10.3 | 5 | +5.3 |
| 6 | John Hunter Nemechek | 19.0 | 6 | +13.0 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 12.0 | 7 | +5.0 |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 9.9 | 8 | +1.9 |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs | 8.6 | 9 | -0.4 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 8.3 | 10 | -1.7 |
| 11 | Michael McDowell | 15.6 | 11 | +4.6 |
| 12 | Josh Berry | 19.0 | 12 | +7.0 |
| 13 | Chase Briscoe | 8.6 | 13 | -4.4 |
| 14 | Ryan Preece | 12.6 | 14 | -1.4 |
| 15 | Ross Chastain | 12.6 | 15 | -2.4 |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney | 6.8 | 16 | -9.2 |
| 17 | Justin Haley | 21.2 | 17 | +4.2 |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | 14.0 | 18 | -4.0 |
| 20 | Erik Jones | 17.7 | 20 | -2.3 |
| 21 | Corey LaJoie | 24.9 | 21 | +3.9 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Denny Hamlin: has 49 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 14.5 avg finish (4 wins) — the model correctly identified this strength.
- John Hunter Nemechek: was the biggest surprise, finishing P6 vs predicted P19. Track history: 20 starts, 11.9 avg finish.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2024 Food City 500?
Denny Hamlin won the 2024 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2024 Food City 500 held?
The 2024 Food City 500 was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 17, 2024.