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. To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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 (R) denotes rookie driver.

#DriverTeamMake00Buckshot Jones (R)Buckshot RacingPontiac1Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet9Jerry NadeauMelling RacingFord10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord12Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord16Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac20Tony Stewart (R)Joe Gibbs RacingPontiac21Elliott Sadler (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac23Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Wally Dallenbach Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFord28Kenny Irwin Jr.Robert Yates RacingFord30Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiac31Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet33Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet36Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiac40Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet41David GreenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet43John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac45Rich BickleTyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac55Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet58Ricky CravenSBIII MotorsportsFord60Geoff BodineJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet66Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Ted MusgraveButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Stanton BarrettDonlavey RacingFord91Dick TrickleLJ RacingChevrolet94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord97Chad LittleRoush RacingFord98Rick MastBurdette MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordOfficial entry list

Practice

First practice The first practice session was held on Friday, April 9, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for two hours and 25 minutes. 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed14Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet15.406124.549210Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord15.483123.929366Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord15.501123.786Full first practice results

Second practice The second practice session was held on Friday, April 9, at 1:15 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes. 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed12Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord15.339125.092224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.399124.60534Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet15.445124.234Full second practice results

Third practice The 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed142Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet15.564123.28421Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet15.593123.055391Dick TrickleLJ RacingChevrolet15.598123.015Full third practice results

Final practice The 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. 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 . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed118Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac15.956120.255210Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord15.961120.21836Mark MartinRoush RacingFord16.046119.581Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying Qualifying 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. 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.

Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.333 and an average speed of .

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Rich Bickle, Stanton Barrett, and Derrike Cope.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed12Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord15.333125.142224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.353124.979318Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac15.414124.484420Tony StewartJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac15.439124.283510Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord15.439124.283655Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet15.442124.25974Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet15.461124.10686Mark MartinRoush RacingFord15.472124.018958Ricky CravenSBIII MotorsportsFord15.481123.9451028Kenny Irwin Jr.Robert Yates RacingFord15.482123.9371177Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord15.485123.9131266Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord15.492123.8571375Ted MusgraveButch Mock MotorsportsFord15.516123.6661444Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac15.517123.6581525Wally Dallenbach Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.520123.6341688Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord15.525123.5941721Elliott SadlerWood Brothers RacingFord15.529123.5621811Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord15.533123.531199Jerry NadeauMelling RacingFord15.533123.5312033Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet15.539123.4832123Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord15.550123.3952271Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet15.562123.3002394Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord15.568123.2532440Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet15.571123.2292560Geoff BodineJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet15.577123.1822643John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac15.486123.9052742Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet15.558123.3322816Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord15.572123.2212991Dick TrickleLJ RacingChevrolet15.576123.190305Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.590123.0793199Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord15.593123.0553298Rick MastBurdette MotorsportsFord15.596123.0323331Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet15.599123.008343Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet15.600123.0003541David GreenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.600123.0003600Buckshot JonesBuckshot RacingPontiac15.602122.984Provisionals3712Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord -* -*3822Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac -* -*397Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*4097Chad LittleRoush RacingFord -* -*4136Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiac -* -*4226Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFord -* -*431Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet -* -*Failed to qualify4445Rich BickleTyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac15.653122.5844590Stanton BarrettDonlavey RacingFord15.736121.9374630Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiac15.813121.343Official qualifying results *Time not available.

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings112Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord500425running185$87,435286Mark MartinRoush RacingFord5007running175$73,58531688Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord5000running165$68,65042643John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac5000running160$64,29553199Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord5000running155$57,3356224Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5000running150$55,97071375Ted MusgraveButch Mock MotorsportsFord5000running146$40,24581444Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac5000running142$36,99593822Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac50011running143$49,26510343Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet5000running134$48,630111028Kenny Irwin Jr.Robert Yates RacingFord4990running130$43,87012397Michael WaltripMattei MotorsportsChevrolet4992running132$39,36513305Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4990running124$43,290142440Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet4990running121$38,61515420Tony Stewart (R)Joe Gibbs RacingPontiac49855running123$48,50516655Kenny WallaceAndy Petree RacingChevrolet4980running115$28,390172123Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord4980running112$38,0401874Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet4980running109$42,140193298Rick MastBurdette MotorsportsFord4980running106$30,830202033Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet4980running103$40,440213331Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4970running100$37,740221811Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord4970running97$37,49023431Steve ParkDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet4970running94$36,965244097Chad LittleRoush RacingFord4970running91$36,865252394Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord4970running88$36,720261721Elliott Sadler (R)Wood Brothers RacingFord4970running85$37,490273712Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord4960running82$41,570282560Geoff BodineJoe Bessey RacingChevrolet4950running79$26,515294226Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFord4950running76$36,485301525Wally Dallenbach Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4940running73$35,660312991Dick TrickleLJ RacingChevrolet4930running70$25,615321266Darrell WaltripHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord4910running67$25,370333541David GreenLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet4900running64$25,350342271Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet4900running61$25,810352816Kevin LepageRoush RacingFord4890running58$32,290362742Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet4780running55$32,77037318Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac4710running52$41,96038510Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord4100handling49$32,250393600Buckshot Jones (R)Buckshot RacingPontiac4060running46$25,240401177Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord4030running43$25,42541958Ricky CravenSBIII MotorsportsFord4010running40$25,20042199Jerry NadeauMelling RacingFord3350crash37$25,675434136Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiac1440handling34$32,161Failed to qualify4445Rich BickleTyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac4590Stanton BarrettDonlavey RacingFord4630Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiacOfficial race results

References