2015 Food City 500

2015 Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Race 8 of 36 in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season

Logo of the race
Date April 19, 2015 (2015-04-19)
Location Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 511 laps, 272.363 mi (438.438 km)
Scheduled Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.29 km)
Weather Rain and cloudy skies with a temperature of 64 °F (18 °C); wind out of the northeast at 11 mph (18 km/h)
Average speed 74.997 mph (120.696 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 14.917
Most laps led
Driver Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps 184
Winner
No. 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip
Nielsen Ratings 2.9/6 (overnight)[11]
2.9/6 (final)[12]
2.6 million viewers[12]
Radio in the United States
Radio PRN
Booth Announcers Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini
Turn Announcers Rob Albright (Backstretch)

The 2015 Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on April 19, 2015, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 511 laps—extended from 500 laps due to a green–white–checker finish—on the 0.533 miles (0.858 km) concrete short track, it was the eighth race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth won the race – his first victory since 2013 – while Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished second and third. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five.

Kenseth won the pole for the race and led 47 laps. Kevin Harvick led a race high 184 laps before getting caught in a late race wreck and finished outside the top ten for the first time in 2015. The race had 21 lead changes among six different drivers, as well as eleven caution flag periods for 117 laps. The race was also stopped three times, for a total duration of 4 hours and 36 minutes for rain.

Kenseth's victory – his 32nd in Sprint Cup – ended a 51-race winless streak commencing after his victory at the 2013 Sylvania 300. It was his fourth win at Bristol and the eighth at the track for Joe Gibbs Racing. The win moved Kenseth up to eighth in the points standings. Despite the win, Toyota still trailed Chevrolet by 46–points in the manufacturer standings.

The race was carried by Fox Sports on the broadcast Fox network for the American television audience, while the radio broadcast was carried by the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Report

Background

Bristol Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

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.

Kevin Harvick entered Bristol with a 26-point lead over Joey Logano, with Martin Truex, Jr. a further 14 points in arrears in third place. Brad Keselowski entered 60 back in fourth place, while Kasey Kahne completed the top five in the championship standings, 76 behind Harvick.

Changes to the track

In the wake of Kyle Busch's double leg-breaking crash in February's Alert Today Florida 300 at Daytona International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway announced on April 3 that SAFER barriers had been installed along the entire circumference of the outer wall.[13] Previously, the track had barriers only in the turns. Track general manager Jerry Caldwell stated that "the safety of our fans and competitors continues to be a focal point for Bristol Motor Speedway" and that the circuit was "able to secure an additional 600 feet of SAFER barriers and will complete the build out of the front and backstretch outside walls before the Food City 500 race weekend".[13]

Name change

On April 10, Bristol Motor Speedway announced that the Food City 500 would be renamed the Food City 500 In Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer.[14] This change was made to honor longtime NASCAR broadcaster Steve Byrnes who was battling head and neck cancer.[14] "We stand with the NASCAR community in being Steve Byrnes Strong," said President and CEO of Food City, Steve Smith. "By banding together, we can drive even more awareness and support for our friend Steve, his family and everyone who Stands Up to Cancer."[14] Byrnes died two days after the race.[15]

Entry list

The entry list for the Food City 500 was released on Monday, April 13, 2015, at 11:21 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-five cars were entered for the race. The only new entry that was not entered for the previous week's race at Texas Motor Speedway was Ron Hornaday, Jr. in the No. 30 Chevrolet by The Motorsports Group.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC3) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick (PC1) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
9 Sam Hornish, Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Tony Stewart (PC4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford
17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC6) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC7) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30 Ron Hornaday, Jr. The Motorsports Group Chevrolet
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 Mike Bliss (i) Go FAS Racing Ford
33 Alex Kennedy Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
34 Chris Buescher (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford
35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC5) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC2) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brett Moffitt (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
62 Brendan Gaughan (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet
78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie
(i) Ineligible for points
(PC#) Past champions' provisional

First practice

Kasey Kahne was the fastest in the first practice session.

Kasey Kahne was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.971 and a speed of 128.168 mph (206.266 km/h).[16]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.971 128.168
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.972 128.159
3 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 14.994 127.971
Official first practice results

Qualifying

Matt Kenseth won the pole for the Food City 500.

Matt Kenseth won the pole with a time of 14.917 and a speed of 128.632 mph (207.013 km/h).[17] "I got it all that first lap," Kenseth said. "Good job. That was about as good as we were going to get...it was the best we could do with what we got. It was our best lap of the day".[17] Brad Keselowski stated that it was "still very, very early in the weekend and the track is really not indicative of what we're gonna have to race", but joined Kenseth on the front row, 0.022 seconds behind in second place; but Keselowski was looking forward to "a great spot on pit road to help us all day on Sunday".[17] Despite missing out on the top-12 pole shootout in 13th place, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. advised that he and his team "will be very good this weekend" and all they had to do was "to improve how the car drives".[17] With 45 entrants, Brendan Gaughan and Ron Hornaday, Jr. failed to qualify for the race.[17]

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2 R3
1 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.928 14.953 14.917
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 14.926 15.006 14.939
3 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.036 15.026 14.953
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.019 14.978 14.966
5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.109 15.050 15.059
6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 14.841 14.938 15.071
7 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.123 14.992 15.124
8 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.938 15.043 15.129
9 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.068 15.032 15.129
10 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.169 15.073 15.155
11 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.918 15.083 15.176
12 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.998 15.073 15.197
13 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.049 15.099
14 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.112 15.100
15 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 15.054 15.161
16 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 15.160 15.168
17 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 15.139 15.177
18 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.083 15.218
19 95 Michael McDowell[N 1] Leavine Family Racing Ford 15.139 15.235
20 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 15.117 15.236
21 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.068 15.249
22 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 15.091 15.253
23 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.003 15.276
24 55 Brett Moffitt (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.052 15.326
25 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.183
26 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.189
27 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 15.192
28 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.211
29 23 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 15.223
30 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 15.250
31 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.253
32 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.274
33 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.283
34 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 15.288
35 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 15.295
36 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 15.331
37 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.348
38 34 Chris Buescher (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.348
39 9 Sam Hornish, Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 15.358
40 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.405
41 32 Mike Bliss (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 15.458
42 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.468
43 33 Alex Kennedy (R) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 15.523
Failed to qualify
44 62 Brendan Gaughan Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 15.470
45 30 Ron Hornaday, Jr. The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 15.514
Official qualifying results

Practice (post-qualifying)

Second practice

Kasey Kahne was the fastest in the second practice session.

Kasey Kahne was the fastest in the second practice with a time of 15.129 and a speed of 126.829 mph (204.111 km/h).[18] During the session, Tony Stewart tagged the wall with the right-rear corner of his car. The damage was minor and he returned to the track to finish the session.[18] Towards the end of the session, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. made contact with Carl Edwards. The damage was also minor and both cars returned to the session.[18]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.129 126.829
2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.181 126.395
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 15.212 126.137
Official second practice results

Final practice

Kurt Busch was the fastest in the final practice session.

Kurt Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 15.043 and a speed of 127.554 mph (205.278 km/h).[19]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.043 127.554
2 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.164 126.537
3 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.168 126.503
Official final practice results

Race

First-half

Start

Matt Kenseth leads the field to the start of the Food City 500.
The Team Penske duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano crash out on lap 20.

The race was scheduled to start at 1:13 p.m., but inclement weather delayed the start for over an hour. The track was eventually dried up enough to allow the race to commence at 2:31 p.m.. Matt Kenseth led the first five laps before losing the lead to Kevin Harvick on lap 6. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. made contact with the wall exiting turn 2. He saved the car and the race continued under green. The first caution of the race flew on lap 19 when Brad Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano hit the front stretch wall.[20] Exiting turn 4, Keselowski's car got loose trying to pass Alex Kennedy, tapped the wall and turned down towards the apron.[20] Logano was right behind him and was unable to avoid hitting his teammate.[20] Keselowski put the crash down to the weather, saying that "it was a really light sprinkle, the track was barely dry" and "that the car just took off on me", while also stating that he was disappointed to make contact with teammate Logano after his car "moved crazy sideways".[20] Logano stated that the crash "happened quick, obviously" and that "you get early in this race and kind of want to settle in and just starting to get the top worked in a little bit there and Brad just got loose underneath that lapped car".[20] To add insult to injury for the Penske duo, the rain returned just moments later that red-flagged the race on lap 22.[21]

Driver change
Erik Jones made his unofficial Sprint Cup Series debut in substitution for Denny Hamlin.

Prior to the restart, Erik Jones made his unofficial debut in the Sprint Cup Series when he replaced Denny Hamlin – who had suffered a muscle spasm – in the No. 11 car.[22] During the race telecast, Hamlin stated that the injury had occurred during the race; he had "just pulled something in my neck to upper back about lap 12" and that he had "stretched it out and we've been working on it the last few hours". By stepping out the car, Hamlin also explained that "it's just better to have Erik come here and run some laps, get used to these Cup cars. We know where he is going to be in a few years".[22] Jones, who had competed in the Xfinity Series race the previous day, had already flown back to Charlotte, North Carolina when he received a text message from an unnamed crew member of the No. 11 car to be prepared to fly back down to Bristol.[23] "I got a text from one of the crew members and they let me know that I might need to be on standby," Jones said. "Right then I started packing a bag. I called my dad and said, 'Hey, I think I might be getting to run a Cup race tonight.' He was like, 'Okay, cool keep me updated.' Took off right from there and flew here and helicoptered in and got in and drove."[23] He arrived by helicopter at the track just five minutes before the race restarted.[23] Jones piloted the car to a 26th-place finish, which was credited to Hamlin as he had started the race.[24]

Restart

Kevin Harvick leads the field to the restart.

While the race was still under its first caution, the scoring pylon and digital leaderboards all changed the positions to 24 on the 24th lap in honor of Jeff Gordon. The race restarted shortly after 7:00 p.m. on lap 35 with Kevin Harvick in the lead.[25] The race proceeded orderly until the second caution of the race flew on lap 61 – a scheduled competition caution because of the rain. Kurt Busch took the lead from his teammate Harvick, when Harvick pitted on the backstretch. Greg Biffle opted not to pit and assumed the lead, while Brett Moffitt and David Ragan had to start from the rear of the field, after both were caught speeding on pit road.[24]

Green flag run

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made an unscheduled stop on lap 103.

The race restarted on lap 69. While Greg Biffle got a jump on the restart – on old tires – Kurt Busch on four new tires took the lead on lap 70 and would hold the lead for the next 55 laps. Kevin Harvick was tapped exiting turn 2 by Michael McDowell and made light contact with the wall, causing cosmetic damage. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made an unscheduled stop on lap 103 for a flat tire. Landon Cassill brushed the wall and began to slow down on the backstretch and almost took out several cars on lap 108. Kevin Harvick took the lead on lap 126 and held it for the next portion of the race before Busch took back the lead on lap 162. Harvick regained the lead on lap 167, before the race's third caution period commenced the following lap due to weepers. With the drivers pitting on either side of the track, the lead swapped hands momentarily; however, Harvick held the lead for the restart on lap 176.

Jeff Gordon made an unscheduled stop on lap 205 for a loose, deflating wheel; he lost two laps in the process. In a show of support for Steve Byrnes, the fans and crews all stood up on the 250th lap holding up signs reading "I Stand Up For Steve." The Fox crew went silent for the next three laps to show their support for their ill cohort. Jeff Gordon, on much fresher tires, managed to pull up to and pass leader Harvick to earn back one of his laps. This allowed Carl Edwards to pass Harvick for the lead on lap 257. Edwards put him back down two laps before the caution flew for the fourth time on lap 266 for rain. Edwards and Busch swapped the lead on pit road, but Edwards exited pit road with the lead. David Gilliland and Ryan Newman both started at the rear of the field for the restart; they were caught speeding on pit road. The rain intensified and the race was red flagged for the second time on lap 273.[26]

Second-half

Halfway

The race restarted on lap 278.
Trouble in turn 4.

After a 16-minute delay, the race restarted on lap 278; no sooner had the race restarted before an incident in turn 4 brought out the fifth caution. Going into turn 3, Kurt Busch pushed up into Jimmie Johnson on his outside; Johnson made moderate contact with the wall, while Busch spun out in front of the oncoming field. Other than a few pushed in fenders and Alex Bowman spinning out behind Busch, there was no major damage.[24]

Trouble in turn 1
Kevin Harvick's streak of top ten finishes came to an end on lap 310.

The race restarted on lap 292. Martin Truex, Jr. cut down his left-front tire after making contact with Mike Bliss exiting turn 2. The sixth caution of the race flew on lap 310 for a multi-car wreck in turn 1. Jeb Burton got turned into the wall by Johnson. David Ragan crashed into the back of Johnson and then T-boned the side of Burton's car, while Johnson slid down the track. Kevin Harvick, who was running third in the race at the time, could not stop in time, got sideways and crashed into Ragan. Ragan described the incident as "when you race back there with the squirrels, you find a nut sometimes" but that was "just Bristol" and "one of those things you have in short track racing".[27] Kurt Busch was penalized for an uncontrolled tire and restarted from the tail-end of the field.[24]

Restart

The race restarted on lap 325. A piece of metal that had fallen off Danica Patrick's car in turn 1 brought out the seventh caution of the race on lap 344. Edwards swapped the lead with teammate Matt Kenseth on pit road, but Kyle Larson opted not to pit and assumed the lead.[24] The race restarted on lap 350. The eighth caution of the race flew on lap 367 for a heavy crash involving Cassill. Trying to get around him on the front stretch, Larson moved up and clipped Cassill's car. He clipped J. J. Yeley, who in turn, crashed into the turn 1 wall. He got out of the car unaided.[24]

Fourth quarter

Fog descended on Thunder Valley in the closing laps of the race.
Josh Wise crashed out with 29 laps to go.

The race restarted on lap 381. Matt Kenseth caught up to Kyle Larson and the two battled for the lead for a good ten laps before Larson began to pull away with 81 laps to go. He hit pit road with 64 laps to go and Kenseth took back the lead. Kurt Busch went to the bottom of Kenseth, and used Martin Truex. Jr. as a pick to take the lead with 56 laps to go. After being down two laps at one point during the race, Jeff Gordon muscled his way into third with 50 laps to go. The ninth caution of the race flew with 29 laps to go for a multi-car wreck in turn 4. In a classic Bristol accordion effect, it started when Jamie McMurray blew a right-front tire running next to the wall in turn 3. Josh Wise, who was running right behind him, rear-ended him and was in turn, rear-ended by Clint Bowyer. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was slowing down to avoid the wreck ahead when he was hit in the rear by Erik Jones, before Michael Annett rear-ended Jones. Danica Patrick, who was also trying to avoid the wreck, got hit in the rear and turned by Michael McDowell. Bowyer sprained his wrist trying to avoid hitting Wise again. Busch was the only driver to pit under the caution, and Kenseth assumed the lead.[24]

Matt Kenseth ended a 51 race winless streak.

The race restarted with 19 laps to go, but the 10th caution of the race flew the following lap for a multi-car wreck on the backstretch. Tony Stewart clipped Kasey Kahne who turned down into A. J. Allmendinger. Both drivers hit the inside wall before turning back onto the racing surface taking out Casey Mears and Truex, Jr. in the process.[24] The race restarted with eight laps to go, before the 11th caution of the race flew with six laps to go for another multi-car wreck on the backstretch. In another classic Bristol accordion effect, Edwards got loose exiting turn 2 and made contact with the wall. Kurt Busch had no time to react and crashed into him. Justin Allgaier clipped and turned with Paul Menard trying to avoid Edwards' car. Sam Hornish, Jr. got turned by Matt DiBenedetto while trying to avoid the wreck. After several laps under yellow – taking the race beyond its scheduled 500-lap distance – the race was red flagged for the third time on lap 505 as rain returned to the track again. The top three cars were borderline on fuel with the fuel window being 130 laps and their last stop being over 20 laps more than the window. The cars were brought down pit road after the race was suspended. After an additional 20-minute delay, the field began rolling off pit road. After three laps, the race restarted and pole-sitter Matt Kenseth took the victory on a green–white–checker finish, his first victory in 51 races going back to 2013.[28]

Post-race

Driver comments

In Victory Lane, Kenseth was pleased at ending his 18-month streak, stating that he was "glad we were able to finish this tonight and we had the car to stay ahead at the end", while also stating that "it was a crazy night for sure but it feels good to be back here in Victory Lane".[28] In second place was Jimmie Johnson, who described the race as "a wild night", but praised his team for all their hard work and was "thrilled to get such a great finish here at really one of the tougher tracks for me as a driver".[28]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 1 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 511 47
2 28 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 511 42
3 23 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 511 41
4 25 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 511 40
5 18 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 511 39
6 21 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 511 38
7 14 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 511 38
8 15 51 Justin Allgaier HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 511 36
9 26 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 511 35
10 12 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 511 34
11 9 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 511 33
12 37 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 511 32
13 30 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 511 31
14 10 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 510 30
15 7 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 510 30
16 13 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 509 28
17 24 55 Brett Moffitt (R) Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 509 27
18 32 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 508 26
19 39 9 Sam Hornish, Jr. Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 508 25
20 40 7 Alex Bowman Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 508 24
21 22 83 Matt DiBenedetto (R) BK Racing Toyota 508 23
22 19 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 507 22
23 36 46 Michael Annett HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 507 21
24 3 19 Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 507 21
25 38 34 Chris Buescher (i) Front Row Motorsports Ford 505 0
26 5 11 Denny Hamlin[N 2] Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 505 18
27 42 35 Cole Whitt Front Row Motorsports Ford 504 17
28 31 6 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 504 16
29 16 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 504 15
30 33 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 504 15
31 41 32 Mike Bliss (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 502 0
32 29 23 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota 496 0
33 43 33 Alex Kennedy (R) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 490 11
34 20 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 489 10
35 2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 489 9
36 27 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 487 8
37 8 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 482 7
38 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 468 8
39 35 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 466 5
40 6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 452 4
41 11 18 David Ragan Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 435 3
42 34 26 Jeb Burton (R) BK Racing Toyota 416 2
43 17 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 288 0
Official Food City 500 results

Race statistics

Lap leaders
Laps Leader
1–5 Matt Kenseth
6–62 Kevin Harvick
63 Kurt Busch
64–69 Greg Biffle
70–125 Kurt Busch
126–160 Kevin Harvick
161–165 Kurt Busch
166–169 Kevin Harvick
170 Kurt Busch
171–256 Kevin Harvick
257–266 Carl Edwards
267 Kurt Busch
268–276 Carl Edwards
277 Kevin Harvick
278–290 Carl Edwards
291 Kevin Harvick
292–345 Carl Edwards
346 Matt Kenseth
347–436 Kyle Larson
437–443 Matt Kenseth
444–477 Kurt Busch
478–511 Matt Kenseth
Total laps led
Leader Laps
Kevin Harvick 184
Kurt Busch 98
Kyle Larson 90
Carl Edwards 86
Matt Kenseth 47
Greg Biffle 6

Race awards

Media

Television

Fox Sports covered their 15th race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip, the all-time wins leader at Bristol Motor Speedway with twelve victories, had the call in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Chris Neville, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties.

Fox
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Larry McReynolds
Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip
Jamie Little
Chris Neville
Vince Welch
Matt Yocum

Radio

PRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini called the race in the booth when the field was racing down the front stretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop the suites in turn 3 when the field was racing down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Jim Noble and Steve Richards worked pit road for PRN.

PRN
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Announcer: Wendy Venturini
Backstretch: Rob Albright Brad Gillie
Brett McMillan
Jim Noble
Steve Richards

Standings after the race

Drivers' championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Kevin Harvick 314
2 Joey Logano 284 (−30)
3 Martin Truex, Jr. 281 (−33)
2 4 Jimmie Johnson 258 (−56)
1 5 Brad Keselowski 255 (−59)
1 6 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 241 (−73)
2 7 Kasey Kahne 237 (−77)
4 8 Matt Kenseth 236 (−78)
4 9 Jeff Gordon 227 (−87)
1 10 Aric Almirola 226 (−88)
3 11 Denny Hamlin 223 (−91)
1 12 Jamie McMurray 223 (−91)
4 13 Danica Patrick 211 (−103)
2 14 Paul Menard 210 (−104)
1 15 Carl Edwards 203 (−111)
4 16 Ryan Newman 201 (−113)

Kevin Harvick left Bristol with a 30-point lead over Joey Logano.
Manufacturers' championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 357
2 Ford 336 (−21)
3 Toyota 311 (−46)
  • Note: Only the first sixteen positions are included for the driver standings.

Notes

  1. Michael McDowell dropped to the rear for unapproved adjustments.
  2. Denny Hamlin was replaced early in the race by Erik Jones, due to a muscle spasm. Hamlin was credited with the finish.[22]

References

  1. "2015 NASCAR Schedule" (PDF). NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 26, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  2. "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  3. "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  4. "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  5. "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  6. "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  7. "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
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