Each year, the Food City 500 provides Tennessee with a taste of NASCAR action when the annual race invades Bristol Motor Speedway as part of the Sprint Cup Series schedule. The Food City 500 is one of two Sprint Cup races held each season at the famed Bristol Motor Speedway, with the other being the Sharpie 500. The 500-lap race is also considered to be one of NASCAR's best, having been won by the likes of Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, and Kyle Busch, to name a few.
Having been a constant on the NASCAR calendar since 1961, the Food City 500 is not only one of the top events of the season, but also one of the proudest to be held on the half-mile oval at the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway. The 2007 Food City 500 was the first ever NASCAR event in which the new Car of Tomorrow was used, resulting with Kyle Busch taking the checkered flag.
In the 18 years since officially becoming known as the Food City 500 in 1992, the race has had four multiple-race winners, accounting for 13 of the victories over that period, and with three of those drivers having chalked up victories in consecutive years. Leading the list is Jeff Gordon with four consecutive wins from 1995 to 1998, followed by Kurt Busch with four wins – three consecutive (2002-04, 2006), Rusty Wallace with three wins – 2 consecutive (1993, 1999-2000), and rounded out by Kyle Busch's two wins in 2007 and 2009.
