Past Winners
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||
| 1961 | October 22 | Joe Weatherly | Bud Moore Engineering | Pontiac | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:27:02 | 72.452 | Report |
| 1962 | July 29 | Jim Paschal | Petty Enterprises | Plymouth | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:19:16 | 75.276 | Report |
| 1963 | March 31 | Fireball Roberts | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:15:02 | 76.91 | Report |
| 1964 | March 22 | Fred Lorenzen | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:27:46 | 72.196 | Report |
| 1965 | May 2 | Junior Johnson | Junior Johnson & Associates | Ford | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:20:10 | 74.937 | Report |
| 1966 | March 20 | Dick Hutcherson | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:34:26 | 69.952 | Report |
| 1967 | March 19 | David Pearson | Cotton Owens | Dodge | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:17:32 | 75.937 | Report |
| 1968 | March 17 | David Pearson (2) | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:14:11 | 77.247 | Report |
| 1969 | March 23 | Bobby Allison | Mario Rossi | Dodge | 500 | 250 (402.336) | 3:04:09 | 81.455 | Report |
| 1970 | April 5 | Donnie Allison | Banjo Matthews | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:02:42 | 87.543 | Report |
| 1971 | March 28 | David Pearson (3) | Holman-Moody | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:52:23 | 91.704 | Report |
| 1972 | April 9 | Bobby Allison (2) | Richard Howard | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:50:18 | 92.826 | Report |
| 1973 | March 25 | Cale Yarborough | Richard Howard | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:57:43 | 88.952 | Report |
| 1974 | March 17 | Cale Yarborough (2) | Richard Howard | Chevrolet | 450* | 239.85 (386.001) | 3:42:50 | 64.533 | Report |
| 1975 | March 16 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Dodge | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:43:53 | 97.053 | Report |
| 1976 | March 14 | Cale Yarborough (3) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 400 | 213.2 (343.112) | 2:25:24 | 87.377 | Report |
| 1977 | April 17 | Cale Yarborough (4) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:38:20 | 100.989 | Report |
| 1978 | April 2 | Darrell Waltrip | DiGard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:53:03 | 92.401 | Report |
| 1979 | April 1 | Dale Earnhardt | Rod Osterlund Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:55:39 | 91.033 | Report |
| 1980 | March 30 | Dale Earnhardt (2) | Rod Osterlund Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:44:53 | 96.977 | Report |
| 1981 | March 29 | Darrell Waltrip (2) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:58:36 | 89.53 | Report |
| 1982 | March 14 | Darrell Waltrip (3) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Buick | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:49:52 | 94.025 | Report |
| 1983 | May 21 | Darrell Waltrip (4) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:51:07 | 93.445 | Report |
| 1984 | April 1 | Darrell Waltrip (5) | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:50:10 | 93.967 | Report |
| 1985 | April 6* | Dale Earnhardt (3) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:15:42 | 81.79 | Report |
| 1986 | April 6 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:58:14 | 89.747 | Report |
| 1987 | April 12 | Dale Earnhardt (4) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:31:27 | 75.621 | Report |
| 1988 | April 10 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:12:23 | 83.115 | Report |
| 1989 | April 9 | Rusty Wallace (2) | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:30:18 | 76.034 | Report |
| 1990 | April 8 | Davey Allison | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:03:15 | 87.258 | Report |
| 1991 | April 14 | Rusty Wallace (3) | Penske Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:39:37 | 72.809 | Report |
| 1992 | April 5 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:05:15 | 86.316 | Report |
| 1993 | April 4 | Rusty Wallace (3) | Penske Racing | Pontiac | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:08:43 | 84.73 | Report |
| 1994 | April 10 | Dale Earnhardt (5) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:58:22 | 89.647 | Report |
| 1995 | April 2 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:53:47 | 92.011 | Report |
| 1996 | March 31 | Jeff Gordon (2) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 342* | 182.286 (293.36) | 1:59:47 | 91.308 | Report |
| 1997 | April 13 | Jeff Gordon (3) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:33:06 | 75.035 | Report |
| 1998 | March 29 | Jeff Gordon (4) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:13:00 | 82.85 | Report |
| 1999 | April 11 | Rusty Wallace (4) | Penske Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:51:16 | 93.363 | Report |
| 2000 | March 26 | Rusty Wallace (5) | Penske Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:01:40 | 88.018 | Report |
| 2001 | March 25 | Elliott Sadler | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:03:54 | 86.949 | Report |
| 2002 | March 24 | Kurt Busch | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:14:20 | 82.281 | Report |
| 2003 | March 23 | Kurt Busch (2) | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:29:53 | 76.185 | Report |
| 2004 | March 28 | Kurt Busch (3) | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:13:34 | 82.607 | Report |
| 2005 | April 3 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:26:20 | 77.496 | Report |
| 2006 | March 26 | Kurt Busch (4) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:21:19 | 79.427 | Report |
| 2007 | March 25 | Kyle Busch | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 504* | 268.632 (432.321) | 3:16:38 | 81.969 | Report |
| 2008 | March 16 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 506* | 269.698 (434.036) | 3:00:15 | 89.775 | Report |
| 2009 | March 22 | Kyle Busch (2) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 503* | 268.099 (431.463) | 2:54:35 | 92.139 | Report |
| 2010 | March 21 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 3:20:50 | 79.618 | Report |
| 2011 | March 20 | Kyle Busch (3) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:53:55 | 91.941 | Report |
| 2012 | March 18 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 500 | 266.5 (428.89) | 2:51:52 | 93.037 | Report |
- 1974: Race shortened due to energy crisis.
- 1985: The race was scheduled to run on March 31st but was moved to April 6th due to rain.
- 1996: Race shortened due to rain.
- 2007, 2008, & 2009: Race extended due to a Green-white-checker finish.
Read more about this topic: Food City 500
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“The two real political parties in America are the Winners and the Losers. The people don’t acknowledge this. They claim membership in two imaginary parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, instead.”
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (b. 1922)