| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 36 in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 2010 Food City 500 program cover | |||
| Date | March 21, 2010 | ||
| Official name | Food City 500 | ||
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.857 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (430 km) | ||
| Weather | Isolated thunderstorms with a high around 57; wind out of the NE at 7 mph. Chance of precipitation 20%. | ||
| Average speed | 79.618 miles per hour (128.133 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 15.396 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | |
| Laps | 278 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 4.4[3] | ||
The 2010 Food City 500 was held on March 21, 2010 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee as the fifth race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. This race marked the last appearance of the rear wing on the Car of Tomorrow, with the spoiler returning the following race.[4]
This race also was the first of three in Carl Edwards' probation following his altercation with Brad Keselowski at the previous race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, in which Keselowski went airborne, subsequently crashing on his side door.[5] The race had 39 lead changes among 13 different leaders and 10 cautions.[6][7][8]
The race attendance of 138,000 marked the end of a long streak of sellout seats at the track, which has a capacity of 158,000.[9] The race had been a sellout since 1982.[10] Draconian regulations kept intact since the 1970s along with rising ticket prices and unexciting restrictor plate races at Talladega and Daytona helped to contribute to the empty seats at NASCAR races in addition to declining TV ratings.[11]
- ^ Jenna Fryer (March 22, 2010). "Johnson Wins At Bristol". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
- ^ Jenna Fryer (March 19, 2010). "Joey Logano Has The Pole". ABC News. Retrieved April 3, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ Joe Menzer (March 17, 2010). "New Spoiler; Old Wing". NASCAR. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ^ Rodman, Dave (March 9, 2010). "Carl Edward's Probation". NASCAR. Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- ^ Sporting News (March 21, 2010). "Johnson Wins For First Time at Bristol". YahooSports. Retrieved March 25, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Race Information". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
- ^ "Johnson Earns 50th Win, but It's His First at Bristol". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 21, 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
- ^ "Bristol Race Has Empty Seats". SB Nation. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- ^ Jenna Fryer (September 20, 2010). "Bristol Doesn't Have A Sellout Crowd". Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ James Lewallen (October 4, 2012). "Protest draconian NASCAR regulations". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.