Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Busch Series were held at Hickory Motor Speedway. The track held two races annually between 1982 and 1998.
First race The Galaxy Food Centers 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series stock car race held at Hickory Motor Speedway, a paved oval track located in Hickory, North Carolina. One of the inaugural events of the Busch Series from its 1982 season, it was one of five races the series ran at the track in 1982, four from 1983 to 1985, three in 1986 and, from 1987 to 1994, was the series' first of two annual visits to the track; from 1995 to 1998 it was the only visit to the track by the series annually. until Hickory Motor Speedway departed the series schedule after the 1998 season. The race distance was 300 laps () in 1982 and from 1992 to 1998, 200 laps () from 1983 to 1990, and 276 laps () in 1992.
Jack Ingram won the event three times, the most of any driver; his 1987 victory in the race would prove to be the final win of his Busch Series career. Tommy Houston won the event twice, his victory in 1992 being the final win of his Busch Series career. The 1992 running of the event was marred by track damage from poorly cured asphalt, resulting in 132 of the race's 300 laps being run under the yellow flag; both the number of caution laps and the 26 caution periods set all-time NASCAR records. Jimmy Spencer scored his first career Busch Series victory in the 1989 Mountain Dew 400; the final running of the race, the 1998 Galaxy Food Centers 300, was the first and only career Busch Series victory for Ed Berrier.
Past winners YearDateDriverTeamManufacturerRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed (mph)LapsMiles (km)1982April 10Jack IngramJack Ingram RacingPontiac300108.9 (1175.26)n/an/a1983March 13Tommy EllisEllis RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)n/a50.9671984March 11Jack IngramJack Ingram RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)0:59:0873.6641985March 10Jimmy HensleyThomas Brothers RacingOldsmobile20072.6 (116.84)0:57:3275.7121986March 9Ronnie SilverSilver RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)0:59:4772.8631987March 15Jack IngramJack Ingram RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)0:47:0486.2061988February 28Mike AlexanderAlexander MotorsportsBuick20072.6 (116.84)0:58:3074.4621989March 25Jimmy SpencerFrank Cicci RacingBuick20072.6 (116.84)1:08:5663.1911990March 25Tommy HoustonHouston RacingBuick20072.6 (116.84)n/a74.6311991March 31Butch MillerDay EnterprisesChevrolet276100.2 (161.26)1:43:2288.1841992April 18Tommy HoustonHouston RacingBuick300108.9 (175.26)2:01:2053.8521993April 10Steve GrissomGrissom Racing EnterprisesChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:57:0055.8461994April 3Ricky CravenRicky Craven MotorsportsChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:43:2463.1911995April 15Johnny Benson Jr.BACE MotorsportsChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:43:3163.1201996April 6David GreenAmerican Equipment RacingChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:48:1960.3231997March 29Dick TrickleShoemaker RacingChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:50:4059.0421998April 11Ed BerrierPRW RacingFord300108.9 (175.26)1:49:2259.744
Second race The Pantry 300 was a NASCAR Busch Series stock car race held at Hickory Motor Speedway, in Hickory, North Carolina. One of the inaugural events of the series from its 1982 season, it was one of five races at the track in 1982, four in 1983 to 1985, three in 1986 and, from 1987 to 1994, was the series' second annual visit to the track, following which only the spring Sundrop 400 remained on the schedule until Hickory Motor Speedway departed the series schedule after the 1998 season. From 1982 to 1987, the second race was the Bobby Isaac Memorial race, which was an established Late Model race at Hickory; that race switched to weekly NASCAR classification in 1988 and remains to this day. The race distance was 200 laps () from 1982 to 1990, 276 laps () in 1991, and 300 laps () from 1992 to 1994. The race served as the series' season-ending event in 1992. Jack Ingram and Tommy Houston were the only multiple winners of the event, each winning twice; the final The Pantry 300 was won by Dennis Setzer, who in doing so became the first rookie in series history to win twice in his rookie season.
Past winners YearDateDriverTeamManufacturerRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed (mph)LapsMiles (km)1982September 4Jack IngramJack Ingram RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)n/an/a1983September 3Tommy HoustonMason Day RacingChevrolet20072.6 (116.84)n/a60.2311984October 13Larry PearsonPearson RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)1:09:5962.5411985August 10Ronnie SilverSilver RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)1:01:3470.7521986July 26Jack IngramJack Ingram RacingPontiac20072.6 (116.84)1:04:0667.3951987July 25Dale JarrettDAJ RacingChevrolet20072.6 (116.84)1:06:0365.7011988July 23Tommy HoustonArndt RacingBuick20072.6 (116.84)1:01:0670.6191989July 22Tommy EllisJ&J RacingBuick20072.6 (116.84)1:05:4666.2341990May 19Chuck BownHensley MotorsportsPontiac20072.6 (116.84)1:00:5371.5461991June 15Jimmy HensleyBeverly RacingOldsmobile276100.2 (161.26)1:28:5967.5551992November 8Bobby LabonteLabonte MotorsportsChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:42:2555.6481993November 7Johnny RumleyJohnny RumleyOldsmobile300108.9 (175.26)1:38:4666.1561994July 31Dennis SetzerAlliance MotorsportsChevrolet300108.9 (175.26)1:38:4966.122
References