Tag: Bristol

Bristol was wild, but we don’t need to overreact

It’s been over nine years since Aaron Rodgers told Green Bay Packers fans to R-E-L-A-X over the team’s slow start to the 2014 season. On Sunday night, after winning the tire war at Bristol Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart …

It’s been over nine years since Aaron Rodgers told Green Bay Packers fans to R-E-L-A-X over the team’s slow start to the 2014 season. On Sunday night, after winning the tire war at Bristol Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart had a pointed message of their own for the NASCAR industry and its fans.

“Don’t overreact,” Hamlin said.

Unfortunately as it pertains to the amusement factor as it surely would have gone viral, Hamlin did not spell out his statement as Rodgers did. But the message was still loud and clear. The same for Gabehart’s follow up to Hamlin.

“It’s not bad. It’s OK,” Gabehart said. “Quit beating Goodyear up over things like that. They’re supposed to be part of the sport and make it hard on us. I think that’s the narrative we’ve got to start talking about.”

The Food City 500 was unexpectedly entertaining. Although there were questions about what happened to the racetrack at the end of practice and into qualifying Saturday, it’s unlikely anyone could have foreseen how the race would unfold.

Tire wear, resin and marbles, oh my. It was not a Cup Series race fans, drivers, engineers, or crew chiefs are used to seeing. Cup series races are, shall we say, a bit predictable, with hard tires and teams playing out each fuel run.

But there was no chance of that at Bristol. With such high tire wear, it was 40 to 50 laps before drivers were hanging on or in trouble. A fuel run is 190 laps at Bristol, so tires probably shouldn’t have started to give up until 80 to 100 laps into a run.

The theme of the race was about tire management. Some drivers did it better than others. And that’s where the entertainment came in, because it’s not something drivers are used to doing or people get to see them figure out. NASCAR racing has been more about on-throttle time and laying down qualifying laps while aggressively attacking a corner, so it was new to see drivers having to balance how hard to push and slow the pace of the race down.

“This is the first time the driver played a huge role in a long, long time,” Hamlin said. “Long time. It’s a different philosophy from what we’re used to, which is everyone is just kind of on the gas all the time running the bottom, the shortest way around. Technique was a huge deal today.”

Sunday’s tire dramas weren’t down to failures, unlike the infamous race at Indianapolis in 2008 (pictured). Motorsport Images

Don’t fall for the easy and often-used criticism that the tires failed. The tires certainly didn’t fail. There is a difference between tire failures, which blow out repeatedly during a race and tire wear. Indianapolis in 2008, which so many were quick to reference, was a race of tire failures. On that day, the longest run of the race was about 12 laps before the tires started blowing.

Sunday at Bristol was a race of tire wear, albeit drastic wear. The tires lasted, just not as long as expected or teams would hope. However, there is nothing wrong with tire wear and tire management races; the sport needs more. Afterwards, it seemed nearly everyone could agree that having tire fall off is what racing needs, but for some unexplainable reason, there was a lot at Bristol.

And that’s where the overreaction messages come in. Yes, it was different and unique and unexpected. It was fun, though. It made for a race where no one was yelling about dirty air and being unable to pass.

No, this was a driver’s race.

“I would rather be disciplined as a driver than deal with aero tight,” Ryan Preece posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Hell yeah. More of that. Bristol might not have been something that everyone is used to seeing or understanding, but nothing was wrong with what happened. The short tracks could use more of the show Sunday had.

Who knows? Maybe one day the NASCAR industry will look back and say what happened at Bristol wasn’t planned, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. One of the most entertaining short track races in recent memory wasn’t the result of the horsepower debate or a rules package, but tire wear.

“It was fantastic,” Gabehart said. “The whole weekend was nothing that any of us expected, the driver, the crew chiefs, the engineers, the pit crew, the team, the spotter. From the minute practice was over, we suspected something was going to be different. I think a lot of us thought maybe 80, 100 (laps) in, this place would rubber in and get a little more familiar. But it did not.

“It was a blast. I’m not just saying that because we won. I’m saying that because it was fun to have to do something so unrefined. Everything about our business gets to be 16th of a round and 10th of an air pressure. If you just maneuver this 3 inches, you’ll be perfect. It was not going to be perfect this weekend ever. I think that made for a fantastic show.”

So, just relax, as Rodgers would say. Or don’t overreact, as Hamlin advised. It was wild, but everyone came out the other side knowing something good happened even if no yet knows how.

Hamlin, Gabehart stress ‘it’s supposed to be hard’ after wild Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway winner Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart spent their post-race news conference adamantly expressing that there was nothing wrong with Sunday’s race. “It was challenging,” said Hamlin, who admitted his thoughts were …

Bristol Motor Speedway winner Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart spent their post-race news conference adamantly expressing that there was nothing wrong with Sunday’s race.

“It was challenging,” said Hamlin, who admitted his thoughts were biased. “A different kind of challenge, for sure. Certainly (it was) not something we’ve had to do for a very long time in managing tires. Lesson learned early on. I kind of ran a certain pace, a certain line, wore my tires out.

“From that point on, I made some adjustments internally. He (Gabehart) made some adjustments to the car that allowed me to just manage it from that point on. Once it got into that tire management type of race, certainly my history in late models where you had to do that big-time certainly paid off.”

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Goodyear described the tire wear as “too drastic” and was searching for answers on what changed from the fall race. Hamlin agreed that being able to run 40 to 50 laps on a set of tires was too small of a window, but the lesson was what happens when there is tire wear with drivers either moving forward or falling backward as they manage their tires.

“This is the first time the driver played a huge role in a long, long time,” Hamlin said. “Long time. It’s a different philosophy from what we’re used to, which is everyone is just kind of on the gas all the time, running the bottom, the shortest way around. Technique was a huge deal (Sunday).”

Gabehart has long preached that drivers and crew chiefs need more control of their race. One of the first things Gabehart mentioned was that Goodyear didn’t deserve any criticism for the tire, which should be different from the strong one the company makes for a road vehicle.

“Honestly, while it’s hard on (tires) yes, yes, it’s supposed to be hard,” Gabehart said. “You’re supposed to see these guys struggle. You’re supposed to see the 25th-place car look like a mess, and the team’s trying to figure out how to rebound and rally, help him understand this run management didn’t work, or the leader is running too hard this run. Tell your driver, ‘You weren’t in the lead this time, this happened,’ let him adjust inside (the car).

“It’s supposed to be hard. This is not supposed to look easy. I think this is what you see when you make it hard.”

It was an unexpected development. There appeared to be no significant issues during the first half of practice, but the track started to change when the second group of drivers got their chance to make runs. By qualifying, drivers were slipping and sliding around the concrete half-mile and beginning to wonder what had changed.

On Sunday morning, NASCAR reapplied the resin spray in the lower lanes of the corners. It didn’t take long in the race to see that tires would be the variable, and it became an event about who managed their sets the best. NASCAR then approved Goodyear to release an extra set of tires in the second stage.

“There’s not a single driver, single crew chief, engineer that planned on this,” Gabehart said.

Hamlin hopes the industry – and fans – don’t overreact. He and Gabehart felt Sunday was a learning experience.

“I’ve been saying for a while from my little microphone when anyone asks is that we got to stop talking badly about Goodyear in these situations,” Gabehart said. “This is not bad. Goodyear can make a million-mile tire that I have on my car when I get to the airport and drive home. It’s fantastic. I never have any trouble with it. This is supposed to be sport. It’s supposed to be hard.

“It’s supposed to force these guys to make decisions in the car. Do I go now? Do I not? The crew chiefs to make decisions on how they treat the tire, what their setup is, how long do you want to run this stint. You can’t just run the fuel tank out and the tire not blow. It might blow on you.

“That last green flag stop when we called him in, I can’t tell you how stressful it was. If NASCAR throws a caution when I’m on pit road, I’m in a lot of trouble. He knows it. But he’s telling me, ‘Hey, this tire is about to blow out.’

“Finally, you look up, and you’re thinking strategy the whole time. I’ve ran this many green flag laps, there will be this many till the end. Who is pitting, who is not? We looked like a jalopy out there compared to cars with tires. You’re trying to manage all that. That right rear tire wasn’t going to make it two more laps and we would have had a flat tire like so many others. What I want everyone to understand is that is not bad.”

Bristol tire management leaves drivers bemused but happy

NASCAR Cup Series drivers were tasked with an unexpected challenge at Bristol Motor Speedway, and most came away with positive reactions. Sunday’s Food City 500 was a tire management race. A quick pace around the half-mile concrete oval produced …

NASCAR Cup Series drivers were tasked with an unexpected challenge at Bristol Motor Speedway, and most came away with positive reactions.

Sunday’s Food City 500 was a tire management race. A quick pace around the half-mile concrete oval produced high tire wear, with some teams experiencing blown tires or cording.

“I have never seen anything like that,” Josh Berry said. “I guess we got our wish with the tires falling off, but I don’t know. They fell off but it’s like they fell off a little bit and then all at once when they went to cords. I don’t know what the change is that you need there. Obviously, they need more rubber on them because we were running on fabric at the end.

“I think I finished with like three flat tires, and the car was on fire in 11th. I kind of had fun, though. I’m not going to lie. That might be the biggest (expletive) show I’ve ever been a part of, but it was kind of fun.”

There was a track record of 54 lead changes. At times, the field was packed together and running side-by-side for multiple laps as if at a superspeedway race.

“It was an interesting day,” Brad Keselowski said. “There was a lot of discipline required, and it was a fun race, to be honest, because you just had to be so smart behind the wheel. It would bite you in a heartbeat, and you had to have a good setup. I think we had a good setup and tried to run the smartest race I could.”

During longer green flag runs, when tire conservation came into play, drivers slowed the pace of the race down to over an 18-second lap time. But Keselowski noted that looks can be deceiving.

“It ain’t no parade lap,” he said. “You’re still hauling the mail. It’s different, but you’re just managing.”

Goodyear felt the tire wear was too drastic and will be digging into the data. NASCAR’s John Probst, however, thought it was one of the best short-track races he’d ever seen, and his initial reaction was not to make changes for the fall race aside from giving teams more tires.

“That was definitely the craziest race I feel like I’ve ever been a part of in the Cup series,” Chase Briscoe said. “We normally just run every lap as a qualifying lap and you might save a little bit, but you’re never going that slow to save tires. It was definitely bizarre how it all played out, and green flag pit stops, and it was like you had 1000 more horsepower than the field when you were on new tires.

“It was nuts. It was unfortunate circumstances from a racing standpoint, but for us to end up 13th for as crazy of a race as it was, we were definitely way better than 13th.”

Justin Haley said he loved Sunday’s race.

“I don’t know what social media says, but as a driver, I thought it was fun because you had to manage it,” Haley said. “You weren’t all-out the whole time, so it was fun to have a major part in how the car ran.”

A few drivers equated Sunday to grassroots short-track racing. It’s not uncommon to be limited on tires or have to manage tires at a local short track on a Saturday night.

“I was joking with the guys that it’s just an oversized Pensacola with tire wear,” John Hunter Nemechek said. “I grew up short track late model racing – places that you had to manage tire wear till the end of the run. We were able to do so.”

Said Keselowski said, “The drivers have been asking for the tires to wear out more and we got it. If we were like a two on a 10 scale, this was a nine or a 10. Maybe there’s a middle ground somewhere. It was definitely a different race.

“I had a lot of fun. I felt like you had to be really smart. It’s good to have something different every once in a while.”

Todd Gilliland said, “For the middle part of the race, it gave me really big flashbacks of a Myrtle Beach race back in the day (where) you see guys go three-wide and there’s just going up (the track), and then you kind of get stuck and there’s nowhere to go. But a place like that it’s different because you kind of wear out and just slowly lose spots. But this, you would really fall off a cliff. It was tough.”

Kyle Larson, however, was the outlier in his opinion of the experience.

“If I knew I was only doing this one time, I would say that was kind of fun,” Larson said. “It was weird to have to manage, guess on how hard to run, guess how each run was going to play out. You were kind of constantly in traffic and managing distance to people in front and behind. So, the strategy side of that in the driver’s seat was kind of fun, but I would never want to do that again.

“To have to run a race like that every week would be not good, and it’s honestly probably a black eye to Goodyear just with all the rubber that couldn’t get laid down and just wearing through tires and all that. It was different and we somehow made the most of it and somehow got to fifth.”

A few other notes from Sunday’s race:

It did not feature the new short-track package teams ran at Phoenix Raceway last weekend. It was the same package run at Bristol last year, the race package NASCAR uses at every track (except where the short-track/road course rules package is run).

The left-side tire was the same one that’s been run at Bristol since the fall of 2022 and the right-side tire ran at Bristol in the fall of 2023.

Resin was sprayed at Bristol in the lower lane of each corner.

The high temperature on Sunday in Bristol was 62 degrees.

Bristol ‘one of the best short track races I’ve ever seen’ – Probst

NASCAR’s initial reaction after Sunday’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was that there is no need to mess with a good thing. Cup Series teams found themselves in a tire battle in the Food City 500 due to rapid wear and cording. It …

NASCAR’s initial reaction after Sunday’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was that there is no need to mess with a good thing.

Cup Series teams found themselves in a tire battle in the Food City 500 due to rapid wear and cording. It resulted in a tire management race by both the drivers and the race teams, and NASCAR approving Goodyear to release an extra set in the second stage. In the end, the race produced a track-record 54 lead changes and a tied record of 16 different leaders.

“I know on the [tire] allotment, we actually removed a set of tires from the fall race coming into this race. That’s on us, not Goodyear,” NASCAR chief racing development officer John Probst said when addressing the media less than two hours after the checkered flag. “So we actually gave that back during the race, as you guys saw. We’ll go back and look at it all.

“There were times in the race, obviously, when there was anxiety around [having] enough tires to finish it. But man, coming out the end and watching all that, I would not want to change much at all, honestly. Just maybe give them more tires [in the fall].”

Sunday’s product was unexpected entering the weekend, as Goodyear brought the same left-side tire that’s been run at Bristol since the fall of 2022. The right-side tire was decided during a test last year and was run in the fall race with no issue.

The only difference was the resin sprayed in the corners’ lower lane. But for a reason many in the industry are trying to figure out after 500 laps, all the variables came together for a much different race than previously seen.

“[It was] certainly a record-setting day for us,” Probst said. “I know the race teams are probably pretty wore out right now. I know our track crew and folks up in the booth are pretty wore out just from a pretty exciting day all around on the track. Certainly had some anxiety around some tire wear and things like that. All in all, I think it was probably one of the best short track races I’ve ever seen.”

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Probst revealed NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway chose to put resin down because of the race package that was brought for the weekend. NASCAR now has the ability to use a wet weather tire, which would get cars back on track sooner after a rain delay. However, when NASCAR tested the wet weather tire at Bristol, it was found that a resin traction compound needed to be used over PJ1, which is heat-activated.

“One thing we learned with our testing on the wet weather [tire] on ovals was that the cars are the best way to dry the track quickly,” Probst said. “The fans want to see the cars on track, so when we came here and tested, we tried the PJ1, and when we wet the track down, it’s almost like oil on the track. The cars will get no traction.

“When we came back here this year with the wet weather package for Bristol, we elected to use the resin versus PJ1.”

The resin was applied at the start of the weekend at Bristol and then Sunday morning after the Craftsman Truck Series race. Probst, however, said even with all the data and friction tests done, nothing stood out as to why the resin reacted differently than the PJ1.

“When you look at the friction levels, they were growing, if you will, throughout the weekend,” Probst said. “We monitor it every day and after every time there are cars on track. Everything appeared pretty normal. We’ll obviously look at everything here. We’ll work with Goodyear and we’ll work with the teams. We worked a lot with the drivers.

“Frankly, they’ve been asking for more tire wear for a while now. We’ve been working on it. It could have been a combination of resin temperature and all of it today. … It’s too soon to put a definitive reason to any of it, but great race.”

Goodyear expects to do another tire test before the fall race at Bristol. NASCAR is eager to dig into the data from Sunday and gather feedback from all involved before making any decisions on changes for the September event.

“Again, great job by everyone,” Probst said. “I thought [it was] just a phenomenal race with great results for our fans.”

Hamlin’s veteran savvy masters tire wear chess match at Bristol

How appropriate. On a day where tire management was the essential element in a NASCAR Cup Series race, three veterans swept the podium positions, with Denny Hamlin winning Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. In a race that produced 54 …

How appropriate.

On a day where tire management was the essential element in a NASCAR Cup Series race, three veterans swept the podium positions, with Denny Hamlin winning Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In a race that produced 54 lead changes—a record for Cup Series short tracks—Hamlin lost the lead briefly to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the closing laps but regained it in traffic and beat Truex to the finish line by 1.083s.

In a return to concrete after three straight spring races on dirt, Hamlin won his second straight race at the 0.533-mile speedway and his fourth overall, second most among active drivers to Kyle Busch’s eight.

The victory was the 52nd of Hamlin’s career, 13th all-time, and his first this season.

But the story was the tires and the mysterious way they behaved in a race that saw the track start to eat through to the cords 45 laps into a green-flag run.

 

Goodyear brought the same tire that ran without issues in last fall’s night race, but on Sunday, the concrete surface did not take rubber. Instead, marbles (small balls of rubber from degraded tires) accumulated high in the corners, making the top of the track untenable.

There were two variables that might have helped to account for the tire issues. The temperature was roughly 10-15 degrees cooler than it was for last year’s night race, which was run on Sept. 16.

NASCAR also opted for a different resin the bottom lane from the PJ1 traction compound previously in use.

Whatever the cause, with his short-track background, Hamlin was best equipped to deal with the surprising situation.

“That’s what I grew up here doing in the short tracks in the Mid Atlantic, South Boston (Va.), Martinsville,” said Hamlin, who grew up in Chesterfield, Va. “Once it became a tire-management race, I really liked our chances.

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“Obviously, the veteran in Martin, he knew how to do it as well. We just had a great car, great team. The pit crew just did a phenomenal job all day. Can’t say enough about them… Man, it feels so good to win in Bristol.”

Truex passed Hamlin for the lead in traffic on lap 483 but surrendered the top spot to the race winner one lap later, as the teammates worked around slower cars. Truex’s tires gave up the ghost on the last few circuits, as Hamlin pulled away.

“Apparently, that’s what I needed to have happen here at Bristol to have a shot at winning—I guess this tire management thing fit into my wheelhouse here at Bristol,” Truex said.

“Man, the difference was just coming out of the pits so far behind Denny (after green-flag pit stops during the final run). I had to use mine up more on the last run. The last four, five laps of the race was cord.”

Hamlin led a race-high 163 laps, as the four JGR drivers spent a combined 383 of 500 laps at the front field, with Ty Gibbs leading 137, Truex 54 and Christopher Bell 29.

Brad Keselowski, a three-time winner at the track, finished third, 7.284s behind Hamlin. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson were fourth and fifth, respectively, as only five drivers finished on the lead lap.

The last time five or fewer drivers finished on the lead lap was the June 6, 2004 race at Dover.

John Hunter Nemechek, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Gibbs and Bell came home sixth through 10th, respectively.

Larson and Truex leave Bristol tied for the series lead, passing defending series champion Ryan Blaney, who finished 16th.

RESULTS

Goodyear befuddled by ‘drastic’ change in Bristol tire life

Greg Stucker acknowledged that tire wear is a good thing in a NASCAR race, but the amount seen Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway was unexpected and too much. “I would agree [that] tire wear is always the goal,” Stucker, Goodyear director of racing, …

Greg Stucker acknowledged that tire wear is a good thing in a NASCAR race, but the amount seen Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway was unexpected and too much.

“I would agree [that] tire wear is always the goal,” Stucker, Goodyear director of racing, said during a visit to the media center during the final stage of the Food City 500. “That’s what people wanted to see. It creates comers and goers and who manages tires the best. But we thought we were in a really good spot last year with the tire as we raced it in the fall and something is different now. So this is too drastic.”

Cup Series teams experienced high tire wear and cording right from the green flag Sunday. It left drivers slowing down the pace of the race to conserve rubber, trying to make it an entire run on fuel without issue. However, a rash of incidents and cautions resulted in NASCAR allowing Goodyear to release an extra set of tires to the teams early in the second stage.

There were 10 sets of tires available to the teams entering Sunday’s race. In addition to having nine sets for the race, teams could carry over one set from qualifying.

“We tested here last year with the intent to come up with a tire package that generated more tire wear — that was the request from NASCAR and the teams,” Stucker said. “We feel like we had a very successful test. We feel like we had a very successful race in the fall of last year because we did exactly that. We ran a full fuel stop [and] definitely saw wear, but we thought it was spot on. So now we’re trying to understand what’s different — why is the racetrack behaving differently this weekend than what it did a year ago?”

The extreme cording was a result of the track not taking rubber.

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“If you look up in the corners, the tire rubber is being worn off and it’s just not adhering to the racetrack,” Stucker said. “That’s why you see all the marbles up in the corners. And again, last August, it took rubber immediately. As is typical with concrete, you run around under caution it’ll pick it back up. We see that at Martinsville, we see that at Dover, we see that here. But immediately when we go back green, it lays back down and that’s just not happening.”

Goodyear brought the same left-side tire code that has run at Bristol since the fall of 2022. The right side debuted at Bristol in the fall (after the test Stucker mentioned).

“It’s the same [race] package. It’s the same tire combination,” Stucker said. “Obviously, the difference is resin was placed on the lower groove instead of the PJ1. Yet I still think the racetrack should be taking rubber as it did last year. It took rubber immediately during that race.

“It’s still a bit of an unknown as far as why it’s not behaving the same — that being the racetrack. But that’s kind of what we know now. Obviously, everybody is kind of in the same boat but some guys are able to manage through it a little bit better than others. It’s still a tough situation, and we’re going to have to try and understand exactly what’s happening, what’s different, and adjust from there.”

NASCAR had the resin sprayed through the lower groove at Bristol since the track had become top-lane-dominant in years past. It was applied to the track at the start of the weekend and reapplied Sunday morning following the Saturday night Craftsman Truck Series race.

“Everybody got together and expressed concern [about tires], but we decided to wait and see what happened with the truck race,” Stucker said. “The truck race went exactly like we expected it to – it put rubber down immediately, tire wear was in line with what we have historically seen, so it’s a little bit unclear as to why we’re not seeing that same thing today.”

Video: Blaney cautions ‘it’s early in the year’ as he carries Ford banner

Ryan Blaney seems to be leading Ford early in the NASCAR Cup Series season, but he’s not getting caught up in the numbers. Blaney, who is back atop the standings for the first time since winning the championship last fall, is the only Ford driver …

Ryan Blaney seems to be leading Ford early in the NASCAR Cup Series season, but he’s not getting caught up in the numbers.

Blaney, who is back atop the standings for the first time since winning the championship last fall, is the only Ford driver inside the top 10 in the championship standing. Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric is the next Ford driver in the standings but down in 15th position.

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Saturday, Blaney addressed the point situation and the gap between the Team Penske drivers. He did so after leading Cup Series practice for the Food City 500 and winning the pole.

Eckes finds redemption with Truck Series win at Bristol

Sometimes a victory tastes sweetest when it comes as a chaser for a bitter defeat. That was certainly the case for pole winner Christian Eckes, who held off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to win Saturday night’s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol …

Sometimes a victory tastes sweetest when it comes as a chaser for a bitter defeat.

That was certainly the case for pole winner Christian Eckes, who held off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to win Saturday night’s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In last year’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff race at Bristol, Eckes gave up the lead to Corey Heim with six laps left and finished second by 0.218s.

The loss cost Eckes, who led 150 laps in that event, a berth in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, where his victory in the season finale gave him a consolation prize but not a title.

On Saturday night, Eckes passed Busch for the lead on lap 159 and held it for the final 92 circuits as Busch made a frenetic charge that fell just short. In traffic, Eckes crossed the finish line 0.141s ahead of the career Truck Series victory leader.

“Oh, man, it’s so sweet,” said Eckes, who won for the first time this season, the first time at Bristol and the sixth time in his career. “There’s just so much behind this win from last year, missing out on the Championship 4 and losing the race with [six] to go.

 

“To come back and redeem ourselves was our number one goal, and not only that, but the first three races [of this season], how terribly they’ve gone. We had a lot of issues, and to come back and run really good just shows the resilience of the team.”

By putting his No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Silverado in Victory Lane, Eckes extended Chevrolet’s 2024 Truck Series winning streak to four races.

Under the sixth and final caution, which slowed Busch’s pursuit for eight laps, Busch radioed to his team, “We’re a second-place truck, maybe third.”

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But that didn’t prevent Busch from charging after Eckes after a restart on lap 227 of 250. As the run progressed, Busch cut into Eckes’ lead, which had grown to more than one second, and closed to his back bumper by the time Eckes crossed the finish line.

“The crazy part about it is, we fought loose all through practice, all through qualifying, all through the beginning part of the race on older date codes,” Busch said. “Then we put on the newer date codes of tires and were instantly tight. So just not being able to prepare and practice on what you expect to race on hurt us.

“We tightened up all day, and obviously I don’t think we were as tight as the 19 (Eckes) at the end but, you know, just track position. I let him go early in that run to just go burn his stuff off and track position at the end, just aero effects… Didn’t have enough rubber on the road to outduel him.”

Zane Smith finished third in the first race of a double-duty weekend. Three-time series champion Matt Crafton was fourth after joining Eckes and Busch in a three-way battle for the lead before the final caution for a shunt involving Stewart Friesen and Nick Sanchez on lap 219.

Series leader Tyler Ankrum was fifth, extending his margin over second-place Corey Heim to 17 points. Heim finished sixth, followed by Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth, Grant Enfinger and Sunoco rookie Layne Riggs.

RESULTS

Drivers left scratching heads after huge swing in Bristol conditions

Ryan Blaney enjoyed his Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway despite a drastic change in track conditions between NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying. “A fun day, overall,” Blaney said after winning the pole. “A pretty challenging day, I think, …

Ryan Blaney enjoyed his Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway despite a drastic change in track conditions between NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying.

“A fun day, overall,” Blaney said after winning the pole. “A pretty challenging day, I think, for everybody trying to figure out what the track was doing, what this tire was doing, and where your car needs to get better. It was pretty challenging, which was fun. That’s kind of neat when we’re guessing and things like that.

“Especially qualifying was really interesting because in the first round, I had tons of grip — everybody did — but it was still tricky. You still had people missing the bottom and going for it and slipping out of it, and it was a narrow strip [of track] you had to get. Then, in the second round, I don’t think anyone knew how much grip was going to be lost, like how much we were going to slow down. That was a tricky situation.”

Blaney was fastest in the lone practice session and then in qualifying. The Team Penske driver didn’t seem to have the same white-knuckle experiences some of his fellow competitors did with cars that were suddenly out of control.

The track began to change late in practice before becoming noticeably different in qualifying when drivers started sliding all over the racetrack. Justin Haley was one of the drivers who had to catch his Rick Ware Racing car after it got away from him more than once. Chris Buescher was another driver who was left trying to hang on when his RFK Racing Ford got loose.

Buescher said afterward he didn’t predict the resin would wear off as quickly as it did. NASCAR sprayed the bottom lane of the racetrack at the start of the weekend, looking to add a potential groove, with the top having been the dominant way around Bristol over the last few races.

The RFK pilot qualified 34th out of 36 drivers.

Some drivers were left wondering if the resin was coming up during practice and qualifying, and Buescher admitted he was “not feeling like it’s working how I had hoped. I don’t know if everyone else is happy, but I’m not liking where it’s at right now.”

Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports called his Saturday drive “nerve-wracking.” Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek pondered if it was more car-related, coupled with how each driver attacked the corners. Austin Cindric pointed at the tires and said his Team Penske car drove completely differently after going from one set to another.

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Nemechek qualified 26th and Gilliland, 24th. Cindric qualified 21st.

Martin Truex Jr. summed up the day by saying something different is going on at Bristol than what the field is used to, as if the track didn’t drive like resin was laid down.

“We had that quick caution at the start of Group B practice, and there was a lot of dirt blown around from the jet dryer,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said. “I don’t know if it just covered the bottom up with marbles and dirt and whatnot, but the track was obviously in terrible shape for our practice and really slick, really hard to get a read on. It was just really difficult.

“It made it hard to know [what] to do for qualifying; that hurt me a little bit, but still a decent starting spot for us. But we really didn’t learn anything in practice at all, which is difficult. You don’t get much as it is, and then to not learn anything is tough for tomorrow.”

If track conditions are the same for the Cup Series race Sunday, drivers like Nemechek, Buescher, and William Byron believe the bottom won’t be effective. Byron thinks it will be fine on new tires, but the field will move to the top lane because of the quick pace.

“It was slick for sure,” Byron said after qualifying eighth in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “It was not the most fun thing, but when you realize everyone is running that speed, you kind of realize there’s not much more grip to go get. It was definitely weird recycling on tires and running three-quarters of a second slower and then trying to figure out what your car needs for that pace.

“It was definitely a lot different. We were just OK today; I think we have a lot of room to improve, but it’s a unique challenge.”

Nemechek hopes NASCAR doesn’t do anything with the resin because he’ll need the top lane to make up ground. Michael McDowell, who qualified seventh for Front Row Motorsports, shared a similar sentiment because he felt it was “kind of fun” how the track was Saturday.

“We’ll see what happens for tonight’s truck race,” McDowell said, “And then I’m sure they’ll make a decision on how they’re going to do whatever it is they’re going to do.”

Saturday night’s Craftsman Truck Series race followed Cup Series qualifying and was 250 laps. The Cup Series race will be 500 laps Sunday.

Blaney runs to Bristol pole in sweep of Saturday sessions

Ryan Blaney swept Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series activity at Bristol Motor Speedway by claiming the pole for the Food City 500. The Team Penske driver went to the top of the leaderboard in the final round of qualifying with a lap of 124.954mph …

Ryan Blaney swept Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series activity at Bristol Motor Speedway by claiming the pole for the Food City 500.

The Team Penske driver went to the top of the leaderboard in the final round of qualifying with a lap of 124.954mph (15.356s). It was Blaney’s 10th pole win in the Cup Series and his first at Bristol.

“I’m proud of the whole Menards group,” Blaney said. “The Ford Mustang was fast all day and really good in round one, and made some adjustments for the second round, and I think the track kind of caught everybody by surprise, honestly. The tire fall off, the grip loss behind the wheel was incredible. It’s huge. So it was like, who can not mess up a lap and still put a decent time down? That was fun. It was fun working through it. I wish I could even do it over again and try to make our car even better because I think there was still some more out of there.

“It’s cool to get our first pole of the year and excited to go tomorrow.”

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Josh Berry earned a career-best starting position by qualifying second. Berry will start on the front row after putting down a lap of 124.792mph.

Denny Hamlin qualified third (124.178mph), Joey Logano, fourth (123.746mph), Chase Elliott, fifth (122.882mph), Chase Briscoe, sixth (122.858mph), Michael McDowell, seventh (122.108mph) and William Byron, eighth (121.666mph).

Bubba Wallace qualified ninth (121.612mph) and Kyle Larson rounded out the top 10 (114.603mph).

Martin Truex Jr. qualified 11th after missing the final round. Christopher Bell ended up 12th.

Nine-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch qualified 14th. Erik Jones completed the top 15.

It was an adventurous session for many drivers who experienced a sudden loss of grip between practice and qualifying. Multiple drivers got out of shape on their qualifying laps but all avoided disaster.

Notable drivers who will start deep in the field: Tyler Reddick (23rd), Alex Bowman (29th), Chris Buescher (34th), and Ross Chastain (36th).

RESULTS