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  • Larson Fastest in Second Cup Series Practice at Bristol

    Larson Fastest in Second Cup Series Practice at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Larson topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet clocked in at a time of 14.874 and a speed of 129.004 mph.

    He was followed by Martin Truex Jr., who timed in at 14.880 and a speed of 128.952 mph, Aric Almirola at 14.881 and 128.943 mph, Kyle Busch at 14.882 and 128.934 mph and Kasey Kahne at 14.894 and 128.830 mph.

    David Ragan, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott rounded out the Top-10.

    Erik Jones, who posted the 11th-fastest single lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 127.292 mph.

    The session proceeded without incident.

    First practice results

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  • Kyle Busch Takes Pole Position at Thunder Valley

    Kyle Busch Takes Pole Position at Thunder Valley

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch knows there’s no better place to start at Bristol Motor Speedway than up front, and the smile on his face after winning the pole for the Food City 500 is all the evidence you need.

    “Adam Steven and my guys, they do an awesome job, and the preparation and everything that we got going on right now has been really good for our Skittles Camry. Can’t say enough about JGR and TRD, Costa Mesa, all those guys with the motors and stuff too. It’s nice to come out here and grab a front row starting spot, but I got to be careful and mindful. I got to make sure that I have a good race car, because anytime I’ve ever started up front, I have not finished up front. And anytime I’ve ever started in the back, I’ve finished up front. We’re trying to change things here this time around this weekend. Thankfully, we’ve got a fast race car to do that with. We’ll just keep working at it, and find some more things tomorrow that’ll help us for Sunday.”

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota took pole position with a final round time of 14.895 and a speed of 128.822 mph.

    Following him are brother Kurt, with a time of 14.897 and a speed of 128.804 mph, Brad Keselowski with a time of 14.960 and a speed of 128.262 mph, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a time of 14.961 and a speed of 128.253 mph and Ryan Blaney with a time of 14.969 128.185 mph.

    Most of the cars didn’t hit the track in mass in the first round until the final four minutes and 20 seconds. Kyle Busch topped the chart with ease, followed by brother Kurt, Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Ryan Blaney.

    It was the same in the second round, only most of the field waited even later in the round (less than two minutes remaining) before departing pit road. The Busch brothers swapped positions in the running order for the second round, with Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson rounding out the Top-five.

    Kevin Harvick, who wrecked his primary car in the closing minutes practice earlier today, didn’t turn a lap in qualifying and will start last. Jimmie Johnson will join him in the back, after his team changed a cut left-front tire (you’re required to start on the tires on which you qualified).

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  • Blaney & Jones fastest in first practice

    Blaney & Jones fastest in first practice

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway. Both drivers posted a time of 14.774 and a speed of 129.877 mph.

    Blaney clocked in his fastest lap early on in the session, riding the VHT track bite along the bottom four feet of the racing groove, while Jones set it in the closing minutes. Although drivers tend to ride a tire-width above the bottom or with right side on the gray of the concrete.

    Kurt Busch timed in at third, with a time of 14.799 and a speed of 129.657 mph. Kyle Busch timed in at fourth, with a time of 14.822 and a speed of 129.456 mph. Kyle Larson rounded out the Top-five, with a time of 14.840 and a speed of 129.299 mph.

    Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski, David Ragan and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the Top-10.

    Jones posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average, at a speed of 124.148 mph.

    Kevin Harvick gets directed to hop inside the awaiting ambulance to make the short trip to the infield care center, after his car slammed the outside wall in Turn 3 in the closing minutes of the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway. Photo: David Yeazell/SpeedwayMedia.com

    Kevin Harvick suffered a left-front part failure going into Turn 3 and slammed the outside wall in the closing minutes of the session. His team rolled out the backup car and he’ll start from the tail-end of the field on Sunday.

    Second practice results

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  • Jones Finishes Runner-Up in Career Night

    Jones Finishes Runner-Up in Career Night

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Erik Jones put on a career-best performance, leading over half the race, but it wasn’t enough to beat Kyle Busch in the waning laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Having won the pole the day prior, he led the field to the green flag. It wasn’t long, 60 seconds in fact, before his first stint in front was cut short, when Chase Elliott passed him exiting Turn 4 to take the lead. He took it back from Elliott two laps later.

    His next stint lasted a little longer, going 45 laps before he left the bottom lane open in Turn 2, which allowed Kyle Larson to get alongside and pass him going into Turn 3.

    While Jones didn’t get back to the front during the remainder of the first stage, he passed Larson on the final lap of the stage to finish second.

    He exited pit road with the race lead and held the lead until Busch swung by him on the high-side in Turn 3 to take the lead on Lap 166. He used Brad Keselowski as a pick to pass Busch and retake the lead on Lap 180, only to get held up by Paul Menard and getting passed right back by Busch on Lap 198.

    After a two-car wreck in Turn 3 on Lap 227, Jones opted to short-pit the end of the second stage to set up for the run to the checkered flag. He finished fifth in the second stage.

    With leader Matt Kenseth pitting under the stage break, Jones inherited the race lead and was unchallenged during the long 93-lap green flag stint from Lap 257 to Lap 354. On the ensuing restart on Lap 360, Busch went on the attack via the high-side in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 361.

    After a single-car incident on the backstretch on Lap 396 and the lead cars pitted, Jones exited with the race lead.

    The run to the finish with 79 laps to go had him line up first on the bottom, Kenseth to the outside in second and Busch in third behind Jones. Busch made it by Kenseth with 72 to go and set his sights on Jones. With 56 to go, Jones got loose in Turn 3, allowing Busch to dive underneath and take the lead exiting Turn 4.

    Busch started to pull away, but ran into heavy lapped traffic with 22 to go, allowing Jones to close in. But just as lapped traffic slowed Busch down, it slowed him down in his quest to catch Busch. He finally ran out of time and came home second.

    “It’s a bummer, I mean you can’t lie. I thought we had a really good day and we fought hard all day. We had our ups and downs and led a lot of laps and didn’t have quite enough at the end,” Jones said. “Kyle (Busch) is really good here. But we had a good 5-hour Energy Camry. Just needed a little more at the end. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t have it. I did what I could, but it just wasn’t quite enough.”

    Jones leaves Bristol 16th in points, 129 behind Kenseth for the final playoff spot. Barring a major penalty by Kenseth’s team at Darlington Raceway and/or Richmond International Raceway, Jones can’t mathematically point his way into a playoff spot. He must win at Darlington and/or Richmond to clinch a spot.

  • Kyle Busch Completes Weekend Sweep with Late Pass at Bristol

    Kyle Busch Completes Weekend Sweep with Late Pass at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch made a late pass on Erik Jones in the waning laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race and held off his late charge to complete the weekend sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Jones led the field to the green on the final restart of the night with 79 laps to go. Busch, who a few laps prior had passed Matt Kenseth for second, went underneath Jones exiting Turn 4 to retake the lead with 56 to go. Lapped traffic prevented Busch from completely pulling away, but the same lapped traffic also stopped Jones from getting too close to him to threaten his lead.

    In the end, Busch drove on to his 40th career victory in 450 career starts.

    “Erik Jones put up a whale of a fight. That was all I had. I was running with my arm hanging out. My arms are jello and my throat hurts, but man that’s awesome. Can’t say enough about everybody on my Joe Gibbs Racing team. Adam Stevens and the guys are phenomenal. Car might not’ve been perfect. I’m never perfect. I never feel like we’re perfect, but this Caramel Camry was fast. So proud of these guys. So proud of my team. So proud of “Rowdy Nation.” This one’s for you!”

    Jones finished second and Denny Hamlin rounded out the podium.

    Kenseth and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five.

    Ryan Newman, Trevor Bayne, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Jones led the field to the green flag at 7:47 p.m. It only took 60 seconds into the race for Chase Elliott to pass him exiting Turn 4 and take the lead on Lap 4. Jones retook the lead two laps later. He left the bottom open in Turn 2, allowing Busch to pass him entering Turn 3 on Lap 51.

    When the first caution flew on Lap 61 and the leaders opted to pit, Larson exited the pits with the lead. He led for awhile, until he was held up by a lapped Brad Keselowski in Turn 1, which allowed Busch to go high and take the lead on Lap 114.

    Busch and Larson battled back and forth in the closing laps of the first stage, ending with Busch giving the chrome bumper to Larson going into Turn 1 on the final lap of the stage in order to win it.

    Under the stage break, Jones exited the pits with the race lead. He held it until Busch swung to the high side of Jones in Turn 3 to retake the lead on Lap 166. Jones responded on Lap 180 by using Keselowski as a pick to pass Busch for the lead. Not long after, Jones himself was held up by Paul Menard, which allowed Busch to retake the lead on Lap 198.

    After a two-car wreck in Turn 3, Busch and the leaders elected to pit. Kenseth was the first of those who didn’t, assumed the race lead and drove on to win the second stage.

    Jones took back the race lead under the stage break. Busch powered by Jones up high in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 361. Jones regained the lead on pit road under the event’s seventh caution.

    Landon Cassill’s shunt, hit on the inside wall and hard hit on the outside wall in Turn 1 with 84 to go set up the run to the finish.

    CAUTION SUMMARY

    Caution flew for the first time on Lap 61 when Aric Almirola made contact with the wall and fell dramatically off the pace, on the racing surface. The second flew on Lap 125 for the end of the first stage. The third came out when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall in Turn 2 on Lap 200. The fourth flew on Lap 227 for a two-car wreck in Turn 3 involving Austin Dillon and Jeffrey Earnhardt. The fifth was for the end of the second stage on Lap 250. The sixth was for Trevor Bayne slamming the wall in Turn 1 on Lap 354. The seventh flew on Lap 396 when Elliott hit the inside wall on the backstretch. The seventh flew for Cassill’s hard lick with the outside wall in Turn 1 with 84 to go.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted two hours, 46 minutes and 37 seconds, at an average speed of 95.969 mph. There were 21 lead changes among six different drivers and eight cautions for 53 laps.

    Truex leaves with a 101-point lead over Kyle Busch.

    Elliott, Kenseth and Jamie McMurray maintain the final playoff spots with two races remaining in the regular season.

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  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Bristol

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Bristol

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series came to Bristol Motor Speedway after a week off and now the series will be on the road for the next four weeks. And now it’s pressure time for the bubble drivers/drivers who are on the outside looking in. Let’s take a look at who tops this week’s power rankings from Bristol.

    1. Matt Crafton – After a respectable sixth-place finish last weekend at Michigan, Crafton had a career-best night at Bristol by finishing second. He finished third in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. He also led twice for 90 laps. It was a great points night for Crafton.

    “It was a really, really good race,” Crafton said. “The bottom was definitely a little preferred, but you could move around. You could at least run the second and third groove and weren’t like we were in practice. You were literally a second off the pace if you had to move off the bottom. Props to the track for what they did right there, it made for some great racing, I feel. I just wish we could’ve run that out because we were running him down there at the end, especially when he (Kyle Busch) was in lapped traffic. He picked me in lapped traffic earlier, so it was my turn there at the end, but just couldn’t quite get there whenever the yellow came out.”

    2. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek had a quiet night at Bristol, but finished third after starting 14th. He didn’t finish inside the top 10 in Stage 1 but finished 10th in Stage 2. This was Nemechek’s best finish since Pocono after a disappointing weekend at Michigan. He now sits eighth in the points standings but will be racing for the championship due to wins earlier in the year, if sponsorship permits.

    3. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes scored another top-five of the year at Bristol by finishing fifth. In Stage 1, he finished seventh and he finished fourth in Stage 2. He is currently fifth in the point standings but is not locked in with a win yet. He could turn that around in the two races left before the playoffs. It’s time for Rhodes to get a win after being close earlier in the year as wins are important in the playoffs to advance to the next round.

    “Our Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra was fast all night tonight,” Rhodes commented. “We got pretty far back in the field, and I was actually pretty proud of our team, and how good of a Tundra we had to be able to drive from 14th, to I think fourth, all during a green flag run. You know, unfortunately, the balance actually shifted on us. The track changed a lot in that last run. We just got way too free overall. We were able to come in on that last caution and put new tires on it, mostly because we had a vibration again. It seemed to be an issue, we got some bad tires. I don’t know what was going on, but we were having a bad vibration, so we came in to make sure that nothing was corded, and went back out there, and ended up fifth – same place we came in. Overall I’m happy. It was a good solid points night.”

    4. Johnny Sauter – Sauter needed a rebound after a sour finish at Michigan by finishing 18th and he got it at Bristol with a sixth-place finish. It may not sound like much, but a top 10 is better than a top 20. However, he’s lost more ground to points leader Christopher Bell. He now sits 42 behind.

    5. Grant Enfinger – Just like Nemechek, Enfinger also had a quiet night at the “Fastest Half Mile.” In Stages 1 and 2, he finished fifth and ninth, respectively. He didn’t lead any laps, but picked up 41 points and is now seventh in the standings. But he will need to keep up those strong runs and possibly a win to lock himself into the playoffs.

    “We had a decent restart there at the end, and we really had a good Champion Power Equipment Tundra all day,” Enfinger noted. “We weren’t great. The 46 (Kyle Busch) – he’s really good at this racing stuff. He made us all look bad. But a solid run for us. We’ll take it. We need a little bit more but very, very proud of everybody on this ThorSport Racing team. We had to battle through some adversity this week, but we still got some more to come, so we’ll keep fighting strong.”

    The Camping World Truck Series has just two races remaining until the playoffs/race to the championship begins for the series. There are some drivers that are on the bubble who don’t need a bad day and there are some drivers on the outside looking in who need a win to lock themselves in. And with two wildcards remaining, it’s certainly possible we could see a major shakeup in the point standings. It’s win or go home for the Truck Series drivers that are ninth on back.

  • Four Takeaways From The Truck Series At Bristol

    Four Takeaways From The Truck Series At Bristol

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was back in action at Bristol Motor Speedway on a Wednesday night. Here are four takeaways from the UNOH 200 at Bristol.

    1. Kyle Busch rebounds and dominates after speeding penalty – Busch was dominating the race at the end of Stage 2 when he was busted for speeding on pit road. It wasn’t until lap 167, where Busch was back up front and held on from there to score another win at Bristol. Busch led a race high of 109 laps. Now that’s domination.
    2. Matt Crafton gets a solid a second – It’s been an up and down year for Matt Crafton. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t win until a few weeks ago at Eldora for his first win of the year, unusual for the two-time champion. Recently, however, it seems as though Crafton has been on a streak of top 10s since that win. A second place finish certainly helps him get his season back on track. Crafton sits third in points 53 behind.
    3. Credit to NASCAR for getting the race in – It was a challenge, but I have to give NASCAR credit for trying their hardest to get the race in before postponing it to the next day. Sure it created a long night, but it was well worth the wait. Kudos to the officials.
    4. Sharknado 6 featuring Noah Gragson – When there’s a rain delay, it normally creates a lot of downtime for the drivers. This time it was Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Noah Gragson who created Twitter and TV buzz during the rain delay. The 19-year-old, Gragson, happened to have a shark head costume and was having a little fun during the delay. At one point, he was standing behind John Hunter Nemechek, who, at the time, was doing a TV interview and ended up making the driver look behind. In fact, Toyota Racing put up a video of Gragson talking with the costume on, saying his name was “fuzzy.” A funny TV moment for sure. He might just get a casting call for Sharknado 6.

      And here’s the video that @ToyotaRacing put on their twitter page.

       

  • Gaughan Takes Playoff Hit at Bristol

    Gaughan Takes Playoff Hit at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — While Brendan Gaughan still occupies a playoff spot with two races remaining in the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season, his late wreck in the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway did him no favors.

    Gaughan was part of a three-wide row of cars exiting Turn 4 with 17 laps to go with him up against the wall, Jeb Burton driving the 24 car in the middle and Garrett Smithley on the bottom. Something broke on the right-front of Burton’s car (evidenced by the fire that broke out in the wheel well a few minutes later), leading to him drifting up into the left-rear of Gaughan. Burton hit and sent him spinning backward into the wall, making contact with his right-rear corner.

    He then comes down and makes contact with Ray Black Jr. Moments later, his left-rear tire goes flat and he spins up towards the wall. He makes slight contact with the wall again, with his front bumper, before doing a full 360° spin, coming to a stop and pulling down onto the apron.

    Gaughan finished the race 30th, and he wasn’t happy with Burton after what transpired.

    “We had a decent South Point Chevy. We were gonna sit there in the top-14, top-12 for the most part, and then we have the loose wheel. It’s just racing man. That happens. But two weeks in a row. I know he don’t have many races and I like him a lot normally, but right now, I’m gonna knock the hell out of him. The first time, he gave me a flat. The second time, he says he blew a tire, but if you know you got a tire blowing, don’t drive underneath somebody.”

    Burton later responded, saying he never meant “to get into him” and that he “just got tight.”

    Gaughan leaves Bristol 12th in points, maintaining a 43-point edge over Ross Chastain for the final playoff spot.

  • Kyle Busch Goes 2-for-2 in Bristol, Rallies with XFINITY Victory

    Kyle Busch Goes 2-for-2 in Bristol, Rallies with XFINITY Victory

    By Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    Kyle Busch completed the second leg in a potential Bristol Motor Speedway tripleheader sweep, rallying to victory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Friday night.

    Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota led a race-high 186 of 300 laps in the Food City 300. He also converted a come-from-behind victory Wednesday in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

    Busch was bitten by a pit-road speeding penalty during the intermission after his Stage 1 win, forcing him to restart in 19th place. But Busch roared back to the front — much like he did in his midweek truck win — in 58 laps to take Stage 2 and position himself for another victory on the .533-mile track.

    “At least I didn’t have to come through in the last stage because everybody was pretty fast there tonight in the last stage,” said Busch, whose Truck Series comeback came in the final stage. “I don’t know if I would have been able to make it all the way back up through there.”

    Busch’s fifth XFINITY win of the season was his ninth at Bristol and the 91st of his career. He’ll go for the tripleheader sweep in Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series main event (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM), a Bristol feat he also accomplished in 2010.

    “I think we can, yeah,” Busch said of his chances, starting 18th in Bristol’s annual night race. “We’ve got a fast car. We just have to make the right adjustments overnight here and get it ready for tomorrow.”

    Daniel Suarez, Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, netted second place in the No. 20 Toyota, finishing 1.181 seconds behind Busch at the checkered flag.

    Series points leader Elliott Sadler finished third, clinching a playoff spot by ensuring himself a top-20 result in the regular-season standings. Ty Dillon and Justin Allgaier completed the top five.

    The series’ next race is scheduled Aug. 27 at Road America, the sprawling 4.048-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

    Related Links: Race results | Series standings

  • Kyle Busch Puts on Clinic in Bristol XFINITY Race

    Kyle Busch Puts on Clinic in Bristol XFINITY Race

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — It was another Kyle Busch showcase, as he led a race-high of 186 to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    He led the field to the green flag at 7:45 and led the first 16 laps, before Justin Allgaier powered by him, on the high side, on the Lap 16 restart to take the lead. Busch drove underneath him exiting Turn 2 on Lap 33 and drove on to win the first stage.

    He was busted for speeding and restarted the second stage from the tail-end of the field. However, he methodically worked his back to the head of the field on Lap 157, just in time for him to win the second stage.

    From there, while he briefly lost the lead to Daniel Suarez and Elliott Sadler, it was all Rowdy’s with 98 laps to go, who drove right on to his 91st career victory.

    Suarez finished second and Sadler rounded out the podium.

    Ty Dillon and Allgaier rounded out the top-five.

    Brennan Poole, Daniel Hemric, Austin Dillon, Joey Logano and Cole Custer rounded out the top-10.

    CAUTION SUMMARY

    Caution first flew on Lap 12 for David Starr when he slammed the wall in Turn 1. The second flew when Aric Almirola and Ryan Reed crashed in Turn 3 on Lap 29. The third flew on Lap 39 when Reed slammed the wall in Turn 4. The fourth flew for the end of the first stage on Lap 86. The fifth flew for Brandon Jones spinning out on the front stretch on Lap 124. The sixth flew for the end of the second stage. The seventh flew for Tommy Joe Martins slamming the wall in Turn 1 with 84 laps to go. The final caution flew with 23 to go when Brendan Gaughan got turned into the front stretch wall.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted one hour, 48 minutes and 30 seconds, at an average speed of 88.424 mph. There were 11 lead changes among four different drivers and eight cautions for 46 laps.

    Sadler leaves with a 110-point lead over William Byron.

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