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Harvick Wins the 24 Hours of Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, Tenn. — It took 24 hours to finally settle the results of the night race at Bristol and Kevin Harvick found himself in victory lane as the Sun set over Northeast Tennessee.

The 56th running of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race was scheduled to start last night at 8:15, but weather delayed the start by nearly 30 minutes. Carl Edwards led the field to the green flag at 9:03 p.m. but lost the lead to teammate Denny Hamlin and wasn’t threatening to win much after that.

The lead swapped back and forth between Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch for the first 30 laps before rain brought out the first caution of the race.

After a one hour, 24-minute and four-second red flag period, the cars rolled back off pit road for 10 laps before more rain forced NASCAR to postpone the remainder of the race to Sunday.

A scheduled start of 1 p.m. was pushed back by constant rain. Eventually, the red flag was withdrawn at 4:33 p.m. and the race restarted on lap 58.

Most of the first half of the race was dominated by Busch. After the halfway mark, Harvick moved in to take control of the race.

Busch’s car suffered a part’s failure and spun out in Turn 2 on lap 359. As his car say lifeless in the middle of the track, Justin Allgaier, tried to avoid him but collided with the car. Allgaier’s car continued up track and collected Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson.

Calamity continued two laps after the ensuing restart when race leader Kurt Busch got loose exiting Turn 2 and slid down into Brad Keselowski. As the field slowed down to avoid the spinning Busch and Keselowski, Elliott slammed into the rear of Matt Kenseth and sent him into the rear of Jimmie Johnson and the wall.

Harvick dominated most of the rest of the race and drove on to score the victory.

“I’ve got to thank Busch Beer, Jimmy John’s, Chevrolet, and Mobil 1 and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing on this Chevrolet,” Harvick said. “We should have won a lot of races this year but we just had things not go our way. We made mistakes, or whatever the case may be. But, to get back into Victory Lane here at Bristol feels really good. We’ve had some good cars here over the last few years. And to have Busch Beer on the car; we’ve had crummy luck with these guys on the car and so I’m just really happy for Busch and Jimmy John’s and really proud of these guys on the No. 4 team.”

It’s his 33rd career victory in 561 Sprint Cup Series starts, second of 2016, second at Bristol Motor Speedway, his 18th top-10 finish of the season and 15th top-10 finish in 32 starts at Bristol.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished runner-up in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

“We really wanted to get this Bryan Clauson tribute car in victory lane,” Stenhouse said. “It just wasn’t meant to be today. We made our car a lot faster throughout the race and came from two laps down to get back on the lead lap. We missed some wrecks and gave it all we had. I thought we were matching the 4 car there lap for lap, but he got away from us and we had to restart sixth there on that last restart, but it was an honor to drive this car.”

It’s his fifth top-10 finish of 2016 and fourth in eight races at Bristol.

Denny Hamlin recovered from a speeding penalty and a loose wheel that put him two laps down to round out the podium in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“Yeah, we had a great car,” Hamlin said. “We definitely got it a lot better there at the end and proud that we’re able to come back from two laps down and get a good finish out of it, but still a good overall day for our FedEx Express Camry. Just came up a little short.”

Austin Dillon finished fourth in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Chris Buescher was the highest finishing rookie as he rounded out the top-five in his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

Edwards came home sixth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Johnson recovered from being caught in the wreck with 127 laps to go to finish seventh in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Jamie McMurray finished eighth in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. AJ Allmendinger finished ninth in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

The race lasted three hours, 25 minutes and five seconds at an average speed of 77.968 mph. There were 20 lead changes among eight different drivers and nine cautions for 106 laps.

Harvick leaves Bristol with a 27-point lead over Keselowski in the points standings.

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August 21, 2016
Bristol Sprint Cup Race Postponed to Sunday

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The night race at Bristol will now be run on a Sunday afternoon.

Persistent rain showers forced NASCAR to pull the plug on the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race after completing 48 of the 500 scheduled laps. The forecast for the rest of the night showed no signs of improvement.

The race will restart on lap 49 with Kyle Busch in the race lead. He assumed command of the race after driving underneath Chase Elliott exiting Turn 4 on lap 23. Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth make up the top-five in the running order.

The race will resume at 1 p.m. on CNBC.

This is the third race affected by rain in the last three years.

August 20, 2016
Additional resin added to lower groove at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR reversed course and added more resin to the lower groove at Thunder Valley.

Eighteen inches of VHT was laid down on the bottom lane in through turns 1 and 2 and turns 3 and 4 during the overnight hours in preparation of tonight’s Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The substance is meant to give cars more grip so as to make the bottom lane equal to or better than the top lane that has been the preferred groove around Bristol the last four years.

“It was a collaboration between the track, (NASCAR) and the industry,” said Kurt Culbert, NASCAR spokesperson. “(The resin) seemed to work really well.”

It was announced two weeks ago that Bristol has laid down the VHT in advance of the triple-header weekend. Nobody wanted to touch the bottom during the first Camping World Truck Series practice of the weekend after overnight rain. But the trucks started running the bottom in final practice and were running lap times far faster on the bottom than on the top. The bottom continued to dominate through the UNOH 200, although drivers like William Byron tried to run the high line late in the race, and it appeared that the resin had brought back the Bristol of “old.”

By the time the Sprint Cup cars hit the track, more and more drivers were moving up the track to rubber in the top groove. The gap in speed from the top to the bottom was closing, but the bottom was still the quickest way around.

Just after the first caution flew in the XFINITY Series Food City 300, the top lane prevailed as the fastest way around the track.

Brad Keselowski said after the XFINITY race he wanted Bristol to work on the bottom groove before the Cup race.

“The whole point was to work on the bottom groove and make it so this isn’t a track you run up on top,” Keselowski said. “There was a lot of work to make that happen and it didn’t stick with running four series here over the weekend. It’s just a question on NASCAR, whether they want to let the track work on it and get it back.”

August 20, 2016
Edwards Grabs the Sprint Cup Pole at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Carl Edwards will lead the field to the green flag in Saturday night’s race at Thunder Valley.

The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race after posting a time of 14.602 and a speed of 131.407 mph. It’s his 21st pole in 432 career Sprint Cup Series starts, the fifth of 2016 and fourth in 25 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Denny Hamlin, who set a new track record time in round 1 – that he also previously held – of a time of 14.573 and a speed of 131.668 mph, will start second in his No. 11 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 14.602 and a speed of 131.200 mph. Kyle Busch will start third in his No. 18 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 14.655 and a speed of 130.931 mph. Ryan Blaney will start fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford after posting a time of 14.688 and a speed of 130.637 mph. Matt Kenseth will round out the top-five starters in his No. 20 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 14.690 and a speed of 130.619 mph.

Chase Elliott will start sixth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. will start seventh in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. AJ Allmendinger will start eighth in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. Brad Keselowski will start ninth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Joey Logano will round out the top-10 in his No. 22 Penske Ford.

Jeff Gordon will start 11th as Chris Buescher rounds out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying.

Forty cars were entered so nobody was sent home.

Twenty-two Chevrolet’s, 11 Ford’s and seven Toyota’s will comprise the 40-car field for tomorrow night’s race at Bristol.

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August 19, 2016
Kyle Busch Fastest at Bristol in Final Sprint Cup Practice

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.796 and a speed of 129.684 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second with a time of 14.807 and a speed of 129.587 mph. Matt Kenseth was third in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 14.830 and a speed of 129.386 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 14.836 and a speed of 129.334 mph. Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five in his No. 11 JGR Toyota with a time of 14.845 and a speed of 129.256 mph.

Jamie McMurray was sixth in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Larson was seventh in his No. 42 CGR Chevrolet. Joey Logano was eighth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Carl Edwards was ninth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-10 in his No. 2 Penske Ford.

Hamlin posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 127.193 mph. Busch was second at an average speed of 127.015 mph. Chase Elliott was third at an average speed of 126.865 mph.

The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at 5:45 p.m. for qualifying.

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August 19, 2016
Kyle Busch Fastest in First Cup Practice at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch topped the chart in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.878 and a speed of 128.969 mph. Denny Hamlin was second in his No. 11 JGR Toyota with a time of 14.915 and a speed of 128.649 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 14.921 and a speed of 128.597 mph. Chase Elliott was fourth in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 14.931 and a speed of 128.511 mph. Aric Almirola rounded out the top-five in his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford with a time of 14.932 and a speed of 128.503 mph.

Brad Keselowski was sixth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Ryan Blaney was seventh in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Austin Dillon was eighth in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. was ninth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Carl Edwards rounded out the top-10 in his No. 19 JGR Toyota.

Hamlin posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 126.740 mph. Blaney was second at an average speed of 126.485 mph. Keselowski was third at an average speed of 126.219 mph.

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August 19, 2016
Trevor Bayne says being in contention for a Chase spot says a lot about his team

BRISTOL, Tenn. — While he doesn’t believe he’s where he wants to be, Trevor Bayne says that being in contention for a Chase spot on points this late into the season “says a lot about what my team has done this year.”

Speaking to the press during his media availability at Bristol Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford was asked how he felt about the progress he’s made since last year and if he feels like Roush is getting back to where he wants it to be.

“Yeah, I mean we’re definitely not where we want to be because we’re not winning races yet, but where we are in contention, the fact that we’re contending and we’re in the discussion for a Chase spot on points, says a lot about what my team has done this year,” Bayne said.

The 2011 Daytona 500 champion is currently having a career-best season in his second full-time year with Roush Fenway Racing. Although he’s yet to return to victory lane since his Daytona 500 victory in 2011, he earned his first top-five finish since that 500 victory with a fifth at Bristol in April and a third at Daytona in July. He’s amassed five top-10 finishes, up from two last season, including a fifth at Bristol, a 10th at Talladega and Dover, third at Daytona and ninth at Watkins Glen with a career-best 17.8 finishing average. He’s also completed 99.7 percent of the laps run this season.

He gave credit to crew chief Matt Puccia, whom he was paired up with at the start of this season, and the rest of his crew for putting him in this position.

“Matt Puccia has been a great fit for me,” he said. “He’s a guy that has helped me keep my head and worked really hard together. He’s a guy that will put in the hours and I’m in that same boat, so I feel like we mesh really well together at the race shop. We discuss things. We have a lot of conversation leading into the race weekend. How we expect it to go and typically it goes that way.

“Our guys have done a great job of making sure the details are done, and that’s why we’re in this situation.”

Despite all the progress, Bayne says the team is not as fast as some of the other’s he’s racing for a Chase spot.

“We probably aren’t as fast as some of the guys we’re racing around for this spot in the Chase, but we’ve been consistent. We’ve made progress in that area. Other than Indy, I don’t feel like I’ve made too many mistakes on the race track that has cost me points. Maybe there have been days where if I really had just nailed everything I could have gained two spots or three spots early in this season when we first started working together, so I feel like we’ve maximized every race and that’s why we’re here. So I’m really excited about that.”

He added that he wants more speed out of the car and to qualify better.

“I’d love to see more raw speed in our race cars and in myself when I unload for practice and get back to how we were early in this season when we were qualifying really well,” he said. “We were making the final round almost every week and the last few weeks we’ve kind of fallen into that second round area and that makes racing a lot harder. I want to get back to that raw speed from early in the season and continue to execute like we’ve been doing.”

He ended his point by noting how he likes what Roush has done and that it’s tough to turn a team around in NASCAR.

“I’m really impressed with what Roush Fenway has done,” he said. “It’s very tough in this sport to turn things around when you’re chasing a moving target, so they’ve done a great job. All of the gains we’ve made are showing results and that’s what we want to see.”

August 19, 2016
No Timing Zone Increase for Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The trend of increased timing zones won’t include this weekend’s events at Thunder Valley.

As first reported by Dustin Long of NBC Sports, NASCAR will not increase the number of timing zones for this week’s events at Bristol Motor Speedway. The number will remain at 14 instead of 18. NASCAR decided not to increase them because it’s comfortable with the number of zones in place.

NASCAR has experimented with increased timing zones since the Brickyard 400 race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The additional timing lines were also used at Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International for the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Truck Series races.

Speeding penalties in the last three races are up 375 percent compared to the previous three races of Daytona, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

In spite of the decision to not increase the timing zones, Bristol is notorious for speeding penalties. The last four Sprint Cup races have averaged roughly 11 speeding penalties issued. The Food City 500 this past April had 17 speeding penalties issued, which remains the highest number of speeding penalties issued in one race this season.

August 16, 2016
Four Gears: Burnouts, Bristol, Wipers and Auto Racing

Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We ponder if it’s time for NASCAR to crack down on cars being destroyed during burnouts, what effect the recent “polishing” of Bristol will have, whether or not the Joe Gibbs Racing contingent found an aerodynamic advantage running the windshield wipers at Watkins Glen and what’s been the biggest surprise – be it good or bad – in the world of auto racing this year.

FIRST GEAR: This past Tuesday on The Morning Drive, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell hinted that NASCAR may come down on drivers who damage their cars during burnouts in the wake of Denny Hamlin’s burnout at Watkins Glen this past Sunday. What are your thoughts?

I’ll keep mine short. While I see NASCAR’s point in terms of shutting down the “black helicopter pilots,” what’s the point of doing this since an illegal car keeps the win in this sport? — Tucker White

I hate sounding like a hypocrite because I think those types of burnouts are awesome. I love how wild and nuts they can be. But I’m the guy who loathes it, absolutely hates it, when drivers who are pissed off at each other take to ramming each other instead of getting out and settling things face-to-face because that necessitates unneeded work from the guys back at the shop and negates all of their hard efforts.

By that logic, body-shredding, engine-grenading celebrations also negates my team’s hard efforts at putting together a precision race car and is a bit excessive. Therefore, they should keep it simple when celebrating. Heck, I miss the days drivers did a victory lap with that checkered flag. That being said, NASCAR should come down on those who decide to destroy their cars following a victory. — Joseph Shelton

New rules like that wouldn’t really change much. It’s strange to me how fans and some media members jump on victory celebrations for being suspicious but don’t comment/report on most of the cars swerving around wildly on the cool-down lap most races this season or crew chiefs telling drivers to “go through the checklist” after races over the radio. The easiest way to deter cheating is to make the possible penalties for it more meaningful. — Michael Finley

SECOND GEAR: Bristol Motor Speedway announced they are “polishing” the bottom groove of the track surface in preparation for next week’s festivities. Based on what you’ve heard, what do you expect to see?

From what I’ve heard from Bristol, this is meant to promote two-wide racing. Though I really think this is meant to make the bottom the preferred groove again.

I’ll hold off any judgment of this until after the checkered flag flies. I thought the low downforce package would force these drivers to run the bottom back in April which they were for most of the weekend but were back to the wall groove on race day.

I do have the stats to show that the racing at Thunder Valley now statistically is virtually on par with where it was back in the “good ole days.” I’ll argue that the racing is better now because you can actually pass another car at Bristol and not have to wait for the car in front to either get loose or make them get loose.

It’s my home track at the end of the day. So I’ll always love Bristol no matter what groove is run. — Tucker White

Pre-2007 Bristol, before the overhaul, was perfect Bristol. Since the overhaul, racing hasn’t been as exciting as it once was. Therefore, any talk of a Bristol overhaul or “polish” is something I take with a grain of salt and just a dash of dread. I fear it would only wreck the product even more. — Joseph Shelton

I’ve given up on predicting what’s going to happen at the fall Bristol race. Every season it looks like it may be an exciting race, it becomes a bore fest. Every season it looks like it’s going to be a snoozer, it’s a highlight-a-minute thrill-show. All that is a sure thing is that until Speedway Motorsports, Inc. makes the low groove the preferred/only racing line and NASCAR lessens aero dependence of the cars, it’s not going to be the old “bump n’ run” Bristol older fans long for. — Michael Finley

THIRD GEAR: All four of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota’s and Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing were running optional windshield wipers on a clear sunny day Sunday that had no chance of rain forecasted while the rest of the field didn’t. Do you believe the Gibbs program found that running the wipers provided an aerodynamic advantage or do you believe it was done to mess with the competition?

I’m not an engineer and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I do listen to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Listening to Mike Bagley, windshield wipers – if it’s meant to act as a dorsal fin to stabilize the car – won’t do much at a track like Watkins Glen where speed is more in play than handling. I have even more doubts that it had any aerodynamic advantage considering the wipers were being moved by the air during the race.

So I think it was done solely to mess with the competition. I’m willing to bet that come next season, everyone else will show up with their wipers left on and the JGR cars will leave them off. — Tucker White

I LOL’d at the folks on Twitter who honestly believed this was some sort of game/advantage the JGR Toyotas were playing with the rest of the field. I don’t know why they went with windshield wipers, honestly, but I doubt it was to mess with the rest of the field. That’s a tinfoil hat claim if there ever was one. — Joseph Shelton

Gibbs seems to be like the Joker in the Dark Knight this season. They have been just two or three steps ahead of everybody so far this season, so I’d be shocked if they didn’t find something that worked in those wipers. — Michael Finley

FOURTH GEAR: With most of the motorsports world in a “summer break” at the moment, what has been the biggest surprise – be it good or bad – in the world of auto racing this year?

For me, the biggest surprise this year has been just how far off Ferrari has been in Formula 1 this year. In the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne, Sebastian Vettel got the jump on Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg off the start and had the race in check before a bad pit stop just past halfway cost him the victory.

Despite that, I came away thinking “We got a title fight this year.” I thought Ferrari was ready to take the fight to Mercedes.

However, Ferrari has posed virtually no threat to Mercedes since. Vettel blew an engine on the warm up lap the very next race at Bahrain and didn’t even start, and hasn’t had a podium finish in four of the last five races. Kimi Raikkonen hasn’t had much more success either sitting just two points ahead at the summer break.

They were even leap-frogged by Red Bull Racing – despite all their off-track issues with Renault last season – who managed to put Max Verstappen on the top step of the podium with a win in Barcelona, and that was largely due to the two Mercedes drivers taking each other out on the first lap in Barcelona.

Maybe the summer break will give Ferrari the opportunity to find something to put up a last ditch effort, but 2016 is a lost cause for the boys of Maranello. — Tucker White

In the world of NASCAR, Tony Stewart’s comeback run. So many people had written Stewart off as a has-been who had zero chance at success in the Sprint Cup Series ever again, but here he is riding a hot streak that includes a strong win at Sonoma in June. He’s not going to be a one-hit wonder in the Chase; he may very well be a threat.

Altogether? Alex Rossi’s Indy 500 win. It was a strategy move that landed him in Victory Lane, but this is the Indy 500 we’re talking about. America’s most prestigious auto racing event. Yet somehow a rookie who wasn’t even doing that well managed to pull off the biggest upset since Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500. It was a thrilling account of how in motorsports, anything can happen. — Joseph Shelton

How Stewart-Haas Racing kept the biggest manufacturer switch since Gibbs went to Toyota a secret for months in an industry full of moles, I’ll never know. What a grab by Ford and what a punch in the gut for Chevrolet and Hendrick. — Michael Finley

Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

August 11, 2016
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started 12th and finished third after battling with Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap at Watkins Glen. Keselowski leads Sprint Cup points standings by nine over Kevin Harvick.

“I didn’t mean to spin Truex,” Keselowski said, “so I plan on apologizing to Martin in person in the near future. And, as you would expect for a personal apology to take place, you have to ‘make contact.’”

2. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth in the Cheez-It 355 At The Glen, posting his 15th top 10 of the year.

“Brad Keselowski and myself were battling so hard for the lead late in the race,” Busch said, “that we allowed Denny Hamlin to pass us both for the lead. Finally, something Brad and I can agree on.”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick’s day at Watkins Glen came to a halt six laps from the end when he was involved in a crash with Chris Buescher and David Ragan. Harvick finished 32nd

“The No. 4 Busch Chevrolet was fast,” Harvick said, “but I got collected in a crash that caused serious damage. So, instead of heading to the mountains of Busch, I headed straight to the garage.”

4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won the Cheez-It 355 At The Glen, holding off a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. down the stretch.

“As you may recall,” Hamlin said, “I let Tony Stewart win at Sonoma’s road course earlier this season. That wasn’t going to happen at Watkins Glen, no matter how bad Tony needed a win. What I said to Tony is something someone should have said to him long ago—‘no free lunches.’”

5. Joey Logano: Logano finished second at Watkins Glen, one day after winning Saturday’s XFINITY Series race.

“I was so close to completing the weekend sweep,” Logano said. “Sadly, it wasn’t to be. I couldn’t bring the ‘broom,’ but I did bring the broom handle, which would be my skinny body. But I’ll put my abilities up against anyone in this sport. It just goes to show that you can be a heavyweight and a lightweight at the same time.”

6. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 11th in the Cheez-It 355, just missing out on his 17th top-10 finish of the year.

“Road course racing really tests your braking ability,” Busch said. “You have to know exactly how hard you can brake without causing a mechanical failure. I should know, because I’ve pushed hundreds of cars, and even more people, to the ‘braking’ point.”

7. Carl Edwards: Edwards started on the pole at Watkins Glen and led 25 laps on his way to a 15th in the Cheez-It 355.

“That’s two poles at road courses this season,” Edwards said. “That’s two more than wins I have at road course races this year. If you give me one lap to dominate on a road course, it most definitely won’t be the last lap.”

8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex stalked Denny Hamlin over the closing laps at Watkins Glen before he was spun by Brad Keselowski. Truex finished eighth and is now eighth in the points standings,

“I was initially upset with Brad,” Truex said. “You could see that after the race. During the ‘cool down’ lap, I was hot, and Brad was ‘not cool.’

“But I later realized it was just what is known as a ‘racing incident.’ So, if I happen to wreck Brad sometime later this year, just chalk it up to ‘incidental’ contact.”

9. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson suffered a number of penalties before his day ended abruptly when he slammed into Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s spinning No. 17 car in a lap 53 crash.

“It’s a day I’d like to forget,” Johnson said. “But I think it’s a really bad time to wish for ‘memory loss.’”

10. Tony Stewart: Stewart took fifth in the Cheez-It 355, posting his fifth top five of the season. Stewart is 26th in the points standings.

“There were ‘Cheez-It’ billboards all over the Watkins Glen complex,” Stewart said. “And ‘Cheez-It’ was all over Greg Biffle’s No. 16 car. So, like one would expect, a NASCAR race was full of ‘crackers.’”

August 9, 2016