Who took to Bristol with a heavy foot and who needed some Dr. Scholl’s?
First of all, Mother Nature decided to be a part of the Bristol Motor Speedway race weekend. As a result, rain delayed the Food City 500 to this past Monday afternoon.
Most of all, it meant a short week before our third short track in the past four weeks, as Richmond International Raceway awaits the NASCAR circuit. Therefore, before we can get to “The Action Track,” we need to find out who was able to slash out of Bristol and was left treading water.
On The Gas…
5) Matt Kenseth – For the first time this season, Matt Kenseth has been relevant in the race car. After knocking off the retirement rumors, Kenseth led the way for Joe Gibbs Racing at Bristol by securing his second top five of the season. Where did he come from?
4) Kevin Harvick – Finally, he’s freaky fast and in the top-five. Harvick scored his best finish of the season, as he thought he had the fastest car. Apparently he missed the Nos. 14 and 48 in front of him.
3) Joey Logano – Consistency might be the key to Logano’s season like a solid race at Bristol. Finishing fourth and second in the first two stages and coming home fifth validates Logano as a top-five driver.
2) Clint Bowyer – A runner up finish sent the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford jumping for joy and and a little excited in his post race interviews.
“Having a ton of fun and working hard and seeing the results is gratifying for this race team,” Bowyer said. It should be fun because second was his best Bristol finish in 23 races.
1) Jimmie Johnson – Jimmie “who?” Oh yeah, that guy that fans and media alike were asking two weeks ago what was going on. Let me help you with that – he’s back to winning. Watch out.
On The Brakes…
5) Ty Dillon – The driver of the No. 13 Geico Chevrolet must feel like a wet dog after the weekend in Bristol, or better yet, a “lucky dog.” Dillon received the free pass in four out of the nine cautions, allowing him to stay on the lead lap and finish 15th.
4) Kyle Larson – After leading a race high 202 laps, winning stage one and looking like he would extend his points lead, Larson would lose the handle on his No. 42 Chevy. A speeding penalty on lap 422 would cost Larson a shot at the win. He carried that speed back to a top-10. Otherwise, he’ll be thinking, “Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve,” with this race.
3) Kyle Busch – Consequently, the struggles continue for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and their teams. This time, a blown right front tire sent the No. 18 into the wall. Once again, Busch chastised Goodyear. In any case, remember his “they don’t hold air” comment at Daytona? All things considered, they don’t at Bristol.
2) Chris Buescher – Whoever said no good deed goes unpunished apparently knows Chris Buescher. The driver of JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 37 Bush’s Baked Beans Chevrolet spent his Sunday night helping fans out of flooded areas around the track. Unfortunately, he was caught up in an early race crash on Monday.
1) Ryan Blaney – While it’s too bad Blaney wasn’t as strong as the start to the season, it was power steering that failed on the No. 21 Ford. In addition, it left Blaney needing an extra pair of hands to just get his car to the garage to get repairs.
Even with power steering, Bristol is hard on drivers. On top of that, the added VHT resin to the bottom lane made the new Bristol more like the old one. It gave fans a good show, something which has been lacking for several years.
Now, it’s on to Richmond. Let’s hope the rain stays away because we will leave a first class ticket for the top of the On the Brakes list for the weatherman.
