Bristol- Half a mile of fun and excitement
By Liz Walker
So after a week off of racing we come back to race at one of my favorite tracks. Bristol is one of the shortest tracks NASCAR drivers race on during the season. This makes for tight racing and leads to many cautions. It also provides many on the edge of your seat moments for fans.
So the race started out smooth with Joey Logano leading with Kurt Busch following a close second. In the first six laps the lead changes three times. Joey lead the starting lap, only to be passed by Kurt, who then lost the lead to Jimmie one lap later. Jimmie then goes on to puts five drivers one lap down by lap 30. Kurt closes the gap and retakes the lead from Jimmie at lap 30. Jeff Gordon battles Jimmie for second place and almost passes him.
At lap 40 Dave Blaney gets a flat tire and the field is put under caution. Travis Kvapil gets the lucky dog pass and advances from a lap down to lead lap. Joey, Kurt and Jimmie all pit with different car problems. Joey says he’s too tight, while Jimmie says he’s too loose. Kurt Busch wins the race off pit road and takes position behind race leader Brad Keselowski.
Lap 48 sees Brad lead the field to green flag racing. Trouble ensues at lap 60 when Clint Bowyer slams into the wall and heads back to the garage with a blown engine. Jimmie leads the field to green with Jeff close on his heels. David moves up to third, Juan Pablo Montoya moves up to 5th, Tony Stewart moves into 7th.
At lap 113 David Reutimann drops a cylinder and heads back to the garage. Just two laps later Denny Hamlin goes into the wall at turn two and brings out the 3rd caution. Jimmie, Kurt, Jeff and Juan all pit at this point for adjustments. Kurt leads the field to green by lap 123 only to be passed by Biffle who takes the lead.
Rain on the track causes a the 4th caution at lap 127. At lap 143 the track is dry and Greg Biffle leads the field to green flag racing. On lap 152 Daytona winner Jamie McMurray reports that he is feeling ill due to fumes leaking into his vehicle. On lap 205 Kasey Kahne reports having problems with his tires and breaks before scratching the wall. This causes caution number five and Denny Hamlin gets the free pass.
Dale Jr moves up to 8th by lap 216. Meanwhile Greg, Montoya, and Kurt are all trading the lead. Caution 6 flies at lap 263 when Kyle Busch has tire troubles and gets really friendly with the wall in turn one. Pit road is open and most of the lead cars come down pit road. Kurt Bush wins the race off pit road and leads the field to green.
At lap 290 Jimmie Johnson is in 3rd, Jamie McMurray is in 5th and clarifies that the jet dryer fumes are what made him sick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the move and is currently holding 6th spot. Things continue to run smooth with cars getting laped and drivers fighting for position until lap 323. Regan Smith has tire troubles and kisses the wall with his car bringing out caution number 7.
Kurt Busch wins the race off pit road and becomes lead car. Dale Earnhardt Jr is penalized for speeding on pit road. The field goes green at lap 331 and Kurt Busch has a really good restart, jumping out in front of Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Jamie McMurray is running fourth, while Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards battle for 17th.
The “big one” occures on lap 342 brining out the 8th caution. Greg Biffle makes contact with Mark Martin sending Martin into the wall. A chain reaction causes many other drivers to collide in an attempt to avoid the collision. All in all 13 cars are involved in the accident with two being top five drivers. Those involved were Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Kevin Harvick, Kevin Conway, Juan Montoya, Brian Vickers, David Regan, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.
Kurt leads the field to green at lap 358.David Regan makes repairs and comes back on the track. Jimmie is able to hold of Jamie McMurray for second place. He continues to hunt down Kurt and is steadily closing the gap between them. Greg Biffle makes his way back to 4th and Jeff Burton holds off Matt Kenseth for 5th.
Caution 9 comes out at lap 390 as rain finds its way to the track a second time. Pit road is open and as many cars come down to pit, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon elect to stay out. Brad is running in first place, Jeff in second and Elliot Sadler in third as the field goes green at lap 411.
Brad Keselowski gives up the lead to Kurt Busch as Jimmie Johnson begins to hunt down the race leaders. Jamie McMurray moves into 4th and is stopped from gaining 3rd by Brad Keselowski. Jamie and Brad race hard but Jamie is finally able to take third place by going to the high side. Kurt attempts to stop Jimmie from taking the lead and the two race hard for it.
The 10th and final caution of the day comes at lap 482 for debris on the track. Greg Biffle takes the lead as many cars come and go off pit road. Matt Kenseth has moved to second place at this point. Greg Biffle leads the field to green at lap 490. Tony Stewart takes the lead and fights to stop Jimmie from taking it. Jimmie finally passes Stewart to claim first, Kurt falls to third. The white flag flies and Jimmie Johnson wins the race at Bristol
So much happening on such a short track. Well it made for interesting racing and next week should be just as good. It’s time to head off to Martinsville. Check back in a week to see how the race went!
