Keselowski Wins at Bristol as Elliott and Logano Falter

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Brad Keselowski won the Supermarket Heroes 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

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Keselowski started on the pole, but he had to come from behind on the final restart.  Keselowski was running third when Chase Elliott and Joey Logano got together racing for the lead.  After inheriting the lead, Keselowski held off Clint Bowyer to pick up his second race win since NASCAR returned from the Coronavirus shutdown.

Keselowski said the victory was a testament to his team’s attitude throughout the race.

“Things have been going our way, from the luck of the draw on qualifying to the last few laps there,” Keselowski said.  “I’m so happy for the team; this is a never give up effort, and that’s what we’re becoming as a team.”

Keselowski said a late-race pit call helped put him in position to take advantage of the incident between the leaders.

“Right at the end, we came in and took tires on the lefts,” Keselowski said.  “I could see Joey and Chase, they were getting really racy there.  I knew if I just kept my eye open something good might happen, and sure enough it did.”

Elliott led the field to the final restart, but Logano was able to get by with four laps to go.  Elliott drove under Logano racing for the lead, and the two got together and hit the wall.

Elliott said his car got loose under Logano trying to get to victory lane.

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“I think I just got loose and got up into him,” Elliott said.  “Trying to get a run underneath him…as soon as I turned off the wall, I had zero chance in making it.”

“I feel like that was my shot.  I hate we both wrecked, but you can’t go back in time now.  I’ll certainly take the blame.”

Logano got out of his car on pit road and had a heated discussion with Elliott after the incident. 

Logano said he was upset with the way Elliott handled the wreck.

“He wrecked me; he got loose underneath me,” Logano said.  “The part that’s frustrating is afterwards…I had to force an apology, which to me is childish.”

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Clint Bowyer

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Kyle Busch

5. Erik Jones

6. Austin Dillon

7. Kurt Busch

8. William Byron

9. Christopher Bell

10. Bubba Wallace

11. Kevin Harvick

12. Ryan Preece

13. John Hunter Nemechek

14. Michael McDowell

15. Ryan Newman

16. Matt Kenseth

17. Denny Hamlin

18. Daniel Suarez

19. Timmy Hill

20. Martin Truex Jr.

21. Joey Logano

22. Chase Elliott

23. Chris Buescher

24. Brennan Poole

25. JJ Yeley

26. Garrett Smithley

27. Quin Houff

28. BJ McLeod

29. Aric Almirola

30. Gray Gaulding

31. Matt DiBenedetto

32. Corey LaJoie

33. Joey Gase

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

35. Cole Custer

36. Tyler Reddick

37. Alex Bowman

38. Bayley Currey

39. Ty Dillon

40. Ryan Blaney

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Elliott Gets Redemption With Charlotte Win

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Chase Elliott won the Alsco Uniforms 500 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday night.

The victory was Elliott’s first of the season, coming after he’d been one of the fastest cars all year.

Thursday’s win was also redemption for a late-race pit call on Sunday night that cost him a victory in the Coca-Cola 600.

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Elliott said he was expecting the caution to come out in the last five laps and ruin another strong run.

“I was just waiting for the caution to come out, to be honest,” Elliott said.  “After the last couple weeks, I just didn’t think…it was going to go green to the end.”

Elliott started the night 19th – after the top 20 finishers from Sunday’s race were inverted – and he quickly worked his way to the front. 

After taking the lead from Kevin Harvick with 27 to go, Elliott said his crew chief Alan Gustafson made the right call during the final pit stop.

“Appreciate our team,” Elliott said.  “Alan made a good call at the end to get it tuned up, and luckily the run went long.  I think that fell into our favor.”

Harvick had a dominant car on Thursday, and led a race-high 63 laps, but his car fell off halfway through the final run.

Harvick said his car didn’t have a good setup if the race went green.

“It just falls off at lap 30,” Harvick said.  “It went straight 60-some laps…just didn’t need a long run.”

Denny Hamlin finished second after starting 29th.  He said his team made good adjustments to help him get to the front.

“Pit crew just did a phenomenal job picking up a bunch of spots,” Hamlin said.  “Our whole FedEx team prepared a good car.  Every time we come back to a racetrack for the second time our results are really good.”

Unofficial results:

1. Chase Elliott

2. Denny Hamlin

3. Ryan Blaney

4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

5. Kurt Busch

6. Joey Logano

7. Brad Keselowski

8. Austin Dillon

9. Martin Truex Jr.

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Jimmie Johnson

12. William Byron

13. John Hunter Nemechek

14. Tyler Reddick

15. Matt DiBenedetto

16. Clint Bowyer

17. Ryan Newman

18. Cole Custer

19. Corey LaJoie

20. Aric Almirola

21. Christopher Bell

22. Chris Buescher

23. Matt Kenseth

24. Ryan Preece

25. Michael McDowell

26. Erik Jones

27. Ty Dillon

28. Daniel Suarez

29. Kyle Busch

30. Gray Gaulding

31. Alex Bowman

32. Quin Houff

33. Timmy Hill

34. JJ Yeley

35. BJ McLeod

36. Josh Bilicki

37. Bubba Wallace

38. Brennan Poole

39. Joey Gase

40. Garrett Smithley

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Keselowski Wins Coca-Cola 600

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Brad Keselowski won the Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night.

Keselowski inherited the lead when Chase Elliott pitted before an Overtime restart.  Keselowski held off Jimmie Johnson over the final two laps to pick up his first win in NASCAR’s longest race.

Keselowski said the victory knocked another one of NASCAR’s majors off his list.

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“I know we’ve lost it the way Chase lost it and that really stinks, but today we finally won it that way,” Keselowski said.  “It’s a major; it’s the Coke 600 and this only leave one major left for me, the Daytona 500, so we’re checking them off.”

Keselowski said the victory was emotional because of what Memorial Day means and because he was able to take the name of a fallen soldier to victory lane.

“It means a lot to me, but I can’t help but think about the Reep family and Donovan [the fallen soldier’s name on Keselowski’s windshield],” Keselowski said.  “I know Memorial Day’s about a lot more than racing, but we’re glad to be able to do cool things like racing because of the freedoms provided by those that are willing to make those sacrifices.”

Elliott had a strong car throughout the race, and was leading when his teammate William Byron brought out the caution with three laps to go.  Elliott pitted while the other leaders stayed out, and he was only able to work his way back to third in the final two laps.

Elliott said the leader is always at a disadvantage when a late-race caution comes out.

“Those guys are going to do the opposite of whatever we do, but that’s just part of it,” Elliott said.  “You make those decisions and live with them.  Just trying to make the best decision you can.”

Elliott’s teammate Jimmie Johnson ran towards the front throughout the night, and he finished second on Sunday. 

Johnson, who has gone winless since June 2017, said his team is starting to put together stronger runs.

“Very proud of everyone on this Ally Chevrolet, second’s okay,” Johnson said.  “It’s tough being this close to victory lane, but we’re knocking on the door and we’ll get there.  Very proud of the effort we’re putting in, but second stinks.”

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Chase Elliott

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Kyle Busch

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Martin Truex Jr.

8. Kurt Busch

9. Tyler Reddick

10. Christopher Bell

11. Chris Buescher

12. Erik Jones

13. Cole Custer

14. Joey Logano

15. Austin Dillon

16. Aric Almirola

17. John Hunter Nemechek

18. Matt DiBenedetto

19. Michael McDowell

20. Alex Bowman

21. William Byron

22. Ross Chastain

23. Ryan Preece

24. Corey LaJoie

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. Ty Dillon

27. Matt Kenseth

28. Ryan Newman

29. Daniel Suarez

30. Denny Hamlin

31. Brennan Poole

32. Gray Gaulding

33. BJ McLeod

34. Garrett Smithley

35. Timmy Hill

36. Quin Houff

37. Joey Gase

38. JJ Yeley

39. Bubba Wallace

40. Clint Bowyer

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Hamlin Wins Mid-Week Race at Darlington

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Denny Hamlin won the rain-shortened Toyota 500 from Darlington Raceway on Wednesday night.

Rain dominated the headlines throughout the week, as it postponed Tuesday’s Xfinity Series race and delayed the green flag for Wednesday’s Cup Series race by over an hour.

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Once the race went green, drivers were on edge with rain threatening throughout most of the night.  With Hamlin in the lead during a late caution, the rain finally arrived and ended the race 20 laps short of the scheduled distance.

Hamlin stayed out with old tires late in the race, and he was able to hold off Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott on the final restart.  When Busch and Elliott got together to bring out the final caution, the rain finally arrived and the race was cut short.

Hamlin said his team was able to unload with a fast car for both Darlington races this week.

“The pit crew did a great job today,” Hamlin said.  “I was pretty happy with how it all turned out.”

Hamlin said the track plays to his strengths as a driver, which helped him get to victory lane.

“It’s a driver’s racetrack,” Hamlin said.  “You can move around, you can do different things to make your car handle and we just got it right today.”

Busch and Elliott were racing for second place when the two made contact, sending Elliott spinning into the inside wall.  Elliott, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, got out of his car and gave Busch the finger before getting into the ambulance.

Busch spoke to Elliott’s crew chief following the race, and said he just made a mistake while trying to conserve his track position.

“There’s no question, I made a mistake and just misjudged the gap,” Busch said.  “I made a mistake and clipped the 9 [of Elliott] there and spun him into the wall.”

Busch said he will reach out to Elliott in the coming days to speak about the incident, but that he is aware Elliott’s team will be upset.

“They’re upset, they’re mad,” Busch said.  “I’m not just going to fix it and we’re going to go have ice cream tomorrow.  Obviously they’re going to have to dwell on it…the repercussions of it, I’ll have to deal with on down the road.”

Unofficial results:

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Brad Keselowski

5. Erik Jones

6. Joey Logano

7. Aric Almirola

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Matt DiBenedetto

10. Martin Truex Jr.

11. Christopher Bell

12. William Byron

13. Tyler Reddick

14. Ryan Newman

15. Kurt Busch

16. Bubba Wallace

17. Michael McDowell

18. Alex Bowman

19. Ty Dillon

20. Austin Dillon

21. Ryan Blaney

22. Clint Bowyer

23. Chris Buescher

24. Corey LaJoie

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. Quin Houff

27. Daniel Suarez

28. JJ Yeley

29. Joey Gase

30. Matt Kenseth

31. Cole Custer

32. Gray Gaulding

33. Timmy Hill

34. Garrett Smithley

35. John Hunter Nemechek

36. BJ McLeod

37. Brennan Poole

38. Chase Elliott

39. Ryan Preece

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Harvick Wins at Darlington as NASCAR Returns from Shutdown

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kevin Harvick won the Real Heroes 400 from Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon in NASCAR’s return to racing.

NASCAR returned to the track for the first time after a 71-day shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The race was run without fans in attendance, and there were no practice or qualifying sessions leading up to the race.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Harvick had a dominant car throughout the race, and led 159 laps. 

Harvick said his team’s ability to unload with a fast car helped them succeed under Sunday’s unusual circumstances.

“I think as you look at Darlington and as you look at the things that happened this weekend, we really thought it was going to play into our hand,” Harvick said.  “Our guys are so good at hitting the car off the truck.”

The victory was Harvick’s 50th in the Cup Series, which tied him with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett.

Harvick said it was odd to pick up such a big victory without fans in attendance.

“It’s a pretty big honor to win 50 races in this deal,” Harvick said.  “It is weird, just because there’s nobody up there.  I didn’t think it was going to be that much different, and then we won the race and it’s dead-silent out here.  We miss the fans.”

Alex Bowman finished second, and was one of four strong Hendrick Motorsports drivers that challenged up front all race long. 

Bowman said second was a good way to restart the season.

“Sucks to finish second, but it’s really good to restart the season this way with a strong car off the truck,” Bowman said.  “It was a lot of fun to get to race a guy like Kevin at a place like Darlington.  Thought if I could get him there on the restart we’d have had a shot at it, but just came up a little bit short.”

NASCAR will return to Darlington on Wednesday night for the Toyota 500.  As with Sunday’s event, there will not be qualifying or practice for the race.  Instead, the field will line up based on the results of Sunday’s race, with the Top 20 finishers inverted.

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Alex Bowman

3. Kurt Busch

4. Chase Elliott

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Martin Truex Jr.

7. Tyler Reddick

8. Erik Jones

9. John Hunter Nemechek

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Austin Dillon

12. Aric Almirola

13. Brad Keselowski

14. Matt DiBenedetto

15. Ryan Newman

16. Ryan Blaney

17. Clint Bowyer

18. Joey Logano

19. Ty Dillon

20. Ryan Preece

21. Bubba Wallace

22. Cole Custer

23. Michael McDowell

24. Christopher Bell

25. Daniel Suarez

26. Kyle Busch

27. Brennan Poole

28. JJ Yeley

29. Reed Sorenson

30. Joey Gase

31. Corey LaJoie

32. Chris Buescher

33. Timmy Hill

34. Josh Bilicki

35. William Byron

36. Quin Houff

37. Garrett Smithley

38. Jimmie Johnson

39. BJ McLeod

40. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images