Larson Wins, Elliott and Harvick Clash in Playoff Cutoff at Bristol

Kyle Larson won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

Larson had a strong car throughout the race, but lost the lead on a late restart to his teammate Chase Elliott.  Larson hung behind in third place while Elliott and Kevin Harvick fought for the lead over the final 50 laps.

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Harvick and Elliott made slight contact while they navigated lapped traffic, and the contact cut down the left-rear tire on Elliott’s Chevrolet.  After he pitted, Elliott stayed ahead of Harvick in the preferred line which allowed Larson to take the lead and get to victory lane.

Larson said he was able to get around Harvick after he used up his tires trying to get around Elliott.

“Harvick had to move around and use his tires up,” Larson said. “I got a big run and decided to pull the trigger and slide him and squeeze him a little bit.”

Following the race, Harvick and Elliott made contact coming to pit road and then the two exchanged words.

Harvick said he just tried to race Elliott hard for the lead and was angry with how Elliott decided to handle the situation.

“I just told him…it was kind a chicken-shit move that he did that at the end,” Harvick said.  “We’re racing for the freaking win at Bristol, we’re three-wide in the middle and he throws a temper tantrum.”

“I was just trying to get the lead and race him hard.  Then he pulls up in front of me and just sits there until I lose the lead.”

Elliott said he felt Harvick ran him up the track to force the contact, and Elliott was just trying to defend himself.

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“It’s something he does all the time,” Elliott said.  “He runs into your left side constantly at other tracks.  At some point you’ve got to draw the line.”

“I don’t care who he is or how long he’s been doing it, I’m going to stand up for myself and my team.  I just ran my line, and happy for Kyle; happy for Team Hendrick, wish I could have got our Hooters Chevrolet into victory lane.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Larson

2. Kevin Harvick

3. William Byron

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Alex Bowman

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Martin Truex Jr.

8. Erik Jones

9. Denny Hamlin

10. Matt DiBenedetto

11. Joey Logano

12. Tyler Reddick

13. Chase Briscoe

14. Ross Chastain

15. Austin Dillon

16. Bubba Wallace

17. Ryan Preece

18. Aric Almirola

19. Kurt Busch

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

21. Kyle Busch

22. Daniel Suarez

23. Chris Buescher

24. Michael McDowell

25. Chase Elliott

26. Corey LaJoie

27. JJ Yeley

28. Cole Custer

29. Christopher Bell

30. Garrett Smithley

31. Josh Bilicki

32. David Starr

33. James Davison

34. Quin Houff

35. Anthony Alfredo

36. Justin Haley

37. BJ McLeod

38. Ryan Newman

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Logano Wins at Bristol as Cup Series Returns to Dirt

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

Joey Logano won the Food City Dirt Race from the Bristol Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon.

Logano took the lead in the second stage and held on over the final stage to win the first dirt race for the Cup Series in over 50 years.

Logano said he’s put in a lot of work in the past few weeks to better prepare himself to race on dirt.

“We did a lot of work in the dirt department here the last few weeks,” Logano said.  “Just making laps and learning where I was going, and a lot of that helped.”

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Logano held off Denny Hamlin over the final stage as the two drivers fought their way through lapped traffic.  Logano pulled out ahead on the final restart when Hamlin’s car didn’t stick on the high side headed into Turn 1.

Logano said he had to change his driving style to hold Hamlin off over the final run.

“Denny and I had a heck of a race because he found grip up top,” Logano said.  “I don’t know how to do that, so I had to go up there and figure it out.  Defended the lead position and then eventually just worked the lapped cars.”

Hamlin said the track lost grip before the final restart and he couldn’t hang with Logano on the high side.

“They didn’t prep it in between cautions like they did before,” Hamlin said.  “I thought I could just…run the top in hard.  It was just marbles up there.”

“Thought I had a shot there; cut the 22 [of Logano] too many breaks there when he was cutting us off.  We’re third-best again.”

Unofficial results:

1. Joey Logano

2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Daniel Suarez

5. Ryan Newman

6. William Byron

7. Tyler Reddick

8. Ryan Blaney

9. Erik Jones

10. Chase Elliott

11. Brad Keselowski

12. Michael McDowell

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Chris Buescher

15. Kevin Harvick

16. Kurt Busch

17. Kyle Busch

18. Ryan Preece

19. Martin Truex Jr.

20. Chase Briscoe

21. Austin Dillon

22. Alex Bowman

23. Stewart Friesen

24. Cole Custer

25. Quin Houff

26. Ty Dillon

27. Bubba Wallace

28. JJ Yeley

29. Kyle Larson

30. Josh Bilicki

31. Mike Marlar

32. Cody Ware

33. Chris Windom

34. Christopher Bell

35. Ross Chastain

36. Aric Almirola

37. Shane Golobic

38. Corey LaJoie

39. Anthony Alfredo

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Harvick Wins at Bristol in Round 1 Finale

 Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kevin Harvick won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night for his ninth win of the season.

Harvick raced with Kyle Busch over the final 50 laps, and the two swapped the lead while getting around lapped traffic.

Busch was not able to get to Harvick’s back bumper in the closing laps, but Harvick said he almost gave away the victory while getting around the slower cars.

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“To beat Kyle Busch at Bristol, I kind of put myself in a little bit of a ringer there,” Harvick said.  “I hit a lapped car and got a hole in my nose.”

“We just kept fighting; we’ve got nothing else to lose.  We were here to try and win a race.”

Busch, who is still winless in 2020, said Harvick’s speed throughout the race was just too much to overcome.

“Just didn’t have enough there at the end,” Busch said.  “Guys did a great job and gave me a really good piece tonight to contend and at least be up there to be close.”

“Lapped cars were definitely a problem, but it’s part of racing.  [Harvick] obviously had the better car.”

Bristol was the final race in the first round of NASCAR’s Playoffs, and four drivers were eliminated from Playoff contention.  Following the race on Saturday night, Cole Custer, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto saw their championship hopes come to an end.

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Kyle Busch

3. Erik Jones

4. Tyler Reddick

5. Aric Almirola

6. Clint Bowyer

7. Chase Elliott

8. Chris Buescher

9. Ryan Preece

10. Michael McDowell

11. Joey Logano

12. Austin Dillon

13. Ryan Blaney

14. Matt Kenseth

15. Kurt Busch

16. Alex Bowman

17. Jimmie Johnson

18. Ty Dillon

19. Matt DiBenedetto

20. John Hunter Nemechek

21. Denny Hamlin

22. Bubba Wallace

23. Cole Custer

24. Martin Truex Jr.

25. Ryan Newman

26. Daniel Suarez

27. Gray Gaulding

28. Christopher Bell

29. Quin Houff

30. JJ Yeley

31. Joey Gase

32. Garrett Smithley

33. Corey LaJoie

34. Brad Keselowski

35. James Davison

36. Reed Sorenson

37. Timmy Hill

38. William Byron

39. Josh Bilicki

40. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Elliott Wins All-Star Million

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Chase Elliott won the All-Star Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night.

Elliott had a strong car throughout the race, and quickly worked his way up to the front by the end of the first stage.  After racing with Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney for the majority of Stages 2 and 3, Elliott had to hold off Kyle Busch over the final 15-lap stage to pick up his first All-Star Race win and the $1 million prize.

Elliott said the win was a good reminder of what his team is capable of after struggling the past few weeks.

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“Just really proud of our team tonight and to rebound,” Elliott said.  “We’ve had a pretty rough couple of weeks and just felt like we’ve kind of gotten off-base and felt like I was struggling.  Tried to hit the reset button this week and came out and put on a great performance.”

An exhibition race featuring the race winners from the past year, the All-Star Race was moved to Bristol due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Bristol allowed nearly 25,000 fans at the event, and it was the first time since 1986 that the event was not held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Elliott, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, said it was exciting to win at Bristol in front of the largest crowd since the pandemic began.

“Bristol is an electric atmosphere that is unlike any other that we go to,” Elliott said.  “What a better night to have fans back than tonight.”

Busch tried throughout the race to get the high line worked in, but he ultimately fell short by about a half-second to Elliott.

Busch said if the outside line had come in he may have been able to challenge Elliott for the win.

“Just wasn’t quite wide enough,” Busch said.  “If it was a little wider and you could carry a little bit more speed with it, I might have had a chance.  I knew I wasn’t going to catch him or pass him if I was down there; I had to do something different.”

Unofficial results:

1. Chase Elliott

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Brad Keselowski

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Ryan Blaney

7. Joey Logano

8. Alex Bowman

9. Aric Almirola

10. Martin Truex Jr.

11. Erik Jones

12. William Byron

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Justin Haley

15. Clint Bowyer

16. Cole Custer

17. Jimmie Johnson

18. Matt Kenseth

19. Ryan Newman

20. Kurt Busch

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

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

Busch Continues to Roll, Wins at Bristol

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon for his third victory of the season.

Busch took the lead when the other leaders pitted during a late caution.  On the restart, Busch had to hold off his older brother Kurt for the victory.

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Kyle said it was fitting that the two brothers, who have 14 Bristol wins between them, would battle it out at the end.

“It was fun to battle out the brother there at the end,” Kyle said.  “I saw him working the top…and I was able to get up there and make some ground.”

Busch struggled with his car’s handling throughout the weekend, and was involved in a wreck on lap 1.  After fixing his car and fighting back through the field, Busch said his team got him the track position they needed at the right time.

“This Skittles Camry wasn’t the best today,” Busch said.  “We made the most of not having the best and got everything we needed there at the end.”

Kurt Busch started 27th on Sunday, but after working his way through the field, he found himself chasing his brother for the victory.

Busch said his team gave him a car capable enough of winning, but that his car didn’t handle well until the tires warmed up.

“We struggled on taking off,” Busch said.  “I just can’t get that right-rear to grip until it’s got heat in it; it’s hard to be patient when you’re running for the win on old tires.”

“I really wanted to beat him…I was going to wreck him.  He’s already won, and I figured he could give a little love to his brother.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Kurt Busch

3. Joey Logano

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Paul Menard

7. Clint Bowyer

8. Daniel Suarez

9. Ryan Newman

10. Jimmie Johnson

11. Chase Elliott

12. Matt DiBenedetto

13. Kevin Harvick

14. Austin Dillon

15. Ty Dillon

16. William Byron

17. Martin Truex Jr.

18. Brad Keselowski

19. Kyle Larson

20. Bubba Wallace

21. David Ragan

22. Chris Buescher

23. Alex Bowman

24. Erik Jones

25. Ryan Preece

26. Landon Cassill

27. Matt Tifft

28. Michael McDowell

29. Ross Chastain

30. Daniel Hemric

31. Bayley Currey

32. Quin Houff

33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

34. Corey LaJoie

35. Timmy Hill

36. Gray Gaulding

37. Aric Almirola

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Busch Snaps Winless Streak with Bristol Victory

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kurt Busch won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

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Busch snapped a 58-race winless streak with the victory and locked himself into the Playoffs.

After taking the lead away from his teammate Clint Bowyer on a late restart, Busch held off Kyle Larson over the final run to pick up his sixth victory at Bristol.

Busch said he was excited to win on a night when the cars were hard to handle.

“This one’s one of the sweetest because you have to work the hardest right now,” Busch said.  “The cars are right there on edge and you’ve got to work every single lap.”

Busch was one of many drivers that had damage from an accident on the third lap, but he said the damage to his car wasn’t as bad as some others.

“All this damage, and I was like, ‘it’s not that bad, we’re going to be okay,’” Busch said.  “Just so proud of the team effort.”

Larson finished second after starting on the pole and struggling with his car’s handling through the night. 

Larson said his finish was better than what they should have had.

“Our Chevy wasn’t very good from lap 1 to 500, but we got a second place finish out of it,” Larson said.  “We were probably a 12th to 15th place car.”

“I think if I had a better car, tires probably would have showed what they’re really capable of.  Just a really frustrating day.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kurt Busch

2. Kyle Larson

3. Chase Elliott

4. Joey Logano

5. Erik Jones

6. Clint Bowyer

7. Ryan Blaney

8. Alex Bowman

9. Jimmie Johnson

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Trevor Bayne

12. Ryan Newman

13. Austin Dillon

14. Denny Hamlin

15. Kasey Kahne

16. Brad Keselowski

17. David Ragan

18. Daniel Suarez

19. Chris Buescher

20. Kyle Busch

21. Ty Dillon

22. Matt DiBenedetto

23. William Byron

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

25. Landon Cassill

26. Ross Chastain

27. Blake Jones

28. Timmy Hill

29. Jamie McMurray

30. Martin Truex Jr.

31. Aric Almirola

32. JJ Yeley

33. Reed Sorenson

34. Corey LaJoie

35. Jesse Little

36. Paul Menard

37. Michael McDowell

38. Darrell Wallace Jr.

39. AJ Allmendinger

40. Gray Gaulding

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Kyle Busch Wins Rain-Delayed Race at Bristol

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Busch won the rain-delayed Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon for his second-straight victory.

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The race, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed after 204 laps due to rain.  The race was restarted on Monday afternoon, and Busch led 117 laps on his way to victory lane.

Busch said he knew his team had a strong enough car to win no matter when the race was run.

“I knew we had a really good car,” Busch said.  “Once we got into the long runs…we were running them down.”

Busch had to run Kyle Larson down in the closing laps, and Busch used his bumper to move Larson with six laps to go.  Busch said he and Larson’s cars were equal in the closing laps.

“With as good as we were, Larson was just as good,” Busch said.  “But our car was fast enough that Larson never had a shot to get back to us to repay the favor.”

Larson led over the final run, but he said his car got loose in the closing laps.

“I just didn’t expect to get that loose that run there,” Larson said. “I knew it would be hard to get back to [Busch].  I knew I would need a lapper to kind of hold him up on exit and kill his momentum to allow me to…get to his back bumper.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Kyle Larson

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

5. Alex Bowman

6. Aric Almirola

7. Kevin Harvick

8. Clint Bowyer

9. Joey Logano

10. Ryan Newman

11. Daniel Suarez

12. David Ragan

13. Paul Menard

14. Denny Hamlin

15. Austin Dillon

16. Darrell Wallace Jr.

17. AJ Allmendinger

18. William Byron

19. Jamie McMurray

20. Landon Cassill

21. Matt DiBenedetto

22. Kurt Busch

23. Brad Keselowski

24. Trevor Bayne

25. Corey LaJoie

26. Erik Jones

27. DJ Kennington

28. Ty Dillon

29. Chase Elliott

30. Martin Truex Jr.

31. Gray Gaulding

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Chad Finchum

34. Kasey Kahne

35. Ryan Blaney

36. Chris Buescher

37. Harrison Rhodes

38. Michael McDowell

39. Ross Chastain

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