Matt Kenseth Holds Off a Late Charge From Kasey Kahne to Win at Bristol

         Matt Kenseth had just enough fuel and the Bristol high line to hold off Kasey Kahne to win his fifth race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Kahne pitted during the next to last caution while Kenseth decided to stay on track and hold onto the lead. Kahne was able to easily get to get past Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya after the final caution to get near Kenseth. Somehow, Kenseth held off the much faster Kahne and took the win. It was a big win for Kenseth as he now has the most wins for a Chase driver, but Kahne walks away with his third second place finish to Kenseth of the year. The race itself was very good. There were a lot of drivers hitting the wall, drivers wrecking into each other, and a lot of problems that gave some underdogs good finishes, like David Ragan's twelfth place finish. All in all, it was a very good Saturday night race at the “World's Fastest Half-Mile”.

       Denny Hamlin started on the pole. It was Hamlin's first pole of the year. The race went green and he was able to lead the first lap of the race. It was a short time after this that Kurt Busch took the lead from Hamlin on lap 23 in lap traffic. This led to the first caution of the race on lap 40. Ryan Truex, who was making his Sprint Cup debut, blew a tire entering turn 3 and slammed the outside wall. He had a good bit of damage and would not continue on in the race. David Stremme received the lucky dog. The strategy session started early in the race. The top 7 drivers stayed out with Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Josh Wise, Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, and Casey Mears also staying out while Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, and Aric Almirola led the charge to pit road. One of these contenders would have trouble. Brad Keselowski finished his stop and pulled out of his box. He was at an awkward angle behind Marcos Ambrose and had to carefully slide out. As he did, David Reutimann, who was two boxes in front of him, was pulling into his pit stall. Keselowski slammed into the left rear quarter panel of Reutimann's car. Keselowski was able to get back going without damage, but Reutimann had a good bit of damage and had to come back around to stop. It was a very good move for Keselowski to avoid getting damage, but Reutimann could not.

        The race went back green and Kurt Busch was able to jump out to the lead. It would be a short time before his race turned from great to horrible for him. On lap 77, Busch slowed down and lost the lead. He fell all the way back to fifth and finally came down pit road. He reported to his team that it was a loose wheel. His team replaced all four tires and sent him back out. His situation became even worse as he received a speeding penalty on pit road and had to make a pass through. It seemed like the situation could not get worse, but it would. He had ran too long on the loose wheel and the studs on his hub had become threaded. He had to report behind the wall and the team replaced the hub, but he was too many laps down to get a good finish. This led to the second caution of the race on lap 89. Kurt Busch, who had not went behind the wall yet, got loose in turn 1 and made contact with Josh Wise. Wise went up the track and slammed the outside wall. He received a good bit of damage and would not be a factor in the race anymore. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. Another strategy session occurred during this caution. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby Labonte, Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan did not pit while Ryan Newman, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, and others took two tires with all the others taking four tires. It would be interesting to see which strategy worked in the end.

        The race went back green once again and Kyle Busch's two tire move immediately looked bad. The car seemed very loose and he was sliding back. His loose race car would cost him. In turn 3 on lap 106, Busch got loose and went up the track. Joey Logano was there and the two drivers made contact causing Busch to get a good bit of rear damage and Logano to get a lot of front end damage. This resulted in the third caution of the race. Travis Kvapil received the lucky dog. This led to even more strategy during the caution. David Ragan, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and other drivers behind them came down pit road. Kyle Busch would receive a penalty for having too many men over the wall. The race went back green once again and Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued to lead the race. On lap 126, Clint Bowyer was finally able to get past Earnhardt Jr. to take the lead. Bowyer quickly got away from the field, but his race would suddenly get very bad. On lap 176, Bowyer made a move to the outside of Travis Kvapil in turn 4 and Kvapil went up the track. The two made contact and this sent Bowyer for a spin. He came to a stop on the frontstretch, but he was not out of the clear yet. Bobby Labonte was trying to avoid Bowyer, but he spun and slammed into Bowyer's door. Both drivers drove away with Labonte having much more damage than Bowyer. This resulted in the fourth caution of the race. David Gilliland received the lucky dog. Even more strategy was used during this caution period. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Denny Hamlin took two tires while the rest of the drivers took four tires. Joey Logano, Paul Menard, and David Ragan received speeding penalties on pit road. It would be interesting to see if they could get back to the front.

        The race went back green and Carl Edwards was able to jump to the front of the field. He ran away from the field and held the lead until the fifth caution on lap 201. Tony Raines went up the track in turn 4 and made slight contact with Jimmie Johnson. Neither driver received too much damage. Dave Blaney received the lucky dog. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon pitted with some other drivers. Gordon, who was running third, had to pit because the temperatures were rising in his car. The race went back green once again and Carl Edwards jumped out to the lead. It would be short lived as Matt Kenseth got by him on lap 236. A short time after this, the sixth caution waved on lap 256. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. David Stremme received the lucky dog. Another strategy session occurred during the caution. Paul Menard and Kyle Busch stayed on track while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, and others took two tires with the other drivers taking four tires. The leader before the stops, Matt Kenseth, was caught speeding on pit road and would have to go to the back. It would be interesting to see if he makes it back to the front. 

        The race went back green and Paul Menard jumped out to the lead. He did a good job holding onto the lead considering he did not pit, but he lost the lead to Carl Edwards on lap 323. This led to the seventh caution of the race on lap 333. David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte made contact on track and left some debris in turn 3. David Gilliland received the lucky dog. Strategy once again began to pick up during the caution. Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer took two tires while the other lead lap cars took four tires. Juan Pablo Montoya was caught speeding on pit road and would have to move to the back. The race went back green and Kevin Harvick was able to get away a little bit, but Carl Edwards caught up and took the lead. It was a short time after this that the eighth caution waved on lap 358. Brian Vickers bumped David Reutimann entering turn 4 and caused Reutimann to spin. Reutimann made sight contact with the wall and went down to the middle of the track. Jimmie Johnson had nowhere to go and hit him in the back. Both drivers received a good bit of damage. Casey Mears received the lucky dog. Strategy once again was the main theme of the caution period. Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and others decided to come down pit road. The race went back green and Carl Edwards once again jumped out to the lead. This led to the ninth caution of the race on lap 374. Juan Pablo Montoya bumped David Stremme entering turn 1. Stremme went up the track and hit Jeff Burton causing Burton to spin down track. He did not hit any cars and did not tap the wall. Travis Kvapil received the lucky dog. No strategy occurred during the caution and the race went back green. On the restart, a contender would have trouble.

       Carl Edwards fell back a little on the restart and then he really started to fall back. He reported to his team that he had a possible broken valve spring. He eventually slowed enough that he went to pit road. His team decided that the engine was finished and he did not return to the race. It was very costly considering how good Edwards had been and now Matt Kenseth, who had a speeding penalty earlier, took the lead. The race went a little while before the tenth caution on lap 438. Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track. The final bit of strategy occurred during this caution. Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and others pitted while Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others stayed on track. Now, it was a fuel strategy race and only the drivers who pitted during this caution knew they could make it. 

        The race went back green and it was a very short time before the eleventh and final caution of the race on lap 446. Brian Vickers went up the track on Denny Hamlin on the frontstretch and Hamlin's tire blew. Entering turn 1, Hamlin had no control over his car and he went up the track and hit Ryan Newman. This caused Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., David Stremme, Ken Schrader, and Casey Mears to pile up in the corner. Most of the drivers had huge amounts of damage and would not return to the race. Aric Almirola received the lucky dog. The amount of debris on the track led NASCAR to throw the red flag to allow the track to be cleaned. It was brought in after a short time and the final race to the checkered flag would begin.

        The race went back green for the final time and Matt Kenseth jumped out to the lead, but Kasey Kahne was coming. Kahne moved from fourth to second in a short time after the green flag. With only thirty laps to go, Kahne moved close to Kenseth and the two began to battle for the win. Kahne was much faster with new tires and plenty of fuel, but Kenseth was holding him off well. With only ten laps to go, Kenseth still held the lead from Kahne. Kahne could get up next to him and try to pass, but he couldn't complete the move. Finally, the white flag waved and Kenseth looked to hold the lead. Kahne tried to spin him, but he couldn't get to the bumper and Kenseth sailed to the win. It was a nice insurance win for Kenseth, but Kahne could have used it to make sure he gets a wild card.

        Matt Kenseth has been very dominant this year. He already has clinched his spot for the Chase and has five wins that could put him at the top of the standings for the Chase. Kasey Kahne needed that win for his wild card hopes, but he moved to eighth and looks like he will be able to use his two wins for bonus points in the Chase. It was definitely a struggle for Jimmie Johnson again. He ended up finishing 36th after the contact with David Reutimann. He lost some more points, but he is still the points leader and is locked into the Chase. Once again, the wild card battle heated up. Joey Logano moved into the top 10 and Brad Keselowski fell out of the top 10. Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. took the wild card spots heading into the Chase. With two chances left to win before the Chase, this battle is sure to get even more dicey. The series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway next week. Will Denny Hamlin repeat, will Kasey Kahne avenge his third second place finish to Matt Kenseth of the season, or will a person outside of the top 10 move into it? We will have to find out next week.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 40- Ryan Truex blew a tire entering turn 3 and slammed the outside wall.

2nd Caution: Lap 89- Kurt Busch got loose in turn 1 and made contact with Josh Wise. Wise slammed the outside wall due to the contact. 

3rd Caution: Lap 106- Kyle Busch got loose in turn 3 and went up the track. Joey Logano was there and the two drivers made contact.

4th Caution: Lap 176- Travis Kvapil tapped Clint Bowyer in turn 4 and sent him for a spin. Bobby Labonte spun while trying to avoid Bowyer and slammed into him. 

5th Caution: Lap 201- Tony Raines went up the track in turn 4 and made slight contact with Jimmie Johnson.

6th Caution: Lap 256- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.

7th Caution: Lap 333- David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte made contact which left debris on track.

8th Caution: Lap 358- Brian Vickers bumped David Reutimann entering turn 4 and caused him to spin. Reutimann made slight contact with the wall and Jimmie Johnson slammed into his back.

9th Caution: Lap 374- Juan Pablo Montoya bumped David Stremme entering turn 1. Stremme went up track and made contact with Jeff Burton causing Burton to spin down track.

10th Caution: Lap 438-  Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track.

11th Caution: Lap 446- Brian Vickers went up the track on Denny Hamlin on the frontstretch and blew his tire. Hamlin went into turn 1 and went up the track. He made contact with Ryan Newman and Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., David Stremme, Ken Schrader, and Casey Mears got involved.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: David Stremme
2nd Caution: Casey Mears 
3rd Caution: Travis Kvapil
4th Caution: David Gilliland
5th Caution: Dave Blaney
6th Caution: David Stremme
7th Caution: David Gilliland
8th Caution: Casey Mears
9th Caution: Travis Kvapil
10th Caution: Jeff Burton
11th Caution: Aric Almirola

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Matt Kenseth
2nd: Kasey Kahne
3rd: Juan Pablo Montoya
4th: Brian Vickers
5th: Joey Logano

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Jeff Gordon
10th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11th: Kyle Busch
14th: Clint Bowyer
26th: Danica Patrick
30th: Brad Keselowski
31st: Kurt Busch
34th: Kevin Harvick
35th: Martin Truex Jr.
36th: Jimmie Johnson
39th: Carl Edwards




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Irwin_Tools_Night_Race/W
-Image:
http://d3s695o1g63xqg.cloudfront.net/gLl7c15lM4.jpg

My Thoughts: Bristol

        This week, we head to the greatest half mile oval in the world known as Bristol Motor Speedway. One thing we always know heading into the night race at Bristol is that fights are going to happen and tempers are going to flare. In this installment, we are going to talk about some tempers flaring in the spring race, one driver being told he can not race for the rest of the season, one driver given a ride for 12 of the final 13 races, and another driver moving to Cup in 2014. Let us not waste any more time and get started.

1. Denny Hamlin Vs. Joey Logano
       The most talked about event of the first part of the season was the extreme situation between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The situation began to heat up when Hamlin wrecked Logano at Bristol while Logano was running at or near the front. Logano was not happy with Hamlin and the two shared words at the end of the race while crew members pushed and shoved. A week later, the situation completely erupted at Auto Club. Coming to the checkered flag, Hamlin and Logano once again wrecked going for the win. This time it would end up much worse than a rivalry. Hamlin spun towards the inside wall and slammed it. His car lifted off the ground and came to a stop. He jumped out of the car, but he was in a lot of pain. He had hurt his back and would miss a bunch of races. Now, we head back to the same track with Hamlin starting on the pole. I personally think this rivalry could spark up again, but I definitely don't want it to. Hamlin has barely recovered from his back injury and needs to take it slow before paying him back. If it does happen again, it could be a very hostile and angry situation.

2. Tony Stewart Out For Rest of Season
       The Tony Stewart saga has been going on for about three weeks now. Since he broke his leg in a sprint car crash, everybody has been wondering how long he would be gone and who would drive the car during this time. Now, we know both, but I want to talk about them separately. It was announced that Stewart would not return to his ride for the rest of the season. He will most likely be ready in time for preseason testing in January of 2014. To me, I think this is a good idea for the team. I know it is a sad situation that Stewart is in, but the team is handling this the right way. If you put him back in this year, you could shorten his career and cause him to lose a lot of wins. Since they are waiting, it gives him the proper amount of time to heal and make sure he is ready. Plus, the team is not making moves without him. According to practice yesterday, Stewart has a radio at his house that allows him to communicate with the team. Now that is pretty cool and innovative.

3. Mark Martin Replacing Tony Stewart For 12 Races
        For the past three weeks, we have been wondering who would replace Tony Stewart as he is out. Now, we know the answer. Since he is out for the rest of the year, Mark Martin will take over for 12 races and Austin Dillon will jump in the car at Talladega. I don't care as much about the Dillon move as the Martin move. If I had to rank good moves in my memory of watching NASCAR, this is definitely near the top of the list. Not only do you get a driver who can win, but you get one who knows something about racing. Since Martin has been at Michael Waltrip Racing, the team has really improved and shown a lot of strength with him behind the wheel. Now, he heads to Stewart-Haas Racing who need help getting Ryan Newman in the Chase and I don't have to say anything more about Danica Patrick. With his help, their future looks really bright and they still have a chance for the Owners Points title.

4. Austin Dillon Moving to Cup In 2014
        It was definitely a busy week for the elder Dillon boy. First, it was announced that he will driver for Tony Stewart in one race and then it was announced he will drive full time for Richard Childress in Cup in 2014. Personally, I have a few differing opinions on the move. First, I think it is a good move. Childress has done a good job in grooming the elder of the two Dillon boys to make sure he is good before jumping to Cup. He is a Truck champion and is contending for the Nationwide championship this year. Another thing is that Dillon has good connections with other drivers. Tony Stewart and many others think he has a good future and that can go a long way in helping him. But there are some bad things for him now. The first thing is that he doesn't really have a stable teammate next year. Paul Menard is an okay driver, but he is not good in leading others. Jeff Burton has a lot of experience and wins, but he just hasn't been winning or running up front every week lately. A final bad thing is the number he is probably going to use. Childress is most likely going to put Dillon in Dale Earnhardt's famous number 3 for next season. This has been a definite topic of conversation since he has been on the Sprint Cup radar. Some people like the move, others don't really care, and others are about as mad as you can get about it. Personally it is just a number. Yes, it is a representation of a great racer, but we shouldn't have to remember him by his number. I am going to remember Jimmie Johnson for the great things he has done, but not the number 48. It just seems like to me people get too wound up about the subject. The only thing Dillon could have trouble with in the number three is that people will expect a lot from him. If you jump in the Intimidator's car, you are expected to drive as good as the Intimidator. To me, that is the only problem Dillon could have with driving the three.

5. My Pick to Win
        Last time the series went to Bristol at night, Denny Hamlin walked away with the victory. He isn't a bad pick since he is on the pole, but I think I'm going to go with someone else. I am going to go with Kurt Busch. Busch qualified up front and has been at or near the top of the practice charts all weekend. If you don't like that pick, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch are good picks. Once again, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my opinions. If you have a differing opinion than mine, just let me know know what you think down below. As always, I will continue to talk with you guys and write as much as possible.






Credits:
-Image:
http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/5/43/4075692/113149-650-366.jpg