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Denny Hamlin started on the pole. It was his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole of the season as he looks to make a comeback this year. Before the race could even get started, the rains delayed the event. NASCAR's Air Titan went on track quickly after the scheduled start of the race and the track drying began. The track was quickly dried and the field was ready to go after an hour and a half delay. The cars finally made it onto the speedway and only time would tell if the race finished completely. The race went green and Hamlin was able to lead the first lap. He wouldn't hold it for long as Brad Keselowski took the lead on lap 2. Keselowski began to run away from the field quickly and he hit lap traffic early on in the run. Keselowski looked to be the man to beat, but lap traffic would slow him down. His teammate, Joey Logano, was able to catch him and pass him for the lead on lap 44. Logano held onto the lead until the first caution waved on lap 50. NASCAR waved a competition caution due to the rain before the race. Reed Sorenson received the lucky dog. The stops brought the first pit stops of the race and the first mistake.
All the drivers hit pit road with Jimmie Johnson deciding to take two tires while the rest of the field took four tires. The first pit road mistake was made by a very good veteran driver. As Jeff Gordon was leaving his pit, David Ragan was making his way to pit right in front of him. Gordon was unaware of Ragan and he bumped into him. Ragan went for a slide and slid into his pit box. Gordon drove away, but both would have to come back in for damage repair. It would be interesting to see if they could make their way back into competition. The race went back green and Jimmie Johnson was able to hold onto the lead with two tires. After a short green flag run, the second caution of the race waved on lap 61. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2. Michael Annett received the lucky dog. None of the drivers decided to come down pit road and the race went back green. Jimmie Johnson was able to hold onto the lead again, but the race went seconds before the third caution waved on lap 66. Parker Kligerman went into turn 3 and he couldn't get his car to stop. He slid to the apron and locked up his tires. He plowed back onto the race track and nobody hit him. Kligerman avoided the wall and was able to continue on. It turned out that Kligerman actually hit a battery pack that fell on the track out of Alex Bowman's car. The battery pack was supported by some type of battery related paper and the paper spread all over the track. The debris was cleaned up and Kligerman was good to continue on. Josh Wise received the lucky dog. After two quick cautions, the race went back green for a rather long run.
On the restart, Jimmie Johnson was able to hold onto the lead. Johnson began to drive away from the leaders, but he had only two fresh tires. He made it into lap traffic once again and the traffic would be a factor in his lead. He was able to negotiate it all right through the early part of the run, but he began to slow down. Matt Kenseth caught up and was able to pass Johnson on lap 98 for the lead. Kenseth began to run away while Johnson began to fall back on old tires. Eventually, the decision to take two tires would unravel literally and figuratively for Johnson. On lap 114, Johnson began to slow down on track. His right front tire was shredding and he was forced to make it down pit road. He made it down and the team worked on changing tires, but a small fire could be seen under Johnson's car. It was put out and Johnson went back on track several laps down just as the fourth caution of the race waved on lap 118. Rain began to drizzle on the track. Joey Logano received the lucky dog. The rain was light at first and this allowed the drivers to come down pit road. All of them came down with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking two tires and the rest of the drivers taking four tires. The drivers returned to the track, but the rain began to pour and NASCAR put out the red flag as the field was brought down pit road. Teams covered the cars and drivers headed to their motor coaches for a break. The rain continued to come down, but it stopped pretty quickly. The Air Titans went to drying the track and it was dried pretty quickly. At around five o'clock, the drivers were near their cars and ready to get back going. As drivers were in their cars to go back underway, rain began to pour again. The track became damp again and all the drivers dejectedly returned to another break. The rain lightened up after a short time and the Air Titans returned to the facility. Once again, at around seven fifteen at night, the drivers were back in their cars. This time, rain wouldn't come back for the moment.
After a three and a half hour delay, drivers were ready to go back to racing. Things had changed, though. Now, the race would be a night race and each team would have to adjust their cars to night conditions. It would be a test, but each team was ready. The race finally went back green and Matt Kenseth was able to hold the lead he earned on the pit stops almost four hours before. Kenseth ran away slightly, but Kurt Busch came charging up to the front. Busch was able to take the lead from Kenseth on lap 153. Kenseth fell into second, but his day would take a turn with the fifth caution on lap 156.
Cole Whitt and Danica Patrick made contact on the frontstretch. Both drivers hit the wall and Whitt went down the track in turn 1. The field slowed along with Matt Kenseth, who was running second at the time. Timmy Hill didn't slow down in time and he piled into Kenseth. Both had heavy damage along with Whitt, but Kenseth's team made decent repairs and he returned to the race with damage along the back of his car. Greg Biffle received the lucky dog. None of the leaders came in because a competition caution was approaching. The race went back green and Kurt Busch was able to hold onto the lead. Busch drove away slightly, but Jamie McMurray began to charge through the field. McMurray made it to Busch and he took the lead on lap 180. A few laps later, the sixth caution waved on lap 186. NASCAR waved a competition caution due to the rain throughout the afternoon. Josh Wise received the lucky dog. This brought stops for most of the drivers. Clint Bowyer stayed on track while Ryan Newman took fuel only and the rest of the field took four tires. It would be interesting to see how they stacked up against the field on the restart as Bowyer started on point.
The race went back green and Kyle Busch began to battle hard with Clint Bowyer for the lead. After a few laps, Busch took the lead and Bowyer began to fall back along with Ryan Newman. Busch began to run away and he quickly hit traffic. He negotiated it well as the racing behind him began to pick up. Busch eventually started to slow around the lap traffic as the race became official at halfway. Kasey Kahne began to make a charge through the field and he reached Busch quickly. On lap 269, Kahne took the lead for the first time in the race. Just three laps later on lap 272, Kyle Busch decided he wanted some fresh tires after a rather long green flag run. He came in and the team replaced all four tires. It turned out to be a bad mistake for Busch as the seventh caution waved on lap 275. Ryan Truex lost a tire in turn 1 and went up the track. He piled into the outside wall hard. He was able to pilot his car to pit road, but he had heavy damage on his machine. Greg Biffle received the lucky dog. Because he pitted, Busch was pinned a couple laps down. All the leaders decided to come down pit road. All drivers took four tires and Kasey Kahne returned to the lead. The race went back green and Matt Kenseth was able to take the lead from Kasey Kahne. Kenseth, who had extensive rear end damage, had powered his way back through the field and moved to the front of the field. It would be interesting to see if he could take a win in a beat up race car.
Kenseth began to drive away early in the run and he hit lap traffic. The race only went a few laps after the restart before the eighth caution waved on lap 331. Michael McDowell bumped David Ragan exiting turn 4. Ragan went for a spin down the frontstretch. He was able to straighten out his car and keep going without damage. Kurt Busch received the lucky dog. The pit stops brought a little strategy. Matt Kenseth came out as the leader after taking two tires while the rest of the field took four tires. It would be interesting to see how Kenseth lasted on just two fresh tires. The race went back green and Matt Kenseth was able to hold onto the lead. Kenseth began to run away from the field even with his two tires. Kenseth hit lap traffic early and he was able to battle it easily. He held onto the lead as the ninth caution of the race waved on lap 394. Kyle Busch got loose in turn 4. His car began to spin and he slid up the track. He hit the wall and slid into the frontstretch. His brother, Kurt, hit him and pounded the outside wall due to the contact. Both Busch brothers had heavy damage and their chances for a win were pretty much gone. Marcos Ambrose received the lucky dog. The caution brought stops once again. All the drivers took four tires with Kevin Harvick coming out as the leader. It would be interesting to see how many more stops the drivers would have to make.
The race went back green and Kevin Harvick held onto the lead. He looked extremely fast and he blistered away from the field. Shortly after the restart on lap 408, Matt Kenseth began to have some problems. He picked up some rubber on his tires and he began to get pretty loose. He almost made contact with the outside wall, but he was able to keep his car steady. He fell back to thirteenth, but he still had a car intact and capable of winning. Shortly after Kenseth's troubles, the tenth caution waved on lap 422. Martin Truex Jr.'s tire, which had been rubbing the past few laps, flattened due to the tire rub. He went for a spin in turn 4 and he locked his car down, but it went up the track. He made contact with the wall and came to a stop. He was able to drive away, but he had a good bit of damage. Austin Dillon received the lucky dog. The caution brought the pit stops that changed the outcome of the finishing order.
Carl Edwards, Aric Almirola, and others decided to stay out while Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and others took two tires and the rest of the leaders took four tires. It would be interesting to see how this turned out for Edwards and the others. The race went back green and Carl Edwards was able to hold onto the lead. Edwards began to battle a little bit with Aric Almirola, but Edwards drove away as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tony Stewart began to move towards the front. Edwards was in complete control as the eleventh caution waved on lap 451. Kevin Harvick's car began to smoke heavily as he was running near the front of the field. When he entered turn 1 with fifty to go, the car piled into the outside wall hard. He left some oil on track and Jamie McMurray slowed behind him. Brad Keselowski piled into McMurray's back bumper due to the oil on track. They all drove away, but Harvick's car burst into flames as he reached the entrance to the garage. He came to a stop and the fire was put out as Harvick climbed out. Harvick was okay, but his night was over. Keselowski, though, would make it back into the race. Clint Bowyer received the lucky dog. The race brought some drivers down pit road. Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and others came down while Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the rest of the top six stayed on track. The race would have a final run and this run would decide a winner.
The race went back green and Carl Edwards was able to hold onto the lead. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Aric Almirola began to battle with Edwards, but Edwards prevailed. Soon, Edwards was gone as the laps began to click down. Soon, only ten laps remained and Edwards was at the point of seeing the checkered flag. He hit the line for five laps to go and Stenhouse was nowhere near catching him. Edwards passed the line for two laps to go and the thing the team didn't want to see happened. The caution lights came on and NASCAR threw the twelfth and final caution of the race on lap 498. Oddly enough, NASCAR didn't call the caution. A flagman had accidentally mashed the button for the caution lights to come on. Because drivers rely on the lights, NASCAR had no choice, but to wave the caution even though nothing was wrong. Ryan Newman received the lucky dog. The field was lined up for the restart and Carl Edwards would have to fight to win a race he had already locked up. That was before Mother Nature jumped into the battle. As the field was riding around under caution, rain began to pour heavily around the facility. The track was quickly dampened and NASCAR decided they couldn't finish the race in the conditions. The flagman waved the checkered flag and yellow flag as Edwards came across the line on lap 503. This gave him the win in a very odd finish in a very crazy Bristol race. Edwards was happy with the victory and he did a rainy back flip on the frontstretch.
I have been watching NASCAR for close to eleven years and I have never seen a finish like this. It seemed like Carl Edwards was going to have a sure win at Bristol when the caution flag accidentally waved. Then, Mother Nature saved him with rain that handed him the checkered flag. If I was Carl Edwards, I wouldn't complain about rain ever again. Unfortunately for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., he didn't get a chance to battle Carl Edwards for the win during the green-white-checkered. Still, Stenhouse walked away with a very respectable second place finish, which is his career best in NASCAR's highest series. He might build on his momentum from this race to do some great things in his sophomore season. Aric Almirola walked away third for his best finish of his career as well. Tony Stewart continued his comeback trail as he took a fantastic fourth place finish and it looks like Stewart is back after all. Marcos Ambrose walked away fifth to give Richard Petty Motorsports a top five sweep. Others won't hang their hat on this race. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had finished in the top two all three races before this one, finished twenty fourth after a bad strategy call. Jimmie Johnson walked away nineteenth after his tire failure early in the event. Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick also brought home some bad finishes for Stewart-Haas Racing. Others had bad finishes, but still more had some pretty good finishes. This was another wild card race on the season and it very well could change some things as the series heads to Auto Club Speedway next week for a high speed shootout. Will Kyle Busch repeat at the track, will Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have another battle, will another fight erupt, or will another driver take the victory in what is sure to be a good race? We will have to wait until Sunday to find this out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 50- Competition caution due to rain throughout the morning.
2nd Caution: Lap 61- Debris was spotted on track in turn 2.
3rd Caution: Lap 66- Parker Kligerman went for a slide in turn 3 after hitting a piece of debris from Alex Bowman's car.
4th Caution: Lap 118- Rain began to drizzle on track.
5th Caution: Lap 156- Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt hit the wall on the frontstretch and Whitt spun in turn 1. Matt Kenseth and Timmy Hill also got involved.
6th Caution: Lap 186- Competition caution due to rain during a long red flag.
7th Caution: Lap 275- Ryan Truex lost a tire in turn 1 and slammed the outside wall hard.
8th Caution: Lap 331- Michael McDowell bumped David Ragan in turn 4 and Ragan went for a spin down the frontstretch.
9th Caution: Lap 394- Kyle Busch broke loose in turn 4 and went for a spin. Kurt Busch hit his brother and the wall while trying to avoid.
10th Caution: Lap 422- Martin Truex Jr.'s tire blew after a tire rub and he went for a spin in turn 4.
11th Caution: Lap 451- Kevin Harvick slammed the wall hard in turn 1 after an engine problem. Brad Keselowski hit Jamie McMurray in the back after not being able to slow down in the oil on track.
12th Caution: Lap 498- The flagman accidentally cut on the caution lights around the track.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Reed Sorenson
2nd Caution: Michael Annett
3rd Caution: Josh Wise
4th Caution: Joey Logano
5th Caution: Greg Biffle
6th Caution: Josh Wise
7th Caution: Greg Biffle
8th Caution: Kurt Busch
9th Caution: Marcos Ambrose
10th Caution: Austin Dillon
11th Caution: Clint Bowyer
12th Caution: Ryan Newman
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Carl Edwards
2nd: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3rd: Aric Almirola
4th: Tony Stewart
5th: Marcos Ambrose
Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Jeff Gordon
8th: Kasey Kahne
13th: Matt Kenseth
14th: Brad Keselowski
18th: Danica Patrick
19th: Jimmie Johnson
24th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
35th: Kurt Busch
39th: Kevin Harvick
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Food_City_500/W
-Image:
http://media.thestate.com/smedia/2014/03/16/22/11/kWoH4.AuSt.138.jpeg
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