Surprising and Not Surprising: Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol
From remembering one of race fans’ best friends to the beating and banging on the track, racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is always one of the favorite destinations on the NASCAR circuit. Here is what is surprising and not surprising for this weekend’s Jeff Byrd 500.
Barry Albert
Surprising: One of the biggest surprises happened before Billy Ray Cyrus sang the National Anthem and Jeff Byrd’s family gave the command to start the engines in his memory. NASCAR and Goodyear had to make a command decision, replacing the tires for the race.
Unfortunately, the original tires did not rubber up the track and in fact disintegrated instead. So, new tires were quickly ordered up from North Carolina and delivered just in time for practice and the race, necessitating a competition caution at Lap 50.
Not Surprising: In spite of the booing from the crowd when his signature song “Rowdy Busch” was played during driver introductions, it was not surprising at all to see the broom in the hand of winner Kyle Busch at race end. This was Busch’s fifth win in a row at Bristol and he swept both the Nationwide and Cup races for the weekend.
Busch dedicated his 20th victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition to Toyota and all affected by the recent earthquake in Japan. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also made history, tying driver Speedy Thompson for 33rd on the career victories list.
“This M&Ms Camry was awesome today,” Busch said. “Also, our thoughts and prayers go to the Toyota folks and all those in Japan.”
“You’ve got to be patient and sometimes you’ve got to go for it,” Busch continued. “Our guys won this race in the pits coming out first on that last stop.”
Surprising: Paul Menard continues to lead the charge for Richard Childress Racing, in spite of being the ‘new kid on the block.’ The driver of the bright yellow No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet even took the lead at Bristol at lap 20, positioning himself at the front for the first time in his career at Bristol.
Menard finished fifth in the race, also advancing his position in the point standings to fifth.
“I had a fast race car all weekend,” Menard said. “What’s cool is we’ve been to four different race tracks and we’ve had strong runs at all four. We’re just having a lot of fun right now.”
Not Surprising: It was not surprising that if Carl Edwards was not celebrating a win with a back flip, he was sitting right there yet again in the runner up position. Behind the wheel of his No. 99 Scotts EZSeed Ford, Edwards admitted that he simply could not catch his Phoenix rival Kyle Busch.
“It was exciting,” Edwards said. “I thought I could get to him at the end and rough him up a little bit and maybe get by him, but his car took off.”
“It was a good race at Bristol,” Edwards continued. “Kyle did a good job. Our team did a good job. We’ve got to thank all the fans and we appreciate them coming out and supporting us.”
Surprising: Matt Kenseth actually had a great run at Bristol and was even somewhat effusive, particularly for the usually dry driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford. Kenseth finished fourth in the race and jumped to 13th in the point standings.
“We had a lot of fun out there racing today and got lucky and got the right lane on the restarts a few times,” Kenseth said. “It took all day but we finally were able to make some adjustments that had the Crown Royal Black Fusion pretty decent.”
Not Surprising: To no one’s amazement, it does indeed seem that five time champ Jimmie Johnson has figured out Bristol Motor Speedway. And it was certainly not surprising to see the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet lead laps and get a great finish out of ‘Thunder Valley’.
While Johnson first had to overcome the driver introduction song picked out for him by Brian Vickers, the “Thong Song” of all things, the reigning champion recovered his dignity with a third place finish. Johnson also jumped five spots in the points, currently sitting in the seventh spot.
“Oddly enough, clean air is important here and that was kind of it,” Johnson said. “It came down to that last pit stop and we didn’t get out of the pits first. So, it was the rest of us racing for second, third and fourth.”
Surprising: It was a bit surprising to see two drivers, Trevor Bayne and Jeff Gordon, both winners in the young 2011 season, struggle so mightily at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting in the seventh spot, Gordon just could not get comfortable in his No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, finally bringing it home in the 14th spot.
Trevor Bayne, one of Gordon’s biggest fans and the Daytona 500 winner, had a miserable day at his home track. Bayne was involved in the wreck that brought out the first caution flag of the day and never recovered, finishing 34th in his Wood Brothers Chevrolet.
Not Surprising: NASCAR’s favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just keeps rolling along. In spite of a speeding penalty and with the encouragement of his ever optimistic crew chief Steve Letarte, Junior bounced back to finish 11th, just missing out on his third top-10 finish in a row.
The NASCAR circuit will now trek back across the country to Fontana, California. Drivers will compete in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 27th, with the broadcasts set for 3:00 PM ET on FOX and MRN.
The Last Word on Bristol, as Kyle W(inner) Busch again sweeps Tennessee
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[/media-credit]So, what did we learn at Bristol?
Well, we learned that Kyle Busch is one hell of a driver. Okay, if we had been in a coma the past couple of years, that might have been a revelation. He wins on Saturday, wins on Sunday, and his Bristol tally includes four Cup wins in his last five attempts there, two straight Nationwide wins, and don’t forget the three in a row he has rung up in the trucks. I’m guessing ole Rowdy kind of likes Bristol.
We learned that if Carl Edwards knew his final shot at getting by Busch was with about thirty laps to go, he would not have been so clean in making the attempt. It is not that Edwards doesn’t mind using some muscle to make a pass, just ask Brad Keselowski. However, if you move a guy you got to leave the guy to avoid payback, but Busch was the one who rode off into the sunset. Edwards had to settle for second, which gives him three runner-up tallies to go with a couple of wins in his last six starts.
We learned that Jimmie Johnson has not won a race in a dozen tries. However, before we start resizing the crown worn by Bristol’s third place finisher, Five Time hasn’t exactly been slumming it out there. Of those 12, he has been a Top Three guy six times, with eight Top Fives and 10 Top Tens. If that is a slump, there are a bunch of drivers who would love to be so mired.
We learned that Jeff Burton’s problems continue. 20th at Bristol was the best he has done since he was 19th at Phoenix last fall. The Virginian sits 30th in the standings, almost fifty positions out of Chase contention. If all the gold is in California, he better find himself the mother lode next weekend.
We learned that bad things happen to good people at Bristol. Burton’s problems made him a pylon out there with a loose wheel, which resulted in Trevor Bayne, David Reutimann, and Denny Hamlin beat up and scrambling for crumbs for the rest of the day.
We learned that Juan Pablo Montoya’s loose wheel at the mid-point of the race was the beginning of the end for him. Later, when Kasey Kahne got loose and log-jammed the field, the resulting mess made sure Montoya, Bayne, and Jamie McMurray finished outside the Top 20. When Clint Bowyer’s engine blew up, he went from crippled to dead to 35th.
We learned that when the smoke had cleared, it was that other Busch who was our points leader as Kurt heads west up by one over Edwards. They have a sizable gap over Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Paul Menard, who has a pair of Top Tens in four starts. Kyle, Jimmie, and Juan are right behind, with Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mark Martin rounding out the top ten. Jeff Gordon’s win at Phoenix would give him a invite to the party, while Kasey Kahne would get his only because Bayne isn’t turning his Daytona gold into a glass slipper.
We have learned that the track at Fontana might be sunny but, Lord help me, it more often provides a cure for insomnia than it does excitement. However, there is one guy who just loves the Auto Club Speedway in California. Tony Stewart may have won there last October. Bristol’s fourth place finisher, Matt Kenseth, may have three out there. Even Edwards was the man at Fontana three years ago. However, the guy to watch is Jimmie Johnson, who has claimed four of the last seven they have run there. Maybe that poor, luckless fellow can finally end the heartbreak and break out of his slump. His worst finish in his last ten Fontana starts? Eleventh. Oh, the humanity. Enjoy your week.
Let’s Count the Reasons Bristol’s Attendance Was So Poor
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[/media-credit]Many were shocked as the Nationwide Series race approached at Bristol Motor Speedway. Why? No one I talked to could ever remember there being that many empty seats as the race began. It got worse on Sunday as the Sprint Cup drivers were entering their cars to go racing. Empty seats were everywhere and huge chunks of the stands sat empty. The “official” estimate was 120,000, but common sense told most people that it was closer to 90,000 fans in the stands. That had to be disappointing for the track and the drivers, but what was the reason? Is it the economy, the reconfiguration of the track, or the price of gasoline? It’s probably all of the above plus something else.
Yes, the economy, though improving, is doing so slowly. Yes, people miss the old Bristol track where excitement happened on every lap. That doesn’t happen anymore unless you’re a racing purist, and let’s face it. Most fans, especially in the numbers that NASCAR attracted in the last three decades, are not racing purists. They want to see action, as in beating and banging. It just didn’t happen much, especially in the Sprint Cup race. And yes, the price of gasoline on the trip down ranged anywhere from $3.75 – $3.45 per gallon. But that’s less than the prices of a few years ago.
I think in addition to the reasons mentioned earlier, it’s also the hype and what the economy has done to corporate sponsorship. Someone who might know told me this weekend that corporate sponsors usually took over 20% of the tickets (about 32,000) to give away to employees, customers, salespeople, and friends. That’s not happening these days. Another reason is the constant advertising on what a knock-down, drag-out race the Jeff Byrd 500 was going to be. Ever since the track was resurfaced, it hasn’t been that kind of race. It reminds most fans of a smaller Charlotte Motor Speedway. Giving the drivers another lane to race in was a popular idea…with the drivers, NASCAR and the media. It’s not so great with a lot of the fans who loyally came to Bristol in huge numbers for years to see beating and banging, but there’s another angle that is confusing.
It doesn’t cost anything (except maybe your cable bill) to watch the race on television. Folks stayed away on Sunday. Several theories have been brought forth, and they go anywhere from the sunny day, the beginning of spring (both of which could lead to outside activities), and even the fact that Kyle Busch dominates races at Bristol these days. Whatever the reason, viewership was down 7% in early reporting. That’s a bunch for what many call “The Bristol Race.” Maybe by August, the economy will improve, gas prices will drop, and drivers will start using the “chrome horn” again because they can. Maybe corporate sponsorship will return, but I doubt they’ll be changing the track back to what it was before progressive banking was installed in the high-banked turns. The new Bristol is different, and we might as well get used to it. Besides, this Bristol is much better than no Bristol at all!
BITS AND PIECES
Strange as this may sound, there was lots of action at Bristol this weekend, but most of it was not during the race (which is an unfair assessment—there was some good racing in both the Nationwide and Cup Series races).
Goodyear decided the tire they brought to Bristol was simply not going to work, so they did something that was both heralded as brilliant and stupid in one stroke. After all the teams had practiced and qualified on the new tire, Goodyear decided to use the right sides from last year, essentially negating all the practice times teams had logged in. Since the tire company had to mount a lot of tires, teams were only given one set to use in practice on Saturday. The result threw several teams for a loop. Pole-sitter Carl Edwards didn’t find the right setup until the last 50 laps of Sunday’s race, and he finished second. Kudos should go to Goodyear, however, for correcting what might have been a bad situation if tire failures continued.
Jennifer Jo Cobb didn’t start Saturday’s Nationwide Series race after a disagreement with her car owner. Both sides disagree on what happened, so we’ll leave it at that. Car owner Rick Russell said that starting and parking was in the plans all along. Cobb said that she first heard about it 10 minutes before the race. The result was Cobb refused to drive the car, saying that she had a commitment to her sponsors, NASCAR, and her fans to not start and park. Watching the drama as the race started with Cobb’s shiny red Mustang parked in the infield at the start of the front stretch pits was drama at its best. Apparently Cobb no longer drives for Russell’s team. Stay tuned.
Finally, in on-track news, Brad Keselowski got the ire of Jeff Gordon on Sunday. Keselowski had problems early in the race that took him out of contention. He got back on the track and was trying to have a good finish. Jeff Gordon had fallen back from his top-10 starting position, but was at the edge of the top 10 when trying to pass Keselowski, who was three laps down. Then, while Gordon was attempting his pass, Keselowski “door-slammed” Gordon, making his march to front short-lived. “I’ll just tell Brad that the next time I’m three laps down, and he’s on the lead lap, just expect the same out of me, you know?,” Gordon said. Keselowski finished 18th, and Gordon finished 14th.
Martin Truex Jr. Again Shows Strength Early in Bristol Before Struggling Late
If Sprint Cup Series races were shorter, Martin Truex Jr. might have a few more race wins on his resume.
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[/media-credit]Instead the driver of the No. 56 Napa Auto Parts Toyota Camry is pressing onward, waiting for his time to come. It’s not as if his Michael Waltrip Racing team is that far off, entering the Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol he sat seventh in points and felt momentum was on his side.
Momentum isn’t enough anymore, Truex is hungry for a win. Something he hasn’t experienced since his first career win at Dover in June of 2007. There have been many races with close but no cigar moments. They have been dominating performances but frustrating results. He’s switched teams and manufacturers but it still hasn’t led to victory lane.
It has led Truex to openly admit his expectations of racing and winning at the Cup level were off.
“No, I didn’t think it would be as difficult,” he said Friday.
“I’ve been in position to win a lot more races than one and we just haven’t closed the deal. Obviously, the last few years have been pretty difficult. The first couple went pretty well and we fought for wins a lot. Then we went through two really crazy transition years. Then last year was a new deal for me.”
Truex won the 2004-2005 Nationwide Series championship. Moving to Cup in 2006 paid off early as he was just as competitive as the rest. His more impressive runs included winning the then Nextel Open in 2007 to advance to the All-Star race. A month later he scored his first official Cup win.
That year also brought a spot in the Chase and a finish of 11th in points. In 2009 he won the pole for the Daytona 500 before then announcing he was leaving for MWR.
Truex left a then merged Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in 2009 after feeling second fiddle to Juan Pablo Montoya. It’s been a hard adjustment going from the NNS with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and being a weekly contender to trying to find his place. Even if there have been bright spots.
“We had the speed last year,” Truex said.
“We had a chance at winning a few races, especially at the end of the season when we got our program going the right direction. It’s just been kind of difficult.”
The 2010 season finale in Homestead was another great race for Truex. He led 62 laps and had Carl Edwards believing the No. 56 could be the driver to beat for the win. A flat tire ruined those chances and Truex finished 11th as Edwards won.
“It’s been hard for me because I’ve won championships and I’ve won races in everything I’ve ever run,” said Truex.
“To go three seasons or so without seeing victory lane again has been difficult. You have to keep working hard, focus on the things you know you can do better and try to be a team player — all those things. It’s been hard, but I know the next win isn’t far — it’s just around the corner.”
If that’s true that corner could have been any of the past few races. Such as the Daytona 500 where Truex felt he could have been the man in the winner’s circle. It was a race where he again led early, 17 laps, but finished 19th at day’s end.
Truex does feel as though his team is heading in the right direction but knows they need to get all the bad out of the way before they can be first to the finish line.
Bristol was not one of those days.
Upon asserting himself near the front of the field early in the going, Truex flexed his muscle. On lap 92 he caught and drove past eventual winner Kyle Busch for the lead and was then able to drive away from the competition and then hold them off in what appeared to be an easy first half of the Jeff Byrd 500.
By days end though, just as it has happened many times before, the laps he racked up didn’t come with the finish it deserved. At Bristol he led 63 total laps and left with a disappointing 17th place finish.
“We got extremely loose at the midpoint of the race and finally got it pretty good at the end,” said Truex.
“But, we smoked the right rear tire off racing Marcos Ambrose. We’ll have to work on our car a little bit to figure out what we need to do to stay up front. We were pretty darn good in the beginning and it was nice to lead all those laps. We just have some work to do.”
According to Truex when the track finally started to get some rubber built into it, that’s when the handling on his machine went away. With it so did another great chance at a victory.
The finish dropped Truex to 10th in points after only four races. Positives taken away come in knowing they’re capable of running up front with the likes of Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch.
Next the Napa team will know how to win the race in the last 100-200 miles instead of the first.
