What Happened?
Kyle Larson put on a historically dominating performance on his way to winning his second Bristol night race Saturday (Sept. 21). Larson led a career-high 462 laps, setting a record for most laps led in a race by a Hendrick Motorsports driver.
A distance behind Larson, Chase Elliott was runner-up for the second time in the last three night races at Bristol. Bubba Wallace finished third as the best non-playoff driver in the field.
Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
What Really Happened?
I’m going to say it: In the Next Gen era, the Bristol night race has been the most overhyped event of the last three seasons.
Debate all you want about the cause.
People love to bring up the progressive banking with the overpowered high groove. The tire compound was a major conversation piece, especially after the chaos from the spring event. We’ve seen enough good, hard racing on this configuration across the national series events.
However, to find the common denominator: the car.
There was extra anticipation to see how the tire would perform in the race, but the race weekend as a whole followed the same blueprint as the previous two seasons.
Both of those races saw prolonged green flag runs with little passing.
In 2022, three drivers led a combined 421 laps. Last season, three drivers led 431 laps. Larson eclipsed both of those marks by himself this weekend.
Let’s face it: the car is, and will continue to be, the problem on these short tracks.
Sure, drivers and teams constantly talk about issues with the tires. An unexpected rubber reaction made things interesting in the spring and option tires added a layer of strategy to the summer Richmond race.
However, this weekend’s tire did show signs of falloff during the run. Unfortunately, wear didn’t seem to matter until 150+ laps into the run.
The problems persist with the car.
These racecars are too stuck to the track, the corner speeds are too high and drivers have zero aero-tools to use on cars in front. Heck, they can’t even get close enough to one another to use the bumper – and even the bumps have little effect on these high-grip machines.
Spec cars aren’t my favorite thing, especially in a premier racing series, but they can work, as evidenced by the SRX racing product.
Until the car sees major adjustments with a number of its pieces, things will continue to look the same around the short tracks – and really at most of the tracks on the schedule.
Who Stood Out?
A top-three finish has got to leave the No. 23 team thinking, “What could’ve been” after a solid run all night.
Wallace ran well all night, especially in contrast with his playoff teammate Tyler Reddick, who finished 20th. Ryan Preece, another non-playoff driver, impressed by finishing seventh. A welcome result for a driver who has yet to announce his 2025 plans.
As for the playoff drivers, Chase Briscoe also had a great night. With his back against the wall the last two weeks, the No. 14 team has delivered. Briscoe ran well enough to earn stage points and put himself in great position for the final stage. The last-minute playoff entry is moving on to the Round of 12 once again.
Who Fell Flat?
A gritty performance – and some outside help – barely allowed Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 team to survive. However, they have struggled at Bristol time and time again.
One driver not known for Bristol struggles is Brad Keselowski.
Really, Keselowski surprisingly fell flat the entire Round of 16. He had a horrible performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway and was in multiple accidents at Watkins Glen International. That trend continued as he ran outside the top 25 all night at Bristol and finished 26th, getting eliminated.
Considering that Martin Truex Jr. has finished 20th or worse in nine of the last 10 races, 24th might not seem that surprising.
However, Truex had looked like a contender for the win and was likely a lock until he sped on pit road. Truex really exemplified the passing impossibility after he took a top three car and made little ground, getting lapped before the end of the race.
Better Than Last Time?
Last year’s night race at the Last Great Colosseum had two memorable moments: defending champ Joey Logano getting eliminated and Hamlin’s famous post-race quip.
This year’s race didn’t even have that much action.
All credit to Larson.
Despite his inconsistencies, he’s clearly been the best driver most of the season, and he put it all together tonight.
Where the last two races at least had multiple leaders and some competition up front, Larson remained untouched after he grabbed the lead in the first stage.
Paint Scheme of the Race
As a Mountain Dew enjoyer, the most vibrant scheme on the track had to be Daniel Hemric’s green No. 31 machine.
The soda sponsor even had a snack to go along with the drink.
What’s Next?
The NASCAR Cup Series opens up the Round of 12 at arguably the best track for the Next Gen platform. The Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet will start at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 on the USA Network for the final time this season.
Caleb began sports writing in 2023 with The Liberty Champion, where he officially covered his first NASCAR race at Richmond in the spring. While there, Caleb met some of the guys from Frontstretch, and he joined the video editing team after graduating from Liberty University with degrees in Strategic Communications and Sports Journalism. Caleb currently work full-time as a Multi-Media Journalist with LEX 18 News in Lexington, Kentucky and contributes to Frontstretch with writing and video editing. He's also behind-the-scenes or on camera for the Happy Hour Podcast, live every Tuesday night at 7:30!