Joey Logano played with dirt and got the win at Bristol
Joey Logano won Cup Series’ much-expected return to dirt racing. Wheels rolled in the dirt for the first time since 1970. While the race was moved to Monday due to heavy rain, it was surely worth the wait. Not only that but, NASCAR has already confirmed that next year’s Bristol Spring race will be in the sand as well.
Just Like the 70s
Race start was nothing short of spectacular, not a single car kept it straight coming into the first corner. “The Last Great Coliseum” proved very fast but, loose dirt was tricky for some including, Kyle Busch. Busch took the lead early on, but it didn’t last long as his clogged-up grill cause him to overheat. The number 18 car turned into a teapot and lost a lap on the pits. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson, who had to go to the rear due to an engine swap after getting the pole, made his way into the top 20 early on the first stage.
Lap 41 saw the first yellow flag as Aric Almirola got out of the groove and lost the rear end before turning into a moving safety barrier for three other cars. There were a few surprises on the dirt though. For once, Christopher Bell, one of the favorites to win it all, exited early due to an oil leak after a crash. Second, Daniel Suarez was flying out there, constantly inside the top 5. Furthermore, the Mexican driver was as fresh to dirt track racing as one could be. His first try at it came just a few hours before the race in the Truck Series.
Martin Truex Jr. dominated the latter half of the first stage scoring a playoff by the end of it.
Driving in “A Rock”
The second stage was a completely different affair. The fast track was no more as the dirt dried up turning it into “A Rock” according to Denny Hamlin’s team radio. Bristol looked like a sandstorm most of the time and everyone, but leader Suarez struggled with visibility. To make matters worse, NASCAR insisted on cleaning the track only during the stage break.
Drivers were forced to run a bunch of laps under caution after a handful of yellow flags due to plain lack of visibility. Joey Logano however, made the most of it by getting the lead with seven to go. The Penzoil 22 car got the Playoff point in the end while Suarez and Denny Hamlin settled for stage points.
Track was watered for the final stage. The 50-lap shootout was next.
Overtime on Dirt
Restart was much smoother this time around. Dust settled and, while visibility wasn’t great, it wasn’t as bad as it was midway through the race. Joey Logano stayed at the top, but a fortunate late yellow flag sent us into Overtime and gave Hamlin one last shot at the win.
The 50-lap shootout was then significantly reduced, now, it was only a matter of two laps round the oval. Hamlin had two options to get around Joey Logano. One, he could’ve used brute force to bump him for the win, or, two, go the gentleman route and pass him on top. Unfortunately for him, the latter option had no grip up close to the wall and the win slipped off hands. Logano is your winner at Bristol’s dirt.
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