NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Bristol

3 of 7

Apr 17, 2016; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Trevor Bayne (6) leads AJ Allmendinger (47) during the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Winner: Unlikely Top-10’s

Thanks to the 15 cautions that we saw at Bristol, there were a few drivers that earned much-deserved top-10 finishes.

First, Trevor Bayne finished in 5th place, continuing a decent start for Roush Fenway Racing in 2016. The finish was Bayne’s best since his Daytona 500 win back in 2011.

The next, and most notable performance of the day, came from Matt DiBenedetto as he scored a 6th-place finish, his and BK Racing’s best finishes ever. After the race, DiBenedetto celebrated with his family on pit road as if he had just won.

So excited!!!! 6th place finish!! I am so blessed and fortunate for this amazing opportunity!! Thank you so much everyone!!
— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) April 17, 2016

Lastly, there was Clint Bowyer, who finished in 8th place. Though it’s not as rare for Bowyer to finish in the top-10, it simply served as a major confidence-booster, as Bowyer’s best finish of the season was 18th, until Bristol.

As we are accustomed to seeing at Bristol, the amount of wrecks, penalties and issues in the race opened up a chance for some underrated drivers to grab nice finishes. A few of them seized the opportunity at the world’s fastest half-mile.

Next: The Start Of A New Streak

Home/NASCAR