NASCAR: Looking back at the last five Bristol races
The NASCAR Cup Series makes its first trip of the year to Bristol Motor Speedway. What do the last five races at the track tell us about this year’s edition?
On Sunday, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series makes its first trip of 2018 to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The 0.533-mile, high-banked oval has been hosting NASCAR races since 1961.
All the best drivers have found victory lane at the track over the years, from Fred Lorenzen winning three straight in the early 1960s to Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough combining to win eight straight in the late 1970s, Darrell Waltrip’s seven consecutive victories in the 1980s and Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt dominating at the track through the 1990s.
Bristol has been a track where the best tend to shine. Lately, though, we haven’t seen the kinds of streaks that were common earlier in the tracks history, as the last six races have produced six different winners and no one has won consecutive races at the track since Brad Keselowski did so in 2011 and 2012.
What will happen this year? Let’s look at the last five races at the track and see what they tell us about this year’s Food City 500.
Fall 2015
Five drivers led laps and all five finished in the top 10: Joey Logano (176 laps, first place), Denny Hamlin (54 laps, third place), Brad Keselowski (four laps, sixth place), Carl Edwards (74 laps, seventh place), and Kyle Busch (192 laps, eighth place). Kyle Larson and Matt Kenseth had issues that caused them to finish in the 40s. Kevin Harvick finished second.
Spring 2016
Carl Edwards was dominant in the #19 car, leading 276 of 500 laps on his way to victory lane. The driver with the best chance to beat him was Matt Kenseth, who led 142 laps but finished 36th after tire issues caused him to hit the wall and fall out of contention. Kyle Busch had similar issues and finished 38th. The top 10 included some of the usual suspects (Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano), but it also included two surprises: Trevor Bayne ran fifth for Roush Fenway Racing and, even more surprisingly, Matt DiBenedetto finished sixth in a BK Racing car.
Fall 2016
Another Bristol race and another driver in contention wrecking out: Kyle Busch led 256 laps, but a spin plus contact led to him finishing 39th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who usually runs well at Bristol, finished second, but it was Kevin Harvick leading 128 laps on his way to the victory.
Spring 2017
Three drivers who started in the top 10 finished 33rd or worse: Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson led 81 laps and won his second career Bristol race. Kyle Larson led 202 laps and finished sixth, while Martin Truex Jr. led 116 laps and finished eighth.
Fall 2017
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Things finally went right for Kyle Busch, who led 156 laps and didn’t wreck this time! Erik Jones led 260 laps and looked like he could have a shot at winning his first Cup Series race, but he ultimately finished second. Gibbs and Gibbs-related cars took the top four spots.
2018?
What can we expect this year? Joe Gibbs Racing should continue to run up front, especially with last year’s winner, Kyle Busch, starting on the pole. If he doesn’t wreck, he should be in contention all day. No other Gibbs car starts in the top 10, though.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has run well at Bristol and starts fourth. Could this be the day he breaks through and wins a non-restrictor plate race? Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski could also get Ford into victory lane.
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What will happen in Sunday’s Food City 500? Assuming it doesn’t rain, which may not be the best assumption at this point, tune on Fox tomorrow at 1:00 pm ET to find out, and then check back in with Beyond The Flag for all of your post-race commentary and analysis.