NASCAR Cup Series: Why Bristol is the answer

Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway is exactly what NASCAR needs to rejuvenate the sport.

What’s up, NASCAR fans! How did everyone enjoy that 500-lap race at Bristol Motor Speedway?With big names facing adversity, young guns up front and a former NASCAR Cup Series champion scoring his first win of the season, what was there not to love this past Saturday night?

We saw beating, banging and drama throughout the night. With the threat of rain, the aggression level was elevated from the start, which created the best race of the 2018 season thus far.

There is no doubt in my mind that more races like Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race will lead to the resurgence of NASCAR. That’s why Bristol is the answer.

Just for clarification, when I say “Bristol is the answer”, I’m referring to short tracks. I’ve been hard on “The Last Great Colosseum” for a few years now, but there was no debating that the show on Saturday night was a classic rendition of what NASCAR used to be.

Beginning with a multi-car crash on lap two, the race changed complexion. Kyle Busch, at his best race track, made a mistake that should have taken him out of contention early. Remember, I said should have. We’ll revisit that later.

In addition to Busch, many big-name drivers such as Darrell Wallace Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger were done for the night. From that point on, more drama unfolded. Paul Menard, who nearly stormed to the lead at the start of the race, had an issue just laps later, taking him out for the night.

Things calmed down temporarily, but tension built throughout stage one, resulting in a photo finish for the stage one win involving Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick.

Stage two didn’t disappoint either, as fans watched Busch claw his way from two laps down. He wasn’t the only driver in the “big three” having issues either, as Harvick had to pit under green flag conditions halfway through the stage, which put him two laps down as well.

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Fans were treated to a nice battle between the two former Cup Series champions for the free pass in the closing laps of the stage. Busch won that battle, putting himself back on the lead lap.

Just like Busch, the action wasn’t done for the night. We saw multiple teams and drivers face struggles and make mistakes. Playoff contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr. faced multiple issues, as did Jamie McMurray. Martin Truex Jr. had his race ended when Busch made contact with his left rear, sending the defending Cup Series champion hard into the inside wall.

With pit strategy and pit road games for position, the race hit its climax when Brad Keselowski spun late, adding to the list of big-name drivers who struggled to survive all 500 laps at Bristol.

Kyle Busch, who I noted earlier SHOULDN’T have been in contention, was. Youngsters Chase Elliott and Erik Jones were up front, and veterans Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch had great chances to win as well.

It was the perfect storm for a classic finish.

Pit strategy created a feisty late restart that eventually put an end to Kyle Busch’s comeback, as the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota blew a left rear tire and spun around by himself after making contact with the #37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet of Chris Buescher. Busch finished in 20th place.

To put an end to the night, the field went green with 13 laps to go. Kyle Larson tried to secure his first win of the 2018 season, but was outdueled by 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, who found victory lane for the first time since he won the 2017 Daytona 500.

To put it best, the race was EPIC. It was the best race of the year thus far. This is what we need more of.

We need bumping. We need banging. We need drivers busting their tails all night (Kyle Busch). We need young stars battling. We need veterans showing up on the big stage. WE NEED SHORT TRACKS!

I did the math. Right now, there are six short track races on the Cup Series schedule. That’s a whopping 16.67%, and that number is horrendous.

Saturday night gave us the answer to what we need more of moving forward. If NASCAR adds more short tracks, we get back the classic sport that everyone misses. Short tracks eliminate aero, and they put the race in the hands of the drivers. Short tracks are what we need, PERIOD.

There are no more excuses and no more caveats. Short tracks will be key to the progression of the sport. Kyle Larson said it best: “Let’s build more Bristols”.

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Thanks for reading, folks. I hope you enjoyed Saturday night’s race as much as I did! Let’s hope for a brighter tomorrow with a lot more short track racing. See you next time!

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