NASCAR “got a memorable race at track that has searched for those indelible moments that will live for years”Getty Images
NASCAR’s initial reaction after yesterday's Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was that “there is no need to mess with a good thing,” according to Kelly Crandall of RACER. Cup Series teams “found themselves in a tire battle” in the Food City 500 due to “rapid wear and cording.” It resulted in a “tire management race” by both the drivers and the race teams, and NASCAR “approving Goodyear to release an extra set in the second stage.” In the end, the race produced a “track-record 54 lead changes and a tied record of 16 different leaders” (RACER, 3/17).
TIRE STRATEGY: In Charlotte, Shane Connuck wrote everyone involved in Bristol Motor Speedway’s “historic NASCAR race on Sunday would say something was different.” NASCAR Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst said that when last fall’s night race at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” was delayed, NASCAR tested PJ1, a traction compound, and felt it was “almost like oil on the track.” Connuck noted NASCAR “elected to use resin on the track instead.” Drivers “struggled to control their cars during Saturday’s qualifying session,” and rubber was “visibly flying off tires throughout the Cup Series race on Sunday.” As driver Denny Hamlin took his 52nd checkered flag yesterday, the race totaled nine cautions, “but surprisingly, none came over the final 100 laps.” Drivers “needed to manage their pit stops differently than any race,” and they all made green-flag pit stops late. Connuck added social media was “ablaze throughout the race,” and it felt like there was a “legitimate chance that teams might not have enough tires to complete the 500 laps.” Their tires got worn quickly, and Goodyear ended up having to give each team one additional set of tires -- and “still barely made it through the race” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/17).
A MEMORY UNLIKE ANY OTHER: NBCSPORTS.com’s Dustin Long wrote yesterday's race at Bristol was “unlike anything seen at this track in years. If ever.” Long: “No one expected this entering the weekend. Even after teams saw excessive tire wear in practice and qualifying Saturday, most figured that the track would take on rubber and not wear tires as dramatically.” That never happened for reasons NASCAR and Goodyear were unsure for yesterday. Long noted the race came “amid a renewed plea from drivers for more horsepower to enhance the racing,” particularly at short tracks after the package that debuted last week at Phoenix “didn’t make much a significant difference in what fans saw.” NASCAR “got a memorable race at [a] track that has searched for those indelible moments that will live for years.” Long: “Sunday’s race didn’t deliver a driver tossing his helmet at another car or two drivers arguing, but it did give drivers and fans something to talk about” (NBCSPORTS.com, 3/17).
NASCAR Cup Series teams “found themselves in a tire battle” in the Food City 500 due to “rapid wear and cording”Getty Images
