From a NASCAR Fan’s View
There’s a lot of history in the place called Bristol Motor Speedway. A lot takes place there including all three series of NASCAR, the Craftsman Trucks, the Xfinity series and, of course, the Cup series. So far this weekend has been very interesting and it has lived up to what they say about Bristol. It is the fastest half mile oval in the world. Well, that’s what they say anyway.
Bristol is a concrete track all the way around and it is known to be very fast. With the compound they put down in the lower part of the turns, the speeds look to be very fast and, as usual, the tires will pay the price for all that speed. Even in the practice sessions, there were a lot of tire problems. Many right fronts and right rears were showing cord after only thirty some to around forty laps. With NASCAR only allowing so many sets of tires for this race, that means it will very likely turn into a tire management race and that could prove to be a real detriment to some.
Since we know it will very likely be a tire management race, the drivers that are the best at tire management will have the advantage. So, having a fast car will only be part of the winning equation. Drivers will definitely have to make their tires last as long as they possibly can. Still, it is going to be a long race and the outcome could be predictable with the scales weighing heavily toward people like Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and several others. Some of them look forward to the tire conserve mode and others will either adapt or fall short.
Less than a tenth of second separates the first eight qualifiers. The first four are Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin. After them are the likes of Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, A.J. Allmendinger, Carson Hocevar and Justin Haley. From this fan’s view, any one of those ten drivers could end up in Victory Lane but it doesn’t stop there.
Much like last weekend, some very fast and good tire management drivers are starting near the rear. It wasn’t because they didn’t have speed but because they just didn’t have a good qualifying lap. Mostly it was just because they were too loose or just missed hugging the yellow line in the turns. Once they got below that line, even just slightly, the cars got loose and couldn’t make a fast lap.
A surprise to this fan was points leader, William Byron, not being able to complete a fast lap even though he was showing a lot of speed from his Hendrick team Chevy. He will start twenty-sixth. I’m thinking he will be doing his best to try and move forward and be a contender as the laps wind down. Another Chevy that surprised this fan was Ross Chastain’s. He will be starting twenty-ninth.
Joey Logano lost control of his Ford and brushed the wall with the right rear. He didn’t do all that much damage but he couldn’t recover fast enough to get a good lap. He will start the race from the twenty-ninth starting spot. Not at all what he was hoping for.
I won’t start naming names of people I think might win this one but I will say that the front four or so do look like they could come away with the win. Denny Hamlin is starting fourth and is going for three wins in a row. He definitely has the “big mo” going for him but I’m not sure Alex Bowman or Kyle Larson won’t have something to say about that.
Alex Bowman had a very fast qualifying lap and he is one of the better tire management drivers so I won’t rule him out for running up front at the end. He may not lead every lap but he may be one of the ones with better tires when it counts.
I’m not sure what to think about Ricky Stenhouse Jr. but I do know he is quite capable of running up front and very well could. Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs can’t be counted out either. So, as you see, this could be a very close and intense race with a lot of emotions and maybe a little temper tantrum or two.
Kyle Larson was again attempting the Clean Sweep by winning all three of the series races. He fell short in the truck race by one spot, finishing second. Too bad because he won the Xfinity race and is a heavy favorite to win the Cup race today. This is another weekend of “no matter how you look at it,” it could be a very intense race with a completely unexpected winner. After all, this is Bristol Baby!!
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© April 13, 2025 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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