1. Staying quiet seems like the new boasting
As is often the case when the NASCAR Cup Series visits a short track, and perhaps even more so when said short track is covered with generous amounts of dirt, there were several drivers who could have been excused for being big mad when they left the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track.
Kyle Larson has the fastest car early at Bristol, and even though his No. 5 Chevrolet looked slower as the night went on, he still figured to have a shot at a top-10 finish.
But he never found out, as Larson ended up tangling with Ryan Preece and his race ended early.
Larson insinuated that Preece retaliated for contact earlier in the event. Yet instead of defiantly bragging about it, Preece was a little more coy in his answer, saying he was “just not gonna keep lifting” when the time came.
Ryan Blaney was another driver who had a legitimate gripe. After fighting all race long to be in position to try for the win, he restarted on the front row with less than 10 laps to go. Then Chase Briscoe hit him, and suffice it to say, he did not finish in the top 20.
Briscoe was contrite after the race, calling it a “dumb move” on his part. He even said he expected payback, but Blaney didn’t find a microphone or camera crew to vow vengeance.
This could all just be coincidence. Or it could be a result of Denny Hamlin getting fined and having points deducted for going on his podcast and declaring to the world that, yes, he put Ross Chastain into the wall on purpose at Phoenix.
Before that penalty — which was upheld on appeal, unlike some others of late, cough, cough, Hendrick Motorsports, cough — telling everyone you either did or were going to spin someone on purpose was the cool thing to do.
Now? Not so much, it appears. That’s kind of a shame, because wherever you fall on the “rubbin’, son, is racin’” scale, hearing drivers talk about it is entertaining without being dangerous. If NASCAR wanted to legislate that out of the sport for the rest of the season, it looks like mission accomplished for now.
2. How do you solve a problem like Bristol?
Yes, we sometimes paraphrase The Sound of Music here at Frontstretch. We’re cultured like that.
It’s been a long time since NASCAR tracks provided attendance figures, so everyone is left to rely on the eye test for gauging race day crowds. The eye says the Bristol dirt race was far from sold out, and while BMS has been…
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