Who… should you be talking about after the race?
On a day when it came down to managing the car for the entire race and knowing when to push and when to back off, it should be no surprise that it came down to a pair of veterans in the end. And when the dust cleared at Bristol Motor Speedway (which didn’t take too long as the race was back on the concrete surface), it was Denny Hamlin edging out veteran teammate Martin Truex Jr. for the win in the Food City 500.
Tire management was the phrase of the day (not once was “clean air” uttered as a factor), and while it’s easy to say that’s why Hamlin won, it’s only part of the truth. In the closing laps, Hamlin had to work a mass of lapped traffic, including putting all but the top five a lap in arrears, so he was racing some very good cars all while having to hold off Truex. Hamlin chose his lines carefully and masterfully, picking off the lappers while also using them to create a buffer between him and Truex.
In a race that was put on the backs of the teams and which came down to the drivers making it work, Hamlin did it best. Sometimes it’s really that simple.
And don’t forget John Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek was in the mix for most of the day, and while Hamlin put him a lap down in the final minutes, Nemechek’s sixth-place finish is a career-best as well as the top finish for Legacy Motor Club so far in 2024.
Nemechek ran a smart race, and while he faded late in a few runs, he was able to chase the leaders with fresh tires and in the final run, managed his Goodyears well to snag his top finish to date.
What… is the big question leaving this race in the rearview?
One thing you can’t say about Sunday’s race was that it was boring — it was classic short track racing with the added bonus that drivers could work their way to the front from the back of the field. It was easily the best race at Bristol in years and the best of 2023 as well.
And yes, tire wear had a lot to do with that.
Tire management should be a part of racing. By stage two, teams had done a decent job of figuring out how to save tires without sacrificing the racing. Tires that last an entire fuel run should not be a thing.
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