March 16, 2014
- Edwards wins at Bristol: #99-Carl Edwards won the Food City 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway for his 1st win of 2014, his 3rd at Bristol and his 22nd career win.
#17-Stenhouse, Jr. finished 2nd for his best career finish. The rest of the 10 were #43-Almirola, #14-Stewart, #9-Ambrose, polesitter #11-Hamlin, #24-Gordon, #5-Kahne, #55-Vickers, and rookie of the year candidate #42-Larson.
#88-Earnhardt, Jr., who came into the race as the points leader, finished the race in 24th.
The race started nearly 2 hours late because of morning rain and there was a 3 hour an 20 minute red flag just after 100 laps, again for rain. Then with just over 2 laps remaining in the race, a bank of caution lights malfunctioned and came on automatically. Realizing the problem, NASCAR called for a full course caution and it then began to rain. The race finished under caution.
Keselowski now has the points lead by 10 points over Earnhardt, Jr.
There were 20 lead changes among 12 drivers and there were 12 cautions for 95 yellow flag laps.
The average speed was 84.051mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Unofficial Bristol Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Bristol Penalty Report (pdf).(3-9-2014) - Race Fast Facts – Bristol:
Carl Edwards won the 54th Annual Food City 500, his 22nd victory in 341 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his third victory and eighth top-10 finish in 20 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (second) posted career-best finish and first top-10 finish in three races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His previous best finish was third, at Talladega in October of 2013. It is his second top-10 finish in 2014.
Aric Almirola (third) posted his career-best finish and second top-10 finish in ten races at Bristol Motor Speedway. His previous best career finish was fourth (at Homestead in 2010 and Martinsville-2 in 2012).
Kyle Larson (10th) was the highest finishing rookie.(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(3-16-2014) - 2014 Sprint Cup Driver Chase Championship Points Standings:
[after Bristol, race 4 of 36]
1) #2-Brad Keselowski [1 win], 163
2) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 153, -10
3) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 152, -11
4) #24-Jeff Gordon, 152, -11
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 143, -20
6) #22-Joey Logano, 141, -22
7) #11-Denny Hamlin, 140, -23
8) #20-Matt Kenseth, 138, -25
9) #31-Ryan Newman, 125, -38
10) #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 122, -41
Other drivers with a win:
21) #4-Kevin Harvick [1 win], 89, -74
See UNOFFICIAL drivers championship points standings on the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings (pdf).
See the UNOFFICIAL owner points standings on the Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf).
.(3-16-2014) - Rain expected Sunday at Bristol; race could be held Monday: The National Weather Serviceforecast for Sunday calls for rain, mainly after 8:00am with a high near 48. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sunday night the rain will continue, mainly before 5:00pm, then periods of drizzle. Low around 37. Chance of precipitation 80%. The forecast for Monday looks better but there is still a 50% chance of rain early.
See more weather info and links on the Bristol race page – weather section.
Bristol Motor Speedway general manager Jerry Caldwell said, “By now, nearly everyone has seen Sunday’s weather forecast and expressed questions regarding plans. NASCAR has a nearly 70-year history of working with tracks to get races in on the scheduled date. In Bristol Motor Speedway, we have a track that dries in less than an hour, equipment here to do it, and lights that allow us to go well into the evening. We are very hopeful and fully intend to run the Food City 500 tomorrow. If by chance that does not happen, we are prepared to race Monday at noon. But that is a backup plan we hope to not need.”(3-16-2014) - Cassill gets Bristol sponsor: CRC Industries announced that the company will be the primary sponsor of the #40 Hillman Racing Chevy SS this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. CRC, a manufacturer of an extensive arsenal of automotive maintenance products, will promote its industry-leading CRC Brakleen Brake Parts Cleaner on the Sprint Cup Series entry driven by Landon Cassill. Cassill, who garnered attention for his 12th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, will pilot the #40 CRC BRAKLEEN Chevy in Sunday’s Food City 500.(PR), see an image of the car on the #40 team paint schemes page.(3-16-2014)
- Kenseth suggests satellite teams helping Penske: #95-Michael McDowell calls #20-Matt Kenseth’s suggestion that McDowell has tested for Team Penske’s benefit a matter of “sour grapes.” Kenseth raised the issue after qualifying Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway when asked about Penske’s success this season. Penske drivers #2-Brad Keselowski and #22-Joey Logano have started no worse than the second row in the last three races and Keselowski swept last week’s Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Las Vegas. Kenseth pointed to McDowell and Leavine Family Racing with helping Keselowski and Logano. “Without opening a can of worms, it’s my understanding that they (Team Penske) got to do a lot of testing – I think they’ve been to all three tracks with their ‘satellite teams’ – Michael McDowell and cars like that I think in the Penske trailer,” Kenseth said.
Leavine Family Racing, a Ford team, purchases chassis and parts from Team Penske. That’s a new arrangement. Leavine Family Racing bought its cars from Roush Fenway Racing the past three years. McDowell and Leavine Family Racing have used two of their four allotted tests at Cup tracks at Phoenix and Bristol this season. “What was he really suggesting or saying that somebody had an unfair advantage?” car owner Bob Leavine said of Kenseth. “They could go out and do what they want to do.”
McDowell noted the relationship between Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing for Toyota. “This sport, the way it is, as fast as it is developing, you have to be aligned with a manufacturer that is working with all the teams,” McDowell said. “The reality is there might be some sour grapes there because they haven’t been able to align themselves with an organization that can help them to do some of those things like RCR, Hendrick and Stewart-Haas and all the other teams have.”(Motor Racing Network)3-16-2014) - Hamlin, Logano feud still lingers: Their feud started with some Twitter posts about the closing laps of the Daytona 500 and it heightened three weeks later at Bristol Motor Speedway, where an on-track spin nearly led to post-race fisticuffs. Things took a turn for the worse between #11-Denny Hamlin and #22-Joey Logano a week later at Fontana when the two drivers refused to give an inch while attempting to win. It led to a crash, a broken vertebra for Hamlin and a destroyed relationship between the former teammates. As they return this weekend to Bristol a year later, Hamlin has finally put his malevolent feelings toward Logano aside.
“We’re OK,” Hamlin said. “We don’t talk or anything like that more than we should and really no less than we should, I would say. You can hold grudges all you want, but it’s not going to make you any faster and it’s not going to get you any closer to a championship. I’m bitter in ways, and in other ways it’s been so long ago and there’s so many trials and tribulations between then and now, that I think I’m a better person now and I think I’m a better driver now.”
Said Logano: “I feel like we’re fine. A year is a long time. It’s over now. I feel like we’ve moved on. Obviously, people were talking about it this week because it’s the one-year anniversary of the whole fiasco,” Logano said. “But you move on and forget about things. You’re supposed to forgive and forget and that goes both ways, so we both knew what we had to do and I feel like we’ve moved on and we’re going from there.”
“As far as my relationship with him, I treat him with respect on the race track, as I should,” said Hamlin, who chooses to limit his conversations with Logano because “what do you say? How can you express how upset you are with someone without punching them?”(Associated Press)(3-16-2014)
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