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| Photo Credit: David Moulthrop |
Busch, albeit competing well for much of the race, did not appear to be a likely winner until the final corner of the final lap. Kyle Busch, who is not exactly renowned for his dirt racing was able to hang in there with giants of the dirt racing community like Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. Of those three dominant drivers, Chase Briscoe was performing better than the rest.
Near the beginning of the race Chase Briscoe would find himself at the front of the field. Difficulties with his right rear tire would force Briscoe and the No. 14 to come down pit road to replace a wheel. This series of events allowed Chase Briscoe's dominance to show as he quickly maneuvered his way through the field and back to the front. Off pit sequence from the rest of the field Briscoe would have to come down pit road for fuel at the end of stage two. Once again the No. 14 team found themselves towards the back of the field, but dominance would continue to shine as Briscoe managed to make his way to the front of the field slowly but surely.
Team's like Richard Childress Racing and Trackhouse Racing brought very well performing cars to the track this weekend, and with the help of pit strategy drivers like Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain found themselves at the front of the field. The most notable of that handful was Tyler Reddick.
Tyler Reddick and the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 team played strategy in Bristol, Tennessee and with a cooperative handling race car, they became a team to beat.
As rain plaugued the race time and time again, Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe were the two drivers battling it out for the victory. Although Chase Briscoe needed to maneuver through much of the field, he too managed to make it to the front of the field and compete for a win. As the laps wound down, Chase Briscoe had managed to close the gap on Tyler Reddick, and it looked as though Tyler Reddick could had been challenged to the finish line.
Surprisingly neither Reddick nor Briscoe won the race. As the two drivers came into the final corner on the final lap of the race, they were lined up 'nose to tail'. Chase Briscoe dropped to the bottom groove of the track and prepared for a 'slide-job' in front of Reddick. Unfortunately, with great momentum carried into the corner, Chase Briscoe would lose control of his No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang and collided with likely winner Tyler Reddick. The two spun just before pit road on the front stretch.
Tyler Reddick was able to get his No. 8 Camaro back up to speed and headed towards the finish line, but not before Kyle Busch running third in the 'cat bird seat' could make it to victory. Tyler Reddick would finish second, about a hundred feet away from his first victory, though the situation was much worse for Chase Briscoe.
Joining the rest of his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Briscoe would drop about 20 positions, and finish 22nd because of his last lap mishaps.
Drivers like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell stayed in contention throughout this race. Although neither won, both drivers finished well, Larson and Bell finishing fifth and seventh respectfully.
Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain and a couple other drivers faced hardship during this race as their engines expired from accidental dirt intake. Ross Chastain's engine blew up coming to the red-flag for stage break, and after a rain delay, the No. 1 team would take it behind the wall and head to the garage. Austin Dillon on the other hand was not as fortunate, as his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro blew up at the front of the field on a restart. Luckily, most racers avoided Dillon as he fell through the field, although Kurt Busch at the rear of the field would join Austin Dillon as he collided with the No. 3 car. Both teams would see their night end in the garage.
The following are the complete race results from the NASCAR Cup Series "Food City Dirt Race" at Bristol Motor Speedway:
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| NASCAR Digital Media |
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