Sunday’s Meals Metropolis 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway was a tire administration race, one thing seldom seen within the NASCAR Cup Sequence within the modern-day.
The main subject was that no rubber was being laid out on the observe. As an alternative, all the tire put on was marbling up. Some tailored higher than others, together with race winner Denny Hamlin, who expertly managed his tires on his option to main a race-high 163 laps, outlasting Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. to earn the victory.
It was hectic at Bristol for 500 laps, but it surely wasn’t precisely drivers racing one another notably exhausting. Hamlin, talking on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast after the race, stated that drivers have been fairly “racing the observe.”
“Everybody was simply attempting to handle their very own race,” Hamlin stated. “It was nearly like Darlington the place everybody’s simply kinda racing the observe. Now that is again within the previous Darlington earlier than they repaved it, however you’re racing the observe. You actually have been. You’re simply attempting to carry your line, not get handed however run quick sufficient to remain in entrance however not put on out your tires and whoever wished to make passes would simply go to the excessive line, make a cross after which attempt to get again down low once more. It was a chess recreation; it actually was for 500 laps.”
Denny Hamlin makes use of expertise to win at Bristol
As one of the vital skilled drivers within the Cup Sequence, Hamlin had the higher hand on the sphere. Add in his prior historical past of working practically similar sorts of races at different brief tracks previously, and it’s hardly a shock to see Hamlin discover himself in victory lane.
“That’s what I grew up right here doing within the brief tracks within the Mid Atlantic, South Boston, Martinsville. As soon as it grew to become a tire administration race, I actually favored our probabilities. Clearly, the veteran in Martin, he knew how one can do it as effectively. We simply had an incredible automobile, nice staff,” Hamlin stated. “The pit crew simply did an exceptional job all day. Can’t say sufficient about them.”
Whereas Hamlin loved the tire administration race, Kyle Larson want to by no means see one once more. Although he completed fifth at Bristol, Larson was blunt in his evaluation of the race.
“It was bizarre and attention-grabbing,” Larson stated after the race, through Jim Utter of Motorsport. “I believed some rubber was gonna be laid down, however after the second run, we realized that wasn’t going to be the case. I hope I by no means must run a race like that once more.”
