Larson Dominates Bristol

Bass Pro Shops Night Race:

Kyle Larson secured his fifth win of the 2024 campaign Sunday night when he won the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Larson dominated the yearly Bristol night race leading 462 of 500 laps and taking the checkered flag 7 seconds over second place finisher Chase Elliott. The win locked Larson into the next round (which he was likely headed towards via points) and add mores stability with five more playoff points of it being nearly certain that he will end up battling for the title when NASCAR rolls into Phoenix in November.

The race wasn't without some controversary, however. After an exhilarating Bristol spring race, NASCAR and Goodyear (with tire testing) were confident that we could see a near repeat for the Summer night race. Cautiously optimistic because these teams are full of intelligent engineers, crew chiefs, and drivers who would likely be able to make the tires last longer than 40 laps. Nonetheless, several NASCAR and Goodyear leaders were preaching they had made progress. Spoiler alert: they did not. It was the same ole same ole. The race sucked. And sure, part of that was Larson's utter domination. But it wasn't their fault that NASCAR and Goodyear once again bring an unbearable product to the track for the race. I had high hopes that changes would be made, that progress was forthcoming with the racing product of the NextGen car on short tracks. Only to be letdown again. I pray that NASCAR and Goodyear do something, or that enough noise is made by fans, drivers, team, and sponsors that forces NASCAR to either increase horsepower or demand Goodyear to bring a tire that wears at virtually every track. While that is my hope, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting on it since there will likely be some excuse of the lackluster product NASCAR continues to deliver on short tracks and road courses.

With that, there still were some compelling story lines to follow throughout the 500 laps. The first being Larson's domination. I am not sure why I haven't come to expect this yet or at the least not be amazed when it does happen. But Larson, crew chief Cliff Daniels, and that entire Hendrickcars.com #5 car continue to exude excellence week in and week out. We are truly witnessing history, witnessing one of the best teams in NASCAR, the best current driver in the world, and one of the best drivers in NASCAR history continue to be elite. While he may put on some snoozefests occasionally, it is insane what he and that team are able to do. Also, the playoff cutline was intense to watch and had some major players have issues or just plain bad nights. Denny Hamlin was able to overcome his deficit and run upfront all day with enough points to advance (thank, god & good news for Lulu). Daniel Suarez was able to fall back on his performances from the first two races of this round and hold off charges for the final spot to get into the round of 12. Ty Gibbs almost looked like he was going to advance until a penalty and falling off late in the race. Truex Jr looked like he would have a chance to overcome his deficit, contend for the win, and make it interesting. However, a speeding penalty late in the race trapped him in the 20s and due to the awful race conditions with this tire and short track package with the NextGen car, MTJ was unable to move up at all. So, yes, it is some coulda, woulda, shoulda moments, but they were the main pieces of the puzzle keeping eyes glued to the TV.

Now NASCAR heads West to Kansas Speedway! We once again have all three national touring series on the dockett this weekend with the Craftsman Truck Series getting the green flag dropped on the weekend on Friday at 8:30 p.m. EST on FS1 with the Kubota Tractor 200. The Xfinity Series follows up with action on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. EST on The CW for the Kansas Lottery 300. And the Cup Series headlines the weekend on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST on USA with the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet. Unfortunately, I will miss a chunk of the race as my wife and I will be headed to watch the Bengals play the Panthers in Charlotte to celebrate her bday as she hopes to watch Joe Burrow light up the Panthers secondary.

Kansas Picks:

Truck = Heim

Xfinity = Jones

Cup = Hamlin

Header Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images