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By Roy J. Akers –www.skyviewsports.net
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Stage 1 (1-45 laps) Top 8 Stage 1
Denny Hamlin leads the field to the green flag with Kyle Larson right behind. By lap 7, Larson takes the lead, and Briscoe goes up by lap 13. On lap 27, Kyle Busch gets loose, bringing out a caution. Mid-Race Update – Brad Keselowski emerges as the biggest mover, advancing six positions from 26th to 20th. Conversely, Austin Dillon experiences the most significant drop, falling 12 spots to 27th since the start. Shane Van Gisbergen also loses ground, slipping six positions to 24th. Teams are going to the pits to make early adjustments.
Briscoe emerges from the pit break in the lead with Hamlin second and Larson third. Josh Berry destroys his car on lap 37. He will have to win at Bristol next week to move to the round of 12. Briscoe leads the field to green following the caution with Laron and Hamlin on his bumper. Larson forces his way inside of Briscoe but does not clear and wins the stage.
Stage 2 (95 Laps 46-140) Stage 2 Top 9
Multiple drivers opt for pit stops on Lap 48. Chase Briscoe, running in first, leads the group into the pits. Denny Hamlin from third, Ryan Blaney from fifth, Christopher Bell from seventh, and Ross Chastain from eighth position also make pit stops. Rookie Shane Van Gisbergen, running 12th, joins the pit lane along with Austin Cindric from 17th. Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Haley, and Cody Ware round out the group of drivers pitting.
Larson takes the green flag on lap 53.Lap 63 finds Briscoe’s tire locking up, and he collides with Daniel Suarez. Larson is once again out front when the green flag waves on lap 66. On lap 72, Ty Dillon spins from 30th position in Turn 2, bringing out the caution flag. As drivers cycle through the pits, on lap 83, Bubba Wallace is the new race leader. The final lap of the Stage finds Keselowski with the lead and Bubba Wallace second.
Between S2 and Final
Pit Stop Strategy -Multiple drivers opted for pit stops. Brad Keselowski, running in second place, and Austin Dillon, in sixth, came in for service. Chase Briscoe, who had been reporting a loose wheel, also pitted along with Alex Bowman, Todd Gilliland, Justin Haley, and Michael McDowell.
Final Stage (Lap 140-240 inc. OT)
On lap 148, Wallace leads the field to green with Joey Logano at his side. Debris blows onto the track on 150, bringing a caution. Logano leads the field to green on lap 157, but barely blinking, SVG goes around and brings the race’s 8th caution. By lap 165, Hamlin is in the lead with Logano right behind.
Cycling through green flag pit stops through lap 203, Elliott, Bell, and Gibbs are 1-2-3. Blaney takes over the lead with the leaders pitting. Hamlin and Briscoe are trying to run down the new leaders on worn tires but full tanks. Multiple drivers are giving up the lead to top off with fuel and fresh tires. Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, and William Byron are your new 1-2-3 with 31 laps to go.
With 21 to go, it’s Hamlin grabbing the lead with Briscoe, Elliott, and Logano 2-4. The race remains caution free from there and Hamlin builds nearly a two-second lead over Briscoe. Elliott, Blaney, and Logano complete your top-five. Hamlin joins Briscoe as a winner in the Round of 16.
Checkered Flag
Denny Hamlin figured to advance to the Round of 12 with Darlington, WWTR, and Bristol in the first round. He won the pole for this race and led a race-high 75 laps in the race. Bubba Wallace was second in the race with 73 laps. JGR owner Joe Gibbs was giddy in his post-race presser with the media. It is Hamlin’s 5th race win of the season.
Who’s in good shape?
Obviously, Chase Briscoe, due to his Darlington win and … Denny Hamlin, winners of the first two races. Austin Cindric is on the cutline at No. 12. SVG and Dillon could overtake him.
Who’s in trouble
Josh Berry destroys his car on lap 37. He will have to win at Bristol next week to move to the round of 12. Dillon, SVG, and Bowman are below the playoff cut line. Bowman and Berry need to win to move on. All four were predicted by me not to move on before Darlington.
Fantasy
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are using their second of five playoff starts in as many weekends today and guess what, next week in Bristol will make it three straight. Joey Logano is a WWTR must start although he was Q13 for this race. Chastain is a top qualifier, and Cindric is last year’s winner. What could go wrong? Drop the green flag already.
Everything was looking good for a 200+ point finish. I benched Blaney as he was running in the high teens at the end of S2. Larson was always going to sub in and he went in for the 13. Cindric basically fell off in the Final Stage. I had 169 pts. plus +10 for Elliott for 179.
They Said It…
Actor Bill Murray said the most famous words in motorsports and huddled up with Hamlin before the race. What does your friend Bill Murray say to you right before the race? He came inside the car for a good little bit there.
DENNY HAMLIN: Yeah, I just told him to talk to the guys behind me and make sure they stay behind me the rest of the race. We made that happen.
Man, it’s just a great victory. Love that Denny time flag, poster is pretty good. Y’all can boo me. You can either get on the bandwagon or you can get run over by it.
Tale of the Tape
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Roy J. Akers covers NASCAR for www.skyviewsports.net
