By: Ashley McCubbin

Absolute beautiful majestic chaos is the only way that you could describe what transpired at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Goodyear claims they brought the same compound as they did in August, but it was a completely different race. Whether it was due to using the resin instead of PJ1, or the cooler temperatures with the change in the season, the race fans should be thanking Greg Stucker for the show they got today.

It’s no secret the short track events with the NextGen car have not been very enticing. A lot of follow the leader, hard to pass, and lacking the drama that we have grown to love in watching late models and similar classes over the years. The Food City 500 was none of that, setting a new record for lead changes throughout.

Rather than nodding off in watching someone walk away in domination, you were always wondering if the leader had used up their tires too much to build the advantage. Did they save enough rubber to be able to run the full 35, 40 laps required? There were battles throughout the pack, as drivers tried to get as much track position as possible while saving their equipment in knowing the box they were painted in. The race fan in you was compelled in watching your driver, to see just how far up they could climb the scoring pylon – only to possibly watch it fade it away like the tires to the cords.

The NASCAR Cup Series is supposed to be made up of 40 of the best racecar drivers in the United States. The race at Bristol Motor Speedway put it right in their hands as they had to navigate the chaos of traffic, sometimes three-wide with cars falling off the pace, to knowing just how much to push the envelope.

Was it perfect? Perhaps the tire wear was to the extreme as certainly seeing cords as early as 35 laps into a run is not advised. But it was much better than watching a single-file train of drivers making countless qualifying laps one after the other as they held the gas pedal to the floor.

The added excitement also could not be blamed for seeing someone win who perhaps did not deserve to. Joe Gibbs Racing proved to be the cream of the crop on short tracks last year, and backed that up with Christopher Bell being victorious at Phoenix Raceway a week ago. They shined once again, at one point occupying the top four spots on the track. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. got to reap the rewards of sticking to the right tire conservation with the strategy – unlike pushing the envelope to stretch an advantage like Ty Gibbs at one point – to be rewarded with their top-two performances.

Kyle Larson was the only other driver outside of JGR who legitimately could have a chance at winning, but saw his chances take a hit with a pit road penalty. However, knowing when to push the envelope through the traffic and an uncanny ability to save tires allowed him to rebound for a fifth-place performance. If he had not had to restart at the tail end of the longest line to start the third stage, it may had been fun to watch him and Hamlin duke it out once again.

The Daytona 500 and Atlanta Motor Speedway produced the excitement that you expect from restrictor plate tracks. Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway brought forth a pair of decent events as in years past. But Bristol Motor Speedway takes the top spot on the radar for the unexpected exciting unique chaos it delivered.

Circuit of the Americas, you’re up next. Let’s keep the momentum rolling.