Well, we got our pothole!
The Winner
Kurt Busch, who, sorry Kurt Busch, we’re obligated to mention once accused his ex-girlfriend in court of being a trained assassin.
The Race
With a brief rain scare and a brief pothole break (not to brag but I also have repaired potholes rather quickly in my professional career—just ask probably nobody, because I doubt anyone in the Village of Lakewood remembers it, but it’s on my résumé if I ever need it), there was plenty of intrigue, but the best kind was on the track, where the Busch brothers provided a good duel all day as the best two cars on the track. In the end, Kyle Busch cycled out ahead of Kurt after the final green-flag pit stops, but Kurt’s teammate Ross Chastain held Kyle up long enough for Kurt to catch him, pass him, and drive away with the win.
I say they let Chastain smash a watermelon for that.
Even if it’s in private.
Notable Names
Martin Truex Jr. was 3rd.
Alex Bowman was 4th.
Ryan Blaney finished 5th.
Tyler Reddick grabbed 6th and some stage points, both of which are big for a guy now on the playoff bubble with former bubbler Kurt Busch locked in.
Chase Elliott had some pit issues, but managed 7th.
Christopher Bell was 8th.
Matt DiBenedetto got back on track a bit, finishing 9th.
Brad Keselowski was 10th.
Kevin Harvick keeps muddling through. 11th.
Austin Dillon, Reddick’s bubble companion, was 12th.
Denny Hamlin was 13th.
Bubba Wallace was 14th.
Chase Briscoe was 15th.
Chris Buescher was 16th.
Cole Custer was 17th.
Kyle Larson returned to Earth, coming in 18th.
Joey Logano was 19th.
William Byron was 20th.
Chastain was 21st.
Aric Almirola made a rain gamble, but didn’t hit the bet. 23rd.
Erik Jones was 24th.
Ryan Preece was 25th.
Michael McDowell was 27th.
Ryan Newman was 28th.
Daniel Suárez was involved in an incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Cody Ware. He finished 36th.
Stenhouse was 37th.
Standings
Five races left before the playoffs, so McDowell isn’t technically locked in yet.
1. Larson (4 wins)
2. Truex (3 wins)
3. Bowman (3 wins)
4. Kyle Busch (2 wins)
5. Elliott (2 wins)
6. Byron (1 win)
7. Logano (1 win)
8. Blaney (1 win)
9. Keselowski (1 win)
10. Kurt Busch (1 win)
11. Bell (1 win)
12. McDowell (1 win)
13. Hamlin (369 points ahead of first driver out)
14. Harvick (159 points ahead of first driver out)
15. Dillon (104 points ahead of first driver out)
16. Reddick (last driver in, 96 points ahead of first driver out)
17. Buescher (first driver out, 96 points behind last driver in)
18. DiBenedetto (138 points behind last driver in)
19. Chastain (145 points behind last driver in)
20. Wallace (148 points behind last driver in)
21. Stenhouse (161 points behind last driver in)
22. Suárez (179 points behind last driver in)
23. Briscoe (196 points behind last driver in)
24. Preece (221 points behind last driver in)
25. Jones (221 points behind last driver in)
26. Newman (222 points behind last driver in)
27. Almirola (232 points behind last driver in)
28. Custer (249 points behind last driver in)
Thoughts, Implications, Up Next
The gang’s at New Hampshire next week, followed by a two-week break for the Olympics (NBC consideration, not NASCAR consideration, I assume). After that, it’s Watkins Glen, the Indianapolis Road Course, Michigan, and Daytona. Daytona has the most chaos potential, the two road courses are good for Chase Elliott, and we’ll see what Michigan and New Hampshire hold. Overall, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see at least one more new winner (who isn’t Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick), and given how hard it would be for anyone behind Reddick to close their gap with him or Dillon (especially with Reddick getting great results right now), it seems somewhat likely we’ll see a finish at Daytona at the end of August that comes down to Dillon, Reddick, and the field for one or two spots. Everything could change, but we’re headed that way. Kurt Busch’s win eliminated the bubble in the meantime. Kind of. Lastly, to be determined on if Kyle Larson is still a dominant force. Feels like those things can disappear quickly in NASCAR (see: Hamlin/Harvick campaign last year).
Videos, Fun Stuff
The Suárez/Stenhouse/Ware incident:
This seems terrifying, but maybe that’s just me?
Four wide!
The Chastain block to get his teammate to the lead:
When you beat your brother:
When your brother’s friend helps him beat you:
When your friend helps you beat your brother:
