It may have taken about 26 hours to finish, but Bristol was the best race of the season.

By far.

I thought the racing was fantastic, drivers were aggressive but not over the top, and I would argue up to ten guys could say they had a shot to win. I think Kyle Larson had the best car overall, but Kyle Busch and his team ran the best race.

Kevin Harvick’s early-season surge has overshadowed just how good Busch has been the last six races. His finishes are: 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1. His lone finish outside the top ten was at Daytona. Say what you want about Harvick, Stewart-Haas, and Ford, but right now it’s Rowdy’s world.

Random Bristol Thoughts

-I thought this race really showcased Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s abilities. It’s no secret Roush Fenway, while competitive, is a clear notch behind the top teams. Stenhouse has spent his entire career at Roush. We have not seen the best from Stenhouse and we may not until he finds a new ride.

-Normally three Chevys finishing in the top five is nothing to get excited about, but it just the second time it has happened this season and the first since Daytona. More important, two of the Chevys were from the manufacturer’s flagship team, Hendrick Motorsports. Slowly but surely, those guys are putting it together.

-It was really cool to see Bubba Wallace take the lead from Brad Keselowski. His time up front did not last very long, but his day was impressive. Wallace had a top ten car all day. His 16th place finish did not reflect how good he was the majority of the race.

-Much like Daytona and Talladega, Bristol is one of those tracks that can level the playing field and give underdog teams a chance to get a good finish.

Need proof?

David Ragan – 12th, Landon Cassill – 20th, Matt DiBenedetto – 21st

Landon Cassill takes home a top 20?! With that car?! Well done Landon. I wish Michael McDowell hadn’t been taken out so early. With his qualifying effort, he was primed for a great race.

Looking forward to Richmond! Thanks for reading the NASCAR Fix!

-JW