The Bristol Motor Speedway race is one Cup Series event that fans eagerly await, renowned for its high-stakes action.
For instance, the spring race witnessed severe tire wear that puzzled even the top drivers, forcing NASCAR to supply extra sets mid-race. Denny Hamlin’s expert tire management ultimately secured him a thrilling victory.
However, the recent Bristol eliminator saw Kyle Larson dominate the event. Leading 462 of the 500 laps, Larson set a new record for the most laps led by a Hendrick Motorsports driver.
While the team celebrated, fans were left underwhelmed by just eight lead changes, compared to 54 in the spring race. Even NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. questioned the effectiveness of NASCAR’s current short-track package.
NASCAR’s Struggling Short-Track Package
After Kyle Larson took the lead on lap 38, no one could challenge him. Passing became nearly impossible, with the cars that fell behind having little chance to regain ground. This was a significant reason why Martin Truex Jr.’s championship hopes ended prematurely. Starting 4th,
Truex finished Stage 1 in 4th and Stage 2 in 2nd. However, a speeding penalty in the pit lane relegated him to 24th, and he ended the race there, unable to pass even backmarker teams. Fans were shocked that his car struggled so much.
NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck criticized the short-track package, calling the race a “total letdown” and lamenting the night’s missed expectations. Dale Earnhardt Jr. echoed these sentiments.
In a recent episode of his podcast Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt agreed with Gluck, stating, “I heard Jeff Gluck on the Teardown this week; this cannot be okay. I feel pretty confident that NASCAR is looking at this and saying the same thing. I do not see short-track racing surviving this if they don’t find a solution. And it’s not out of the question to think that in just a few years, Martinsville and Bristol will be hanging on.”
NASCAR’s short-track package issues didn’t start at Bristol but have persisted since the introduction of the Next Gen car. In the 2022 Bristol race, only three drivers led 430 laps. The pattern continued in 2023, with just three drivers leading 431 of the 500 laps. It’s not limited to Bristol, either. In the first Richmond race, two drivers led 372 of the 400 laps.
The second Richmond race was similarly uneventful, with only three drivers leading 339 of the 400 laps. The sole exciting moment came when Austin Dillon wrecked Joey Logano, handing Denny Hamlin the win. Dale Jr. has warned that short tracks are losing their appeal, and NASCAR needs to address this quickly. The rising concerns have forced NASCAR to respond.
NASCAR’s Response to the Uninspiring Bristol Race
The contrasting results between the two Bristol races have left NASCAR perplexed. After the spring event, officials believed they had perfected the short-track package. However, Kyle Larson’s domination and the elimination of veterans like Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski, who couldn’t advance their positions, have sent NASCAR back to the drawing board. Elton Sawyer discussed the Bristol issues on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“We didn’t have tire wear,” Sawyer noted. “We’ll dive into that in our meetings with Goodyear to see what they’ve discovered over the last few days. Obviously, we were disappointed as a company for our fans. We’ll learn from this and figure out what went wrong, and we’ll fix it as we move forward.”
Sawyer acknowledged NASCAR’s need to address the situation: “I’m disappointed too. I’m not sure why we got the result we did or why the tires behaved that way. Just five years ago, everyone was begging for more short tracks. It was trending on social media. Now, no one wants to go to one. No one wants to see a short track on next week’s schedule. It’s a travesty.”
According to Sawyer, these issues are part of the ebb and flow of racing. Still, he remains optimistic that NASCAR will correct these mistakes ahead of future short-track races.
“We just need to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it because we’ve had some great short-track and road-course racing this year. Goodyear’s tires have contributed a lot to that,” he added.
