NASCAR weekly: Nashville gets race in 2021, Keselowski wins Bristol
NASCAR has announced that the Nashville Superspeedway will be part of the 2021 season – Brad Keselowski and Noah Gragson win at Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR has announced the first puzzle piece for the 2021 Cup Series calendar: The 1.3-mile Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee will replace a Cup race at the Dover Speedway. The track hosted Xfinity and truck races until 2011.
But why is the track called “Superspeedway” although it is only 1.3 miles long? It was decided to add this name to distinguish the track from the 0.6 mile Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville. So there will be another intermediate oval in the calendar and not a real Superspeedway like Daytona or Talladega.
Keselowski wins Bristol race
Last Sunday saw one of the most exciting races in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The spectators saw a thrilling race with action and drama on the short track. 17 times the yellow flags had to be waved. In the end, Brad Keselowski prevailed against the competition.
In the first stage, however, Chase Elliott was leading the race. The Hendrick driver drove a strong first segment and secured ten bonus points for the championship and one bonus point for the playoffs. Behind him Ryan Blaney, Keselowski, Aric Almirola and Joey Logano completed the top 5.
In the second stage, as in the first segment, the Penske-Boys were in the lead at the beginning. Keselowski led the race ahead of Blaney, who convinced with a strong performance in Bristol. However, Blaney spun after he got into the dirt on the outer lane and was then hit by Ty Dillon. The day was over for the Penske driver. Elliott dusted off the stage win and secured further bonus points.
Elliott against Logano: that was the duel in the final phase of the 500 lap race. In the fight for first place, the Hendrick driver pushed a little bit too much. His Chevrolet tended to oversteer, which is why he hit Logano on the outside lane and both were sent to the wall. Keselowski took advantage of the opportunity and sped to victory ahead of Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
“It’s Bristol Baby”, that was the motto for the drivers of the NASCAR Xfinity Series during the night from Monday to Tuesday. At the Bristol Motor Speedway, for the second time after the Corona forced break, important points in the championship and qualification for this year’s “Dash for Cash” event were at stake.
Noah Gragson grabbed the win in overtime, after he collided with his teammate Justin Allgaier five laps before the finish. “I really apologize to Justin and the #7 team. That’s really not how I want to race,” Gragson said after the race. Chase Briscoe, Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton rounded out the top 4 and also qualified for the “Dash for Cash”, which starts with the EchoPark 250 this weekend in Atlanta.
The second race of the Xfinity Series in Homestead on June 14th, the race in Talladega, as well as another race not yet announced complete the “Dash for Cash” calendar. The best of the four driver, who performs best in the race, will win 100,000 dollars.
