Cars in field: 38
Pole: William Byron (24)
Outside Pole: Ryan Preece (60)
Stages: 90-95-108
Weather: Partly sunny, 87°F, Feels like 89°, Feels like (shade) 85°, Wind WSW 9 mph, Wind Gusts 13 mph
Caution on lap 4 of 293 for a spin by Kyle Larson (5) into the inside wall. Larson’s rear-end just seemed to come around as he was driving alongside Joey Logano (22). His car is driving sideways as he tries to get back to pit road. The car comes to a stop with the left rear wheel spinning, but not moving the car.
Some pit, some stay out, sixteen cars stay out.
Caution on lap 24 of 293 for a spin by Carson Hocevar (77) after a visit with the wall.
Caution on lap 82 of 293 for another incident by Carson Hocevar (77). Riley Herbst (35) ran over Hocevar who drifted up in front of Herbst – who was on the outside wall – while attempting to avoid leader William Byron who was on the inside.
William ‘WilliB’ Byron (24) wins stage one.
On lap 130 of 293 Ryan Blaney (12) makes a green flag pit stop.
Brad Keselowski (6) spins on lap 135 of 293 when he loses a right rear tire. He manages to not hit anything and get it onto pit road so the race stays green.
MRN reports the right rear wheel lug nut came off the wheel, though the wheel stayed on and Keselowski was able to get it back tot he pits.
Caution on lap 138 of 293 for debris. A piece of the lug-nut dropped onto the track.
MRN reports William Byron leads his 156th lap on lap 156 of 293. The television broadcast is spending a lot of time with the totally incomprehensible camera shot that seems to be from the backend of the car showing the right side door frame and the wall and the track surface and the distance – it makes no sense, and shows nothing sensible or relevant, as well as the boring camera shots of the wall and track surface. The most interesting thing the viewer occasionally sees are the encroaching cloudy skies. Every once in a while someone, like Richard and Kyle Petty, or Greg Biffle are shown in the broadcast booth for what feels like a split second (though it’s more like a minute or two). Watching those guys talk is more interesting than anything else they’re showing. I don’t know if the race itself is interesting, but I know the television coverage of the on-track action is not.
MRN reports at 162 laps down Kyle Larson (5) returns to the track.
WilliB (24) easily wins stage two. MRN reported he backed off on the speed. He wins the stage by 1.072 seconds.
Thankfully only one more stage to go. Occasionally MRN has some actual on-track racing to call. The television broadcast isn’t bothering to show any, spending the majority of time on the gimmick shots that not only avoid showing the racing, but also avoid showing anything seemingly related to racing.
Caution on lap 195 of 293 for a spin by Josh Berry (21) with an assist from Tyler Reddick (45). Looks like a repeat of an incident from earlier in the event between Austin Cindric (2) and Kyle ‘KyBu’ Busch (8). They went into the corner then Reddick lost the back-end a little and drifted up into Berry sending Berry into the outside wall. Berry bounced off the outside wall, and spun into the inside wall. Cindric also lost it and slammed into KyBu who was able to collect the car after hitting the wall and continue.
MRN reports the 5 team made a crew swap with the 7 team of Spire Motorsports. They swapped the entire teams. Todd Gordon on MRN said they made the swap because ‘Hendrick does both of them’.
Green flag pit stops are underway on lap 238 of 293.
New race leader for the first time today on lap 245 of 293, during green flag pit stops – ‘Desperate’ Denny Hamlin (11). Hamlin pits on lap 246 of 293. The lead continues to change as green flag stops continue.
Tyler ‘TyRed’ Reddick (45) leads on lap 261 of 293.
It appears they’re beginning to race now on about lap 237 of 293.
Ryan Blaney (12) has passed a lot of cars and is chasing down the leader, Tyler Reddick (45), who MRN reports is struggling with lap traffic. Blaney has reduced Reddick’s 6.5 second lead to 2.142 seconds on lap 285 of 293.
The lead is down to 1.667 on lap 286 of 293.
Blaney (12) closes to within 0.901 of the lead on lap 287 of 293.
On lap 289 of 293 we, finally, have a race.
Blaney (12) passes for the lead as the caution comes out on lap 290 of 293 for a spin into the inside wall by Kyle Larson (5).
Restarting in overtime on lap of 296 with Denny Hamlin (11),Tyler Reddick (45), William Byron (24), Ryan Blaney (12), Christopher Bell (20), Chase Elliott (9), Chris Buescher (17), Kyle Busch (8), Ross Chastain (1) and Joey Logano (22) up front.
Hamlin wins by 0.597 seconds.
Boy did that finish suck! They finally started racing and just as the battle got exciting a caution comes out, admittedly for cause. The restart was not exciting and the lack of a legitimate opportunity for anyone to really race at the end, with Hamlin’s driver Tyler Reddick imitating a moving chicane behind Hamlin, the conclusion was anti-climatic and ruined the only decent section of the event.
William ‘WilliB’ Byron (24) led 243 of 293 laps. WilliB had the fastest lap at 167.339 mph so he gets the championship point.
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