{"id":43274,"date":"2023-09-15T16:40:48","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T21:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=43274"},"modified":"2023-09-17T16:08:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T21:08:33","slug":"nascar-friday-bristol-notebook-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/15\/nascar-friday-bristol-notebook-4\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Friday Bristol Notebook\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer <\/em><\/p>\n

NASCAR Wire Service<\/em> <\/p>\n

Kyle Busch says pit crew swap in Playoffs was a team decision <\/b><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Driver Kyle Busch said Friday that the swap of pit crews with Austin Dillon before Saturday\u2019s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway was a collaborative decision at Richard Childress Racing that involved both drivers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Valvoline\/Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet, (L) and Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Cheddar’s\/ALSCO Uniforms Chevrolet, talk on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 15, 2023 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The swap, which switches all pit crew members except for the fuelers, took place because Dillon\u2019s crew has been faster and more consistent throughout the season, said Busch, who is in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, where Dillon is not. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can take a step from an \u20188\u2019 or a \u20189\u2018 crew to a \u20189\u201d or a \u201810\u2019 type crew, you\u2019ll take it,\u201d Busch said before Friday\u2019s Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m involved in most discussions, but that was definitely a discussion that was talked about with everybody. I wasn\u2019t the one who was pushing it or forcing it, by any means, but made the suggestion\u2014probably not first\u2014but it all came together through everybody.\u201d <\/p>\n

Because the switch was made this week, Busch hasn\u2019t had an opportunity to practice with the new over-the-wall crew. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t time this week, unfortunately,\u201d Busch said. \u201cMy schedule didn\u2019t allow me to get up there on Tuesday when they were doing the pit practice stuff. Hopefully, it\u2019s a plug-and-play, and everything\u2019s good.\u201d <\/p>\n

Busch, who was eliminated from the Playoffs in the Round of 16 last year, has a 24-point cushion above the current cut line for the Round of 12. <\/p>\n

\u201cI forward to this year and hopefully being able to have a normal Kyle Bristol race and get out of here with some good points and move on to the next round, if not maybe a win,\u201d said Busch who has eight victories on Bristol concrete and one on dirt.  <\/span> <\/p>\n

Martin Truex Jr. will try to avoid elimination on one of his toughest tracks  <\/b><\/p>\n

If Martin Truex Jr. doesn\u2019t advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, he\u2019ll be the first regular-season champion to fail to do so. <\/p>\n

But Truex faces an uphill battle after finishing 36th<\/sup> last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, thanks to a cut tire and a hard crash into the Turn 3 wall on Lap 4. <\/p>\n

The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is 13th<\/sup> in the Playoff standings, seven points behind Kevin Harvick in 12th<\/sup>. After Saturday\u2019s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol, the field will be trimmed to 12 drivers. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Bristol hasn\u2019t been a strong track for Truex, who has posted just two top fives and four top 10s in 32 career starts at Thunder Valley. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a terrible spot to be in,\u201d Truex said. \u201cLast week, we didn\u2019t even get a chance to race, which was disappointing. I felt like it was probably the best car I had on a mile-and-a-half all year long. I was really excited about it after coming off a tough Darlington race, and then two laps in, you feel like you\u2019re in trouble with a flat tire and it turns out you ran something over.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s terrible bad luck. I don\u2019t know what you do about it. You just move on and do the best you can (Saturday) night. Obviously, it\u2019s a bad spot to be in.\u201d<\/span> <\/p>\n

Truex\u2019s two top fives came in 2011 and 2012 when he finished second and third in consecutive races. Since then, he has rarely been a threat to win. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve run well here at times,\u201d Truex said. \u201cWe\u2019ve certainly struggled at times, but I think everybody has. This place is tricky with the spray (traction compound), and the groove moving around. We won\u2019t race where we practice. It\u2019s a little bit of a challenge there, but all of the times we\u2019ve run here, it\u2019s always been a flat tire or a loose wheel.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t even use both hands to count all of the times that has happened. It\u2019s just been a tough place. Hopefully, no bad luck (Saturday) night, and we can go just have a smooth race and hopefully have the performance to get the job done.\u201d<\/span> <\/p>\n

Daniel Hemric to drive Kaulig Racing\u2019s No. 31 NASCAR Cup car in 2024 <\/b><\/p>\n

Former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric will fill the seat of the No. 31 Kaulig Racing NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet next season, team president Chris Rice announced during a press conference on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. <\/p>\n

Hemric succeeds Justin Haley, who is leaving Kaulig at the end of the season to drive for Rick Ware Racing. <\/p>\n

In 276 starts across all three of NASCAR\u2019s national series, Hemric has posted one victory, but that lone win came in the Xfinity Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix in 2021, earning Hemric the series title. <\/p>\n

The 2024 season will mark Hemric\u2019s second full-time foray into NASCAR\u2019s top division. In 2019, he drove the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to a 25th<\/sup>-place finish in the Cup standings, with a best result of fifth at Talladega. <\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate these guys,\u201d Hemric said of Rice and team owner Matt Kaulig. \u201cThey went to bat for me when I didn\u2019t know what I had next, in 2021. When I got to sit down and actually hear them out, hear what their vision was, not only for 2021\u2014but for 2024 and 2025 and beyond\u2014back well before that was on the horizon, I knew after hearing what they had to say that I wanted to be a part of it. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re never promised anything. You never know what\u2019s to come, but one thing\u2019s that\u2019s always been true is if you keep showing up, put the work in and bring that heart each and every week, you\u2019re going to have that same shot you can only dream of. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s been a whirlwind, to say the least\u2026 But it\u2019s here\u2014I\u2019m going back.\u201d <\/p>\n

Bristol Motor Speedway spring race returns to the concrete surface in 2024  <\/span> <\/b><\/p>\n

The spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway no longer will be a dirty business. <\/p>\n

After three years of hauling in truckloads of Tennessee red clay to stage a dirt-track event at the 0.533-mile short track, Bristol racing will return to its concrete surface for the Food City 500 in the spring of 2024. <\/p>\n

No specific dates for the race were provided, pending the release of the NASCAR Cup Series\u2019 schedule for next year. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs the motorsports world focuses on America’s Night Race (on Saturday), we are thrilled to announce Bristol Motor Speedway will host the return of the Food City 500 on the concrete high-banks of the World’s Fastest Half Mile in the spring of 2024,\u201d Bristol Motor Speedway president and general manager Jerry Caldwell said in a statement announcing the change. <\/span> <\/p>\n

\u201cWe will revive a logo reminiscent of the first Food City 500s in the early \u201990s and resurrect the track\u2019s vintage trademark look and feel of the era. We\u2019re looking forward to a great weekend of racing and what\u2019s to come in 2024.\u201d<\/span> <\/p>\n

Accordingly, Christopher Bell, winner of the 2023 Food City Dirt Race, will have the last chance for an unprecedented sweep of Bristol Cup races on two different surfaces in the same season. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Veteran driver Kevin Harvick applauded the decision.<\/span> <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s fantastic,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the dirt race was what it was. I think it\u2019s something that you try and probably tried it a couple years too long, but I\u2019m always going to vote for something that\u2019s not dirt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer  NASCAR Wire Service  Kyle Busch says pit crew swap in Playoffs was a team decision  BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Driver Kyle Busch said Friday that the swap of pit crews with Austin Dillon before Saturday\u2019s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway was a collaborative decision at Richard Childress Racing that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":43244,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[177,16],"class_list":["post-43274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1683393552-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-bfY","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43274"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43277,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43274\/revisions\/43277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}