Runner-Up Finish Important for Many Reasons for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Bristol

Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his season-best finish at his best track on the Sprint Cup Series circuit with a runner-up performance in Sunday’s postponed Bass Pro Shops NRA Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Stenhouse’s second place finish after 500 laps in Thunder Valley was the best finish for Roush Fenway Racing as an organization since teammate Trevor Bayne wheeled to a fifth place run at Bristol in April. Continue reading

Chris Buescher Officially Claims Provisonal Chase Spot with Superb Bristol Finish

Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Weeks after winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Chris Buescher vaulted to inside the top-30 in driver points with a gratifying fifth-place finish in Sunday’s postponed Bass Pro Shops NRA Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

The driver on loan from Roush Fenway Racing to Front Row Motorsports used his best starting position of the season as traction for 500 laps in Thunder Valley.

Buescher’s team led by veteran crew chief Greg Osborne held their own under the lights Saturday night before Mother Nature invaded the speedway and forcing the postponement until late Sunday afternoon. Playing their cards right and avoiding late race attrition, Buescher challenged Austin Dillon for fourth, but settled for fifth when the checkered flag waved. Continue reading

Record Streak Comes to Crashing End for Kurt Busch at Bristol Motor Speedway

Photo - Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Kurt Busch’s impressive streak of finishing on the lead lap in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series came to an abrupt end at 22 in Sunday’s postponed Bass Pro Shops NRA Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy / Haas Automation Chevrolet got loose on the backstretch and spun out of control entering turn three spawning a crash that eliminated Busch, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard among others on lap 373. Continue reading

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Kyle Larson Honor Late Friend at Bristol Motor Speedway

Photo -  Blaine Ohigashi/Getty Images

Photo – Blaine Ohigashi/Getty Images

The outpouring of support for Bryan Clauson continued at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson honoring the memory of their close friend with special helmets and paint schemes.

Clauson died at age 27 from injuries suffered during an Aug. 6 accident in the Belleville (Kansas) Midget Nationals.

Like Stenhouse, Clauson got his start in NASCAR racing as a development driver for Roush Fenway Racing, but after 26 starts in the XFINITY series, with a best finish of fifth at Kentucky, he returned to open wheels and established himself as one of the all-time best in USAC competition. Continue reading