Kyle Busch NASCAR

'Thunder Valley' - Bristol is a NASCAR circuits Fan's Favorite, not only because of the repetitive contact of the drivers, but the pit strategy, fuel consumption and tire wear that are the top of the interest list for today's race. Expecting a variety cautions throughout the day, the strategy isn't just how fast you can drive, but simply, can you finish the race in a capable car that is still intact? Bristol is a very physically demanding track on the drivers, veteran or not. Endurance will play a main factor in today's outcome.

Billy Ray Cyrus was on hand to sing the National Anthem. Claudia Byrd, Christian Byrd, and Belton Cauldwell started the day on the booming speakers, "Gentleman, Start your engines..."

Bristol Starting Grid Top 5:

1.) Carl Edwards - #99

2.) Greg Biffle - #16

3.) Regan Smith - #78

4.) Paul Menard - #27

5.) David Ragan - #6

From the get go, Carl Edwards pounded off the Green Flag, by Lap 6 gaining a 3 second lead on the field.  Kyle Busch forced his way up to sixth after a start in the 12 position.  Paul Menard's car felt fast and frisky as he pulled up on Carl Edwards and made the pass for the lead on Lap 19.

The first caution fell on Lap 28 after contact with Brad Kesolowski, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, and A.J Allmender put a pause on the race, but only a few decided to take the pit advantage.

Lap 50 offered a competition caution, rallying the cars in the pits to check the tire choice NASCAR decided on the day.  Released, the drivers were back at it.  Weaving and sliding, position changes swapping throughout the pack.

Ryan Newman jumped into the lead on lap 58, but find himself watching Kyle Busch overtake him on Lap 79.  More position changes and fast cars let Martin Truex Jr. grab the lead from Busch on Lap 92 after a good series of choices.  

Riding over 100 laps and the tires he started the race with, on LAP 128, Robby Gordon, one of the few remaining owner/driver's still remaining, slams into the outer wall of turn one after his right front tire blows and, causing serious damage to Gordon's Vehicle...

An immediate yellow flag drops after the cars hit the track again, this time a spinout into turn four by Brad Kesolowski.

By Lap 150, Martin Truex Jr. raced hard to remain in the lead, scoring a few extra series points with each lap led, but by 155 Kevin Harvick snuck on by to take over the pace.  Kurt Busch taking opportunity and tucked into second.

Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon and Trevor Bayne do battle in the 5 and 6 spots.  Trevor Bayne coming to Bristol not expecting to win, just wanting to learn, mentioning he'd be happy with a top 20 finish.

"We've gotta try something guys, It just will not go... It feels like a dump truck out here," Biffle complains on Lap 183.  Precision driving carried the drivers over the 200 lap point with Jimmie Johnson in the lead, the seventh lead change of the day.

To this point the track at Bristol has been fast!  Patience will prove the key to this half mile oval.  Surprising no serious incidents have ensued.  The methodical racing of these drivers was showing the awareness behind the wheels of the car.

As things calm down with a duration of pure racing, Jimmie Johnson opened up a 2.3 second lead over Kyle Busch by Lap 231.  All was good until the 246th Lap where Bobby Labonte expertly recovered after contact with Menard and a 360 spinout without any visible damage.  After the caution, Johnson got a great jump and dominated the lead position.

By Lap 262 Montoya showed visible issues, but couldn't get into the pits, caught up on the outside line.  Finally after 4 laps, tucked the Target car into the pits for an inspection.  The result, a loose wheel. Repaired and back on the track, but down a little more in positions.

16 second lap times seemed to be the standard time on the day with fastest so far by Paul Menard owning a 15.83 second tally.  So fast, in fact, Kyle Busch was questioned by his crew how he felt, "I feel Hungry," Busch replied, adding an efficient pass on Jimmie Johnson for the lead on Lap 270.  Shortly after, Trevor Bayne paint peeled the wall, sliding against an entire turn to slow himself again, losing a few more spots on the #21 car's challenging outing.  To this point, Kyle Busch has led 19,346 career laps at Bristol Motor Speedway.

By Lap 300, Mark Truex showed signs of a wearing vehicle, sliding into the 13th spot after an early sign of control as the race leader.  The battle at Bristol continues...  

Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson demonstrating to the other racing teams that they are the ones to beat.  Twenty laps later, it was a game of Cat and Mouse as Johnson and Busch bob and weave through the lapped traffic like a couple of schoolyard kids. Their cars with an obvious advantage.  

Busch making wise decisions with Johnson watching from behind, struggling to find the gaps that he needed - but did!  Select moves allowed Johnson to cruise on the high side past Busch who was held up by slower cars.  Debris on Lap 343 slowed the pace with another yellow flag.

Mark Martin says, "We're off just by a whisker" to his crew as he pulls down pit row who makes some necessary adjustments for the remaining 150 laps.  

Carl Edwards, all of a sudden was back on the hunt in the top five, but whatever happened in the pits allowed Jimmie Johnson to hop out to a commanding lead with a 10 car length distance on second.  The first sign a Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the day in the top 7, quickly stumbled and drifted high and back to 11th.

With 175 laps left, 38 of 43 drivers are still racing - at Bristol!  The 'bump and grind' seemed to be substituted for the 'slide and pass'.  Clean racing carried past the 400 Lap point at Thunder Valley.

It was then the teams start to do the math on gas.  Realizing with 95 laps left, if all is clean, some of the cars won't have the distance in their tanks.  Jimmie Johnson showing some veteran attitude on the young Trevor Bayne car as he came around to pass with a hard bump into the rear of the #21 car, a little "Make way kid", with Busch still on his tail.

David Gilliand's spinout on the front stretch may have been just the wish of some of the other drivers who take a desperate dive into the pits for a fill up and whatever creative solutions their teams had in store for the las run toward the checkered flag.

It all started when Kasey Kane got slowed down by the wall and Mark Martin ran into the side and lost control, spun, and created a chain reaction so common of the sights of Bristol in the corner and the pile up began.  Smoke, metal, cars swerving and colliding, Trevor Bayne taking major damage to the front end of the car.  Immobile on the track, Bayne's day was done.  A number of other teams taking some severe damage with 60 laps to go.  Many head back into the pits to rip off or tape up the pieces dangling out of the grills of some drivers.  Joey Lagano taking up the top 10 spots.

"Cautions breed cautions", the announces tells, as the 9th of the day let the drivers reset for the last 50 laps.  At the drop of the Green, as the cars pedal down to full speed, Clint Bowyer throws out the smoke screen as his car billows smoke from underneath and straight into the garage for caution #10.

After restart, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards found anew battle for first and second, all in the eyes of Jimmie Johnson who readied himself for a available move, looking like a predator waiting to pounce.  Inside moves by Johnson were held of by Edwards as the #18 car of Busch increased the gap.

With 8 laps left, Busch began to run into traffic, but with a little cushion and room for error, didn't find any.  Meticulously and with skilled fashion, Kyle Busch rolled through the white falg and over the finish line for the checkered flag and his 5th straight NASCAR victory at Bristol with a clean vehicle

"Sweep it baby, sweep it,"  Kyle's crew yells.  "We did!" he assures...