NASCAR race at Bristol results: 3 things we learned from Brad Keselowski’s victory

Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag off another wild finish at NASCAR’s Supermarket Heroes 500 race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.

With three laps to go, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano battled for the lead spot on the half-mile short track. Elliott made contact with Logano running on the outside, forcing the Team Penske driver into the wall and pushing both from a first-place finish.

“I could see Joey and Chase getting really racey there,” Keselowski said during his post-race interview on FS1. Keselowski was running in third when Elliott and Logano made contact.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen there, but I knew if I just kept my eye open that something good might happen, and sure enough it did,” Keselowski said.

The driver swiftly passed the leaders in the final seconds for his second win of the season. Logano finished in 21st and Elliot finished in 22nd.

“Things have been going our way from the luck of the draw in the qualifying to the last few laps there,” Keselowski said.

The No. 2 driver started on the pole by random draw Sunday. He won his first race of the 2020 season last weekend at Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 in similar, surprising fashion. A late-lap caution was called with Elliott running first at Charlotte. Keselowski edged into the lead for an overtime victory.

Clint Bowyer finished second, followed by Jimmie Johnson in third at Bristol.

ELLIOTT KEEPS ROLLING

After the race, two frustrated drivers Elliott and Logano, exchanged words. Elliott said he took the blame for the incident.

“I felt like I had to keep him behind me there with only three or four laps to go,” Elliott told FOX Sports. “So I hate that we both wrecked, but can’t go back in time now.”

Other than the finish, the No. 9 driver ran a strong short-track event. He carried his Thursday victory at Charlotte into Sunday, winning the first two stages of the Bristol race. Elliott battled with Ryan Blaney to gain the lead position heading into the final 20 laps of Stage 1. He was able to remain in the top-five, and eventually return to the top spot, as multiple cautions came out during the final stages.

HEARTBREAK FOR HAMLIN

With under 30 laps to go, a major wreck ensued in the middle of the pack involving at least six drivers, and forcing the 16th caution flag of the evening. Off the restart, Denny Hamlin and Logano battled for the top spot. Hamlin was able to edge to the lead and until the final 10 laps of the race, it looked like he would win it.

But the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver got wide rounding the turn and lost the lead spot. The 17th caution was thrown, and Logano and Elliott moved to the front to duke it out, only to be passed by Keselowski a few minutes later.

BEAT BY BRISTOL

Bristol knocked out a few drivers seeking redemption at the notoriously fast short-track, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was spun out by Johnson coming off of Turn 2. Johnson tapped the back left edge of Stenhouse Jr.’s car, forcing the No. 47 driver to spin into the inside wall and cause a multi-car pileup. Alex Bowman, Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick were also caught up in the wreck and forced to exit the race.

“One of those days where everything was going wrong and finish it off,” Bowman told FOX Sports after exiting.

Blaney also struggled at Bristol. After a jump to the lead in Stage 1 and early in Stage 2, Blaney lost control rounding a turn and spun out on the track. Drivers were able to avoid the slowed No. 12 car until Ty Dillon, who was racing wide behind him, smacked into the front end of Blaney, knocking the radiator out and sending him to the garage and a last place finish.

Matt DiBenedetto, who suffered heartbreak at Bristol last season during the Night Race, couldn’t yet recover at the track on Sunday. He exited to the garage early with a mechanical issue and finished 31st.

The race was all about finishing it. And being in the right place at the right time.

NASCAR at Bristol results

This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 8:15 PM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription