Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano dominated Saturday’s Weather Guard Truck Race On Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano led 138 of 150 laps and beat runner-up Ty Majeski to the checkered flag by over a second.
With 48 rotations to go, Logano, who was driving for ThorSport Racing, pulled away off another restart. He made a habit of doing that. Overcoming 11 cautions, Logano’s restarts sealed his second career Trucks win at the .533-mile short track.
Also competing for ThorSport, Majeski, the series leader, earned a runner-up finish and teammate Matt Crafton placed fourth, just behind William Byron. The finish enhanced Majeski’s lead over Zane Smith by 34 points in the driver standings.
Meanwhile, Christian Eckes’ mini-slump continued. After crashing out, Eckes finished 30th for the second time in three events since he won at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
.@KyleLarsonRacin doing Kyle Larson things in Heat Race 3. pic.twitter.com/EYtTYSmdzg
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 8, 2023
Kyle Larson Claims Cup Series Pole On Bristol Dirt
Kyle Larson on Saturday showed what experience can do for a NASCAR Cup Series driver when the environment shifts to dirt.
A California native who learned to race on short dirt tracks, Larson rallied from a sixth-place standing to earning the pole position for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race.
After rain washed out practice laps Friday, Larson compiled 15 points, pacing the field during the four qualifying heat races.
JJ Yeley, a journeyman Cup driver, earned the third starting position after maneuvering his way from ninth to third in Heat 3. It will be the first time he qualified in the top five since 2007. In 357 career Cup starts, Saturday’s finish marked his third-best qualifying effort.
The front row was filled in by Austin Dillion, who will start second after winning Heat 1. Ryan Blaney captured Heat 3 and will begin ninth and Bubba Wallace won Heat 4 and starts 11th.
William Byron was not at all happy with this weeks penalty.
In fact, this is the most frustrated I've seen the No. 24 driver, aside from Darlington last season.
"I don't have anything good to say about it."
Take a look: https://t.co/EmRc1Crguu pic.twitter.com/wOGvJCCgnk
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) April 8, 2023
William Byron, Alex Bowman Upset Over 2nd Penalty
Generally, a soft-spoken competitor, Byron expressed his displeasure and took aim at NASCAR officials during an interview with reporters Saturday.
“I’m not happy,” Byron said, as reported by NBC Sports.
Stock car racing’s ruling body claimed the cars of Byron and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman following last Sunday’s event at Richmond Raceway. After an examination at the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, it was determined infarctions occurred by both teams. They were issued penalties of 60 points and five playoff points. The two crew chiefs were also suspended for two races and fined $75,000.
It was the second time the garages were issued penalties this season, but the first one was cleared following an appeal.
“I feel like they could take all the cars to the R&D Center,” Byron said. “I don’t understand it.
“It doesn’t look very random, does it?”
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