2014 Irwin Tools Night Race

Last updated

2014 Irwin Tools Night Race
Race details [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Race 24 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Bristol Motor Speedway map.png
Date August 23, 2014 (2014-08-23)
Location Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 0.858 km (0.533 miles)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Weather Partly cloudy with a temperature of 82 °F (28 °C); wind out of the NNW at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
Average speed 92.965 mph (149.613 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 14.607
Most laps led
Driver Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing
Laps 148
Winner
No. 22 Joey Logano Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network ABC & PRN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree (Television)
Doug Rice and Mark Garrow (Booth)
Rob Albright (Backstretch) (Radio)
Nielsen ratings 3.2/7 (Final)
3.0/7 (Overnight)
5.1 Million viewers [9]

The 2014 Irwin Tools Night Race was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on August 23, 2014, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps, it was the 24th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Joey Logano of Team Penske took his third win of the season. Logano's teammate Brad Keselowski finished second while Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Kurt Busch completed the top five placings. The top rookies of the race were Kyle Larson (12th), Justin Allgaier (19th), and Austin Dillon (28th). This would also be the final race for veteran NASCAR drivers, Jeff Burton and Dave Blaney.

Contents

Previous week's race

Jeff Gordon took the lead from Joey Logano at the final restart and went on to win for the 91st time in his career, in the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Gordon stated that he had "got a really good restart, and I got to his quarter panel in Turn 1 and I was able to drag him back and it allowed me to get the momentum and get by him". Logano felt he had Gordon cleared and lamented that he "should have pulled down in front of him". [10]

Report

Background

Turns 1 & 2 on Raceday at Bristol. Raceday at Thunder Valley.jpg
Turns 1 & 2 on Raceday at Bristol.

Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long. [11] The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked from six to ten degrees. The back stretch also has banking from six to ten degrees. [11] The track has a seating capacity of 160,000 people. [11] The race consisted of 500 laps; equivalent to a race distance of 266.5 miles (428.9 km). [11] The defending race winner was Matt Kenseth.

Tony Stewart was on the entry list for the weekend's race, but following the events that took place at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, it was unknown if he'd be in the car. [12] On Wednesday, August 20, Stewart-Haas Racing released a statement that Stewart would sit out again and Jeff Burton would drive in his place. [13] The team would continue to evaluate the drive on a week-by-week basis. [14]

Ryan Truex was cleared to race at Bristol after missing the previous week's race at Michigan. He suffered a concussion in a single car crash during the second practice session and J. J. Yeley drove in his place. Truex stated that he was "happy to be back to it this weekend" on Twitter. [15]

Entry list

The entry list for the Irwin Tools Night Race was released on Monday, August 18, 2014 at 11:05 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered for the race.

No.DriverTeamManufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Jeff Burton [N 1] Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC4) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC5) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 J. J. Yeley (i) Go FAS Racing Ford
33 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
37 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC3) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
66 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota
78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Official entry list
KeyMeaning
(R)Rookie
(i)Ineligible for points
(PC#)Past champions provisional

Practice

First practice

Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.638 and a speed of 131.083 mph (210.958 km/h). David Gilliland hit the wall as a result of a stuck throttle; he was forced to switch to a backup car as a result.

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed
142 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 14.638131.083
211 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.697130.557
34 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.703130.504
Official first practice results

Final practice

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 14.642 and a speed of 131.048 mph (210.901 km/h).

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerTimeSpeed
117 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.642131.048
248 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.646131.012
35 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.662130.869
Official final practice results

Qualifying

Kevin Harvick won the pole with a new track record time of 14.607 and a speed of 131.362 mph (211.407 km/h). Harvick saw his qualifying position as an advantage, as he deemed that "track position is definitely as important as it is anywhere here with the current groove and where you are running" and also "felt good about our car during practice and just have to stay in there all night and do the best we can". Jeff Gordon joined Harvick on the front row, and stated that he "thought our car was a little bit better in race trim than it was in qualifying trim when we swapped over", and also stated that the conditions of the track were very tricky. Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson and Cole Whitt hit the wall during qualifying, with Almirola lamenting the fact and stating he had "probably the best race car I've ever had at Bristol and I screwed up and hit the fence". [16]

Qualifying results

PosNo.DriverTeamManufacturerR1R2
14 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.71914.607
224 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.68814.615
399 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.72214.624
418 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.73214.641
522 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 14.75214.644
648 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.74714.644
741 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.74314.654
816 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.75214.662
92 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 14.73714.703
109 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 14.73014.708
1131 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.73414.741
125 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.75414.759
1311 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.762
1415 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 14.772
1555 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 14.774
1620 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.796
1727 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.796
181 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 14.800
1951 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 14.810
2088 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.848
2117 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.855
2247 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 14.856
2378 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 14.892
2410 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.903
2514 Jeff Burton Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.935
263 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.960
2723 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 14.992
2895 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 14.994
2934 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.004
3098 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 15.048
3166 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 15.053
3238 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.055
3383 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 15.057
3426 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 15.066
3537 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 15.099
3636 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.102
3732 J. J. Yeley Go FAS Racing Ford 15.184
387 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.200
3940 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 15.301
4042 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.356
4133 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 15.506
4243 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 0.000
4313 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 0.000
Official qualifying results

Race

First half

Start

The start of the race. Green flag at Thunder Valley.jpg
The start of the race.

The race was scheduled to start at 7:46 p.m. Eastern time but started three minutes late when Kevin Harvick led the field to the green. Harvick led the race until lap 38 when Jeff Gordon took the lead. He led until lap 55 when Kyle Busch assumed the lead of the race, and held it to the first caution of the race; at lap 61, there was a competition caution that had been scheduled due to overnight rain showers around the vicinity of the circuit. Harvick retook the lead during the caution period; Kyle Busch came off pit road as the leader, but he was sent to the rear of the field for speeding in the pits and Matt Kenseth assumed the lead for the restart on lap 68.

Calamity

The caution came out a lap later for a multi-car crash in turn 2, before the race restarted on lap 77. Kenseth maintained the lead of the race, for a good portion of the race; he was not headed until Joey Logano took the lead on lap 104. The caution flew for the third time on lap 125 for a multi-car wreck on the backstretch that began when Brian Vickers got into Kyle Larson, and then spun into Aric Almirola. Clint Bowyer then ran into Kyle Busch, sending Busch spinning into the inside wall. [17] Denny Hamlin took the lead during the caution period, and held the lead as the race restarted on lap 137.

Tempers flare

"He thinks he knows everything. I wish I had some kind of car left to show him the favor back. We're not even halfway. It's just a misjudgment. He's a good driver. He knows better. He made a mistake. I thought for sure after the first couple of runs we were going to win the race. We were really fast. These are the racetracks we have to capitalize on. With what we've got, these are the tracks we can get wins and get the momentum going for the Chase. This is still not going to stop our momentum because we ran strong."

Denny Hamlin, referring to Kevin Harvick after their collision while racing for the lead.

While racing for the lead, Harvick tapped Hamlin, which sent him spinning into the inside wall on the front stretch. Hamlin's car bounced off the wall, and back up towards the track where it hit the left-hand side of the car of Dale Earnhardt Jr., ripping all the protection foam out of it. This brought out the fourth caution of the race on lap 161; Hamlin subsequently threw his HANS device at Harvick's car. This was the second straight year that the two drivers had a post-crash altercation during the summer Bristol race. Post-race, Harvick described the incident as "I just lost the front end, honestly", apportioning blame on himself. Hamlin was angered at the way his race ended, which left him with a 40th-place finish. Earnhardt Jr. tried to avoid a collision with Hamlin's car, but as he described it, "there was a lot of smoke so I couldn't really judge the speed of his car to know whether I needed to be going up there and go around him on the top". The damage to his car – the lower control arm was torn off his left-front tire – left him with a 39th-place finish. [18]

Racing at Thunder Valley. Racing at Bristol.jpg
Racing at Thunder Valley.

The race restarted on lap 173 with Harvick leading the way. Harvick held the lead until the fifth caution of the race, which flew on lap 195, after Michael Annett hit the wall in turn 4. Kasey Kahne took the lead after staying out when the leaders pitted, and led the field to the restart on lap 201. Kahne led the next portion of the race, before Jamie McMurray took over at the front on lap 238. McMurray led until the caution flew for the sixth time on lap 264, after Danica Patrick got spun out by Alex Bowman in turn 2. Bowman referred to the incident as looking "like somebody slid up a couple of cars in front of her and they all checked up", and added that he spoke to Patrick post-race about the incident – this occurred after Patrick ran up on Bowman to show her displeasure, after the incident. Patrick stated that her and Bowman had made up but stated that if the two came into contact on the track again, "worse things will happen". [19] Brad Keselowski took the lead during the pit cycle, and held the race lead for the restart on lap 270. Keselowski maintained the race beyond the 300-lap mark, and until lap 312, when McMurray assumed the lead once again. McMurray held the lead for almost 50 laps before the caution flag flew for the seventh time during the race; this was caused by debris on the track. McMurray won the race off pit road, despite Logano momentarily taking the lead through the pit process.

Second half

Caution on the racetrack Trouble in turn 1 2.jpg
Caution on the racetrack

The race restarted on lap 367, with McMurray in the lead. It was a short-lived restart, as the caution came out for the eighth time on lap 375 after Marcos Ambrose crashed on the front stretch. McMurray again led to the restart, on lap 382. A 50-lap green-flag period followed, before the ninth and final caution of the race – on lap 431 – for debris. Logano and Matt Kenseth both led a lap during the caution period, before the restart on lap 438. Kyle Busch had been complaining late in the race about his car; he stated over his car's radio that "I need a whole new right front suspension, a whole new right front suspension". In light of his driver's complaints, crew chief Dave Rogers had no sympathy for him: "Park it behind the truck and take your whiny little ass to the bus". Busch recorded a 36th-place finish, after leading eight laps earlier in the race. Rogers deemed the race as "frustrating", and also stated that he and Busch spoke after the race following the communications over the radio, and "had a great talk". Team owner Joe Gibbs said Busch and Rogers cleared the air before they left the track, after "a frustrating night", but Gibbs was "kind of used to it". [20] Logano took the lead with 45 laps to go and had to hold off a late race charge by Penske teammate Keselowski to score his third win of the 2014 season. Logano described the result as "awesome", and also reflected on his personal best 2014 campaign. Keselowski praised Logano's performance, stating that "he ran a great race" while his car "was just about equal to Joey's but he just had better track position than on us". [21]

Race results

PosGridNo.DriverTeamManufacturerLapsPoints
1522 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 50047
292 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 50043
31620 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 50042
4648 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 50040
5741 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 50039
62117 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 50038
7399 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 50037
8181 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 50038
91727 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50035
10816 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 50034
1114 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 50034
124042 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 50032
131131 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50031
142247 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 50030
152514 Jeff Burton Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 49929
16224 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49929
171415 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 49827
182895 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 49826
191951 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 49725
202378 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 49724
211555 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 49723
223940 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 4970
232934 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 49621
243636 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 49620
253238 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 49519
264313 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 49518
272410 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 49317
28263 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 49316
293098 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 49215
303426 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 49214
314133 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 49113
322723 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 48912
333732 J. J. Yeley Go FAS Racing Ford 4890
34109 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 48010
35125 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47710
36418 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4429
373383 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 3387
38387 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 2436
392088 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1765
401311 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1605
414243 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 1233
423166 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 782
433537 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 371

Race statistics

Media

Television

ABC
Booth announcersPit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Allen Bestwick
Color-commentator: Dale Jarrett
Color commentator: Andy Petree
Jerry Punch
Dave Burns
Vince Welch
Jamie Little

Radio

PRN Radio
Booth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Backstretch: Rob AlbrightBrett McMillan
Steve Richards
Jim Noble
Wendy Venturini

Standings after the race

Note

  1. Tony Stewart was on the entry list for the race, but sat out following the events in upstate New York. Jeff Burton drove in his place.

References

  1. "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  2. "Entry List". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  3. "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  4. "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  5. "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  6. "Irwin Tools Night Race Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  7. "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  8. "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  9. Paulsen (August 26, 2014). "Sprint Cup TV Ratings: Hurt By NFL Preemptions, Bristol Hits 3-Year Low". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  10. Long, Dustin (August 17, 2014). "Gordon Triumphs At Michigan". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Bristol Motor Speedway Track Facts". BristolMotorSpeedway.com. Bristol Motor Speedway. 2013. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  12. Gluck, Jeff (August 19, 2014). "Joe Gibbs says Stewart has strength, courage to return". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  13. Pockrass, Bob (August 20, 2014). "Tony Stewart to miss third straight race after accident". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  14. Gluck, Jeff (August 20, 2014). "Tony Stewart will not race at Bristol Motor Speedway". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  15. Staff, MRN (August 21, 2014). "Ryan Truex Cleared to Return". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  16. Long, Dustin (August 22, 2014). "Harvick Bristol Pole Winner". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on August 25, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  17. Owens, Jeff (August 23, 2014). "Big crash at Bristol claims Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and others". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  18. Long, Dustin (August 23, 2014). "Hamlin Not Happy With Harvick". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  19. Long, Dustin (August 23, 2014). "Bowman Apologizes To Patrick". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  20. Hembree, Mike (August 23, 2014). "Kyle Busch, crew chief trades barbs at Bristol". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  21. Pistone, Pete (August 23, 2014). "Logano Wins Bristol Battle". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
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2014 Pure Michigan 400
Sprint Cup Series
2014 season
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2014 Oral-B USA 500