It was one long day, which turned into one long night, at Bristol. One thing about circle tracks, especially paved, is that weather will force a delay no matter what. Rain and racing don’t mix unless it’s a road course and it’s open-wheel action, like Indy Car or Formula 1.
What is different about Sunday’s race at Bristol, the rain didn’t dampen spirits. Sure, the crowd was not as grand as anticipated, but the bigger story was not about the race itself, but in fact who it was for.
FOX analyst Steve Byrnes, who’s been covering the sport for the better part of two decades, fell victim to a second battle with cancer during the later stages of the season a year ago, and it continued into the beginning of this year. As much as he wants to be part of the weekly action at the track, the real race he wants to win is to keep on living.
With the Bristol weekend looming, track personnel and race sponsor Food City collaborated to put Byrnes’ name on the race. When teams began arriving, decals with his initials were on every car. Some even put his name above the door panel, as if he was riding along with them.
All that the rain did was make a normal 2-3 hour race instead a nine-hour run of honoring a colleague, fellow media member, beloved dad, and respected man. Social media honored him with the hashtag #ByrnesStrong, which began trending worldwide on Twitter. Halfway through the race, the entire FOX crew and many crewmen held up signs with Stand Up to Cancer, who also partnered to sponsor the race and honor Byrnes, with his name and also other individuals that were battling and winning in their own fight against the disease.
Not one person was worried about the race, because whether it was to be run on Sunday into the night or on a Monday afternoon, the big picture was beyond the actual event. NASCAR was honoring one of their own, and the message was beyond loud and clear.
Personally, Byrnes is a kind man that simply loves what he does, and loves that it gave him a way to support his family, because weekends away from loved ones on a weekly basis are hard, but his family loves him and knows he loves the sport. Byrnes has a lot of respect from me, and many other members in the garage area, and it keeps growing in this difficult time.
For one day, which turned into one night, the race winner will be the second name talked about in NASCAR. The first, is someone who loves his job, and wants to get back to the track. Get well, Steve. Fight on.
RESULTS: 1-Kenseth 2-Johnson 3-Gordon 4-Stenhouse Jr. 5-Newman 6-Stewart 7-Larson 8-Allgaier 9-Patrick 10-Dillon
NOTABLE FINISHES: 16-Earnhardt Jr. 26-Hamlin (Erik Jones in car after lap 22) 35-Keselowski 38-Harvick 40-Logano
CAUTIONS: 11 for 117 laps. Lap 20-34 (#2, 22 Accident-T2), 62-68 (Competition), 169-175 (Fluid on track-T2), 266-277 (Moisture on track; Red Flag-13 Mins, 32 Secs), 279-291 (#10, 34, 41, 48 Accident-T4), 312-324 (#4, 18, 26, 48 Accident-T1), 345-349 (Debris-T1), 368-380 (#26, 40, 42 Accident-T1), 474-481 (#1, 11, 15, 17, 98 Accident-T4), 484-492 (#5, 13, 14, 47, 78 Accident-T3), ,495-509 (#9, 19, 27, 41, 51 Accident-BS).
LEAD CHANGES: 21 among 6 drivers. Kenseth 1-5, Harvick 6-62, Busch 63, Biffle 64-69, Busch 70-125, Harvick 126-160, Busch 161-165, Harvick 166-169, Busch 170, Harvick 171-256, Edwards 257-266, Busch 267, Edwards 268-276, Harvick 277, Edwards 278-290, Harvick 291, Edwards 292-345, Kenseth 346, Larson 347-436, Kenseth 437-443, Busch 444-477, Kenseth 478-511.
TIME OF RACE: 3 Hrs, 37 Mins, 54 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 74.997 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.287 Seconds
POINT STANDINGS: 1. Harvick, 314 points*; 2. Logano, -30*; 3. Truex Jr, -33; 4. Johnson, -56*; 5. Keselowski, -59*; 6. Earnhardt Jr, -73; 7. Kahne, -77; 8. Kenseth, -78*; 9. Gordon, -87; 10. Almirola, -88
*Chase Eligible