![It took 24 hours to make it happen, but Kevin Harvick eventually did win at Bristol.](https://gantnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Bass-Pro-Night-Race-WIN-300x202.jpg)
Wasn’t it just last week during an off-weekend where I talked about rain? Â I should stop doing that and instead find another topic. Â Reason being, this weekend’s action simply just couldn’t find traction.
The night race at Bristol is an event that seems to just have a bulls eye on it as a race to focus on each year.
The history of many incidents at this place, such as Jimmie Johnson giving the bird to Robby Gordon, or Tony Stewart channeling his inner Jeff Locke (giving the Pirates some love) when showing displeasure with Matt Kenseth, it is a race that just fits the bill for a shootout.
But when that race doesn’t even get truly rolling, especially when not even 10 percent of the laps were complete before the rain decided to arrive.
Weather ruining a big race seems to have been a theme in the last decade. Â Back in 2008, rain moved the Coca-Cola 600 to Memorial Day, although that is traditionally the weekend it is run, and it never made it the full distance. Â A few years ago, same thing with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Â Even the Daytona 500 in 2012 had to suffer a rain delay and it would then be run on a Monday evening, the first time ever a race would be run on a week night.
It’s hard on everyone, and even with the advantage of the race being run on a Sunday compared to a Monday after the rain, it still is a big problem for fans. Â Most come to Bristol on this weekend to see a night race, not another day event.
The stands were extremely empty for the make-up action, and sadly it’s justified. Â Over the last month, NASCAR and Mother Nature have not been getting along. Â Pocono got moved to Monday, and never made the full distance. Â Last weekend the Xfinity Series ran in the rain, and now Bristol’s biggest event couldn’t happen as scheduled.
Rain and racing are like oil and water…they never go well together, and never will.
I’m tired of rain at the track, and now with the fall season approaching, temperatures will drop, and when it rains it will feel even cooler. Â Sadly as we all know during the summer, the rain feels good when it comes down, but minute it stops and the sun breaks, it’s muggy an unbearable.
No more rain for the rest of the NASCAR season, please.
RESULTS:  1-Harvick  2-Stenhouse Jr.  3-Hamlin  4-Dillon  5-Buescher  6-Edwards  7-Johnson  8-McMurray  9-Allmendinger  10-Logano
NOTABLE FINISHES:  11-Gordon  23-Truex Jr.  30-Stewart  33-Keselowski  37-Kenseth  38-Kurt Busch  39-Kyle Busch
CAUTIONS:  9 for 106 laps.  Lap 32-58 (Weather [Red Flag-1 Hr, 24 Mins, 4 Secs]); 87-91 (Competition); 158-164 (#7 Accident-T2); 255-262 (Debris-T3); 309-316 (#22, 41 and 42 Accident-T4); 359-371 (#8, 42, 46 and 78 Accident-T2); 374-389 (#2, 3, 20, 21, 22, 24,
27, 41, 42, 44, 48 Accident-FS); 417-423 (Debris-T2); 435-449 (Weather [Red Flag-6 Mins, 57 Secs.]).
LEAD CHANGES:  20 among 8 drivers.  C. Edwards POLE; D. Hamlin 1-8; C. Elliott # 9-22; Kyle Busch 23-87; B. Scott # 88-92; R. Newman 93-101; Kyle Busch 102-160; C. Edwards 161-189; Kyle Busch 190-226; C. Edwards 227; Kyle Busch 228-250; C. Edwards 251; Kyle Busch 252-285; K. Harvick 286-309; Kyle Busch
310-347; K. Harvick 348-366; J. Logano 367-403; K. Harvick 404-417; J. Logano 418; D. Hamlin 419-429; K. Harvick 430-500.
TIME OF RACE: Â 3 Hrs, 25 Mins, 5 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: Â 77.968 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: Â 1.933 Seconds
CHASE GRID: Â 1. Keselowski-735 (Points), 4 (Wins); 2. Kyle Busch-674, 4; 3. Harvick-726, 2; 4. Edwards-689, 2; 5. Hamlin-659, 2; 6. Johnson-612, 2; 7. Kenseth-604, 2; 8. Kurt Busch-692, 1; 9. Logano-684, 1; 10. Truex Jr-630, 1; 11. Stewart-400, 1; 12. Buescher-328, 1; 13. Dillon, -166 (From 1st-Harvick); 14. Elliott, -174; 15. McMurray, -179; 16. Newman, -186.