'87 Winston Cup 2016 Series - 23 Bristol Night

Our second visit to the Colosseum and it was a wreckfest as usual.

We started with an upset for the pole as Scot surprisingly took first using unsurprising methods.

He quickly surrendered the spot and was being caught by Darrel who started to dive for an opening then backed off at the last second.

This allowed Sandy to close rapidly and bounce off the back of his car with relentless force.

The two spun around but were largely undamaged.

On the start, Zack cracked into the back of Tim Richmond.

He caught on Morgan Shepherd and the two were around.

After a few more green flag laps, Bear was working with traffic when Harry Gant gave him a tap in the turn.

On the restart, Scot was close up behind me and I was going to try and get an aggressive start like we had the previous time but missed it just a touch.  This had him back behind cars coming out of the turn and he couldn't keep it off the wall.

Right in front of Darrel, he was around but only got touched by Waltrip.

The two humans kept on while a pile up happened behind them.

Coming to the yellow, though, Darrel lost it off of four and did a lazy slide inside where he tapped the inside wall...

...and kept it going.

Under racing again and Chad got a hip check off of the corner.

He bounced around off of traffic and the outside wall coming onto the backstretch.

Where he continued to get bounced into the wall and more cars.

The abuse continued long into turn three and four where he was doing everything he could to keep it together.

Sterling Marlin came back and bounced him back into the wall.

Acting like the human ping pong ball, Chad finally had one last bounce off of the wall and was served right back into traffic.

And he finally got the death knell and rolled.

After this volley it was traffic, 1, Chad, dead.

The next caution wasn't nearly as chaotic as Darrel came about like he did previously and got stuck on the track.

About a third of the way into this race and the field was all balled up on the restart.

Sandy and Scot were working traffic and Harry Gant once again was tearing fenders off the competition.

Sandy couldn't go long before getting into trouble again and ran into our friend, Terry Labonte.

Gant, not to be outdone, found Scot wandering the back part of the field and spun him in the same fashion he did Sandy.

Going again after a round of stops and Scot was having trouble, going three wide off of two.  Just ahead, Darrel was getting into it with Neil Bonnett.

He cracked hard into the inside wall and his engine was done.

Scot was able to go another handful of green laps before his tattered ride was becoming an obstacle for the competition.

Bill Elliott kept riding Mad Max until his car rolled.

Scot kept up a hard charge to collect Bill but didn't do quite as much damage in return.

With two humans out, you'd think the yellows would ease but Harry Gant was still on the track and destroying hopes and dreams.

On the restart, Ricky Rudd couldn't stand living anymore after he was embarrassed by Gant and slammed straight into Chad, who was doing nothing more than staying well on the apron, hoping to pick up spots through attrition.  It would be the end for them both.

Well over half way and Zack had been having a fairly decent race so far.  Most of his trials had just been avoiding wrecks and staying clean in traffic.  But he had a moment coming off of two when he caught the apron.

Like many humans before him, this slow down put him right in the unforgiving crosshairs of Sandy Smith who immediately tore into his rear bumper like a great white latching onto a baby seal.  Fortunately there was less blood and Nature Channel-like violence.  Just a yellow.

I even gave him his lap back coming to the line.

Sandy was back in the hunt and not letting anyone get in his way when he forcefully shoved Christman up the track, bringing out another caution.

On the restart, I tried to let him go on by because I didn't want any of the crazy he was selling.

However, Morgan Shepherd and he couldn't keep from tangoing and started a sizeable wreck that sent Bodine and Speed hard into the inside wall.

With ten to go, I was starting to catch Sandy and made mention that Arrington was a spot ahead of him, although by a lap.  So, with the same style he'd had all race long, Sandy sent Arrington into the wall where he ragdolled off with a broken car.  NASCAR should really look into that.

After a fairly uneventful race, I took the checkered and the win.

We now go back again to Michigan.  Because, why not, NASCAR?  Why not visit the same cookie cutters several times over.  At least it should be fairly mild compared to most of our races, right?

Results

Session: Practice

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	013	T Nadz	15.532
2	021	T Bear	15.587
3	023	Z Webster	15.681
4	029	M Max	15.686
5	061	D Hamilton	15.690
6	20	C Ferguson	15.771
7	8	B Hillin, Jr.	15.871
8	55	P Parsons	15.905
9	67	B Arrington	15.920
10	9	B Elliott	15.929
11	3	D Earnhardt	15.936
12	5	G Bodine	15.936
13	27	R Wallace	15.937
14	44	S Marlin	15.942
15	22	B Allison	15.984
16	17	D Waltrip	15.985
17	19	D Cope	15.987
18	90	K Schrader	15.998
19	26	M Shepherd	16.002
20	33	H Gant	16.011
21	35	B Parsons	16.018
22	71	D Marcis	16.022
23	7	A Kulwicki	16.025
24	43	R Petty	16.033
25	18	D Jarrett	16.036
26	11	T Labonte	16.042
27	77	E Bierschwale	16.042
28	4	R Wilson	16.045
29	88	B Baker	16.059
30	70	J McDuffie	16.062
31	15	R Rudd	16.063
32	62	S Christman	16.069
33	28	D Allison	16.087
34	21	K Petty	16.097
35	52	J Means	16.118
36	30	M Waltrip	16.167
37	50	G Sacks	16.200
38	75	N Bonnett	16.226
39	64	R Combs	16.256
40	1	B Bodine	16.279
41	25	T Richmond	16.347
42	83	L Speed	16.392
43	29	C Yarborough	16.406

Weather: Clear, 62 °F, Southeast 4 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	029	M Max	15.374
2	013	T Nadz	15.550
3	061	D Hamilton	15.604
4	021	T Bear	15.615
5	023	Z Webster	15.670
6	26	M Shepherd	15.824
7	3	D Earnhardt	15.862
8	22	B Allison	15.868
9	21	K Petty	15.886
10	9	B Elliott	15.926
11	75	N Bonnett	15.928
12	7	A Kulwicki	15.943
13	17	D Waltrip	15.950
14	27	R Wallace	15.957
15	43	R Petty	15.959
16	62	S Christman	15.965
17	67	B Arrington	15.966
18	15	R Rudd	15.969
19	77	E Bierschwale	15.971
20	44	S Marlin	15.976
21	5	G Bodine	15.991
22	35	B Parsons	15.991
23	55	P Parsons	15.992
24	71	D Marcis	16.022
25	28	D Allison	16.070
26	30	M Waltrip	16.072
27	8	B Hillin, Jr.	16.090
28	19	D Cope	16.093
29	18	D Jarrett	16.100
30	70	J McDuffie	16.103
31	33	H Gant	16.104
32	4	R Wilson	16.110
33	88	B Baker	16.131
34	20	C Ferguson	16.144
35	52	J Means	16.149
36	1	B Bodine	16.209
37	50	G Sacks	16.212
38	64	R Combs	16.217
39	11	T Labonte	16.260
40	25	T Richmond	16.263
41	90	K Schrader	16.289
42	83	L Speed	16.341
43	29	C Yarborough	16.479

Weather: Clear, 62 °F, South 10 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	021	T Bear	15.612
2	061	D Hamilton	15.656
3	023	Z Webster	15.770
4	013	T Nadz	15.783
5	029	M Max	15.799
6	27	R Wallace	15.817
7	5	G Bodine	15.869
8	44	S Marlin	15.921
9	9	B Elliott	15.938
10	35	B Parsons	15.940
11	20	C Ferguson	15.957
12	75	N Bonnett	15.960
13	90	K Schrader	15.977
14	30	M Waltrip	15.984
15	17	D Waltrip	15.986
16	8	B Hillin, Jr.	16.004
17	64	R Combs	16.006
18	19	D Cope	16.012
19	67	B Arrington	16.019
20	28	D Allison	16.027
21	21	K Petty	16.035
22	4	R Wilson	16.043
23	43	R Petty	16.053
24	22	B Allison	16.059
25	11	T Labonte	16.071
26	25	T Richmond	16.131
27	52	J Means	16.164
28	70	J McDuffie	16.172
29	88	B Baker	16.240
30	26	M Shepherd	16.249
31	55	P Parsons	16.275
32	7	A Kulwicki	16.287
33	18	D Jarrett	16.294
34	15	R Rudd	16.342
35	3	D Earnhardt	16.380
36	50	G Sacks	16.417
37	62	S Christman	16.425
38	33	H Gant	16.645
39	83	L Speed	16.655
40	1	B Bodine	16.675
41	29	C Yarborough	16.790
42	77	E Bierschwale	16.884
43	71	D Marcis	16.977

Weather: Clear, 53 °F, East 5 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	2	013	T Nadz	68.444	150	137*	185	Running
2	5	023	Z Webster	-4.63	150	2	175	Running
3	12	7	A Kulwicki	-5.05	150	3	170	Running
4	37	50	G Sacks	-5.44	150	0	160	Running
5	33	88	B Baker	-1L	149	0	155	Running
6	22	35	B Parsons	-1L	149	0	150	Running
7	39	11	T Labonte	-1L	149	0	146	Running
8	27	8	B Hillin, Jr.	-1L	149	0	142	Running
9	8	22	B Allison	-1L	149	3	143	Running
10	6	26	M Shepherd	-1L	149	0	134	Running
11	19	77	E Bierschwale	-1L	149	0	130	Running
12	26	30	M Waltrip	-1L	149	0	127	Running
13	29	18	D Jarrett	-2L	148	0	124	Running
14	30	70	J McDuffie	-2L	148	0	121	Running
15	40	25	T Richmond	-2L	148	0	118	Running
16	17	67	B Arrington	-3L	147	0	115	Running
17	4	021	T Bear	-3L	147	0	112	Running
18	18	15	R Rudd	-4L	146	3	114	Running
19	24	71	D Marcis	-5L	145	0	106	Running
20	41	90	K Schrader	-5L	145	0	103	Running
21	23	55	P Parsons	-6L	144	0	100	Running
22	25	28	D Allison	-6L	144	0	97	Running
23	21	5	G Bodine	-11L	139	0	94	Running
24	28	19	D Cope	-21L	129	0	91	Running
25	42	83	L Speed	-33L	117	0	88	Retired
26	20	44	S Marlin	-40L	110	2	90	Retired
27	43	29	C Yarborough	-41L	109	0	82	Retired
28	16	62	S Christman	-44L	106	0	79	Retired
29	31	33	H Gant	-69L	81	0	76	Retired
30	32	4	R Wilson	-69L	81	0	73	Retired
31	10	9	B Elliott	-69L	81	0	70	Retired
32	11	75	N Bonnett	-71L	79	0	67	Accident
33	34	20	C Ferguson	-81L	69	0	64	Accident
34	1	029	M Max	-87L	63	0	61	Accident
35	35	52	J Means	-90L	60	0	58	Retired
36	9	21	K Petty	-91L	59	0	55	Accident
37	3	061	D Hamilton	-93L	57	0	52	Accident
38	13	17	D Waltrip	-117L	33	0	49	Retired
39	36	1	B Bodine	-124L	26	0	46	Retired
40	15	43	R Petty	-125L	25	0	43	Accident
41	14	27	R Wallace	-126L	24	0	40	Accident
42	7	3	D Earnhardt	-136L	14	0	37	Retired
43	38	64	R Combs	-137L	13	0	34	Retired

Caution Flags: 17 (80 laps)

Lead Changes: 17 (6 drivers)

Weather: Clear, 52 °F, Northeast 4 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 3x

AI Strength: 94%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
3	061	Unsafe pit exit	Go to end of longest line
5	061	Passing under yellow	Held for 6 seconds
18	021	Unsafe pit exit	Go to end of longest line
21	021	Passing the pacecar	Held for 17 seconds
24	20	Passing the pacecar	Held for 13 seconds
29	029	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
29	029	Failure to pit	Go to end of longest line
29	029	Passing under yellow	Held for 4 seconds
32	021	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
36	023	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
36	021	Passing the pacecar	Held for 20 seconds
42	061	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
55	061	Passing under yellow	Held for 1 seconds
58	061	Entering closed pits	Go to end of longest line
84	023	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
99	013	Passing the pacecar	Held for 1 seconds
118	023	Passing under yellow	Held for 1 seconds