TC Daily Pit Stop: Bell Endures Rain Delay, Wet Weather Tires and Overtime Finish to Sweep Loudon Weekend; Blaney and McDowell at Odds After Late-Race Crash; Kyle Busch's Horrible Day Ends Strangely
TC Daily Pit Stop: Monday, June 24, 2024
Christopher Bell Masters Damp New Hampshire Surface for USA Today 301 Victory
Well, that was interesting. After a more than two-hour rain delay, which everyone felt would end Sunday’s USA Today 301 82 laps shy of it’s scheduled distance, NASCAR was able to get the track dried enough for the wet-weather tires to be utilized, and the race was able to run past its scheduled distance. The end result? Christopher Bell pulled off the weekend sweep.
While he snagged his seventh win at the 1.058-mile speedway in just his 10th career NASCAR National Series start there, Bell says he was unsure what to expect when the wet-weather tires were bolted on.
“You never know. You never know how this thing is going to shake out whenever you change so many things like that and the adverse conditions,” Bell said about the rain tires. “I personally love adverse conditions because you’re always trying to think outside the box.”
In the end, dry tires or wet tires, Bell did what he does best — he won at New Hampshire. Chase Briscoe came home in the runner-up spot and Josh Berry finished third.
RACE RECAP
RACE RESULTS
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Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell at Odds Over McDowell’s Dive-Bomb Move
Michael McDowell feels the pressure of most likely needing a win to advance into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field, and that was evident in the closing laps of Sunday’s USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Lining up from the inside of the front row, McDowell pulled a bonzai move heading into Turns 1 and 2, caught the wet paint on the inside of the track, which sent him skidding into Ryan Blaney, which sent both drivers spinning out of contention.
McDowell apologized to Blaney after the race saying that he made a mistake in a “do-or-die” situation, but the apology didn’t do much for Blaney, who finished 25th due to the move.
“He said he’s sorry he wrecked me. Apology is nice, but it’s not going to bring back what he did,” Blaney sharply pointed. “So, I knew what he was trying to do. It was like a low-percentage move. It’s wet down there, and you’re just going to stove it off in there, and what do you think is going to happen? You’re going to take both of us out.”
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The Wet Weather Tire Experiment at New Hampshire | Success or Fail? (Race Analysis)
What did we learn from Sunday’s wet-weather tire experiment at New Hampshire Motor Speedway? Taylor Kitchen breaks it down in her USA Today 301 post-race breakdown on Above the Yellow Line.
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Kyle Busch’s Bad Day Comes to an End After Bizarre Crash Under Caution
Kyle Busch is going through it lately, and after a strange crash while under caution when Sunday’s USA Today 301 was set to resume on wet weather tires, Busch saw his day come to an abrupt end.
The crash in Turn 4 was the third incident of the day for Busch, and it was the straw that finall broke his Chevrolet Camaro’s back. Now, Busch’s Playoff hopes are on life support.
Busch has now scored three finishes of 35th in his last four races.
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USA TODAY 301 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Video: Engine Issues Plague Alex Bowman on Lap 142 at New Hampshire
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Video: Kyle Busch Gets Into Noah Gragson, Spins Into Outside Wall
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Video: Chase Elliott Goes Spinning in Incident With Joey Logano
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Video: Truex Crashes Into Outside Wall After Contact with Keselowski
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Video: Noah Gragson Slips in Turn One; Collects Wallace, Dillon, and Others
