The winners and losers from NASCAR’s unusual Bristol race weekend

Bristol Motor Speedway is one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks, playing host to some of the sport’s most dramatic moments. This triple-header weekend had its fair share of drama as well, including a shocking Xfinity wreck and crew members evading disaster in the form of a runaway wheel on Sunday, but those watching also left Bristol disappointed as there was minimal tire wear and few lead changes throughout the Cup race. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at the biggest winners and losers from Bristol:

WINNER: Kyle Larson, who simply can’t be touched

Kyle Larson once again fell one win short in his ongoing quest for the weekend sweep, but as for the two races he did win, he made sure no one else even had a chance. Larson led 276 of 300 laps on his way to winning the Xfinity race before leading an astonishing 411 of 500 laps on his way to winning the Cup race. Larson dedicated both wins to Jon Edwards, the beloved director of racing communications for Hendrick Motorsports who unexpectedly passed away earlier this week.

LOSER: Alex Bowman as his pole-winning car went up in smoke

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Alex Bowman has had several shots to win this year, but every single time, something goes wrong. Now, it’s doubtful he would have been able to deny Larson at Bristol, but still, a 37th-place finish is far from being reflective of his performance on the track. Bowman led the race from pole position and remained near the front for most of the event. That is, until the engine in his No. 48 Chevrolet started failing him and he was forced to take the ailing car to the garage.

WINNER: Ross Chastain as Bristol’s biggest mover

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Trackhouse certainly has some pace-related issues this year, but Ross Chastain is making the most of what he has. At Bristol, he earned his third consecutive top-seven finish. More impressively, he did it from the very back of the field. In a fairly green race where passing was difficult, Chastain methodically marched from 35th on the grid to finish seventh, making him the biggest mover of the race. He gained 27 spots from his starting position and never benefitted from any clever strategy calls to make up that ground. He did it the hard way.

LOSER: The Dash 4 Cash drivers with nowhere to hide in Xfinity wreck

Brennan Poole, Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Thankfully, both drivers were able to walk away from this scary incident during the NASCAR Xfinity race. Both Brennan Poole and Sheldon Creed entered Saturday’s race with hopes of earning $100,000 as two of the four drivers eligible for the Dash 4 Cash bonus. Unfortunately, they never got the chance as Creed spun out during the second stage. With nowhere to go, Poole nailed the stationary car, tearing the entire right side of his own car out and ripping out most of the rear axle. The wreck led to a 14-minute red flag for cleanup. 

WINNER: Chandler Smith, who proved he isn’t going anywhere

Chandler Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

At the end of last year, Chandler Smith had no idea what he would be doing in 2025, and believed his racing career might be over. But just weeks before the start of the season, a ride came together with Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Truck Series. Smith earned his first win of the year at Bristol, holding off Larson himself and in the end, he was all that stood between him and the rare weekend sweep. The fact that he was the only driver between all three races who was able to finish ahead of Larson at Bristol is quite the feat.

LOSER: The Gen-7 for its short track package

Tire detail

Photo by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

The short track package with the current generation of Cup car leaves a lot to be desired. Passing is difficult and the action is rare, which is a far cry from what we’ve come to expect from NASCAR’s iconic short tracks. Yes, for one year in this rules package, Bristol featured over 50 lead chances due to some extreme tire wear. It looked as if it might happen again this weekend, but higher temperatures on race day meant that there was very little tire fall-off at all. Ultimately, it reminded everyone of the car’s inherently lackluster characteristics for short tracks, and that the Gen-7 package remains in need of an overhauling to improve the racing.

WINNER: Ryan Blaney for gambling while most others played it safe

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

While most drivers up front were content to take home a solid finish at Bristol, a handful of drivers were ready to roll the dice in a big way. 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick both ran extremely long during the final cycle of pit stops, as did Ryan Blaney. He went 47 laps further than eventual race winner Larson, lapping the entire field at one point. He was surely crossing both his fingers and toes in hopes of a caution that never came, but even still, applause are in order since he was willing to actually take the risk. And besides, it was a stellar comeback on fresh tires as Blaney still managed to fight his way back up to fifth after the strategy didn’t work out.