Triumph at dusk for Aric Almirola

Pole sitter Kyle Busch will certainly curse race officials for a long time. NASCAR officiating this weekend. When the race started, the track was still wet in places and on the 4th lap, the winner of Pocono, who had opposed the start in these conditions, was surprised by a downpour and violently hit the wall followed by his teammate. the Joe Gibbs Racing Martin Truex Jr. The race is interrupted for 2 hours to let the downpour pass and dry the track while the Toyota of Busch, too damaged and forced to abandon.

A new start is given and the Fords take the lead, dominating the first segment with a Team Penske double, Ryan Blaney ahead of Brad Keselowski. It will even be a Ford hat-trick at the end of the second segment taken by Keselowski ahead of Kevin Harvick (Stewart Haas Racing) and Blaney.

As night falls over New England, the pilots become nervous and the yellow flags come one after the other. It becomes clear that the race will not go to the end and the strategists come into play while the drivers try to lengthen their stints. With 20 laps to go, the decision was made to shorten the race by 10 laps. Mike Bugarewicz, the “Crew Chief” of the #10 Ford, managed these hazards perfectly and his driver was able to resist the suffocating pressure of the final laps to achieve his first victory of the season.

If Christopher Bell saves the weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing by taking second place, it is on the other hand an event to forget for Hendrick Motorsports whose drivers have never weighed on the race. The Olympic truce comes at the right time and the three weeks of break will be valuable to regain the good dynamics at the start of the season.

Foxwood Resort Casino 301 Rating:

See you for the restart on Sunday August 8 at Watkins Glen for the 23rd round of the season.