The three cars fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing did not have a stellar Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. All three were involved in crashes that left tempers flaring and will fill highlight reels for weeks.
The first victim was Ryan Newman on lap 190. Newman spun along the frontstretch and careened into the wall collecting Jeff Burton. At first the accident appeared to be triggered by a bump from Juan Pablo Montoya. Newman didn’t want to comment after the incident but Newman’s crew chief Tony Gibson later said the problems may have started on the lap prior.
“Well he just said somebody got into the left-rear of him and cut the left-rear tire,” Gibson said. “The lap before that he started getting really loose and then the very next lap, it just turned around on him. So, he didn’t say anything about the No. 42 car (Montoya). I think we were going to spinout no matter what with that left-rear tire. By the time we saw it he has already spun. It’s a shame. We had finally gotten some track position to do something with it and we were a little bit tight, but we thought we’d be okay. It’s just misfortune.” MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- NASCAR to debut new short track package at Phoenix - February 28, 2023
- The Wrench Who Stole Racing - December 16, 2022
- Matt DiBenedetto’s excellent run comes to abrupt, violent end - February 17, 2019
