Earlier this month, NASCAR made a surprising announcement it would be moving one of Dover's Cup weekends to Nashville SuperSpeedway, the 1.333-mile oval outside Tennessee's most populous city.
Nashville hosted NASCAR national series races from 2001 to 2011 with the Grand National Series holding 21 races and having two races a season from 2002 to 2011. The Truck Series ran 13 races in 11 years, including two races in the final two years.
Since NASCAR left, the track has remained mostly inactive. It has been used and Mother Nature did not reclaim it like she has with North Wilkesboro, Nazareth and the long portion of the Hockenheimring. The Nissan GT Academy used the track for driver evaluations and some NASCAR teams used the track for testing, but the last time spectators occupied the grandstand was July 23, 2011.
I remember Nashville but I don't remember Nashville. I know the shape of the track, the lone grandstand that always looked partially completed and the lack of any notable landmark around the circuit but when it came to how the track raced, nothing stood out. I had watched many races from this track, but it doesn't have a standout memory. There was not a battle that could cited as the summation of what Nashville SuperSpeedway is as a racetrack.
The one memory I did have was the finish of the Grand National Series race from April 2004 when the top four took each other out and allowed Michael Waltrip to win under caution. That doesn't tell me much. I decided to go back and watch the last six Grand National Series races to set expectations for when NASCAR returns in 2021. I need to go in with something and, though that return is just over a year away, there is no time better than the present.
April 2009
A quick refresher: NASCAR's second division held an annual race at Nashville the Saturday before Easter and in 2009, this is when Cup drivers could moonlight full-time and score championship points to the lower divisions.
A few quick notes on who was what: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Michael Waltrip and David Ragan were all notable full-time Cup drivers in this race. Brad Keselowski was not a full-time Cup driver, although he would go on to run 15 Cup races that year after his Talladega victory.
Other notable full-time Grand National Series drivers were Jason Leffler, Mike Bliss, Justin Allgaier, Steven Wallace, Jason Keller, Brendan Gaughan, Michael McDowell and this was the first Grand National Series start for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Seven times did a driver score a first career victory at Nashville.
Logano, Edwards, McDowell and Busch took the top four spots on the grid. Stenhouse qualified fifth but went to the rear of the field.
Due to rain the night before, the track was completely green, and the lower line was the one of choice until the track got some rubber build up. Edwards held the lead while Busch moved ahead of McDowell on lap three. It was single file on the bottom for most of the opening stint of the race before the lap 30 competition caution. Some cars struggled and if a car was caught on the high side it would drop some spots. This included Gaughan and McDowell. In the first ten laps, Stenhouse picked up 12 positions.
Logano took the lead entering turn three on lap 19 after Edwards was loose on exit of turn two, allowing Logano to get the run. Leaders caught lapped traffic just before the competition caution and it allowed Busch to move up to second ahead of Edwards.
Through pit stops, Edwards retook the lead ahead of Logano, Kelly Bires, Keselowski and Busch dropped to sixth.
Stenhouse was up to 14th on lap 40, up 29 spots from the start of the race. Edwards, Logano and Bires pulled away from the field and ran tight over the second stint of the race. Logano was able to stay planted on the rear of Edwards throughout the entire lap and he recaptured the top spot when Edwards got loose in turn four and slipped up the racetrack.
It took Busch about 20 laps to get up to third and it took another five laps until Busch moved up to second. Logano opened up a comfortable lead over the field and on lap 64, he was again negotiating traffic. Bires and Keselowski settled in fourth and fifth and Stenhouse had stalled out around 15th.
Just from watching this second stint, the track had not built up notable rubber in the corners, which something we commonly see at concrete racetracks, such as Dover and Bristol. It was actually noted that Busch qualified on scuffed tires and every set of tires Busch had for this race were scuffed except for one.
The first 85 laps were uneventful and there was not really one mover. Busch took the lead after Logano was stuck in traffic and then a caution came out for debris. There wasn't one car that hit it and went from tenth into the top five or from 16th to about eight. There really wasn't a high line. Few cars entered high and carried it around the corner. There wasn't any rubber in the racetrack. If a car got off the bottom it typically lost a position.
The top five maintained their positions after pit stops and from here the race becomes choppy. Logano would take the lead from Busch before a five-car accident turn four. Over the next 63 laps, there were five cautions and four green flag periods that lasted fewer than five laps. There was a 30-lap green flag run from lap 94 to lap 123. Busch would retake the lead from Logano on lap 98. Stenhouse was pushing for the top ten but was having some difficulty. Ragan had a pit lane speeding penalty on his first stop, and he recovered back up to sixth at the halfway point of the race.
Even halfway through the race the track had some rubber developing on the bottom groove but that was it and when a car was loose on exit of a corner it took a big step out. There were no minor wiggles. Ken Butler III backed it into the wall on his own in turn two. Wallace got loose in turn one, walked up the racetrack and spun in the marble but kept the car out of the wall. David Green spun after contact with Burney Lamar in turn two.
No matter what happened after pit stops, either Logano or Busch ended up in the lead. Edwards went off strategy to take tires and restarted 20th on lap 141. Busch would get one good run off a restart and then Logano would do better on the next one and take the lead. As the race stayed green, Busch's car extended it legs and it would take the top spot back from Logano. Even on the fresh tires, Edwards took some time to get through the field and he was not running significantly faster than the leaders. His progression stalled out in eighth place.
McDowell went off strategy, taking fuel only on a pit stop under caution at lap 187, giving him the lead. He held on for four laps before Busch took the lead back when McDowell ran high in turn two. McDowell stayed on Busch's outside for the entire lap and it wasn't until the next lap Busch cleared him. Later that lap, McDowell walked up the track exiting turn four and it allowed Logano to take second. McDowell would drop to 11th within the next ten laps.
Busch and Logano pulled away from the field and Logano pressured Busch for the lead but could not find his way through. Logano experienced some type of battery issue and lost some ground but Waltrip spun and brought out a caution with 14 laps to go. Logano swapped to the secondary battery, squelching any concerns over the closing laps.
Logano took the lead with ten laps to go entering turn three before another caution for a five-car accident on the front straightaway when Stenhouse made a hard left exiting turn four and made contact with Joe Nemechek, sending Nemechek for a quick barrel roll but the car continued running.
After a red flag, the race went green with five laps to go and Logano won without a challenge from Busch with Keselowski taking third and Bires took fourth from Edwards in the closing laps.
June 2009
Busch started on pole position for what was the 700th race in series history. Trevor Bayne was making his second career start and first for Michael Waltrip Racing joining him on front row. McDowell started third again but with Brad Coleman in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, his first start of the season. Scott Lagasse, Jr. and Edwards started on row three. Busch and Edwards were the only Cup drivers in this race, traveling from the Cup race at Pocono.
Lagasse jumped up to second at the start and Edwards moved up to third. John Wes Townley spun exiting turn four on lap three after getting high and behind him Casey Atwood spun in the corner, Mike Harmon ran high and took out the front of Townley's car. Atwood's backward race car slid into Brad Baker and Harmon. All four cars were out of the race.
Bayne dropped down the order quickly and was back to 16th by lap 16 while battling a loose race car. Edwards would get move up to second around Lagasse while Keselowski entered the top five after starting tenth.
Michael Annett got loose exiting turn four and smacked the turn four wall on lap 25. This brought out the second caution of the race.
There would be an 86-lap green flag run after the Annett caution and Busch opened a sizable lead over Edwards with Edwards having over three-seconds between him and Lagasse. Busch made his first pit stop on lap 68, handing over the lead to Edwards. Sean Caisse, driving for Richard Childress Racing, spun entering pit lane but this did not bring out a caution. Jason Leffler had stopped under the second caution and took the lead for 21 laps before his second stop.
Kenny Wallace would lead for seven laps until his pit stop and that allowed Busch to reassume the top spot. Busch held about a six-second lead over Keselowski and Edwards.
It was again a pretty uneventful first half of the race. The bottom line was the preferred line. There was not one driver who ran the top line as the line of choice. If you got shuffled to the top line you were losing a position.
Brian Keselowski brought out a caution after getting into the turn four wall and this brought the field to pit lane. Leffler took two tires and took the lead. Busch made easy work of Leffler, passing him on the outside of turn two after the restart.
After only five green-flag laps, the caution came out for a five-car accident in turn four. Stenhouse spun exiting turn four and took out the cars of Brian Keselowski, Cale Gale, Caisse, Keller and Bayne.
It went green from here and Leffler dropped down to fourth on only two tires. There was some other jockeying for position in the top ten. Stephen Leicht moved into the top five. Coleman had made some moves and got some left front damage in the process, but it was not detrimental. The longer the race stayed green the more the field spread out. The tires didn't drop off, or at least they did not drop off that much. It was noted on the broadcast that at the end of a green flag stint the lap times were just as good as the start of the run. Leffler stayed in fourth despite only taking two tires. Busch was gone in the lead, holding a 2.5-second lead over Keselowski with about 40 laps to go and everyone had to make one more pit stops to make it to the end of the race.
Busch was the first of the leaders to stop and Keselowski inherited the lead for a half-dozen laps. Bliss took the lead through pit cycle, but Bliss also overtook Leicht on track for that position. Once Bliss made his stop, McDowell and Erik Darnell each lead a lap before the lead cycled back to Busch with 24 laps to go.
Keselowski took some time out of Busch's lead over the closing laps, but Busch held on for victory by 0.891 seconds. Edwards took third with Bliss and Leffler rounding out the top five. Leicht was the final car on the lead lap in sixth.
This was the memorable victory lane celebration where Busch smashed the guitar in victory lane, a source of controversy for longer than it should have been.
Signs of the Time:
Who had the most starts on concrete racetracks at the time of the April race? Jason Keller at 77.
There was a lot of pushing concrete racetracks at this time. The broadcast noted how many concrete victories drivers had. When Busch won it was noted he became the fifth driver to win on all three concrete racetracks. We don't do that now. It doesn't matter.
The June race was Steven Wallace's 100th start. He made 93 more and won none of them.
Prior to the June race, NASCAR had just announced double-file restarts would be introduced later in the season.
Broadcasting Gems:
Did you ever notice how often Marty Reid said, "You are not missing anything up front," when showing battles that did not involve the leader? It wasn't reassuring when he said it. We get it. If something was going on with the leaders, the broadcast would show that over the battle for ninth. I think there was a better way to say this. Say what the gap between the leader and second and then note what you are showing. It comes off as you know the viewer doesn't trust you as a broadcaster. Just call the race.
Rusty Wallace's pick for the June race: Brendan Gaughan... who drove for Rusty Wallace Racing.
April 2010
Another race following a rainstorm had Logano and Kevin Harvick on the front row with Allgaier and Edwards on row two. Keselowski moved over to Penske for 2010 and he started fifth next to Busch.
Townley spun on his own in turn two on lap three and this brought out the first caution of the race. On the restart, the front runners got single-file quickly and Logano maintained the lead. Harvick remained close until the competition caution at lap 32.
Harvick took the lead through pit stops while Keselowski moved up to second and Logano dropped to third. Harvick had a poor restart and fell to fourth with Keselowski taking the lead. Edwards also had a bad restart and lost some spots. James Buescher got into Jason Leffler in turn two after getting loose and moving up the track. This brought out the second caution of the race.
Logano and Keselowski battled for the lead on the restart and Logano used the high line. For the first five or six laps, a car could run the high-line and run side-by-side for a few laps. After that it settled down and it became single-file, cars stuck to the bottom. Most passes had to be done going into a corner, although the track developed more rubber than the previous year's races, so getting off the bottom was not as bad as the year before.
The passing that did happen was outside the top ten. The top five spread out and broke away.
Harvick did have a better car over the long run and he caught Logano. Logano used the high line to maintain the lead for a few laps but Harvick ended up sliding through on lap 86. Logano kept falling off and would lose second to Keselowski about seven laps later. Logano was one of the first to stop on lap 101. Harvick came three laps later while Allgaier had a lengthy stop after a tire got away when Stenhouse clipped a tire out of a crew members hands. This caused damage to Stenhouse's left front. While trying to get back to pit lane, Joe Nemechek hit Stenhouse from behind in turn four and brought out a caution. Keselowski was making a pit stop at the time, but he was penalized either way for speeding.
Because of the timing of the caution, Scott Wimmer had the lead driving for JR Motorsports with teammate Kelly Bires in second. Mike Wallace and Scott Riggs were third and fourth and Harvick was fifth, but on the lead lap after the wave around. On the next restart, there was a four-car accident in turn three after Brendan Gaughan forced it up the inside of teammate Steven Wallace. This sent Wallace into Jason Keller, Michael McDowell and Mikey Kile.
Logano gained a lot of ground on the next restart while Harvick was stuck behind slower cars. It took two laps for Logano to retake the lead from Wimmer. After a few laps, Harvick started to make up positions, getting back into the top five. He would take fourth from Busch a few laps after that. A caution for Willie Allen losing an engine led to different strategies. Busch stopped but the rest of the leaders stayed out.
Logano kept the lead but Wimmer lost a lot of ground on the restart with Harvick moving up to second only for Keselowski to take it a few laps later. Leffler squeezed Buescher into the wall exiting turn four, bringing out another caution and ending the race for both cars. Leffler was parked.
This led to another round of pit stops but Logano and Keselowski stayed out with Paul Menard and Busch. Harvick made a pit stop and dropped to ninth ahead of Edwards. Keselowski pressured Logano for the lead while Menard lost ground. Harvick slowly made up positions. With his pit stop, Harvick was in position to make it to the finish if he saved some fuel. He was fifth.
Keselowski took the lead while he and Logano mixed it up in lapped traffic on lap 174 but both were nearing having to make a pit stop. Keselowski would stop on lap 181 and Logano stopped the next lap. Busch took the lead with Harvick in second. Harvick's team was not certain he could make it to the end. The team weighed whether it was better to lose time saving fuel or just take a splash of fuel. During this debate, a caution came out when Brian Keselowski spun entering pit lane. This allowed the leaders to stop under caution. Harvick jumped ahead of Busch with a two-tire stop while Logano and Keselowski were trapped a lap down and had to get the wave around in 19th and 20th.
The restart came with 30 laps to go and Keselowski jumped up seven spots in the first lap. Sorenson moved up to second ahead of Busch but Harvick opened a good lead despite having a car that was better after a longer run. Keselowski continued his climb and he was up to seventh in ten laps from the restart. Logano was up to 12th in the same span.
Harvick's two tires held on and he took the victory. Sorenson put up a valiant challenge but fell short and Busch took third. Allgaier was fourth while Keselowski took fifth on the final lap from Edwards.
June 2010
Series regulars dominated the front of the field with Cup drivers flying down from Pocono. Allgaier and Coleman took the front row ahead of Bayne, Leffler, Lagasse and Bliss. Edwards started seventh with Keselowski starting 24th.
This race had another early accident, a three-car accident at the end of lap four in turn two when Coleman Pressley driving for JR Motorsports spun with McDowell and Brian Ickler, driving for Roush Fenway Racing. Pressley spun ahead of Keselowski, who was able to sneak through the accident.
Allgaier led the first portion of the race without a challenge from behind. The field spread out for that first run of the race. Edwards climbed up to second after about 35 laps while Keselowski slowly worked his way up the order. No rain washed away the rubber from practice and the track had developed a notable second lane but it wasn't a lane of choice. It came in handy when catching a slower car or getting a run on exit of a corner.
Allgaier made the first pit stop of the night on lap 59 but a caution two laps later would fly when McDowell blew a right front tire. This allowed Edwards to make his pit stop from the lead and retain it. Allgaier waved around back to the lead lap in 18th position.
Keselowski had entered the top ten prior to pit stops. On the restart, he gained a few stops and ended up in the top five. Menard got up to second. This green flag run lasted 17 laps before Leffler put oil on the racetrack. Despite the rather short run, everybody came in for tires but mostly for two tires. Allgaier took fuel only and jumped up eight spots.
Edwards kept the lead on the restart. Keselowski moved up to second and Allgaier got up to third. Edwards and Keselowski opened a gap to the rest of the field. Through the field, Gaughan was one of the consistent users of the high line but it seemed like he would go a little too high and lose a few spots. Scott Riggs was driving for Richard Childress Racing and was also affective with the high line.
Lagasse made contact with Annett on the straightaway, sending Lagasse into the wall and bringing out another caution. This led to a mixture of strategies. Many drivers did fuel only, led by Sorenson, and Edwards, Keselowski and Menard took four tires. Sorenson led Bayne to the restart with Edwards and Keselowski in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Gaughan got a good job on the restart on the high side with Keselowski also gaining positions. Edwards got caught in traffic and had greater difficulty moving forward. Wimmer spun while running fourth in turn two. It was a case of Wimmer lost it all on his own.
Sorenson continued to lead on the restart. Keselowski made up a position a lap, passing Bayne for third, Gaughan for second and then took the lead from Sorenson exiting turn four when Sorenson stepped up the racetrack. Allgaier clipped Bayne while passing him, slicing Bayne's left rear tire. Later that lap, entering turn three, Bayne lost the car and exited the race.
Keselowski held the lead while Allgaier moved up to second. Gaughan lost a few spots and Edwards got up to third a few laps after the restart. Edwards would then take second from Allgaier but Keselowski had a lead over a second and a half.
A debris caution brought the cars to pit lane and Keselowski and Edwards held serve. Menard gain two spots while Allgaier lost one. Edwards took the lead for a lap but Keselowski fought back and recaptured the point. Allgaier moved up to second a few laps later. Gaughan and Sorenson had a constant battle for fourth. Gaughan kept up momentum on exit of the corners from the high line but Sorenson would gain ground in the middle of the corner and find himself on Gaughan's quarter panel. Gaughan ended up holding onto the spot for a while but Sorenson eventually would get ahead of him and Gaughan would lose another position to Riggs.
Edwards had a better car over the long run and he battled Allgaier for second. Allgaier was able to keep the position using the high line.
Brian Scott lost an engine and brought out a caution with 28 laps to go. Keselowski and Edwards stayed out while Allgaier, Sorenson and Gaughan all made pit stops. Two tires were the popular choice. Gaughan suffered some damage after contact with Eric McClure on pit lane and, adding insult to injury, Gaughan was caught speeding.
Like the previous restart, Edwards took the lead for a lap but Keselowski powered back to take first. Allgaier made a three-wide move to the outside on Bliss and Coleman to climb up to fourth with 20 laps to go.
Keselowski checked out on the field from Edwards and Allgaier stalled out trying to pass Menard for third. Bliss rounded out the top five ahead of Coleman and Sorenson. Steven Wallace was eighth with Riggs in ninth and Matt DiBenedetto was tenth driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in his second career start.
Signs of the Time:
A charter to flight to Nashville including crews from Rusty Wallace Racing and JR Motorsports was struck by lightning on the way to the track. No one was hurt but the plane had three holes in it. That's a great way to start a day.
During the April race, the booth was hoping Harvick would run the full season. My, how the times have changed.
This was a time when Reed Sorenson was "re-establishing his name in the NASCAR world." Sorenson had some good years in the second division, but I think his legacy will be one of a handful of young drivers rushed into the Cup series and many of those were rushed into Ganassi equipment.
Stenhouse, Jr. failed to qualify for the June race. He would be replaced in the next race with Brian Ickler taking the car. His career was teetering. It still is but it is a lot worse when you are 22 years old.
Broadcasting Gems:
For the April race, Marty Reid states it is not one of the biggest crowds Nashville had ever drawn but it will be enthusiastic. That is probably the last time in human history you will ever hear a broadcast say anything negative about a crowd size during a race broadcast.
April 2011
Logano, Bayne, Austin Dillon, Stenhouse and David Reutimann, driving for Rusty Wallace Racing, took the top five starting positions. Busch, Edwards, Elliott Sadler, Keselowski and Scott rounded out the top ten on the grid.
This was the first Nashville race with the new generation cars in the Grand National Series. The Fords were Mustangs, the Chevrolets were Camaros and the cars had larger spoilers that were taller at the ends but was shorter in the middle.
Reutimann had massive tank slapper exiting turn two early and lost a lot of ground. Edwards and Busch were making up ground with Edwards up to second by lap ten. Soon Edwards would be on Logano's rear bumper and he would take the lead on lap 19 and Busch would soon be up to second when Logano got stuck behind some traffic.
Edwards opened up a two-second lead to Busch and the field spread out. From about lap 30 onward there were no battles for significant positions. Busch was two-seconds back and Logano was 5.5 seconds back. Dillon was about eight seconds back and Bayne was over ten-seconds back in fifth. A debris caution closed the gaps at lap 50 and everybody came to pit lane for stops. Edwards kept the lead, Dillon gained a spot, Busch lost one and Logano dropped to seventh.
Edwards and Busch pulled away from the field with Busch using the high line regularly in turns one and two but he stuck to the bottom in turns three and four. Edwards even went to the top lane on a few occasions. Edwards would start to pull away over the stint. Logano had moved up to third by lap 95 but he was over eight-seconds behind Edwards. Once again, after about 30 laps, the field spread out.
This race actually felt a lot like the Atlanta Cup race we just had a few weeks ago. Edwards and Busch were in their own zip code and then everyone else was ten-plus seconds back. As we neared the end of the stint, a few cars fell off and lost some spots. Sorenson picked up a spot, passing Dillon for fifth and Allgaier moved ahead of Scott.
We did get green flag pit stops. Keselowski and Busch were the first of the top five runners to stop. Edwards came a lap later. After stops, Edwards retained the lead and the gap to Busch was the same as before the stops.
After 80 green flag laps, Steven Wallace spun exiting turn two but did not hit anything. Wallace was running close with Reutimann and Reutimann might have taken some air off Wallace's front, causing him to lose the car.
Logano took fuel only and took the lead from Edwards and he held the lead from the restart while Edwards dropped two spots after restarting on the outside. A caution came out quickly for debris. This would be the first of three debris cautions in the next 30 laps. On the next restart, Busch took the lead from the outside with Edwards moving into second. The next lap would see caution for debris off Timmy Hill's car. Simultaneously to the caution, Scott was nudged into the wall exiting turn two from Dillon's front bumper.
Busch held the lead from the outside on the next restart. Logano held on to third after taking fuel only while Dillon was losing ground on two tires. Edwards stayed in Busch's footstep and they pulled away from Logano before the third debris caution.
This led to another round of pit stops and different strategies mixed the order. Josh Wise went fuel only and took the lead. Keselowski's two-tire stop moved him up to second. Allgaier was fuel only and emerged in third ahead of Sadler with two tires. Edwards, Busch, Stenhouse, Logano, Dillon and Sorenson all took four tires and they rounded out the top ten.
Wise kept the lead for two laps after going green but Allgaier dropped quickly. Busch and Edwards took no time getting to the front and Busch would take the lead exiting turn four after going three-wide with Keselowski and Wise. Annett spun in turn two after contact from Reutimann and after four laps of green, we had another caution.
Busch kept the lead from the bottom on the restart, but Keselowski and Edwards remained close. Edwards moved up to second with 40 laps to go. Edwards would battle Busch for the lead, first getting the position on the bottom exiting turn four but then losing it the next lap after sliding up the racetrack. Edwards and Busch were side-by-side for the better part of four laps before Edwards cleared Busch on the exit of turn two with 33 laps to go.
Wise's fuel-only strategy kept him in sixth for a while but the longer the run went on the more he dropped. Allgaier had dropped to 11th quickly and he stayed there.
Over the final 20 laps, not much changed. Edwards had a good lead from Busch and both left Keselowski behind. Busch had nothing for Edwards over the final laps and Edwards took the victory, Busch settled for second and Keselowski was a distant third.
July 2011
After typically having a June date, this race shifted back to July. For the 2011 season, Chicagoland was given a standalone race in June and Nashville shifted to the weekend vacated in July after Gateway was dropped. It was the first-time temperature was stressed. It was 92ºF at the start of the race.
Keselowski and Steven Wallace started on the front row with Edwards and Austin Dillon on row two. Dillon won the Truck race the night before. Sadler started fifth with Stenhouse in sixth. Keselowski held the lead while Edwards moved up to second and Wallace dropped considerably. He was back to seventh on lap seven. He lost another spot four laps later to Sorenson.
Keselowski and Edwards checked out from the field and this seems to be a common thing at Nashville. The top two could pull away and stay close in the process. The top two were within a half-second of each other for the first 20 or 30 laps of a run. After 20 or 30 laps is where the gap between the top two could get a little wider but rarely was second at risk of dropping to third.
Edwards fell to about a second behind Keselowski around lap 33 but ten laps later he was back to Keselowski's rear, as the two dealt with more lapped traffic. On lap 59, the leader hit heavy traffic and it allowed Edwards to slide into the lead on inside of the front straightaway. This was just before green flag pit stops and the top two stopped on lap 61. Edwards maintained the lead after the stops and actually opened it up considerably. The lead got above four-seconds and Edwards lapped up to tenth when the first caution came out at lap 82 for debris.
Under caution, the leaders came to pit road with Sadler taking two tires. Edwards was out in second but got caught speeding. Dillon also opting for two tires and restarted in second with Keselowski taking four tire and restarting third.
Keselowski re-took the lead on the second lap after the restart while Edwards was back in tenth. Dillon moved up to second. On lap 107, 20 laps from the restart, Edwards was up to fifth. Over the run, Keselowski had some power issues and relinquished the lead to Dillon. Meanwhile, Edwards drove up to second and four laps after Dillon took the lead, the first time Dillon led in his career, Edwards capitalized when Dillon got loose in turn four. Keselowski kept dropping until Mikey Kile brought out a caution after being forced off circuit when Scott tapped his left rear quarter panel.
Edwards retained the lead after pit stops while Keselowski's crew got under the hood to diagnose the issue. It was believed to be a valve spring problem and something he had to nurse for the rest of the race.
Edwards kept the lead from the bottom of the racetrack while Stenhouse held onto second ahead of Sadler, Aric Almirola and Dillon. Like earlier, Edwards pulled away. The race settled in and there was not much movement. Things spread out again. Edwards was up 1.4 seconds on Stenhouse, 2.1 seconds on Sadler and five-seconds on Sadler with Almirola ten-seconds back in fifth.
A debris caution was called with 49 laps to go and this brought everyone in for final pit stops. Dillon took right side tires again and took the lead with Edwards exiting in second. Sadler was going to come out in third but broke an axle or driveshaft on exit and it took him out of contention.
Dillon's lead was short lived again. Edwards got the jump on the high side and took the lead exiting turn two while Dillon dropped to third. Stenhouse moved up to second.
This race restarted with 42 laps to go and all the action was done with about 39 laps to go. The broadcast focused on the lucky dog battle between Leffler, Scott, Annett and Kile for about eight laps with less than 20 laps to go. That's not good. It was the battle for 14th. Even if that car got back on the lead lap, at best that driver would finish in the top ten. He was never going to factor for the victory.
Edwards completed the sweep and it was his fifth Nashville victory. Stenhouse took second ahead of Dillon, Allgaier and Almirola.
Signs of the Time:
For both races, Roush ran two all-white cars for Bayne and Stenhouse and Edwards' sponsor was Ford for the April race and Fastenal for June. There were warning signs to Roush Fenway's decline.
In the April race, seven cars were out by lap ten. Nine cars were out by lap 32. In the June race, five cars were out by lap ten and ten were out before lap 30.
ESPN had a sweepstakes called "3 Doors Down Time of My Life Sweepstakes" where one "lucky" winner would get to party with the band. Even in 2011 this seems dated. I hope whoever won had a good time.
Broadcasting Gems:
In these six Nashville races, ESPN used five different broadcast booth combinations:
April 2009: Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree
June 2009: Dr. Jerry Punch, Wallace and Petree
April 2010: Reid, Ricky Craven and Dale Jarrett
June 2010: Vince Welch, Jarrett and Petree
April 2011: Reid, Brad Daugherty and Craven
July 2011: Reid, Wallace and Petree
I guess you have to give ESPN credit for keeping it fresh, but ESPN also employed a lot of commentators for NASCAR. More than should be hired for any motorsports series, let alone NASCAR.
What Should We Expect?
If the low downforce package is used, it might be a pretty good race.
The best races were 2010. In that year, both races had the track rubber up considerably, a second line formed, with long green flag runs cars came and went, and the racing was better. The 2011 races are similar to what we see now with the high downforce package and neither was great. Both races felt like what we saw at Atlanta this year. The leader checked out, maybe one other car could stay in touching distance but the rest were out of it.
Tires degradation was weird here. They wore down but you could take two tires and be competitive. Four tires didn't always win out. You could even take no tires and you wouldn't immediate sink through the field. For the April 2009 race, Busch scuffed every set of tires but one. I can't think of another track you would do that at today.
The track hasn't been used in nine years and I would imagine it could be repaved before NASCAR goes back. I don't know what kind of condition it currently is in. The surface could be good to go but more worn and tires could be junk in ten laps. In that case, no one in their right mind would take two tires on a pit stop. The surface will be pushing 20 years old when NASCAR returns next year. It will probably race differently than what we saw in 2011.
I have no clue what Dover Motorsports, Inc. plans to do with the track between now and next year. The track is going to spend $7-10 million to prepare the facility. Nashville was never a swanky venue. It is a pretty barebones intermediate racetrack. How much of that money will be split between necessary renovations and desired enmities? Is the focusing on giving the racetrack TLC, or will we see the track build a new garage area and make it more fan-friendly? Ten million dollars disappears quickly.
You should expect long races because every Nashville race dragged out. Honestly, 300 miles is enough for a Cup race. We don't need a 400-mile Cup race at Nashville. Cup should be 300 miles and the Grand National Series should be 200 miles. Of the 21 Grand National Series races, nine had an average speed below 120 MPH. That means nine of 21 races took longer than two and a half hours. The fastest race was the last race at 134.011 MPH, or two hours, 14 minutes and 17 seconds.
No one was clamoring for this Nashville to return. It has been out of the NASCAR sphere for nine years. No one mourned its loss and there are no standout Nashville memories. Nashville's biggest moment was Busch smashing the guitar in victory lane. Hardily a winning endorsement for a track when its top moment is something that did not occur on track.
This feels like a bait and switch for NASCAR. For two years, the series flirted with a return to the Nashville Fairgrounds and we got the 1.333-mile concrete oval over a half-hour outside of town instead. I will give NASCAR and Dover Motorsports, Inc. credit. Dover was able to give NASCAR what it wanted, a race in Nashville, and it could do it for 2021. The Fairgrounds faced a lot of hurdles. It would not be ready for 2021 or 2022. It probably wouldn't be ready for 2023. It needs over $50 million in renovations and city approval. I am against taxpayer dollars funding sport facilities and I am fine with the Fairgrounds being left behind.
Nashville has a four-year deal, but the ship might have sailed on the Fairgrounds. If NASCAR got a race in Nashville without taxpayer dollars, why would the city spend the money now? NASCAR got what it wanted, and the city didn't pay a dime. That is a win-win, boys and girls. Even if Nashville is a success, would it make any sense for the event to disappear after four years to go to the Fairgrounds? Dover is spending this money and it better get more than four years out of it. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. had its fingerprints over the Fairgrounds deal and I doubt Dover is going to be a sacrificial lamb for SMI to come out the winner in 2025.
I don't think Nashville will host two races at two different tracks. I think NASCAR knows not to spread things too thin, but this Nashville dilemma will persist for most of the next decade and it could get ugly.
After five years of relatively consistent schedules, Nashville is the first change and NASCAR made it known changes were coming for 2021. The problem is when it comes to change it has to feel different. Nashville will be new, but this race could feel similar to what we see already in the Cup series. It is a new track, it is a different track size and it is concrete surface, but it will look like any of another five or six 1.5-mile intermediate oval races already on the schedule.
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