Bristol Dirt winners and losers

Take a look at the winners and losers from Sunday night’s race on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway…

Kyle Busch: Right place, right time. After frustration in Las Vegas led him to accuse Alex Bowman of backing into victories, Busch did just that (and acknowledged as much) Sunday at Bristol. Busch was running third when race leader Tyler Reddick was sent spinning after a desperate move from Chase Briscoe went awry in the final corner on the final lap. Busch beat Reddick to the line by 0.33 seconds and returned to victory lane for the first time since Pocono in June 2021. Busch has shown speed throughout the first third of the regular season, but various issues in each of the opening eight races negated his chances to win. A third-place finish would have been a respectable run on its own for Busch. A win is even better, especially as Joe Gibbs Racing now claims victories in two of the last three races. And although he got some help, Busch scored the best average running position of the night (4.73).

Tyler Reddick: A spin away from his first career Cup win means Reddick likely isn’t feeling like a winner, but his second-place finish should be celebrated. He and Briscoe checked out from the field during the final laps, so even though Reddick was sent for a 360-degree slide, the two-time Xfinity Series champion maximized his circumstances and got the car righted quickly enough to hold onto the runner-up spot. It’s the fourth time Reddick has finished second, and this one likely stings the most — Reddick led a race-high 99 laps, all of which were in the final 100-lap stage of the event just to be spun with a turn and a half remaining. The 26-year-old held his poise post-race though and handled the circumstances like a winner.