Duck Commander 500 2016: Five takeaways from Texas

Here are five takeaways from the 2016 Duck Commander 500 after Kyle Busch’s big win.

The 2016 Duck Commander 500 was the first night race of the season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but it got started a little later than anticipated because of a rain delay at Texas Motor Speedway.

When the race did finally start, the sparks were flying and drivers were wasting no time racing each other for the top spot. The track because of the wet conditions caused drivers to get loose and adjustments of track bars told the story of the race early on.

As things progressed, things got even more wild down pit road as drivers fought for position. There was no margin for error on a night like this. The pole sitter, Carl Edwards, really pushed the issue early on and made sure that he controlled the pace of the race.

As the race progressed into its later stages, Matt Kenseth would jump up and take the lead. However, Martin Truex Jr. would reel him in and  hold the lead, but it wouldn’t last long. Kyle Busch and Joey Logano would battle for the lead with Dale Earnhardt Jr. lurking behind with laps running down.

Busch would pull away from everyone and win the race with ease, en route to his fifth top-5 finish.

Here are five takeaways from the 2016 Duck Commander 500.

1. Rain left an impact on this race

This was the first race of the season where rain really pushed back the start of the race. The impact of the rain was felt from the very beginning, as drivers made a ton of track bar adjustments and complained of how loose they were getting in the track.

Late in the race, the impact was felt the most when Austin Dillon got loose and lost control of his car and created a massive pileup involving many cars.

Weather certainly was an obstacle the entire night.

2. Pit road was more lively than usual

On a night where teams were making plenty of adjustments and coming down pit road often, things got crazier than usual. It all got started when Brian Vickers would go for a spin down pit road and take out the cones at the beginning.

Then the fuel in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pit stall would catch on fire and part of his car would be ablaze as he left his pit stall.

Add in the speeding penalties and out-of-control tires, and it was really a night that caused havoc everywhere.

3. Chase Elliott shows tremendous perseverance against adversity yet again

On Friday, Chase Elliott would have a great qualifying session and would secure the fourth spot. Before the race on Saturday, Elliott would have to fix transmission issues and thus would have to start from the rear.

While that’s a lot for a young driver to overcome, Elliott would show no issue with it and battle his way back up into the top five on the night. The maturity and poise that he continues to show in the face of adversity just shows the talent that he has at such an early stage in his career.

4. Kevin Harvick doubled up on penalties

It’s not often that Kevin Harvick beats himself with penalties. On Saturday night, Harvick doubled up on penalties on a pit road stop. While one of those wasn’t his fault because a crew member lost a tire, Harvick did speed down pit road and it cost him.

It’s a rarity when Harvick has a night where he makes mistakes on the track, but even the great ones have off nights on occasion.

5. Kyle Busch wins for the second week in a row

A sixth entrant in the Chase will have to wait. Kyle Busch pulled away from the field at the Duck Commander 500 and become the second driver on the year to win two races on Saturday night. Busch’s team worked all night on his car and kept making adjustments on the front end until he was better than everyone else.

After winning the Xfinity Series race last night, Busch continues to sweep events in NASCAR and is starting to look like he’s going to go on a run of wins as he looks to defend his Sprint Cup Championship.

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