Food City 500 2016: Five takeaways from Bristol

Here are the big takeaways from the 2016 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

It’s never a pretty day inside “The Coliseum of Racing” and Sunday was no different. The 2016 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway was ugly and for those that are fans of races with a ton of cautions, this was once again their day to revel in the disasters that were unfolding on the track.

For Carl Edwards, he was the lone member of his team that didn’t have to deal with issues. After capturing the pole, Edwards ran out front, while the rest of his team dealt with major issues with tires and hitting the wall.

It was also a day of surprises as some drivers that don’t normally get to race up front and lead a few laps took their turn. The real battle at the end of the race was between Edwards and Kevin Harvick, who bounced back nicely after a down week at Texas.

With a wreck-filled day in the books, here are five takeaways from the 2016 Food City 500.

1. Kyle Busch’s run of dominance is over

Over the last two weeks, there wasn’t a driver on the planet that could touch Kyle Busch. On Sunday, Kyle Busch had as bad of a day as any driver could possibly ever have.

It all started when Busch blew a tire and hit the wall. To make matters worse, Busch picked up a speeding penalty on pit road. If that wasn’t bad enough, he would then get turned by Chris Buescher.

To keep the trend going, Busch would pick up another speeding penalty. Finally, Busch would cap his day off with his third wreck of the day, as he hit the wall and his day would come to an end.

It’s Busch’s first DNF of the season and he finally looked human once more.

2. Landon Cassill got to lead some laps

It’s always good to see a driver that might not get a lot of run at the front finally get his turn. On Sunday, Landon Cassill got to lead some laps at the 2016 Food City 500 and he was very impressive. He held off Carl Edwards for a while and put some good work in with Joey Logano. He would be involved in a late wreck, but it doesn’t diminish from the day that he had.

It was a day at the track he can take a lot away from and be proud of what he did on the track.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car failed before he could even start one lap

Every driver has those moments where their car fails them on the track. However, it’s rare when a drivers car fails them before they can even pass the starting line. On Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car failed to take off while everyone else did at the Food City 500.

An issue with his ECU meant that it wouldn’t fire up and he would have to come down pit road. Still, despite all of his troubles, Earnhardt Jr. would work his way toward the top-10 and earn his stripes at Bristol with a second-place finish.

4. Peyton Manning should hang around the track more often

It’s always a good time when Peyton Manning stops by to have some fun with the guys of NASCAR. With NASCAR taking place in Tennessee on Sunday, Manning was there representing Nationwide, which represents his buddy, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Before the race, Manning threw a deep pass to Michael Waltrip on pit road, which Waltrip caught.

After that was done, he went up to the announce booth and called some of the race with the crew.

He made some jokes, was pretty funny and overall put together a solid performance.

5. Carl Edwards is going to the Chase

Despite the fact that there was a ton of chaos behind him all day, Carl Edwards dominated at Bristol. He held off all challengers and won one of the most dangerous races of the year with ease. Edwards won the pole on Friday and he brought that momentum with him.

With the win, Edwards has punched the sixth ticket to the Chase this season and he will now have a chance to compete for a Sprint Cup Championship this season.

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