Bristol remains the best short track in NASCAR

One thing is clear after the NASCAR Cup Series early visits to the short tracks this season — Bristol Motor Speedway remains the best of the bullrings. There were a couple of blowout Cup Series races in the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025 with Kyle Larson's dominating wins. But, a broader look at the racing over the past three seasons and BMS produces the best action, even with the Gen 7 car. Ty Gibbs won the Food City 500 in April over Ryan Blaney by a half-car length, a closer finish than any race at Martinsville, Richmond, Iowa or North Wilkesboro over the last 12 months. Last year's Bass Pro Shops Night Race also featured compelling drama with the way the Goodyear tires were coming apart. Other tracks like Phoenix and New Hampshire are sometimes referred to as short tracks, but they're actually not. A speedway must by shorter than a mile in length to be a true short track. The short tracks are my favorite stops on the NASCAR schedule, and the racing remains superior to that on the road courses or large tracks like Michigan where the margin of victory can be over 10 seconds. Sunday's Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro was truly an old-school race, typical of what the 5/8-mile speedway has produced over the years. There were just six cars on the lead lap at the end of the race which Joey Logano dominated by leading 323 laps. Denny Hamlin remained close enough to make it somewhat interesting. There were some good battles throughout the pack, but there wasn't a late-race battle for the lead as Logano maintained his advantage. For those who complain about the lack of cautions at Bristol, the last 175 laps, the whole final stage, at Wilkesboro ran under green. There have been some great finishes at North Wilkesboro, particularly in the late 1980s. You had battles between Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd, and also Rusty Wallace and Geoff Bodine trading sheet metal and bumping in a 1988 classic. But, there have also been plenty of runaways, like Geoff Bodine in 1994 being the last driver to lap the field at a Cup Series race. Still, there are plenty of great things about the historic track, and it needs to remain on the Cup Series schedule. The track presents a unique challenge with its downhill frontstretch, uphill backstretch and different corners. It's a tremendous track to watch a race with great views, and for local fans, the closest Cup Series track to the Tri-Cities outside of BMS. The last few years, I've heard statements like Martinsville or Wilkesboro is better than Bristol. Those two tracks are excellent and have a longer history in the sport. They are fantastic places to take in the sport, but BMS has once again proven to have the best racing of any short track in the Cup Series. LONESOME PINE RACEWAY West Virginia racer Jacob Porter and Kentucky driver Conner Smith won Limited Late Model features at Lonesome Pine Raceway last Saturday night. Porter drove the No. 3 to the win in race No. 1 as Joey Sykes and Kingsport teenager Hunter Morgan were second and third. Conner Smith was fourth with Tyler Smith fifth. Morgan finished second in the nightcap, ahead of fellow Kingsport racer Keith Helton, Dustin Cooper from Blountville and Lance Gatlin. Kingsport drivers John Ketron, Steven Watts and David Trent captured the top three positions in Pure 4. Josh Collins, also from Kingsport, won in Stock FWD ahead of Beach Molinary and Dalton Hensley. Rusty Clendenin from Church Hill drove the No. 27 Camaro to the Street Stock win with Rob Austin and Sykes in the next two spots. Rocky Yates edged his son, Kevin Canter, for the Mod 4 victory with Clynis Phillips third. Josh Gobble, Elby Harrison and Jamie Whitt were 1-2-3 in Super Street. Dakota Ramsey, Matthew Shelton and Matthew Shetley were the top three in Crown Vic. James Bruner beat Mason Roberts to win in Bandoleros. NEWPORT SPEEDWAY Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick will be the grand marshal for the ASA Stars National Tour Newport 325 this Saturday night at Newport Speedway. His 13-year-old son, Keelan, will be making his ASA Stars tour debut at the high-banked, 4/10-mile asphalt short track. Keelan Harvick has been a winner of major Pro Late Model events including the Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway, a prelim to the Snowball Derby. He's also been a winner on the CARS Tour. Some of the other top stars competing include Carson Brown, Kyle Steckly and Derek Thorn. Besides the Late Models, the Crown Vics and Legends cars are also in action. Volunteer Speedway made an announcement Monday that it will not race on Saturday night. The statement read it was out of respect for the Schaeffer's Oil Southern Nationals finale which will take place at nearby Tazewell (Tenn.) Speedway.