NASCAR at Bristol results: Kyle Busch steals win on last lap of rainy Food City Dirt Race

Edward Sutelan

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NASCAR at Bristol results: Kyle Busch steals win on last lap of rainy Food City Dirt Race image

Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race on the dirt track of Bristol Motor Speedway appeared to be down to Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe.

The two drivers reached the final lap of a twice-delayed Food City Dirt Race separated by just a split-second. They were nearly three seconds ahead of Kyle Busch, who was running in third. At the final turn, it looked as if Briscoe finally had the opening he needed to pass Reddick, and he took his shot.

But instead of passing Reddick, he spun and collected Reddick in the process. Reddick recovered and tried to pick up enough speed to get to the start-finish line, but Busch raced past him in the No. 18 car to pick up his first win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

"We got one, doesn't matter how you get them, it's all about getting them," Busch said after the race. "I don't know why we just couldn't fire off after the rain. Every time it rained, both times, it just would not fire and took me about 20 laps to get going. Overall, just real pumped to be back. Real pumped to get a win. This one means a lot. I can win on any surface here in Bristol. Bring it on, baby."

Reddick, who is still looking for his first career Cup Series win, led a career-best 99 laps out of 250, leading the field from the start of the 100-lap third stage until he was passed at the end.

He told Fox after the race that he felt as if he didn't do everything right near the end and that he should have been able to pull away and ensure Briscoe could attempt the pass.

"I shouldn't have let him get that close. He ran me back down, worked really hard to do that and, I mean, you're racing on dirt, going for the move on the final corner. It's everything that as a driver you hope to battle for in this situation," Reddick said. "I should have done a better job and pulled away so he wasn't in range to try and make that move."

Briscoe went over to Reddick during the live interview and apologized for the crash.

"I was going to spin out either way so I was like, 'Oh, please don't hit me with the right rear. Please don't hit me with the right rear,' and I saw it, but I'm sorry," Briscoe said, per the broadcast.

At the end of the second stage, it appeared that, because of NASCAR's unique rules for the dirt-track race, Briscoe was in position to win instead of Busch. The race was delayed more than an hour because of rain. Briscoe had just won the second stage and opted to make a red-flag pit stop. Busch decided to stay on the track, which made him the new leader — but only if the race went back to green.

Because the end of the stage was followed by a non-competitive caution, the scoring didn't reset until the race went green again.

Busch restarted with the lead on Lap 151, but he quickly fell back as Reddick gained the edge. Even after another rain delay with 28 laps remaining — this one lasting just over 20 minutes — Reddick was able to lead the field up until the end.

The race on the rainy surface in Bristol, Tenn., brought out 13 caution flags.

The Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol on Sunday. Follow below for complete results from the Food City Dirt Race (all times Eastern).

MORE: Watch NASCAR Cup Series races live with fuboTV (free trial)

NASCAR at Bristol live updates, highlights from Food City Dirt Race

10:57 p.m.: Reddick was so close to his first win. But Briscoe makes contact and spins both drivers, allowing Kyle Busch to steal the win after being behind by more than three seconds.

10:56 p.m.: Final lap: the gap is now less than 0.2 seconds.

10:55 p.m.: Five laps remaining, Reddick still keeping Briscoe at bay. The 14 hasn't been able to get in position to make a move to pass the 8.

10:53 p.m.: 10 to go, and the gap is now only half a second. Briscoe keeps gaining on Reddick.

10:52 p.m.: With 15 laps left, Briscoe is making progress on Reddick for first. He's within a second of the lead and is gaining. He could reach him by the end of the race.

10:51 p.m.: Briscoe completes the pass with 18 laps to go, and he's now back in second. Now Logano is trying to move ahead of Busch for third.

10:50 p.m.: Now Briscoe is pushing Busch for second. They're running side-by-side, with Briscoe trying to make a move from the inside. 

10:49 p.m.: The race is back to green. Reddick holds the lead on the restart.

10:43 p.m.: Engines have been re-fired.

10:40 p.m.: NASCAR believes it won't be much longer until the race is able to resume.

10:34 p.m.: The packer cars are coming out to try and dry the track.

10:27 p.m.: Cars are being pulled down pit road again. With 28 laps left, Reddick would be the winner if it ends.

10:26 p.m.: Green flag has been waved off twice.

10:22 p.m.: Unsurprisingly, that is the end of the night for Austin Dillon. Kurt Busch's car also looks to be out.

10:20 p.m.: Austin Dillon told his team that his motor blew up. Collected a few drivers as he fell down the track.

10:19 p.m.: Busch and Reddick start the restart running two-wide, but Busch is having a hard time passing Reddick from the inside. It doesn't take long before the caution comes back out. Big crash in the back involving Kurt Busch.

10:14 p.m.: 13th caution of the evening comes out as the rain starts to come back down on the track. Stenhouse brings the caution out.

10:12 p.m.: The top two are running close to one another. Kyle Busch keeps applying pressure to Reddick with the occasional nudge, but the leader hasn't let up yet.

10:07 p.m.: Green is back out at Bristol. Kyle Busch quickly jumps up to second behind Reddick.

10:03 p.m.: 12th caution comes back out. Todd Gilliland this time the one who spins.

10:02 p.m.: This race is back to green. 

9:59 p.m.: Ware, who gets the free pass, clearly is frustrated as he bumped into Elliott after the caution flag came out. Elliott now mad at Ware for hitting him while under caution.

9:58 p.m.: Erik Jones spins and hits the wall, and the race is back to caution with 80 laps left.

9:57 p.m.: This race is back to green, and Reddick again speeds out in front.

9:56 p.m.: Several cars were collected in the crash, including Cody Ware and Elliott.

9:53 p.m.: The 10th caution flag is brought out as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. goes for a spin.

9:49 p.m.: Reddick immediately passes the two up the middle as Busch has issues. He fell all the way back down to eighth two laps into the third stage.

9:49 p.m.: This race is back to green, with Busch leading Logano and Tyler Reddick.

9:47 p.m.: Chastain's car is breaking down. Looks like he is not going to be able to finish the race, or even make it back to pit road.

9:42 p.m.: The engines have been fired.

9:42 p.m.: The Fox broadcast reports that on the restart, Briscoe would be 17th.

9:36 p.m.: Drivers are heading back to their cars.

9:26 p.m.: Kyle Busch is clearly just as confused about the scoring rules as many other NASCAR fans. He stayed out on the track during the stage caution, which ordinarily would have moved him ahead of Briscoe, but the scoring at Bristol means that the standings aren't reset until the race goes back to green.

9:18 p.m.: Ross Chastain sounds like he had some issues after he decided to stay out on the track at the end of the first stage.

9:10 p.m.: There is optimism that this race will be able to resume. If so, Kyle Busch and Logano will be on the front row.

8:56 p.m.: For more weather updates, follow along here. 

8:52 p.m.: If this race is over, Briscoe will be the winner, even though others stayed out when Briscoe went to pit road.

8:47 p.m.: Covers are coming out for the cars.

8:45 p.m.: Several cars stayed out during the caution. If the race goes to green, Briscoe would no longer be the leader. But cars are also now getting stuck on the track.

8:35 p.m.: Briscoe has won the second stage, finishing ahead of Bell, Suarez, Elliott and Kyle Busch.

8:32 p.m.: Briscoe takes the lead off the restart, and Suarez drops all the way back to third with Bell moving into second.

8:31 p.m.: The race is back to green with Suarez leading Briscoe, Elliott, Bell, Logano with 11 laps left in the second stage.

8:29 p.m.: The caution is extended due to rain.

8:25 p.m.: Briscoe and Suarez fight for the first spot off the green, and there is a caution right away. Lajoie involved in another crash. 18 laps to go with the caution brought out. 

8:21 p.m.: The race has reached the halfway mark at lap 127 for debris, and a caution flag is brought out. Suarez, Bell, Larson are the top three as things stand. The race could now be made official if called off due to weather.

8:19 p.m.: The race is back under green with 32 laps left int he stage. Suarez and Bell are battling for the lead with Larson right behind the two of them.

8:15 p.m.: Brad Keselowski now goes for a spin with 36 laps to go in the second stage, and the caution flag is brought out.

8:12 p.m.: The race is back to green. Larson starts by dropping all the way down to fifth on the start.

8:11 p.m.: Rain coming down has forced NASCAR to wave off green, per Fox's Bob Pockrass.

8:07 p.m.: Harvick has to head to pit road after he was clipped by the crash with the three drivers.

8:05 p.m.: The race is back under green with Suarez leading the race. Chastain moves into second as Larson starts to slide back. Caution comes out early though for a caution for Bowman, Corey LaJoie and Noah Gragson.

8:05 p.m.: Hamlin is headed to the garage. 

8:04 p.m.: There has been plenty of bumping going on throughout Sunday's race.

8:01 p.m.: Denny Hamlin is having some issues with the car. He's been told by his team to stay out on the track until a caution, and the decision to stay out is a good one as Alex Bowman spins and brings out a caution on lap 92.

8:00 p.m.: The strategy to stay out on the track during the caution was almost certainly due to concerns that weather could end the race early. It might not work out for the three who stayed out, especially as Larson now closes in on Suarez 89 laps into the race. The race can become official at 125 laps completed.

7:55 p.m.: There's the restart and Suarez holds onto his lead right out of the gate. Larson jumps up two spots to vault past Chastain and Briscoe.

7:53 p.m.: Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe did not take the pit stop during caution, so they're one, two, three ahead of Larson when the restart comes up.

7:42 p.m.: The first stage ends in a caution after Justin Allgaier hits a wall. Larson was leading the final lap by more than two seconds and was going to win the stage regardless of the flag coming out at the end. The stage break is the only time drivers are allowed to refuel during this race.

7:39 p.m.: Bell and Austin Dillon are in a close race for third, with Dillon right on the heels of the former leader. Still some space between Austin's brother, Ty Dillon, who is in second, and Larson, who is leading the race by more than a second.

7:34 p.m.: Larson will start on the outside as the green flag is waved, with Ty Dillon on the inside. It has proven to be a major advantage to start outside, and Larson proves that right away by clearing some space on Dillon.

7:33 p.m.: Briscoe saying there is more wrong with his car than just a flat right rear on the radio. 

7:32 p.m.: Looks like Briscoe might have blown a tire that led to him spinning out and hitting the wall.

7:30 p.m.: Larson makes the move outside to take the lead over Briscoe, who is having some issues. Now Briscoe spins out on lap 50, and a caution flag is coming out.

7:27 p.m.: Kyle Busch completes the pass on Bell to move up to fourth place.

7:23 p.m.: This race is back to green on lap 26.

7:22 p.m.: Kevin Harvick dropped a lap down, though he and his team are frustrated, believing they should have received the free pass.

7:17 p.m.: Custer dropped two laps by pitting early, but decided not to pit on the mandatory stop, meaning he'll be on the wave around to move to just one lap down. Almirola will also have a wave around.

7:10 p.m.: The caution flag is brought out at lap 15 as Aric Almirola heads to pit road to get his grille cleaned. The Fox broadcast reported that NASCAR will bring out cautions if the grilles of cars get too filled with dirt, which has been the case with both Custer and Almirola heading to pit road to get cleaned. All cars will now do the same.

7:09 p.m.: Cole Custer, who started the race in pole position, is making the first pit stop of the night under green, coming just 13 laps into the race.

7:08 p.m.: Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell are providing a close fight for the top spot through 10 laps. Briscoe is narrowly leading the race by just under a half-second.

7:07 p.m.: Bubba Wallace has made a lot of progress since the start of the race, riding outside to go up from 22nd to 17th already in the first six laps of the race.

7:05 p.m.: There's the green flag, and the race at Bristol is underway.

6:58 p.m.: Max Lucado gives the command to drivers to start their engines.

6:51 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies beginning with the invocation and the national anthem.

What time does the NASCAR race start today?

  • Date: Sunday, April 17
  • Time: 7:04 p.m. ET

Sunday's race at Bristol is scheduled to start at 7:04 p.m. ET on Sunday. It had originally been scheduled to begin at 7:14 p.m., but it has since been moved up 10 minutes because of the threat of rain.

NASCAR LINEUP AT BRISTOL: Starting order, pole

What channel is NASCAR on today? 

The Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will be carried by Fox in the U.S. and TSN in Canada. Last Sunday's race in Martinsville, Va., was carried by FS1, but the next two races will be carried by Fox before the series returns to FS1 on May 1.

Mike Joy will be on the call for lap-by-lap action, with Clint Bowyer and Darrell Waltrip joining him in the booth for analysis. Fox has used rotating analysts in 2021 after Jeff Gordon left to work for Hendrick Motorsports.

Fans who have cut the cord on cable can also find the race on Fox Sports Go or fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

NASCAR lineup at Bristol

Here is the complete starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series race in Bristol on Sunday:

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1. Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
2. Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
3. Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
4. Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
5. Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
6. Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
7. Ty Dillon 42 Petty GMS Motorsports
8. Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
9. Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
10. Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
11. Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
12. Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
13. Kurt Busch 45 23XI Racing
14. Erik Jones 43 Petty GMS Motorsports
15. Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
17. Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
18. Brad Keselowski 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
19. William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
20. Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
21. Daniel Suarez 99 TrackHouse Racing
22. Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
23. Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
24. Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
25. Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
26. Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
27. Justin Allgaier 77 Spire Motorsports
28. Noah Gragson 16 Kaulig Racing
29. J.J. Yeley 15 Rick Ware Racing
30. Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
31. Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
32. Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
33. Ross Chastain 1 TrackHouse Racing
34. Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
35. Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing
36. Josh Williams 78 Live Fast Motorsports

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.