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| Austin Dillion records his first win as a rookie. |
It was a caution heavy day with plenty of tempers on edge and a lot of bumping and rubbing for the Food City 500. With a lot of favorites falling back to the middle of the pack early it turned into the perfect opportunity for the rookie to shine.
Joey Logano took the lead in lap one and led for more than 30 laps before losing it do Jamie McMurray and then Marcus Ambrose. Eventually Dillion made his way to the front of the pack and never let up. He led for 55 laps and kept his lead in a close finish with Kenseth.
One of the heavy favorites, Kyle Busch, was spun out early in the race while running in second position. Earnhardt, who sat on the pole but failed to lead a lap, ran into Busch coming into turn 3 and put him in the wall. Busch never recovered from the wreck and ended up in a disappointing 38th position. Busch remarked that it was a "stupid move" and absolutely unnecessary at that point in the race. Jr. said he misjudged Kyle's entry into the turn and just didn't brake hard enough, "that's what happens in Bristol, it wasn't personal and I feel bad for them, but that's just what happens here." Earnhardt, still the point leader, finished in 8th.
Jimmie Johnson had another poor performance when he was forced to pit early in the race, and went a lap down. He finished in 25th.
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| Dillion celebrates his first win. |
For Dillion it looks to be the first win of many in a long career as an elite Nascar Sprint Cup driver. He currently sits atop the Rookie of the Year points and is now second in the overall points standings. Full Food City 400 results.