Zane Smith Wiped Out by Goodyear as Chase Elliott & HMS Rewrite History at Bristol

The Food City 500 race is proving to be quite an uphill challenge for the drivers. With multiple wrecks and cautions early in the race, it looks like Zane Smith from Spire Motorsports has come out the worst. While he managed to avoid the wrecks, his right front tire just blew up, causing the third caution for the race. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports conquered another milestone by running at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Mr. H’s team has now led 80,000 laps in the Cup Series since its debut. Chase Elliott in the #9 car has been the one leading the charge for the team, battling for the lead against the likes of Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch.

Chase Elliott helps Hendrick Motorsports reach a historic milestone

While the teams and drivers were trying to fix their strategy for tire wear at Bristol, the Hendrick Motorsports team went on to register yet another NASCAR record. Looking strong off his qualifying rounds, Chase Elliott, driving the #9 HMS Chevrolet, was contesting for the top spot in the race against JGR’s Denny Hamlin. Coming into Lap 62, Elliott took the lead at the 0.533-mile track, thus contributing to his team’s ever-so-dominant record list.

With Elliott’s lead, Hendrick Motorsports registered an 80,000-lap lead in the sport’s top series. It was Geoff Bodine who handed the team their first-ever leading laps back in April of 1984 when he clinched the team’s first win at Martinsville Speedway.

Hendrick Motorsports is also celebrating its 40th anniversary this season. The team started off the season on a high, with William Byron winning the Daytona 500, while Kyle Larson clinched his first win of the season at Las Vegas. As far as Chase Elliott is concerned, he also made a resounding comeback after his bleak start to the season with a P8 finish.

Making this day even more special, Hendrick Motorsports had three of its cars finish inside the top 10.

Elliott’s teammates secure a top-five finish at Bristol

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Chase Elliott, after some early running into top places, had his fair share of troubles trying to manage his tire wear. However, in a bid to improve on his past performances, he switched gears late in the race and managed his first top-10 placing since the start of the 2024 Cup Series season.

Alex Bowman himself was in a spot of bother, trying to find his lost touch since the start at Daytona. After three consecutive sub-par results, Bowman bounced back on a tricky Bristol surface and secured a P4 finish. Meanwhile, on the #5 team, Kyle Larson finished just behind his teammate in fifth place. This was his second top 5 finish this season, including the win at Las Vegas. The only disappointment for HMS was William Byron, who failed to have a decent run throughout the race, finishing at the tail end of the field in the #35 spot.

Given how the entire field struggled to get a decent race today, the Hendrick camp will be going home with good placements and a record to their name. All in all, it was a good day for the HMS team.

Read More: Defending Champ Denny Hamlin Claims Second Concrete Bristol Win as He Outsmarts Frenemy Martin Truex Jr