By Joseph Wolkin It’s been a few weeks since Aric Almirola stepped back into his racecar. The driver of the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports is not only thankful for his ride, but grateful to be alive after a scary incident at Kansas Speedway. How much of a relief is it to get back into the car and not feel pain? “It’s a huge relief. When you break a bone or have an injury of the sort of nature that takes you out of your day-to-day routine, that’s a struggle in of itself. But when it takes away from your…

By Jared Turner Kyle Busch is a five-time Bristol winner, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has not prevailed in Thunder Valley since 2011. Like younger brother Kyle, Kurt Busch is a five-time winner at Bristol. However, also like Kyle, it’s been a long time since Kurt won here. Bristol has historically not been one of Jimmie Johnson’s best tracks, but you wouldn’t have known it from his win at Thunder Valley back in April. Kevin Harvick is the defending winner of the Bristol night race, having prevailed at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile last August. Fresh off a thrilling victory at Michigan,…

By Jared Turner Few if any NASCAR events are more of an institution than the annual fall night race at Bristol Motor Speedway, a place where the old idiom “rubbing’s racing” is more of a reality than just a cool catchphrase. Bristol night races through the years have taken some pretty bizarre twists and turns, with aggression being generally accepted if not expected. Want to go for broke? Well, Bristol — a .533-mile high-banked oval — is just the place to do it, especially if you’re one of the drivers still needing a win to earn a spot in the Monster Energy…

By Jared Turner With his victory on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, Kyle Larson joined NASCAR legends David Pearson and Bill Elliott as the only drivers to ever win three consecutive races at MIS. Both Pearson and Elliott are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, so to be counted a winner of three consecutive races at Michigan is a pretty elite club. “That's some awesome company, for sure,” Larson said. Unlike in his two previous Michigan triumphs, Larson did not have the best car this time around. But, buoyed by a tremendous final restart with two laps to go, Larson was out…

By Jared Turner Although Kyle Larson ultimately prevailed thanks to a magnificent final restart with two laps to go, it appeared prior to that final restart — and the caution that precipitated it — that Furniture Row Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones were going to sweep the top two finishing positions. As it turned out, Truex and Jones finished second and third, respectively. Disappointed as both drivers might have been to not be celebrating in Victory Lane, it was still a standout afternoon for the Denver, Colorado-based organization, which seems to be putting faster cars on the track almost…