The 2014 Irwin Tools Night Race was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on August 23, 2014, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps, it was the 24th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Joey Logano of Team Penske took his third win of the season. Logano's teammate Brad Keselowski finished second while Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Kurt Busch completed the top five placings. The top rookies of the race were Kyle Larson (12th), Justin Allgaier (19th), and Austin Dillon (28th). This would also be the final race for veteran NASCAR drivers Jeff Burton and Dave Blaney.
Report
Background
Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is long. The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked from six to ten degrees. The back stretch also has banking from six to ten degrees. The track has a seating capacity of 160,000 people. The race consisted of 500 laps; equivalent to a race distance of . The defending race winner was Matt Kenseth.
Tony Stewart was on the entry list for the weekend's race, but following the events that took place at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, it was unknown if he'd be in the car. On Wednesday, August 20, Stewart–Haas Racing released a statement that Stewart would sit out again and Jeff Burton would drive in his place. The team would continue to evaluate the drive on a week-by-week basis.
Ryan Truex was cleared to race at Bristol after missing the previous week's race at Michigan. He suffered a concussion in a single car crash during the second practice session and J. J. Yeley drove in his place. Truex stated that he was "happy to be back to it this weekend" on Twitter.
Entry list The entry list for the Irwin Tools Night Race was released on Monday, August 18, 2014 at 11:05 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-three drivers were entered for the race.
Driver Team Manufacturer 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Jeff Burton Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Matt Kenseth (PC4) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 24 Jeff Gordon (PC5) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 32 J. J. Yeley (i) Go FAS Racing Ford 33 David Stremme Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 37 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 41 Kurt Busch (PC3) Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 66 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Toyota 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing FordOfficial entry list Key Meaning (R) Rookie (i) Ineligible for points (PC#) Past champions provisional
Practice
First practice Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.638 and a speed of . David Gilliland hit the wall as a result of a stuck throttle; he was forced to switch to a backup car as a result.
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chevrolet 14.638 131.083 2 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.697 130.557 3 4 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 14.703 130.504Official first practice results
Final practice Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 14.642 and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 17 Ford 14.642 131.048 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.646 131.012 3 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.662 130.869Official final practice results
Qualifying Kevin Harvick won the pole with a new track record time of 14.607 and a speed of . Harvick saw his qualifying position as an advantage, as he deemed that "track position is definitely as important as it is anywhere here with the current groove and where you are running" and also "felt good about our car during practice and just have to stay in there all night and do the best we can". Jeff Gordon joined Harvick on the front row, and stated that he "thought our car was a little bit better in race trim than it was in qualifying trim when we swapped over", and also stated that the conditions of the track were very tricky. Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson and Cole Whitt hit the wall during qualifying, with Almirola lamenting the fact and stating he had "probably the best race car I've ever had at Bristol and I screwed up and hit the fence".
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer 1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.719 14.607 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.688 14.615 3 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.722 14.624 4 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.732 14.641 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 14.752 14.644 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.747 14.644 7 41 Kurt Busch Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.743 14.654 8 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.752 14.662 9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 14.737 14.703 10 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 14.730 14.708 11 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.734 14.741 12 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.754 14.759 13 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.762 — 14 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 14.772 — 15 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 14.774 — 16 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.796 — 17 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.796 — 18 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 14.800 — 19 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 14.810 — 20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.848 — 21 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.855 — 22 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 14.856 — 23 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 14.892 — 24 10 Danica Patrick Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.903 — 25 14 Jeff Burton Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 14.935 — 26 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.960 — 27 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 14.992 — 28 95 Michael McDowell Leavine Family Racing Ford 14.994 — 29 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.004 — 30 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 15.048 — 31 66 Brett Moffitt Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 15.053 — 32 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.055 — 33 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 15.057 — 34 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 15.066 — 35 37 Dave Blaney Randy Humphrey Racing Ford 15.099 — 36 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.102 — 37 32 J. J. Yeley Go FAS Racing Ford 15.184 — 38 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.200 — 39 40 Landon Cassill Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 15.301 — 40 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.356 — 41 33 David Stremme Hillman–Circle Sport Chevrolet 15.506 — 42 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 0.000 — 43 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 0.000 —Official qualifying results
Race
First half
Start
The race was scheduled to start at 7:46 p.m. Eastern time but started three minutes late when Kevin Harvick led the field to the green. Harvick led the race until lap 38 when Jeff Gordon took the lead. He led until lap 55 when Kyle Busch assumed the lead of the race, and held it to the first caution of the race; at lap 61, there was a competition caution that had been scheduled due to overnight rain showers around the vicinity of the circuit. Harvick retook the lead during the caution period; Kyle Busch came off pit road as the leader, but he was sent to the rear of the field for speeding in the pits and Matt Kenseth assumed the lead for the restart on lap 68.
Calamity The caution came out a lap later for a multi-car crash in turn 2, before the race restarted on lap 77. Kenseth maintained the lead of the race, for a good portion of the race; he was not headed until Joey Logano took the lead on lap 104. The caution flew for the third time on lap 125 for a multi-car wreck on the backstretch that began when Brian Vickers got into Kyle Larson, and then spun into Aric Almirola. Clint Bowyer then ran into Kyle Busch, sending Busch spinning into the inside wall. Denny Hamlin took the lead during the caution period, and held the lead as the race restarted on lap 137.
Tempers flare
While racing for the lead, Harvick tapped Hamlin, which sent him spinning into the inside wall on the front stretch. Hamlin's car bounced off the wall, and back up towards the track where it hit the left-hand side of the car of Dale Earnhardt Jr., ripping all the protection foam out of it. This brought out the fourth caution of the race on lap 161; Hamlin subsequently threw his HANS device at Harvick's car. This was the second straight year that the two drivers had a post-crash altercation during the summer Bristol race. Post-race, Harvick described the incident as "I just lost the front end, honestly", apportioning blame on himself. Hamlin was angered at the way his race ended, which left him with a 40th-place finish. Earnhardt Jr. tried to avoid a collision with Hamlin's car, but as he described it, "there was a lot of smoke so I couldn't really judge the speed of his car to know whether I needed to be going up there and go around him on the top". The damage to his car – the lower control arm was torn off his left-front tire – left him with a 39th-place finish.