Hamlin leads Toyota domination at Bristol

He’ll start 40th tomorrow, and given the nature of the half-mile Bristol circuit, he could be a lap down well before the end of the first stint. Hamlin has had inconsistent Bristol performances over his career, but he is a one-time victor at the Tennessee short track. On Saturday night Gordon will be sporting his classic rainbow paint scheme for the first time in several years.

Win or lose, Gordon is prepared to put on one final show for the Bristol fans.

Kyle Busch won last night’s XFINITY Series Food City 300 at Bristol, besting Kyle Larson in a green-white-checkered finish.

To commemorate the retiring Gordon’s final appearance at Bristol as a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver, BMS is naming a portion of the racetrack the Jeff Gordon Terrace.

Two of those belong to Michael Waltrip Racing, a team that essentially has just 12 more races to live. But you’ve got to understand; I’ve raced at places like Winchester and Salem. Gordon said Friday this had already been one of the most enjoyable seasons of his career, just catching up with old friends and getting honored by the different speedways.

I’m not going to recommend a wager on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.at 100-to-1 odds, but I couldn’t fault anyone for taking a shot with him in match-ups or the daily fantasy stuff.

But for the sake of picking just a single event and not a track overall, let’s go with Martinsville’s Chase race.

Q. Is there any reason why JGR didn’t have as much success last season as it’s having now? It was also his eighth series victory at Bristol.

Matt Kenseth: Not only is he on a roll (two wins in the past three races), but he also won Bristol’s spring race. As Buescher fell off the pace, Kyle Busch swooped in to overtake him and claim the NASCAR Xfinity Series victory. Gordon has won five times at Bristol, but not since August, 2002. He can earn Team Penske its third straight win at “The Last Great Colosseum.”…

BRUTON SMITH, the executive chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., revealed that he was treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June, and said he used this weekend’s races at Bristol Motor Speedway as motivation during his recovery.

Joey Logano: Five top-10s in past six races, including a victory at Watkins Glen, New York; will start fifth Saturday.