NASCAR hosted a lackluster yet emotional race weekend at Bristol. Kyle Larson walked away a double-winner but fell short of another weekend sweep. But there were plenty of losers this weekend as well; here are our biggest losers from the 2025 Spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
William Sawalich was a key part of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie class. Despite his lack of Truck Series experience, he won 13 ARCA Races in 24 starts prior to 2025. However, fans are starting to notice that Sawalich may not be the top prospect most expected him to be.
It’s not that the 18-year-old is slow; he has the 11th-best average starting spot among full-time drivers (12.8) but the 24th-worst average finish (24.1). This poor performance was flying slightly under the radar until this weekend when Sawalich ran into the back of a slowing Connor Zilisch.
So, are these growing pains? Will he get better with time? We really don’t know. But if Sawalich has any motivation, it’s the fact that he, in a Joe Gibbs Racing car, is a mere four points ahead of Matt Dibenedetto in his Viking Motorsports entry in the standings.
Trackhouse racing had perhaps the worst start to a race weekend in its short yet storied history. The Trackhouse entries qualified for Bristol like this:
Chastain would have the team’s only highlight, turning this bad start into a top-ten finish. SVG and Suarez, however, would both have notable yet not-so-glamorous moments, such as Suarez’s crew members almost being hit with a tire flying down pit road and SVG’s crash with Cody Ware.
Hopes were high for this Trackhouse lineup. But for a team that is supposed to be a top-tier Chevrolet entry, having two cars start outside the top 20 and finish outside the top 30 is a disappointment. To wrap up their season so far, SVG is off to a miserable start, and Suarez has to be feeling the pressure of Connor Zilisch, right?
Well, FOX Sports, you finally did it. Your NASCAR coverage is at the point where Eric Estepp sort of said a swear word on X.
To Eric’s point, and in an opinionated manner, you can do this at some track, cut to commercial during stops, that is; however, at Bristol, one of the oddest pit setups in NASCAR, you can’t do that. This is one issue fans often complain about that FOX can get away with now and then.
However, Mike Joy’s call to finish one of the most boring races in recent memory only compounded this issue. Some fans online are complaining that they didn’t even know the race ended, so there’s that.
Okay, we know that the car may not be the only thing at work here. The track, the surface, the weather, and the tire all played into yesterday’s race.
However, this has been the worst three-week stretch for the NASCAR Next Gen car that fans can remember in its short history. In particular, this race was meme’d enough to write a small book.
Whether you blame the car or not, you have to admit something has to change. Kyle Larson is on a generational run in the sport, and fans should have no reason to discount any of his wins, something that feels like a weekly occurrence in the online community.
Now, of course, we aren’t calling fans losers, but we do feel as if we all walked away from this weekend as losers. Bristol used to mean something (just take in the feeling at the track during 2002’s pre-race ceremonies.) It held the same spot on the schedule that Talladega, Daytona, and Charlotte had—something you waited for, cleared your calendar, and watched Friday through Sunday.
Now, it feels like NASCAR shows up, competes, and goes home. The races at this special venue feel more like a weekend swamped with a rain delay, with NASCAR and the drivers just wanting to get the race in and move to next weekend.
Something has to change; that track deserves the best, and those who spend their hard-earned dollar to go to that track deserve more. Perhaps one day, fans will again pack BMS to the brim twice a year, but that feeling is farther away now than ever.
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