Bump and run (auto racing)

Bump and run is a technique for passing used in stock car racing, related to the police PIT maneuver. Bump and run is never intentionally used in open-wheel racing due to the extremely high speeds and relative fragility of open-wheel race cars.

A trailing car intentionally bumps the car in front of it. The bump sometimes causes the lead car's rear tires to momentarily lose traction. The driver of the lead car is forced to correct his steering, slow down, or at least stop accelerating to regain traction and/or car attitude. The trailing driver positions to pass the leading car before the next corner. Bump and run is often done after coming off a corner. It is much more dangerous when done in the middle of a corner because both cars are already loose.

A gentle tap is what is required most of the time. A stronger bump might result in the lead and/or the trailing car spinning out of control, and possibly leading to a multi-car crash.

Car of Tomorrow

NASCAR's newly redesigned car (dubbed the Car of Tomorrow) is expected to hinder the effect of bump and run. The rear bumpers on the cars have been lowered, while the front bumper has been raised. In this configuration, when a trailing car hits a car in the back, the contact is square, and the leading cars rear wheels are not lifted off the track. ^[1][2]

Notable bump-and-run occurrences

• 1997 Food City 500- Trailing Rusty Wallace on the final lap of the Spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon applied the bump-and-run heading into turn 3, moving Wallace up the race track and enabling Gordon to win the race. ^[3]
• 2002 Sharpie 500- Five years after their first run-in, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace were once again involved in a late-race battle for the win, this time at the fall race under the lights at Bristol. Gordon once again applied the bump-and-run on Wallace, this time with five laps left, to steal the win. ^[4]
• 2008 Sharpie 500- Carl Edwards utilized the bump-and-run on Kyle Busch with 30 laps to go to take the lead, a lead he would never relinquish. This triggered a post-race confrontation which saw Busch bump Edwards' car after the race. Edwards would return the favor, bumping Busch's car and sending it spinning. ^[5]
• 2005 Nextel Open- Brian Vickers employed a more frowned-upon version of the bump-and-run in 2005 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. While battling with Mike Bliss for the right to transfer in to the All-Star race, Vickers hooked the right rear quarter panel of Bliss' car, sending Bliss spinning and earning a spot in the All-Star race. ^[6]
• 2009 Aarons 499- Although the move is typically done on short-tracks, in 2009 a then-unknown Brad Keselowski bumped Carl Edwards in the final corner of the final lap of the Spring Race at Talladega Superspeedway. The contact sent Edwards flipping into the catchfence, while Keselowski went on to earn his first career Sprint Cup win. Edwards would climb out of his demolished race car and jog across the finish line on foot, reminiscent of a classic scene in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.^[7]
• 2001 Monte Carlo 400- Then-rookie Kevin Harvick used the bump-and-run on Ricky Rudd to get the lead with 18 laps remaining in the fall race at Richmond International Raceway. However, Rudd returned the favor with six laps to go, bumping the rookie in turn 4 and passing him for the victory. ^[8]
• 2016 Toyota Owners 400- Eight years after their Bristol battle, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch engaged in another short-track showdown, this time as teammates in the Spring race at Richmond. In the final corner of the final lap, Edwards moved Busch up the track with the bump-and-run, earning the win. Unlike their Bristol run-in, there was no confrontation following the race. ^[9]
• 1995 Goody's 500- Dale Earnhardt attempted to use the bump-and-run on Terry Labonte coming out of turn 4 on the final lap of the Bristol night race, but Labonte was able to stand on the gas and cross the finish line first to win the race. After crossing the line, Labonte slammed the wall hard and ended up driving his destroyed vehicle to victory lane. ^[10]
• 1999 Goody's Headache Powder 500- Four years after their first battle, Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte once again found themselves racing for the win in the Bristol night race. This time, Earnhardt used the bump-and-run on Labonte entering turn one on the last lap, sending him spinning. This race is most remembered for Earnhardt claiming postrace he wasn't trying to wreck Labonte, but rather "just trying to rattle his cage".^[11]
• 2000 Pocono 500- Jeremy Mayfield applied the bump-and-run on Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the June Pocono race. After the event, Mayfield said he was "just trying rattle Earnhardt's cage", repeating the quote Earnhardt had used after doing the maneuver on Terry Labonte the previous August in Bristol.
• 2002 Food City 500- With 57 laps remaining in the Spring race at Bristol, as Jimmy Spencer passed Kurt Busch for the lead, Busch applied a forceful version of the bump-and-run, slamming Spencer's car and nearly causing him to wreck. Postrace, Busch claimed the move was retaliation for an incident the two had the previous fall at Phoenix.^[12] This incident led to a further escalation of a rivalry between the two drivers , one which cumulated with Spencer punching Busch after the 2003 GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan in August. ^[13]
• 2014 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500- Needing to finish in 11th place or better to advance to the final round of The Chase for the Sprint Cup, Ryan Newman utilized the bump-and-run on rookie Kyle Larson at Phoenix, moving him up the track in the final corner of the final lap to finish 11th in the race and earn the fourth and final berth in the Chase Championship. ^[14]
• 1992 All-Star Race- Referred to by Charlotte Motor Speedway as 'One Hot Night', NASCAR's first race under the lights at a big speedway proved to be a memorable one. Heading into turn three on the final lap, Kyle Petty tapped the rear of Dale Earnhardt's car as the raced for the lead. Earnhardt spun out, and the contact enabled third-place runner Davey Allison to catch Petty. Allison passed Petty as they came out of turn 4 and won the race, but Petty attempted a last second bump-and-run, resulting in Allison losing control of his car and slamming the wall nearly head-on. Allison suffered a concussion, bruised rib, and bruised lung in the crash, resulting in no victory lane celebration. ^[15]

References

Matt Crossman (April 1, 2007). "The art of the bump and run". Sporting News. Retrieved 2007-04-29.