Kurt Busch signs deal to drive for Stewart-Haas in 2014

Kurt Busch is now back with big-time program

Kurt Busch has decided to join Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.

Stewart-Haas Racing has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon, when it will announce that Busch will leave Furniture Row Racing for Stewart-Haas starting in 2014.
ESPN and Fox Sports first reported the deal Monday morning and Busch confirmed it to Sporting News on Monday afternoon.

“This is the kind of situation every driver wants to be in,” Busch said in a text message to Sporting News. “I’m grateful to (team co-owner) Gene Haas and Haas Automation for providing me this opportunity. … My focus still remains on the present and trying to achieve our Chase goal on the No. 78.”

Furniture Row released a statement Monday afternoon confirming Busch's departure.

“It was always our intention to extend Kurt's contract with Furniture Row Racing," team general manager Joe Garone said. "We made him an offer last week to continue as the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet in 2014 and beyond. Though he did not accept our offer we respect his decision and wish him future success.

"His driving skill and being a dedicated team player will always be appreciated at Furniture Row Racing. But for right now the main focus for Kurt and the team is to qualify for the Chase and contend for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship."

Read More Here......Sporting News

Atlanta Storylines: 2013 Advocare 500

Hamlin and Gordon finished 1-2 at Atlanta last season

NASCAR Storylines for Week of Aug. 26, 2013

Labor Day Weekend traditionally marks the end of summer for vacationers and students. It similarly signals for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship contenders that it’s go or go-home time.

Sunday’s AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET ESPN, Performance Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM Radio) is the next-to-final race before this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ field is set. Three spots in NASCAR’s postseason have been spoken for; nine remain.

Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth have qualified. Up to four competitors could join them late Sunday night although the focus remains on those drivers on the outside looking in – among them former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon, ranked 11th through 13th.

Keselowski is four points out of the top 10. Positions nine through 13 are spanned by just 24 points.

Sam Hornish Jr. remains the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship lead with 10 races remaining in this year’s schedule. Hornish’s lead, however, is anything but comfortable – six points over Austin Dillon with 39 markers covering the current top five-ranked drivers.

None of the top five has been able to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which hosts Saturday night’s Great Clips/Grit Chips 300 (7:30 p.m. ET ESPN2).

Two milestones await NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams on Sunday. They’ll compete outside the borders of the continental United States for the first time. The Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park near Toronto marks the first series road race to be held in 13 years.

Four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., a three-time series road-race winner, is the only entered driver to compete in the most recent left-and-right-turn event held in June 2000 at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – ADVOCARE 500, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 7:30 P.M. ET ON ESPN

Bowyer, Kenseth Join Johnson In The Chase
Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth clinched top-10 and Wild Card berths, respectively, in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. As many as four more postseason spots could be locked up on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Kenseth On Target To Claim No. 1 Chase Seeding
Should Matt Kenseth clinch a Chase top-10 position, his five victories – worth three points apiece when the standings reset – would make the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion the No. 1 seed when postseason competition begins Sept. 15 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Johnson Loses Momentum At Critical Point Of Campaign
With the Chase due to start in just three weeks, Jimmie Johnson no longer is the prohibitive favorite to capture a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup title. Johnson’s 77-point lead of just two races ago has shrunk to 18 markers on finishes of 40th (engine failure) and 36th (accident).

Past Champions Facing Postseason Shutouts
Three NASCAR Sprint Cup champions find themselves on the outside looking in with the Chase just two races away. Reigning titleholder Brad Keselowski is 11th, four points out of the top 10. Kurt Busch is 12th (-6) and Jeff Gordon is 13th (-11). Each is without a victory.

More Movement In Chase Wild Card Battle
With the ascent of Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano to the top 10, the provisional Chase Wild Card picture has changed yet again. Martin Truex Jr. (14th) and Ryan Newman (15th) hold the winning hands this week. Newman’s only top-five finish at Atlanta came in March 2004, while Truex’s only top five came in last year’s AdvoCare 500.

Split Chase Owner/Driver Lineup Definitely Possible
A "split" driver/owner Chase Wild Card picture continues with Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 14 pursuing history as the first owner to qualify for the postseason without an eligible driver. The No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota, driven by Martin Truex Jr., holds the second owner Chase Wild Card.

- NASCAR

Kenseth outduels Kahne again, to win at Bristol

Kahne finishes second to Kenseth for the third time this season

BRISTOL, Tenn.—Kasey Kahne had two choices during the final laps at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Wreck Matt Kenseth. Or risk finishing second. Again.

Kahne chose the safest route, coming up short in his bid for the lead as the laps wound down in the Irwin Tools Night race.

Kahne's decision allowed Kenseth to walk away with his fifth win of the season and left Kahne understandably frustrated.

"At the end of the day, I just don't wreck people," Kahne said of the temptation to wreck Kenseth, who had accidentally wrecked him a few weeks ago at Watkins Glen.

Read More Here.....Sporting News     

Bristol Results

Updated LVH odds to win 2013 Irwin Tools Night race at Bristol

Denny Hamlin dropped from 15/1 down to 7/1 after snatching pole

IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013

JIMMIE JOHNSON 8
KYLE BUSCH 8
MATT KENSETH 12
KASEY KAHNE 8
BRAD KESELOWSKI 10
CLINT BOWYER 15
KURT BUSCH 6
DALE EARNHARDT JR 18
JEFF GORDON 18
DENNY HAMLIN 7
KEVIN HARVICK 18
JOEY LOGANO 12
MARTIN TRUEX JR 8
GREG BIFFLE 50
CARL EDWARDS 18
RYAN NEWMAN 30
BRIAN VICKERS 20
MARK MARTIN 50
JAMIE McMURRAY 50
JEFF BURTON 100
JUAN MONTOYA 75
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 100
PAUL MENARD 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 100
RYAN TRUEX 500
DANICA PATRICK 300
FIELD 300

Bristol Post-Practice Notes: Busch Brothers and Gordon Look Sharp

Kyle Busch one-third of the way to a triple at Bristol

Because of the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway being run on Saturday, every Sprint Cup team had to cram all their practice and qualifying sessions into one day on Friday. Of the two practices run, the two-hour early session is the most telling and relevant to race day just because almost everyone used the allotted time to run exclusively in race trim, while the 45-minute afternoon session was used primarily for mock qualifying runs.

In the early session, David Ragan was fastest with a lap at 125.322 mph, which raises suspicion that he likely was in a mock qualifying run. And while Ragan isn’t a candidate to win this week, if thinking there is something to his speeds, he can be fetched at 100-to-1 odds as part of the Field bet. However, we don’t recommend spending your hard earned money that way, especially not at Bristol where not too many surprises happen and the favorites are top heavy.

The drivers we thought would do well at the beginning of the week are still the top candidates to win, but Kyle Busch may have separated himself further from everyone else based on Friday’s practices. Already the top candidate to win Saturday night based on his past history with five wins and a 9.8 average finish, Busch had the fourth fastest lap (124.841) in the early session and was fastest (128.253) during happy hour. Busch also showed a fast average during his 82 laps run in the first session and had the third fastest 10-consecutive lap average among the 26 drivers that ran as many in a row.

Although we still consider Brad Keselowski the second best candidate to win this week, we couldn’t help but be impressed with Jeff Gordon’s run during practices and be reminded about how well he ran in the March race, where he led 66 laps. He’s a five-time winner at Bristol, but has come up empty in his past 21 starts there. With 98 laps to go in March, Gordon was leading but a cut tire sent him into the wall -- as well as Matt Kenseth who was in second -- and he ended up with a 34th-place finish.

During Friday’s practices, Gordon picked up right where left off at Bristol -- before his misfortune -- by having the third fastest lap (124.841) in the first session, while also compiling the second-best 10-consecutive average lap time. His performance alone during the two hour session should move him closer to Busch in the post-practice ratings, but he gets docked for his current form.

However, in an almost identical twist of fate, Gordon finds himself in nearly the same situation he was in last season where he was coming off a 28th-place finish at Michigan and his chances of making the Chase were bleak. The next week at Bristol, he ran third, and then had two consecutive second-place finishes at Atlanta and Richmond to make the Chase.

It could even be argued that Gordon has the best car on the track, but Busch’s moxie and love for Bristol racing gives him the edge, especially considering Gordon’s drought on the world’s fastest half-mile track.

Keselowski finished with the fifth fastest lap (124.776) during the first practice session and should be battling with Busch and Gordon up front during the late stages of the race. He hasn’t won on the season yet, but he’s a two-time winner at Bristol and has the perfect attitude it takes to pile up wins there like some of the greats of the past have done.

Another driver that has piled up wins at Bristol is the older Busch, Kurt Busch, who has five to his credit -- just like his younger brother, but none since 2006. He was sensational in Friday’s practices and also comes in on major high with three straight top-10 finishes, including a third at both Pocono and Michigan. He finished fourth in the March race and should be up there competing for at least another top-5 this week, if not the win.

The best long shot of the bunch looks to be Martin Truex Jr. who had the fastest 10-consecutive lap average in the first session. That shows he’s got speed on longer runs and there are plenty of long runs at Bristol, as in 500 laps long. He’s never won at Bristol, but did finish second in 2011 and third the following year. Truex has always been good at his home track of Dover, and although Dover is a one-mile track, the tracks do kind of run similar since the Bristol cosmetic changes because of the concrete, high banking and multi-grooves. On a side note to that, several crew chiefs have brought their Dover chassis’ this week.

Read More Here........Final Driver Ratings      

 

Driver Chassis Selections for 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol

Kasey Kahne is using winning chassis from Bristol in March

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis for Bristol is PRS-849 which last raced at Dover in June and finished 5th. The Backup Chassis is PRS-847 which has been a backup at several races but not raced.

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-769 for Saturday night s event at Bristol. Kahne has raced this car five times this season, notably reaching Victory Lane at Bristol on March 17. During those five starts, he has averaged a 5.4 starting spot on the strength of outside pole positions at Phoenix and Bristol and a fourth-place start at Richmond. Kahne also lined up eighth in this car on July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In 19 Sprint Cup starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kahne has one win, four top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He also has earned one pole position and has led a total of 456 laps.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 Stanley team prepared chassis No. 784 back to Bristol after competing with the chassis at the .53-mile track in March. Ambrose has nine previous starts at the Bristol Motor Speedway. He has finished in the top-10 in four of those races and twice in the top-five. The half-mile track has proved to be one of the best ovals for Ambrose. He has best finishes of third and fifth.

#10-Danica Patrick will pilot Chassis No. 10-579 at Bristol which was used by #39-Ryan Newman during the 2010 and 2011 seasons but has since been completely overhauled and transformed into a Gen-6-style Chevrolet SS. The Irwin Tools Night Race will mark the third race for Chassis 10-579 with Patrick behind the wheel. She first used it in March at Bristol, where she started 41st and finished 28th. The GoDaddy team then tested Chassis 579 May 14-15 at Dover before returning to the track for the June race and starting 39th and finishing 24th.

#14-Mark Martin: Chassis No. 14-722 debuted in June 2012 at Pocono as Tony Stewart took Chassis No. 14-722 from its 22nd-place starting spot to finish third in the Pocono 400. It returned to Pocono in August for the series second visit to the quirky, 2.5-mile triangle where it had a similar outing, as Stewart rallied it from its 28th-place starting spot to finish fifth in the rain-shortened race. While Chassis No. 14-722 didn t race again in 2012, it was tested extensively in the wind tunnel and on the track. It tested at Nashville Superspeedway Sept. 25-26 and at Kansas Oct. 17-18. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-722 returned to racing in March at Bristol for the Food City 500. After qualifying eighth and practicing well, Stewart declared he had the best car he d had in years at Bristol. But just nine laps into the 500-lap race around the .533-mile oval, Stewart s left-rear tire deflated. Stewart spun and impacted the SAFER Barrier on the outside of turn one with the left side of his racecar. Stewart was OK, but his racecar was not. After lengthy repairs, Stewart returned to the track and finished 31st. Chassis No. 14-722 was rebuilt and saw track time at Dover during a test May 14-15. That test paid off when the car returned to Dover in June, where in its fourth career start and second of 2013, Chassis No. 14-722 won after rallying from its 22nd-place starting spot. The car returns to the concrete for a third straight time for the Irwin Tools Night Race this weekend at Bristol.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary chassis 773 finished eighth at Charlotte in May. Backup chassis No. 727 has served as a backup several races in 2013, but not raced.

#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M / Bondo Ford Fusion team will bring primary chassis RK-822, which last ran at Martinsville and finished 9th.. Backup chassis RK-803 last ran at Bristol and finished 11th. Biffle has 21 Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol, earning six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He has an average starting position of 13.4 and finishing position of 12.1 at the short track.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: and the #17 Nationwide team will be using primary chassis RK-791, which last raced at Kentucky and finished 17th and also ran at Bristol earlier this year. The backup chassis is RK-801, was a chassis for the #99 team in 2012. Stenhouse made his first Sprint Cup start at the World s Fastest Half-Mile in March, earning a respectable 16th-place finish.

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis is PRS-842 which last race at Dover in June and finished 7th. The Backup Chassis is PRS-844 which has been a backup at several races but never raced

#27-Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 414 at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. This #27 Schrock/Menards Chevrolet SS previously ran this season at Auto Club, Darlington and Kentucky, with its best finish of eight coming at Auto Club Speedway. Menard has 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at the half-mile oval. His best start of fourth and best finish of fifth both came in 2011. In Menard's last five Sprint Cup Series events at Bristol, he has earned four top-10 finishes. The Wisconsin native has completed 5,990 of 6,009 laps attempted (99.7%) at the Bristol track, leading 36 of them. Schrock is a manufacturer of fine kitchen and bath cabinetry, offering on-trend styling and creative organization solutions for the entire home.

#29-Kevin Harvick:will pilot chassis No. 383 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the IRWIN Tools Night Race. This Jimmy John's Chevrolet was most recently driven to an eighth-place result at Dover International Speedway in June. Since his first Sprint Cup Series appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2001, Harvick has made 25 starts at the half-mile oval. In those 25 starts, the California native has collected one win (April 2005), nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Harvick holds an average starting position of 17.8 coupled with an average finishing position of 12.6, has completed 98.2 percent (12,290 of 12,513) of the laps contested and led 427 circuits.

#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 392 this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. This #31 Caterpillar Chevy was utilized three times during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Kentucky and Dover. Burton also piloted this machine to a top-10 finish earlier this season at Phoenix and an 11th-place finish at Dover in June. This weekend's 500-lap event marks Burton's 40th start at the half-mile bullring and his 679th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered one win, eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the track and led 322 laps at the Bristol, Tenn.-based race track.

#39-Ryan Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-727 which debuted at Charlotte in May 2012, when Newman finished 14th. The chassis made its last start of the 2012 season at Homestead, where Newman and the #39 team recorded a third-place finish. Chassis No. 39-727 was outfitted with a Chevrolet SS body over the winter and was raced again at Charlotte, this time in the NASCAR Sprint All- Star Race, where Newman finished 13th.

#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 RainEater Wiper Blades team will race chassis No. 850, last ran in April at Martinsville.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 720 at Bristol, which last raced at Texas in November 2012 and won. Chassis No. 797 serves as the backup.

#55-Brian Vickers: Primary chassis is 776, which was raced by Mark Martin in June at Michigan, finishing 26th. Vickers owns two top-five and three top-10 finishes in 17 starts. He s led 127 laps. He s finished in the top eight in the last three races at Bristol driving the #55..

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports No. 88-745. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to a 10th-place finish at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in June. In 27 Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol, Earnhardt has scored one win, seven top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. The 38-year-old driver has an average finishing position of 11.6 and has completed 98.9% of all laps he's attempted (13,365 of 13,513 total) at the short track. He has led 758 laps at the .533-mile oval.

#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Fastenal team will run RK-802 which last ran at Dover. The backup chassis is RK-826, which last ran at Texas. In 18 starts at the 0.533-mile bullring, Edwards has two wins, four top-five, seven top-10 finishes and two poles. His average start is 18.5, and his average finish is 14.6. Edwards has completed 8583 of 9013 (95%) laps attempted at Bristol. Fastenal will run a primary paint scheme with supplier brands Milwaukee, Greenfield, IRWIN and Krylon on the hood, TV panel, deck lid and b-post.

- compiled by Jayski.com

Broncos' coach Fox gives Furniture Row team pep talk for Chase, Bristol

Busch has 5 wins at Bristol

DENVER (Aug. 21, 2013) – The fan base is growing for Furniture Row Racing as the Denver-based single-car team is in the playoff mix with three races remaining before the start of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

And one of the fans is Denver Broncos head coach John Fox, who previously coached nine seasons for the Carolina Panthers, located in NASCAR’s racing hub of Charlotte.

During a recent Furniture Row Racing team visit to the Broncos training camp, Fox spent time with driver Kurt Busch and then followed with a pep talk to members of the road crew.

“That was really neat for coach Fox to take time after the Broncos practice to address our team,” said Busch. “He’s a fan of NASCAR and he is pulling for his hometown team and we appreciate what he had to say to us. He was inspiring, stressing to keep focused on the present and to execute with perfection.

“He knows what it takes to win – those were exciting times in Charlotte when he directed the Panthers to the 2004 Super Bowl. I have a feeling the Denver football fans are going to be in for a similar treat this year.”

Staying focused on the present is what Busch has done in the past three races with results of third (Pocono), ninth (Watkins Glen) and third (Michigan) for an average finish of 5.0.

The three-race surge lifted Busch from 14th to ninth in the driver point standings. He is two points out of eight and six ahead of 11th. The top-10 drivers qualify for the Chase along with two wildcard entries.

Though the next stop for Busch is at one of his favorite tracks — Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway – he is also well aware of the potential hazards at the high-banked, half-mile concrete oval.

“We all know that trouble can happen at any corner at Bristol,” said Busch, a five-time Bristol winner. “There are 500 laps and we have to protect our car and still finish well. We could get in a little fender-bender, some itty-bitty thing can happen that will put us on the outside. We need to stay focused and worry about what we do and not what others do.”

Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Sealy Chevrolet SS, said the adrenalin pumps a little faster for The Irwin Tools Saturday night race at Bristol.

“The Bristol night race is one of those top-five events of the year where you feel the excitement and the electricity,” explained Busch. “The fans are jazzed up for the race, which has a special vibe to it like the Daytona 500, Coke 600 and the All-Star event.

“It’s one of those fun tracks that you anticipate going to, knowing the track and knowing the different types of setups it takes to back up the top-five finish we had there earlier this year.”

Busch’s fourth-place finish in the spring race at Bristol was his first of six top-fives this season. His overall record at Bristol is: 25 starts, five wins, seven top fives, 14 top 10s, one pole and 841 laps led. His average finish is 13.4.

- DMF Communications for Furniture Row Racing

Harvick looking for his second career win at Thunder Valley

Kevin Harvick won at Bristol in 2005; he's 15/1 to win this week

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS at Bristol Motor Speedway … Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 383 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the IRWIN Tools Night Race. This Chevrolet was most recently driven to an eighth-place result at Dover International Speedway in June.

Freaky Good in Thunder Valley … Jimmy John’s joins Harvick and the No. 29 team for their fifth of eight races during the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. Since his first Sprint Cup Series appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2001, Harvick has made 25 starts at the half-mile oval. In those 25 starts, the California native has collected one win (April 2005), nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Harvick holds an average starting position of 17.8 coupled with an average finishing position of 12.6, has completed 98.2 percent (12,290 of 12,513) of the laps contested and led 427 circuits.

Find a Jimmy John’s … Jimmy John’s, known for fresh, quality products and freaky fast service, has two locations within 30 minutes of Bristol Motor Speedway. Visit www.jimmyjohns.com to view the Jimmy John’s menu, find your nearest location, order online or download the Jimmy John’s mobile application.

With A Little Help From My Friends … Bristol Motor Speedway has a lasting tradition of introducing drivers with a song of their choice. After 25 races at the Tennessee-based facility, Harvick is running short on fresh ideas, so he’s requested the help of country music singer Jake Owen. Via a tweet, the California native asked his close friend for help selecting an introduction song. Owen will make the selection and the song will be unveiled to all, including Harvick, during driver introductions prior to Saturday night’s race.

Race Rewind … Starting from the 13th position, Harvick drove Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet to a 15th-place finish in the 2012 edition of the IRWIN Tools Night Race under the lights of Bristol Motor Speedway.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

This is your second trip to Bristol Motor Speedway this season, how do you feel about going back for the fall night race?
“We ran really well there (Bristol Motor Speedway) in March, we just kind of got a little bit off on pit strategy at the end, but all-in-all the performance was pretty good. Overall, Bristol is a pretty crazy track. It doesn’t matter if it’s the old track or new track, it just seems like that night race brings a lot more excitement.”

Is Bristol Motor Speedway really all that different since they made the changes to the track?
“Bristol (Motor Speedway) is still the same. The only difference is that the top groove takes longer to rubber in, but once it does you’re able to run at the top of the race track. It’s kind of the same old Bristol that it was before they changed the style of track. The racing groove still moves up the track, and it’s still really tough to pass.”

- Richard Childress Racing

Jeff Gordon needs similar final three race run like 2012 to make Chase

  Jeff Gordon has 5 Bristol wins, the last in 2002; he's 15/1 this week

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 19, 2013) - In a similar position to last year, will Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Axalta Racing team make another push for a “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” berth beginning with this Saturday night’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway?

In 2012, Gordon entered this event 16th in the point standings with one win, four top-fives and nine top-10′s in the first 23 events of the season. With finishes of third (Bristol), second (Atlanta) and second (Richmond), Gordon secured one of the 12 Chase spots in dramatic fashion.

This year in 23 races, Gordon has the same amount of top-10′s (9) plus one more top-five (5), and he is also two spots better in the point standings. A win in one of the upcoming three races would go a long way to help ensure Gordon is one of 12 battling for the 2013 championship.

“Our mindset hasn’t changed going into this weekend,” said Gordon, who is a five-time winner at the high-banked 0.533-mile short track. “We’re still going to work hard all weekend to have a fast race car, hopefully qualify well and lead some laps and be in position to battle for the win at the end of the night. That’s our plan of attack every weekend.

“We have a good stretch of tracks ahead and we have to do everything possible to make the most of these races.”

Along with five wins, Gordon has five poles, 16 top-fives and 22 top-10′s in 41 starts at Bristol. His 6.9 average starting position is best amongst active drivers while Gordon also tops active competitors with 2,713 laps led – 1, 282 more than any other driver.

“I love this race and I love this track,” said Gordon. “This is one of the few tracks that when I get here, I usually make it a point to walk the track on Thursday night and soak it all in.

“With the high banks, the speed and the grandstands surrounding the entire track, this is just such a cool place and a cool experience.”

- Performance PR Plus

LVH posts Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson co-favorites to win at Bristol

Kyle Busch is as good as it gets at Bristol with 5 career wins

Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch have been posted as 5-to-1 co-favorites by the LVH SuperBook to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the fastest half-mile track in the world.

As if the tension wasn’t great enough for a few drivers vying for one of the remaining 11 spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, now they get placed in gridlock -- bumper to bumper -- for 500 laps, and inevitably tempers flare. With only three races to go until NASCAR’s version of the playoffs begin, this race will be about who keeps their cool, and who is willing to go all-out and ruffle some feathers to gain every position possible.

Johnson is the only driver to have clinched a postseason berth thus far, and it’s a bit surprising to see him at the top of the oddsboard along with Bristol heavyweight Kyle Busch. But perhaps Johnson’s short odds are more a matter of him being one of the few guys who has nothing to lose, but everything to gain. He’s only won once at Bristol (2010) in 23 career starts, but he can further separate himself from Matt Kenseth, who also has four wins on the season, by gaining Chase bonus points with a win.

As for Kyle Busch, he falls into a long line of NASCAR greats who have dominated Bristol. Twelve drivers have won back-to-back races at Bristol, and he’s done it twice. Overall, he has five wins with a 9.8 average finish in 17 starts, but he hasn’t won there in his past four attempts. In the first race held there this season on March 17, Busch led twice for 56 laps before settling for second behind Kasey Kahne.

Kahne, Kenseth and Brad Keselowski all come in at 8-to-1 odds this week. Kahne had some rough outings at Bristol early in his career under the old, one-groove layout of the track, but has been very good lately with finishes of 11th or better in his past six starts, including his first win there in the spring.

Kenseth is a two-time winner, the last coming in 2006, but has had two poor finishes in a row there. In his final Bristol attempt with Roush-Fenway last season, he was 25th, and in his first outing with Joe Gibbs Racing, he was 35th. But in the March race, he ran very well, leading 85 laps in the middle of the race before getting tangled up with Jeff Gordon in an accident with 98 laps remaining.

Keselowski was the 12th driver to win back-to-back races at Bristol, doing so in the fall of 2011 and spring of 2012. He has the perfect attitude it takes to be successful at Bristol like all the greats before him, and while he has to be careful of his points status right now because of not having any wins on the season, he’s not the type of driver to back down when the moment presents itself. Of all the drivers trying to maintain a good finish position for their Chase chances -- drivers who should be playing it safe -- Keselowski would be the one we could see mixing it up late with little regard for points. He finished third in the spring race.

Clint Bowyer comes in next at 10-to-1 odds, and while he’s never won at Bristol -- nor does he have a win on the season -- he’s been very consistent at Thunder Valley. He’s finished seventh or better in his last three starts, including fifth in the spring race.

Kurt Busch has been flying up the standings, all the way to ninth, but is still searching for his first win of the season. He has 11 top-10 finishes on the season and has finished third in two of his last three starts. In the first Bristol race, he finished fourth, which wasn't surprising considering he’s a five-time winner and one of the 12 drivers in history to win back-to-back events (2003). His last win there came in 2006, but his current form and past success make it easy to see why he’s 12-to-1 this week.

Although out of the Chase this season, Denny Hamlin is a driver to take serious notice of this week at 15-to-1 odds. He doesn’t have to worry about anything and can race as hard as he wants to. He won this race last season and led twice for 117 laps before settling for 23rd in the spring.

Part of the reason Hamlin had to miss five races this season is because of what occurred in that Bristol race when Hamlin intentionally punted Joey Logano. The two former teammates got into a heated exchange after the race -- much to the delight of the crowd -- and it carried over into the next race at Fontana, where Logano retaliated at speeds much higher than Bristol, resulting in Hamlin hitting the wall violently, injuring his back and effectively ruining his season. A win here could salvage at least something in 2013 for Hamlin.

Read More Here.......LVH Super Book Bristol Odds to Win

Clint Bowyer on Bristol: 'It's just one of my favorite tracks - it always has been'

Clint Bowyer was fifth in the spring; he's 10/1 this week

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry driver Clint Bowyer heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for this weekend’s 500-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup race with a 113 point lead over 11th place in the championship standings with three races remaining before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Bowyer needs to finish 12th or better with no laps led, 13th or better with one lap led or 14th or better with the most laps led Saturday to clinch a berth in the NASCAR playoff. The Emporia, Kan. native has never finished outside the top-10 at Bristol since joining MWR in 2012. Bowyer also finished in the top-five in two of the last three race scoring the most points of any driver.

BRISTOL: “It’s just one of my favorite racetracks – it always has been. Whether you get caught up in something or not, whether you get a bad finish or a good finish – it’s just a coliseum. There is no better way of displaying our product of racing then they do it at Bristol. Period. It’s the best you can ever have of our kind of car racing – on a short track in that bull ring like that. For a fan you don’t get a better bang for your buck anywhere.”

DO YOU LIKE WHERE BRISTOL IS ON THE SCHEDULE: “It’s a game changer. Everybody can complain about the schedule, and there is definitely it seems like places on the schedule where you might like to see some change, but every time you take something out it takes away from somewhere else. Certainly if you put a Bristol in the Chase to try and shake things up then you don’t have that race leading in to the cutoff. This is typically kind of a down time of the year for us and it’s not right now. The race for the Chase is on in a big way and could be shook up in an even bigger way at Bristol.”

ON POTENTIALLY CLINCHING A CHASE BERTH: “Right now it’s nothing more than a little bit of a pat on the back for being able to accomplish the consistency it takes to run up front during the regular season. In a few weeks’ time the points are going to reset and it’s not going to matter where I am in the standings at that point.”

NOTES:

Chasing the Chase: The No. 15 team is in second place with a 113 point lead over 11th place in the Sprint Cup Series championship standings with three races remaining before the Chase for the Sprint Cup cutoff following Richmond. He’ll clinch a top-10 spot by finishing 12th or better, or 13th and at least one lap, or 14th and most laps led. 

Walgreen’s Appearance: Bowyer will sign autographs at Walgreen’s, 2340 Highway 394 in Blountville, Tenn., on Thursday at 3 p.m. 

Testing: Bowyer, along with MWR teammate Martin Truex Jr. and test driver AJ Allmendinger, tested at Richmond International Raceway on Tuesday and Wednesday as the first of their four NASCAR allowed test dates. 

Let’s Go Streaking! Since joining MWR, Bowyer has three straight top-10 finishes at Bristol, including two top-fives. He has finished sixth or better in the last two weeks, including a fifth place finish at MIS. Bowyer has finished 20th or better in every race since Fontana – a streak of 18 races. The next longest top-20 streak by any other driver is 13 by Kevin Harvick. 

Chassis: Primary chassis 773 finished eighth at Charlotte in May. Backup chassis No. 727 has served as a backup several races in 2013, but not raced. 

Teammate News: MWR announced on Monday that Brian Vickers will drive the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine in 12 of the final 13 races of 2013. Michael Waltrip will drive the No. 55 at Talladega Superspeedway. Vickers also will drive the No. 55 in all 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2014 and again in 2015.

- Michael Waltrip Racing

Greg Biffle on Bristol: 'We always have good runs at that track'

Greg Biffle is 25/1 to win this week at Bristol

Greg Biffle 
Team: No. 16 3M / Bondo Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Matt Puccia
Primary Chassis: RK-822 Last ran Martinsville – finished 9th
Backup Chassis: RK-803 Last ran Bristol – finished 11th

ADVANCE NOTES

Biffle at Bristol:   
Biffle has 21 Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol, earning six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He has an average starting position of 13.4 and finishing position of 12.1 at the short track.

Last Time at Bristol
Greg Biffle made short-track racing at Bristol Motor Speedway look easy as he worked his way from 28th after pitting for damage all the way up inside the top five. The 3M Ford was one of the fastest cars on a long green flag run, but as the race played out with multiple cautions and different pit strategies Biffle lost some ground on the track. Biffle crossed the finish line 11th.

The Car
Chassis RK-822 is the same car Biffle finished ninth with at Martinsville.

Bondo®
The Bondo® brand has been there for you for over sixty years, tackling your toughest repairs and restorations. Whether you have a ding or dent in your car, rock scrape on your boat, or the many cracks in your home, trust the Bondo® brand to have the right product for the repair.

Biffle on Bristol:
“I’m really looking forward to Bristol this weekend. We always have good runs at that race track. You race right up against the fence, as fast as you can go. Saturday night under the lights, where else would you want to be except Bristol, Tennessee.”

Puccia on Bristol:
“Bristol is a very challenging track, you need to have a good car to stay up front and stay on the lead lap. We’ve had a lot of success there in the past, but it can sneak up and bite you in a heartbeat. There are 500 laps in which we need to keep the car in one piece. I’m sure there will be lots of Bondo used after the race for repairs, just hopefully not on our car.”

- Roush Fenway Racing

Kyle Busch shooting for another Triple at Bristol this week

Kyle Busch has five Cup wins at Bristol; he's 5/1 this week

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 20, 2013) – In basketball, a triple-double is the accumulation of a double-digit totals in three of the five statistical categories in a game. The most common triple-double combination is double-digit points, rebounds, and assists.

When it comes to NASCAR, Kyle Busch has single-handedly made doubles and triples a household racing term.

The driver of the No. 18 Doublemint® Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has swept the weekend of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series races at several tracks – a total of nine times, to be exact. But by far his biggest sweep came in 2010 at the .533-mile high-banked bullring known as Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, where he posted the first “triple’ in NASCAR history by winning the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series races that week.

Busch’s record still stands, and he’ll shoot for another “triple” this weekend at Bristol, armed with a “double” as the iconic chewing gum brand Doublemint will support his Sprint Cup machine in Saturday night’s Irwin Tools night race.

Busch has five Sprint Cup wins altogether at Bristol while also recording eight top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 17 career Sprint Cup starts in northeast Tennessee’s “Thunder Valley.”

While he’s a factor anytime he makes a trip to Bristol, it’s interesting to note Busch didn’t immediately take to the place. During his rookie year in 2005, he posted finishes of 28th and 33rd. But Busch’s record in his last 15 starts at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” has been nothing short of amazing. After bringing home finishes of eighth and second in 2006, Busch captured his first Bristol Sprint Cup win in March 2007. The track was resurfaced after that race and, since then, nobody has been better at the concrete short track than Busch. He has added four more wins and a total of nine top-10s in the last 12 Sprint Cup races contested at Bristol.

This weekend’s event will mark the third of four races in 2013 that Doublemint will serve as primary sponsor for Busch. The brand’s mint paint scheme will also adorn Busch’s No. 18 Toyota during the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., next month.

After finishing in the runner-up spot at Bristol in March, it’s a safe bet Busch will again be in contention for his sixth career Sprint Cup win at Bristol, and thus, he’ll hope to have his broom handy yet again after adding another triple-double to his already gaudy numbers at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

What makes you so good at Bristol Motor Speedway?
“I’m not exactly sure what makes me so good at Bristol. I’ve just had a lot of success there, but I’ve also had some misfortune there, too. Ever since I got through my rookie year, I’ve just taken a liking to the place. Of course, I’ve been able to get some help from my brother (Kurt). He’s always been really, really good there. But, when they changed the track to this current surface in 2007, I just really took to it right away. I really liked it and I’ve been fast there, but also I’ve had great racecars from Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s just a fun racetrack no matter what series I’m running there. You really have to be on your game because, you make one mistake, or someone else makes one mistake, that’s it. We’re hoping things will fall in place this weekend with our Doublemint Camry and we get to victory lane.”

What is your most memorable experience at Bristol?
“The one that stands out the most for me is August 2010 – being able to do the sweep. We won the Truck race on Wednesday night, backed it up with the Nationwide race Friday and took home the Cup race on Saturday night.”

What is the most challenging aspect of Bristol?
“I think the most challenging aspect of Bristol is just how difficult it is to transition through from the straightaways to the corners, back to the straightaways and have your car set up in order to do all that. Sometimes you can be really loose getting in, or you can be really tight in the middle – you just seem to never be able to get a good-flowing car that works well there. Drivers have to do a lot of manipulation with the racetrack with their car in order to try to make the best of it.”

After all the race wins at Bristol, what did it mean to earn your first Sprint Cup pole there back in March?
“Certainly starting up front there at Bristol can mean good things, but it doesn’t always work that way. I’ve won plenty of races there starting at the back. We thought we would have a shot for the pole back in March, but we thought that many times there before and we’ve ended up 30th or something. We backed up our practice time, which was good, and the car felt great during the lap. The track is getting a little bit of age on it so it’s getting a little bit rougher and that’s about all that we felt different from what we’ve had here in past years. In the race, we probably had a sixth-place car and we fought our way to second place in March. Hopefully, we can bring a winning car this time and fix some of the tight-handling issues we had there in the spring race.”

How have you figured out the best way to get around Bristol Motor Speedway?
“It has just kind of really worked well together. It’s a fun place that you like going to. You enjoy the race around there. We grew up at the ‘Bullring’ (in Las Vegas) and stuff like that. They aren’t as banked as Bristol is, but I love going and racing at Winchester (Indiana) and at Slinger (Wisconsin), Salem (Indiana) – those are all really high-banked racetracks that are a half-mile in distance, or a quarter. They’re really fun to race around and you kind of get a great feel for racing in a bowl. You go down the straightaway and you slam it into the corners and you mash the gas and you kind of sling right back out of the corners. It’s a lot of fun to do that. It’s kind of an art. Some guys are really good at it, and some find a knack that makes them really good at it and makes it seem easy.”

What makes Bristol Motor Speedway so unique and a place that fans love?
“Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the best racetracks on the circuit. All the fans love it because of the excitement, the run-ins, and the close-quarter action with all the cars being packed on top of one another at a half-mile racetrack with us 43 lunatics running around in a tight circle. With the fans, the atmosphere there always makes for a good time.”

- True Speed Communications for Kyle Busch Motorsports

Matt Kenseth on Bristol Night Race: 'It seems like the racing is more intense for the night race'

Matt Kenseth led 85 laps in spring Bristol race, but finished 35th

Matt Kenseth/No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Preview
IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

No. 20 Dollar General Toyota News and Notes:

KENSETH TIME: This week Citizen Eco-Drive introduces the Matt Kenseth Limited Edition Primo. Each box set features interchangeable genuine leather straps and a unique case back with the signature and racing number of Matt Kenseth, two-time DAYTONA 500® Champion and Citizen Eco-Drive Ambassador. Red accents on the watch are complemented by a checkered flag pattern on the back of the strap and etched on the case. Production limited to 5,000 pieces. For more information go to www.citizenwatch.com.

IT’S BRISTOL BABY: In 27 Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kenseth has completed 13,101 of 13,513 laps (97.0 percent). Kenseth ranks fifth of active series drivers for laps led at Bristol with a total of 1,007 laps. Kenseth has an average starting position of 16.8 and ranks 7th of active Sprint Cup Series drivers with an average finish of 12.9. Victories in both 2005 and 2006 mark Kenseth’s best finishes at the half-mile high-banked track.

THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 DOLLAR GENERAL TOYOTA: Dollar General vendor partners Nestle Drumstick, Colgate, Ragu, Sundown Naturals, Glad Trash, Huggies, Slim Jim, Oreo, STP, Mucinex, Maxwell House, Gildan and Alpo will be featured on Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota Camry this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

RACE INFO: The IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol (0.533-mile) begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 24th. The race will be broadcast live on ABC, Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.

From the Cockpit:

Matt Kenseth: ““The first Bristol race is early in the season, it’s during the day and it’s cooler. Then we go back in the middle of the summer and it’s hot and nighttime, so the cars always look faster — you see the sparks flying and all that. It’s a really cool atmosphere I think for a race fan as well as for the teams and drivers as well. The track of course, the way Bristol’s shaped and being later in the year, everybody’s patience is a little thinner. It seems like the racing is more intense for the night race, and Bristol leads to close racing, frustration, and all that kind of stuff that’s fun to watch.”

From the Pit Box:

Jason Ratcliff: “I thought that we were really good in the spring race but obviously we got caught up in that deal with the No. 24. I felt like we had a strong car though that was capable of contending for the win otherwise. You never know about Bristol though because things can change so quickly there. We’re excited about going back there and I feel like we need to hit the reset button after this last stretch of big tracks we’ve been at, so I feel that this weekend will be good. I think even though it’s such a competitive weekend, I think this will be a breath of fresh air if we can be as competitive as we were earlier this year.”

- Joe Gibbs Racing

Bristol Preview: 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race

The kid at Bristol has a point!

While the final 10-race Chase for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Championship is supposed to be the most thrilling portion on the season, I think most fans agree that the Race to the Chase were seeing right now is far more intense, simply because there are so many interchangeable variables and storylines each week involving several drivers rather than just the final two or three in the final weeks of the season.

There are only three weeks remaining until the Chase starts and only 12 drivers will make it -- Jimmie Johnson is only driver to clinch, but right now we have 14 legitimate drivers all vying for the final 11 spots, and each week something happens to drastically change the stage. Drivers with no wins who are inside the top-10 with no wins, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch are feeling the pressure of trying to continually run well, while drivers outside the top-10 like Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman have an interesting dilemma in front of them.

Truex Jr., sits in 12th position and would get the wild card based on his one win if the season ended today, but he’s got Logano breathing down his neck -- only seven points behind -- and a win in his back pocket that he captured last week at Michigan. Newman is only 17 points behind and also has a win. If either of those drivers can win one in the final three races, they’ll likely secure one of the wild card spots with two wins on the season. But in going for the win, there is a risk. Go all out and sometimes things can turn for the worse, such as wrecking and sliding down in points.

As for Gordon, he slid another position in the standings to 14th and if he doesn’t win at least one race, he’ll have to make up at least 27 points over the next three to pass Greg Biffle who sits in 10th with one win. Gordon’s in a situation where he has to be as aggressive as ever and go all out and let things fall where they may. He raced himself into the Chase last season with a succession of brilliant finishes in the final three races before the Chase with a third-place and two runner-up finishes. After finishing second at Pocono a few weeks ago, he’s come up with poor finishes of 36th at Watkins Glen and 17th at Michigan and he‘ll need something similar to last season, and maybe even better, to have a chance.

This Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway’s half-mile fast track should turn up the heat on all the drivers competing for their playoff lives. In addition to already feeling the heat from the standings, they’ll also feel the wrath from irritated drivers who have to spend 500 laps tightly bunched up with one another. With so many drivers competing for every position they can, there are bound to be plenty of hurt feelings when they are wronged by a fellow driver, and that’s when the real drama begins, because the anticipation of seeing the retaliation is what makes Bristol so fun for the fans.

Read More Here.........Top-5 Finish Prediction

Bristol Track Facts: 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2012 Top 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway

	Driver	Races	Poles	Wins	Top Fives	Top 10s	DNFs	Average Finish	Driver Rating
1	Jimmie Johnson	23	1	1	7	13	1	14.3	93.8
2	Clint Bowyer	15	0	0	5	8	2	16.2	82.6
3	Carl Edwards	18	2	2	4	7	1	14.6	86.5
4	Kevin Harvick	25	0	1	9	12	2	12.6	90.3
5	Kyle Busch	17	1	5	8	12	0	9.8	103.0
6	Matt Kenseth	27	1	2	10	17	4	12.9	99.9
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	27	0	1	7	13	1	11.6	87.9
8	Brad Keselowski	7	0	2	3	3	0	12.1	99.0
9	Kurt Busch	25	1	5	7	14	2	13.4	92.8
10	Greg Biffle	21	1	0	6	11	1	12.1	95.8
11	Kasey Kahne	19	1	1	4	8	3	18.2	86.8
12	Martin Truex Jr.	15	0	0	2	2	1	18.3	82.4

* – Based on last 17 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2013 Wild Card Standings Following Michigan

Pos	Driver	Wins	Pts Pos	Points	Pts From 10th	Starts	Poles	T5s	T10s	DNFs
1	Kasey Kahne	2	11	659	-4	23	0	7	10	3
2	Martin Truex Jr.	1	12	653	-10	23	0	5	9	2
3	Joey Logano	1	13	646	-17	23	1	6	12	2
4	Ryan Newman	1	15	636	-27	23	1	4	10	5
5	Tony Stewart	1	18	594	-69	21	0	5	8	0
6	Jeff Gordon	0	14	637	-26	23	0	5	9	5
7	Jamie McMurray	0	16	622	-41	23	1	1	5	0
8	Paul Menard	0	17	599	-64	23	0	1	5	1
9	Aric Almirola	0	19	587	-76	23	0	1	5	4
10	Jeff Burton	0	20	561	-102	23	0	2	5	2
11	David Ragan	1	26	420	-243	23	0	1	1	3

The top-10 drivers will make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.  Positions 11 and 12 in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are Wild Cards, and will go to drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, as long as they are ranked in the top 20 in points. If multiple drivers outside the top 10 tie for wins, the tie-breaker will go to the race winner with the highest points position.

Bristol Motor Speedway Data

Season Race #: 4 of 36 (03-17-13)

Track Size: 0.533-miles

Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24-28 degrees

Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24-28 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 4-8 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  650 feet

Backstretch Length:  650 feet

Race Length: 500 laps / 266.5 miles

Top 12 Driver Ratings at Bristol

Kyle Busch.............................. 103.0

Jeff Gordon............................. 100.6

Matt Kenseth............................ 99.9

Brad Keselowski...................... 99.0

Greg Biffle................................ 95.8

Jimmie Johnson....................... 93.8

Kurt Busch............................... 92.8

Denny Hamlin.......................... 90.8

Kevin Harvick........................... 90.3

Dale Earnhardt Jr..................... 87.9

Kasey Kahne............................ 86.8

Ryan Newman.......................... 86.7

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: None due to weather

2012 race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 84.402 mph, (3:09:27), 08-25-12

Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch, Toyota, 129.535 mph, 14.813 secs. 03-15-13

Track race record: Charlie Glotzbach, Chevrolet, 101.074 mph, (2:38:12), 07-11-71

Thunder Valley always produces fun, even with Charlie Daniels

At Bristol Motor Speedway:

History

·       Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.

·       First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961; Jack Smith won the event (with relief from Johnny Allen).

·       In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.

·       The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.

·       The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.

·       The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.

·       The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.

·       The track was resurfaced between races in 2007, and the turns were ground down last season to eliminate part of the progressive banking.

Notebook

·       There have been 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway since the first race in 1961, two races each season.

·       All races have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400 laps.

·       422 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol; 294 in more than one.

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Bristol with 60. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 58 starts.

·       Fred Lorenzen won the inaugural Coors Light pole with a speed of 79.225 mph.

·       46 different drivers have poles at Bristol, led by Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough with nine each.  Martin swept both poles at Bristol in 2009.

·       The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole was Carl Edwards, in the night race of 2008.

·       Four drivers have won from the pole position more than once: Bobby Allison (1972 twice), Cale Yarborough(1973, 1977 twice, 1980), Darrell Waltrip (1981 twice, 1982) and Rusty Wallace (1991, 1993, 1999, 2000).

·     10 different drivers have posted consecutive poles at Bristol Motor Speedway; Mark Martin is the only of the 10 to win four consecutive poles at Bristol: Fireball Roberts (swept 1962), Fred Lorenzen (swept 1963), Richard Petty (1967-’68), Bobby Allison (swept 1972), Cale Yarborough (swept 1973; swept 1977; swept 1980),Darrell Waltrip (swept 1981), Geoff Bodine (swept 1986), Mark Martin (swept 1995-1996– all four races; and swept 2009); Rusty Wallace (swept 1998) and Jeff Gordon (swept 2002).

·       Jeff Gordon leads (active drivers) the series in average starting position at Bristol with a 6.876. 

·       Youngest Bristol pole winner: Joey Logano (3/21/2010 – 19 years, 9 months, 25 days) – his first series career pole.

·       Oldest Bristol pole winner: Harry Gant (8/27/1994 – 54 years, 7 months, 17 days).

·       41 different drivers have won at Bristol, led by Darrell Waltrip (12). Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Buscheach have five wins, the most among active drivers.

·       Junior Johnson leads the series in car owner wins at Bristol with 16; Rick Hendrick, Roger Penske and Jack Roush are tied among active car owners for the most wins at Bristol with 10 each.

·       12 drivers have won consecutive races at Bristol led by Darrell Waltrip with seven consecutive victories from 1981-1984. The other 11 are Fred Lorenzen (1963-1964 sweep), David Pearson (1968 sweep), Bobby Allison(1972 sweep), Cale Yarborough did it twice (1974 sweep and four straight from 1976-1977), Richard Petty(1975 sweep), Dale Earnhardt also did twice (1985 sweep and 1987 sweep), Alan Kulwicki (1992 sweep),Rusty Wallace (2000 sweep), Kurt Busch (2003 sweep and 2004 spring race), Kyle Busch (2009 sweep), andBrad Keselowski (2011 fall-2012 spring).

·       Youngest Bristol winner: Kyle Busch (3/25/2007 – 21 years, 10 months, 23 days).

·       Oldest Bristol winner: Dale Earnhardt (8/28/1999 – 48 years, 3 months, 30 days).

·       Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Bristol; led by Chevrolet with 43 victories; followed byFord with 33. Toyota is ranked fifth among Manufacturers with five wins at Bristol.

·       84 of the 105 (80%) races have been won from a top-10 starting position; including 53 from the first four spots.

·       35 of the 105 (33.3%) races at Bristol have been won from the front row: Pole position (22 wins); second-place (13 wins).

·       Five of the 105 (4.7%) races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

·       The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 38th, by Elliott Sadler; in 2001.

·     Mark Martin leads the series (among active drivers) in runner-up finishes at Bristol with six; followed by Kevin Harvick and erry Labonte with four.

·     Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty lead the series in top-five finishes at Bristol with 26 each. Terry Labonteleads the series among active drivers with 19 followed by Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin (16).

·    Richard Petty has 37 top-10 finishes, more than any other driver. Terry Labonte leads the series among active drivers in top-10 finishes with 33; followed by Mark Martin with 23 and Jeff Gordon with 22.

·       Kyle Busch leads the series (active drivers) in average finish at Bristol with a 9.824.

·       Six of the last eight races have ended with a Margin of Victory of less than a second.   

·   There has been three green-white-checkered finishes at Bristol – all three were the spring race: 2007 (500/504); 2008 (500/506); 2009 (500/503).

·     Two of the 105 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Bristol Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the event on 3/31/1996. 

·      Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway three times; most recently this event last season.    

·       Kurt Busch posted his first series career win at Bristol (2002), and Joey Logano won his first pole at Bristol (2010).

·       All 15 active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Bristol Motor Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane – among the active winners Kurt Busch won in the fewest starts (third) at Bristol.

·       Jeff Burton competed at Bristol Motor Speedway 28 times before winning (2008 spring race); the longest span of any the 15 active winners. Burton is the only active driver to have made 20 or more attempts before his first win at BMS. Kasey Kahne, who won earlier this season made 18 previous starts before his win at BMS.

·     Bobby Labonte leads the series (active drivers) with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Bristol without visiting Victory Lane with 41.

·    Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol was the 3/25/2007 race won by Kyle Busch with a MOV of 0.064 second.

·       Two female drivers have made NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Bristol: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.

Driver	Starting Position	Finishing Position	Date
Janet Guthrie	21	11	4/17/1977
Janet Guthrie	9	6	8/28/1977
Danica Patrick	43	29	8/25/2012
Danica Patrick	41	28	3/17/2013

·       Four car numbers have produced eight or more Bristol NSCS wins:

Car Number – (Number of Wins) – Most Recent Win

o   No. 11  - (19 wins) – Denny Hamlin, 2012

o   No. 2 – (12 wins) – Brad Keselowski, 2012

o   No. 17 – (eight wins) – Matt Kenseth, 2006

o   No. 3 – (eight wins) – Dale Earnhardt, 1999

NASCAR in Tennessee

·       There have been 166 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Tennessee.

Track Name	City	NSCS
Bristol Motor Speedway	Bristol	105
Nashville Speedway	Lebanon	42
Smokey Mountain Raceway	Maryville	12
Kingsport Speedway	Kingsport	3
Chattanooga International Raceway	Chattanooga	2
Tennessee-Carolina Speedway	Newport	2

·       103 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Tennessee.

·       14 drivers from Tennessee have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series.

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Darrell Waltrip	84	13	0
Sterling Marlin	10	2	0
Bobby Hamilton	4	1	10
Joe Lee Johnson	2	0	0
Trevor Bayne	1	2	0
Paul Lewis	1	0	0
Bobby Hamilton Jr	0	5	0
Jeff Purvis	0	4	0
L.D. Ottinger	0	3	0
Mike Alexander	0	2	0
Casey Atwood	0	2	0
Brad Teague	0	1	0
Chad Chaffin	0	0	2
John King	0	0	1