This place is the "Woodstock of Speed."
Bristol Motor Speedway is a one-of-a-kind racetrack. And it makes every
race here a one-of-a-kind race.
With its grandstands towering high over a
high-banked, half-mile track, a trip to Bristol Motor Speedway leaves
one dazed and confused, with: 1) serious hearing loss (if you don’t wear
earplugs), 2) a sore throat from yelling even the shortest of sentences
to the person next to you and 3) the unmistakable smell of racing
gasoline and tire rubber permeating your clothes.
Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Last race, Sprint Cup teams got the chance to see if their 1.5-mile track setups were good, bad or maybe something in between.
This time, it is the short-track setup that’s under review. And another chance to say, “I won at Bristol.” A win here is a “must-have” on any driver or crew chief’s resume.
Victory at Bristol means you can’t be intimidated by a bit of physical contact like slamming bumpers or rubbing fenders. In fact, the expression “rubbin’ is racin” was probably first said by someone racing here.
2011 Champion Brad Keselowski is good here. He’s won here
twice. The Busch Brothers have five wins apiece, as does four-time
champion Jeff Gordon. There’s a lot to choose from when you’re trying to pick a winner. And then there's Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin would like us all to remember that he was he guy who won
everything at Daytona just about a couple races ago. Then, his team left
Florida and apparently left the handle there as well. Bristol is just
the place for the FedEx team to rebound back into the spotlight.
Bristol is a driver’s track.
Your car doesn't have to be perfect for you
to have a good race. That bodes well for several drivers, including
points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. who has one win here (August 2004).