Bristol Motor Speedway - Irwin Tools (News & Notes)

[HacheMan]

The Night Race at Bristol
The NASCAR Sprint Cup makes its next stop at Bristol Motor Speedway's half-mile coliseum for the IRWIN Tools Night Race. We looked at past performances, season trends, and spoke to team contacts to give the internet's best prediction of how the field should finish.


When: Saturday, August 21; 7:30 p.m./et.


Weather: Isolated thunderstorms with a high around 86; wind out of the SW at 6 mph. Chance of precipitation 30%.


The Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway is a half-mile oval with high-banking the entire way around. The corners are banked 36 degrees with 16 degree banking on the straight-aways. This is a track where very few drivers have been able to dominate. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon have all had decent success at the track, but that status can change with one nudge to the left-rear bumper.


Key to Race: DON'T BRING YOUR BEST CAR

The Bullring in Bristol has been described a flying an airplane in a gymnasium. There will be no cars that escape Saturday's race without at least a little sheet metal damage. The Night Race is one of the most entertaining on the circuit for fans and frustrating for drivers. Expect tempers to flare as the cars bump and bang. The driver that wins the race will be the one with the best set of pit stops and the most luck.


Qualifying Procedures:

50 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by qualifying on Friday, August 20 at 5:40 pm/et. Cars in the top 35 in owner's points are guaranteed a spot in the race.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has won five races at Bristol during his career and was awesome at the track in March. He is still a strong option.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Rowdy has had one of the top cars the past four races at Bristol. There is a good chance he can take the checkers again on Saturday.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards won two of the last three night races at Bristol and has placed in the top 16 the past nine races at the track. He is a great pick.
No. 14 Tony Stewart: Stewart has led 770 laps in the past nine races at Bristol. He should be strong once again this weekend.
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson had one of the fastest cars in the past three Bristol races and won at the track earlier this year. He will be tough to beat.


6 to 10

No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has five wins and has led nearly 2,400 laps at Bristol during his career. He should be in the top 10 once again on Saturday.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has 11 top 10 finishes in 19 career races at Bristol. RCR has been terrific this year and Harvick is again a driver to consider.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has 13 top 10 finishes in 21 career starts and has led 539 laps during the last 10 races at the track. He is a great option on Saturday.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has led 282 laps in the past seven races at Bristol. He should have the No. 11 inside the top 10 when the dust settles.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle has nine top 10 finishes in 15 career starts at Bristol. He is a very good fantasy option.


11 to 20

No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has been very successful at Bristol in his career. In his last 18 starts at the track he has finished 17th or better in 16 of them. Look for him to finish just outside the top 10.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton won the 2008 spring race at Bristol and has been fast at the track lately. He will be fighting for another top 10 finish this weekend.
No. 33 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has cracked the top 10 in four of his last seven starts at the Bristol. He should finish near the top 10 once again.
No. 5 Mark Martin: Martin has averaged a 14th place finish during his 42 career starts at Bristol, but we suspect at this point in his career he would rather skip the track. He isn't a top option.
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne was hit-or-miss at Bristol last year. He should just miss the top 15 this weekend.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya has cracked the top 20 in four of his past six Bristol starts. We like his chances to do it again on Saturday.
No. 39 Ryan Newman: Newman has six finishes in the top 10, one in the teens, and four finishes in the 30s during his last 11 races at Bristol. His inconsistency makes him a bit of a risky play.
No. 12 Brad Keselowski: Keselowski ran great in his first Cup start at Bristol. He is worth using in all leagues.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann was impressive at Bristol last year, but had some engine trouble in March. He is a solid choice as a third or fourth driver in any league.
No. 20 Joey Logano: Logano has struggled at Bristol so far in his career. He will be better this trip to the "Bullring".


21 to 30

No. 1 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has finished outside the top 20 in seven of the last 11 races at Bristol. We don't recommend using him as much more than a fourth or fifth fantasy driver this weekend.
No. 56 Martin Truex Jr.: Truex Jr has averaged a 23rd place finish at Bristol during his career. The success he had at the track while in the Nationwide Series has been slow to carry over. We like other drivers much better this weekend.
No. 43 A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger has just two top 30 finishes at Bristol in his career. His lack of success at the track bumps him from our top 20.
No. 98 Paul Menard: Menard has cracked the top 25 in five of the last six Bristol races. He should do it again this weekend.
No. 47 Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose wasn't been intimidated by Bristol last year, but he was terrible this March. The Terrific Tasmanian should finish just outside the top 20 this visit to the Volunteer State.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler has struggled at Bristol lately. This isn't the weekend to use him.
No. 82 Scott Speed: Speed has averaged a 24th place finish at Bristol so far in his career. He will finish right around his average.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan continues to struggle at Bristol. He isn't a fantasy option this weekend.
No. 83 Reed Sorenson: Bristol is a track that Sorenson wishes NASCAR would skip. We recommend saving him for another weekend.
No. 78 Regan Smith: Smith has averaged a top 25 finish at Bristol. He won't be nearly that fast on Saturday.


31 to 35

No. 09 Bobby Labonte: Labonte's average finish at Bristol during his career is 19th. He won't match that finish this weekend.
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon has finished in the top 35 in six of the last eight Bristol races. We expect he will be fast enough to accomplish that again this weekend.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. will continue to struggle to crack the top 30 at Bristol.
No. 34 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil has cracked the top 35 in every race, but one so far this year. He should keep the streak alive on Sunday.
No. 37 David Gilliland: Gilliland is the best option of the remaining 16 drivers. That isn't saying much.


Field Fillers

No. 46 J.J. Yeley
No. 71 Landon Cassill
No. 66 Scott Riggs
No. 55 Michael McDowell
No. 13 Max Papis
No. 36 Casey Mears
No. 87 Joe Nemechek
No. 26 TBD
No. 07 TBD
No. 92 Brian Keselowski
No. 64 Todd Bodine
No. 38 Tony Raines
No. 35 Jeff Green
No. 32 Mike Bliss
No. 4 Kevin Lepage


Brownie's Picks

Top Four:

1. Kurt Busch
2. Kyle Busch
3. Carl Edwards
4. Tony Stewart

Sleepers:

1. Marcos Ambrose
2. Brad Keselowski

Bust of the Week:

Mark Martin

 

[rolltide]

ESPN mentioned today that 29/32 Bristol night races have been won from starters inside the top 15

should help us narrow down the winner...

OrderDriver (No.)CarQualifying Speed1Jimmie Johnson (48)Chevrolet123.4752Carl Edwards (99)Ford122.9373Joey Logano (20)Toyota122.7644Tony Stewart (14)Chevrolet122.5845David Reutimann (00)Toyota122.4976Ryan Newman (39)Chevrolet122.3727Jamie McMurray (1)Chevrolet122.2878Juan Pablo Montoya (42)Chevrolet122.2489Martin Truex Jr. (56)Toyota122.17810A J Allmendinger (43)Ford122.15411Kasey Kahne (9)Ford122.13112Paul Menard (98)Ford122.13113Mark Martin (5)Chevrolet122.02214Matt Kenseth (17)Ford121.99915Brad Keselowski (12)Dodge121.999

 

[HacheMan]

Bristol:Irwin Tools Night Race
Track history: Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) was built after Larry Carrier and Carl Moore saw a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960. They wanted to build a smaller version of CMS in Tennessee and decided on a half-mile oval. Work began on a former dairy farm in 1960 and a year later the speedway was born with 22 degree banking in the turns. 18,000 fans attended the first NASCAR race at BMS in 1961. The track was reshaped in 1969 with the turns banked at 36 degrees. After the reshaping it became a 0.533-mile oval.

In August of 1992 the track was resurfaced from the original asphalt to become the first speedway to host a NASCAR Cup event on a concrete surface. In March 2007, right after the Food City 500, a multimillion-dollar project of removing and replacing the concrete racing surface, asphalt apron, pit road and all the retaining walls around the track was started. Conditions do not change during a race because concrete isn't as sensitive to weather changes like an asphalt paved track. Since the straightaways are only 650 feet long on the 0.533-mile oval, the drivers are constantly braking, turning and accelerating which makes for a demanding race. The key to passing at Bristol is to be at the bottom in the turns and getting a good run off the corners. That's why shocks, springs and brakes are critical in the race setup.

As noted on NASCAR Media's site, Saturday night's event marks the 100th NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol, a run that began on July 30, 1961. Fred Lorenzen won the pole that day and Jack Smith won the race. The first night race was held in the fall of 1978. Thirty-eight different drivers have won at Bristol, led by Tennessee native Darrell Waltrip (12 victories).

July 30, 1961: Fred Lorenzen started the No. 28 Holman-Moody 1961 Ford on the pole for the Volunteer 500, the first Bristol Cup race. He made it through 175 laps of the 500 lap event before losing the rear end and finished 33rd. Jack Smith, who started 12th in his own No. 46 Pontiac, led the most laps (243) and earned $3,025 for the inaugural BMS victory.

August 22, 2009: Mark Martin, for the second consecutive time, qualified the No. 5 Pop-Tarts Chevrolet on the pole at Bristol for the 2009 Sharpie 500. He led the most laps (240 of 500) and did his best to stop Kyle Busch from sweeping the two Bristol Cup races of the season. Martin and Kyle Busch took the white flag on lap 499, side-by-side, but Busch and his No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry crossed the finish line in front.

March 21, 2010: Joey Logano scored his first Cup career pole in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for the 2010 Food City 500. He was passed on the first lap by 2-Kurt Busch and led just 2 laps all race. Logano finished 27th, 5 laps down, after a couple of mishaps, including hitting the wall on lap 472. Light rain brought out the yellow two times. 16-Greg Biffle lost communications with his spotter and, on Lap 343, got into 6-Mark Martin triggering a 13-car pileup. 2-Kurt Busch appeared to be the runaway winner after leading 278 of the 500 lap event but it would be 48-Jimmie Johnson up front at the checkered flag.

Your fantasy game won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-Pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. There were 50 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. Here are our picks for Saturday night's Irwin Tools Night Race in Bristol, Tennessee.

Mid-Pack picks

Brad Keselowski is pulling triple-duty this week at Bristol. On Wednesday night, as an owner/driver, he drove the No. 29 Dodge Ram to a 7th place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O'Reilly 200. Friday night, he'll be running the Food City 250 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series where he has a 347 point lead in the championship standings. He has 7 NNS starts at Bristol with 1 win, 2 poles and an average finish of 10.0 (make that a 4.8 for the last 6 !!). This will be Keselowski's second Cup start at Bristol. In March, he started 36th and wasted no time getting thru the field. He ran in the top 10 for most of the race, led 26 laps and finished 13th. Expect more of the same on Saturday night.

Bristol Motor Speedway is a "personal best" for Dale Earnhardt Jr. when looking at his average finishes. In 21 starts he's averaged an 11.4 finish, had a worst finish of 18th in the last 18 (average 8.3) and he's finished 11th or better in 14 of the last 17 races at BMS. Junior won this event in 2004. NASCAR Media's loop data shows him at the top of their "Green Flag Passes" category. He passed cars 538 times under green flag conditions in the last 11 races at this track. While this has not been a year to remember for the No. 88 driver, and his chances of making the Chase are somewhere between slim and none, we think this is one week you can count on him for a top 15 or better.

In only three Cup starts at Thunder Valley, Marcos Ambrose earned the second highest rank in the loop data "Quality Passes" category. He passed cars 100 times while running in the top 15. Over the last couple of weeks, Ambrose went from possibly heading back to Australia next year to signing a multi-year contract to drive for the King starting in 2011. During those weeks he finished 3rd at The Glen and 15th in Michigan. At BMS, he finished 10th (running on 7 cylinders) in March 2009 and came back to score a 3rd in the August night race. In the first race here this season, he was caught speeding twice in the pits and raced his way back up to the top 5 both times (accounts for a bunch of his Quality Passes). Unfortunately, he was a victim of the 13-car wreck and limped to a 33rd place finish. This is a good week to put Ambrose on your team.

David Reutimann had finishes of 12th and 17th in the Cup Series at Bristol in 2009. This past March, he was running in 3rd (behind Jimmie Johnson and in front of Jeff Gordon) when his No. 00 dropped a cylinder. He was done for the day and placed 38th. He's finished in the top 10 in four of his six Nationwide Series starts and scored an 11th in the August 2009 Bristol event. He drove a truck in three Bristol races; earned one pole award and two top 11's. Coming off a 16th at Michigan, Reutimann is a decent pick for a possible top 15 on Saturday night.