NASCAR Heads to Bristol for Night Race - What to Expect
NASCAR News from ThatsRacin.com
BRISTOL, Tenn. - Has Bristol lost some of its bite? The track notorious for its beating and banging got a new paving job before last year’s August night race. Trucks and Nationwide Series races leading up to the Sharpie 500 were memorable and there was great anticipation for the Sprint Cup race.
Perhaps because those expectations were so high, a lot of folks went home disappointed after that race. There were 10 cautions, but only 12 lead changes among eight drivers in a race dominated by two cars. Kasey Kahne led 305 laps, but wound up second behind Carl Edwards, who led 182 of the other 195.
There were plenty of possible explanations for the new look and feel of what has long been considered one of NASCAR’s most popular events. Saturday night’s running marks the 30th anniversary of the night race at Bristol and will be the track’s 53rd straight Cup ticket sellout.
The most obvious reason was the new track surface, which was smoother than the previous concrete pavement. While being repaved, the contours of the transitions in and out of the turns and the banking in the turns themselves were also altered in an effort to give Bristol a second racing groove…
“There’s probably less bumping now just because you don’t have to bump a guy out of the way to get a position, Edwards said. But I think it’s better racing for sure.
“I don’t enjoy the races where you have to bump somebody out of the way to pass them. That’s not any fun. I don’t think that’s the right way to race. It’s frustrating when that’s the only way you can pass somebody.”
Maybe, however, Bristol has been a bit tamer because it’s taking Cup teams a little while to adjust to driving both on a new surface and with a new race car. The “car of tomorrow” actually made its debut at Bristol in the spring race in 2007, and it was used there again last fall and this spring on the new surface….
Continue reading this story on ThatsRacin.com
Related posts:
- Jimmie Johnson Back in #1 on NASCAR’s Top 40
- Greg Biffle Gets Win; Improves Odds of Winning Chase
- Winning Chase Cup Strategy? Try Winning Races
- Clint Bowyer Hopes for Strong Run in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Chase
- Tony Stewart & Joey Logano Avoid Penalties for JGR Cheating Scandal
- 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Down to 1 Last Race - Who’s In; Who’s Out
- David Stremme to Replace Ryan Newman in #12 Dodge