The NASCAR Sprint Cup series will again go short trackin’ this week at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer.
The Bristol Motor Speedway is called “The Last Great Colosseum.” When you think of a Colosseum you likely think of gladiators and epic battles to win. That would be an accurate picture of what can and often happens in the Sprint Cup series races at Bristol.
The teams will need to have the cars handling well for their drivers to have a shot at winning. The drivers will need to have their fenders and tempers in check to be in the race at the end for a chance to win.
You could park three to four cars side-by-side on the track. However, when the cars are running 100mph plus, there really is only room for two wide racing on the track. If a driver loses control of the car it can slide into another car or the wall. The cars behind that driver will have little time to react to avoid the wreck. That situation can also create an accordion effect where cars get into the back of each other.
If a slower car is slowing a driver down and doesn’t make room for the pass the faster car will eventually use the bumper to make room. If a car tries to fit into a gap that isn’t quite big enough or misjudges the distance to another car, a wreck could result that leaves fenders and tempers bent out of shape. When this happens there is the likely retaliation effect that is activated.
Let’s take a look at the top ten drivers in the Sprint Cup series with the best driver rating at the 0.533 mile Bristol Motor Speedway.
#1 – Matt Kenseth – 103.4 driver rating – 3 wins
#2 – Jeff Gordon – 99.9 driver rating – 5 wins
#3 – Brad Keselowski – 98.6 driver rating – 2 wins
#4 – Greg Biffle – 93.5 driver rating – 0 wins
#5 – Jimmie Johnson – 91.9 driver rating – 1 win
#6 – Kevin Harvick – 91.6 driver rating – 1 win
#7 – Kurt Busch – 91.6 driver rating – 5 wins
#8 – Kyle Larson – 91.6 driver rating – 0 wins
#9 – Denny Hamlin – 90.1 driver rating – 1 win
#10 – Carl Edwards – 89.9 driver rating – 3 wins
Looking at the driver ratings above you would have to give the edge to both Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon as the favorites to win the race. While both drivers have had their struggles so far this season, either of them could find that sweet spot at the track where they have historically done so well.
I will also be watching Carl Edwards closely for this race. Carl is the defending winner of the race from 2014. He has done well in his first year with his new team, but has been unable to grab that first victory with them. This could be the week where it all gels to perfection to get that first win for 2015 with his new team.
Kurt Busch is also doing very well since his reinstatement to driving by NASCAR. Having won at Bristol five times, you know the outlaw is looking at this week’s race as a chance to get his first 2015 win and make a statement that he is back in full by grabbing the win.
Of course, when NASCAR goes short trackin’ there are things that can happen to completely change the perspective who can win the race. That means that a driver at the top of the driver rating list can quickly be out of the race and a driver at the bottom of the driver rating list can find themselves in position to win the race.
We will all have to see how the battle of NASCAR gladiators plays out Sunday, April 19th when the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer gets under way starting at 12 noon central time live from Bristol Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
