NASCAR is heading back to the short track as the Sprint Cup series prepares to battle at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Food City 500.
With five drivers having a victory in the 2016 Sprint Cup season and two (Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson) having a pair of wins, the rest of the Sprint Cup drivers will be driving hard to get placed in the “win and you are in” category on the Chase Grid. However, when it comes to NASCAR racing at Bristol hard driving can put you in Victory Lane, but it can also put you in the garage before the end of the race.
The 0.533-mile track is a challenge for drivers, crew members and crew chiefs. The cars have to be able to accelerate well and handle even better for a driver to be able to pass on the track and avoid being the cause of an accident. The unknown factor is that if another car has an issue, there is little room to avoid being collected although your own car is driving and handling well.
Let’s take a look at the active drivers that have the best driver ratings at Bristol.
Top 10 Driver Rating at Bristol Motor Speedway
Matt Kenseth – 102.5
Kyle Busch – 101.3
Brad Keselowski – 94.1
Kevin Harvick – 93.3
Jimmie Johnson – 92.7
Kurt Busch – 92.7
Kyle Larson – 92.4
Carl Edwards – 91.7
Greg Biffle – 90.9
Denny Hamlin – 89.5
(Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races {22 total} among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway.)
Twelve active drivers have scored wins at Bristol during their Sprint Cup careers. Leading the way are the Busch Brothers (Kurt and Kyle) as they each five wins at the track.
Next on the list is the winner of this race last year Matt Kenseth who moved his Bristol win total to four a year ago.
Carl Edwards has three wins while both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have a pair of wins each.
The remaining six drivers have a single win at Bristol Motor Speedway and are Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne.
The drivers will need to try control what they can and hope that they are not in the wrong place at the wrong time this weekend. A driver that has been doing great all race can have their good day turn bad in an instant on the short track of Bristol.
On the other end of the spectrum, a driver that has been coming up just a little short all race long can find themselves in position to challenge for the win due to another driver’s misfortune at Bristol.
When NASCAR goes short trackin’ at Bristol it typically means two things for fans. There will be action from start to finish and nothing is guaranteed as the outcome of the race can change in the last turn of the last lap.
The only way to know for sure which car will end up in Victory Lane will be to watch every lap of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 Sunday, April 17th starting at 12 NOON CT/1 PM ET from Bristol Motor Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
