A Better Bristol

Last week's visit to Bristol Motor Speedway was the best in a long while. The three nights of racing with the Craftsman Trucks, Busch Series and NEXTEL Cup Series were some of the most exciting I've seen at the track in more than ten years.

The new track surface and layout actually made two and three wide racing possible and the drivers all three nights showed it early and often.

But I'm reading and hearing some of the experts saying Bristol is now not its old self anymore and that the salm bang, shove a guy out of your way to pass aspect has been lost and with it the "charm" of the track.

I don't get that view at all. These are the same people who complained last year's Bristol August night race was a single file parade and that drivers were holding back to protect their spot in the Chase.

Did anyone miss having 15 or 16 caution flags Saturday night? I sure didn't and to me, the last several 500-lap races at Bristol have been nothing more than demolition derbies. Now we have a place where drivers can actually use their skills and pass one another, not just ram their way to the front.

The truck and Busch races had better finishes than Saturday night's Cup event. But there was still plenty of action in the 500-laps from where I sat. I think Bristol is better and will only improve as the surface ages. Don't count me among those who miss watching 100 or more laps of caution whenever NASCAR comes to "Thunder Valley."
Posted: 8/18/2007 8:48:00 AM
Comments:
Bristol has been ruined! This used to be one of the most unique experiences in Nascar, now it's just another track. I don't want to see guys race side by side for 20 laps, there's plenty of other tracks for that. Bristol was great because you had to get to the inside to pass, and that mean rubbing and moving people out of your way. Not anymore. It used to take a certain style to win here, now anyone can win. The cars are all becoming the same, the tracks are all becoming the same. It's more and more about the big teams with the money.
Posted On: 8/27/2007 9:48:00 AM
Well, Pete, I guess I have mixed thoughts on the new track. The past few years the Saturday night Bristol race has been pretty relaxed. In 2004 Jr won a race that had very few cautions in it, last year the race was pretty uneventful, and this year's race was also pretty easy going. The big thing about this year's race is that it didn't seem as exciting as everyone hoped I think. I believe because it was the Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne show, that there was an illusion where the racing wasn't any more competitive. For example, the Cup race was pretty boring to me whereas the Busch race was frickin awesome. Plus, a lot of people are missing the intensity that Rusty, Dale Sr, Terry Labonte, and even Jeff Gordon used to show at Bristol.

I think that in terms of competitiveness the track is much better, tons more passing and more opportunities. However, I just don't see the hard racing out of the drivers much anymore. How come we don't see any great battles on the race track hardly at all? I wanna see two drivers go after each other like Kahne and Newman did in the Busch race. And, unfortunately, the wrecks ARE one of the best things about NASCAR racing. Don't get me wrong I do worry about driver safety (RIP Dale Sr.), but I mean come on the carnage and wrecks make the races way more interesting! You can't tell me that Bristol isn't famous for the bumping and banging. Heck, even the speedway itself knows this because they sell t-shirts with huge tire donuts all over it!

All in all, I think that the reason people said the cup race sucked is because compared to the Busch race and cup races of the 90's it did suck. Not many cautions (David Regan must of been going for some kind of record), dominant leaders, boring last laps, and nothing big happened in the points standings. Sure there was a lot of passing but who cares about how many times Michael Waltrip was passed by the rest of the field? It's all about who's going for the win, and at the end there just wasn't anyone there but Carl so it made the race look boring. Sorry but I wasn't on the edge of my seat with 1 lap to go. Bristol races won't be better until the drivers start getting more aggressive, I don't need to watch Bristol as if it's a miniature Dover which is what it looked like Saturday night.

In conclusion, there are two great things that happened this weekend no matter what happened at Bristol. 1) Now that the turns are down to 30 degree Talladega has the steepest turns in NASCAR and 2) if so many people were bored with the race perhaps i'll only have to wait a couple years to buy tickets!

Oh, and one last thing, how come I always type way more than you guys?!
Posted On: 8/27/2007 9:48:00 AM
I agree, I liked the racing.  I think a few more cautions would have made the outcome more exciting but the racing was awesome!  Really, the part about the race that everyone should be complaining about is the abysmal ESPN coverage!  I have never liked Jerry Punch in the booth and Andy Petree is real bad also.  They don't have enough conflicting interest to prove interesting.  The coverage from ESPN and TNT has been the worst in years!  Keep the Bristol racing and drop the commentators!!!!!!!!
Posted On: 8/27/2007 9:48:00 AM
Just another cookie cutter track now where whoever is in the lead on the last restart will win.  Pretty sad when the most excititement at BMS comes when a rookies car keeps popping out of gear.
Posted On: 8/27/2007 9:48:00 AM
My guess is that there was less physical contact simply because it was not necessary. Call me crazy, but I feel that most of the drivers in Cup would prefer to make a clean pass when possible, and at the new Bristol, it is possible.
OK, it wasn't a Busch/Spencer or an Earnhardt/Labonte finish, but it sure wasn't a Yarborough or Waltrip run-away either.
You can't please everyone, and usually, the unhappy folks are the most vocal.
I thought the racing was great.
Posted On: 8/27/2007 9:48:00 AM

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