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DJ Rossi
Guest
Brad Keselowski continued his summer hot streak by picking up his third win of the season in Saturday's IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Blaze
The Midnight Rider
Did you get that from a site or did you type that yourself 
Tennessee Racing
Formerly Stewart Fan
Good job Brad!
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robbybee
Guest
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DJ Rossi
Guest
Keselowski wins at Bristol: #2-Brad Keselowski won the IRWIN Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway for his 4th career win and 3rd win of 2011. He has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 1st in his last 4 races. #56-Truex, Jr. finished 2nd followed by #24-Gordon, #48-Johnson, #1-McMurray, #17-Kenseth, #11-Hamlin, #39-Newman (the pole sitter), #99-Edwards, and #9-Ambrose.
#18-Busch, #48-Johnson, #17-Kenseth, and #99-Edwards have now clinched spots in the chase.
Points leader going in to the race, #18-Busch, finished 14th. He is now tied with #48-Johnson with 830 points, but he has the top position because of his 4 wins.
There were 22 lead changes among 10 drivers and 6 cautions for 42 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 156,000, up from 155,000 last year.
#18-Busch, #48-Johnson, #17-Kenseth, and #99-Edwards have now clinched spots in the chase.
Points leader going in to the race, #18-Busch, finished 14th. He is now tied with #48-Johnson with 830 points, but he has the top position because of his 4 wins.
There were 22 lead changes among 10 drivers and 6 cautions for 42 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 156,000, up from 155,000 last year.
Blaze
The Midnight Rider
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DJ Rossi
Guest
Brad Keselowski wins at BristolEmailPrintComments351Associated Press
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The race to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heated up Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Brad Keselowski moved a step closer to making the field by continuing his monthlong march through the standings.
[+] Enlarge
Andrew Weber/US Presswire
Brad Keselowski celebrates after winning the Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is Keselowski's third win of the season and moves him closer to a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Keselowski picked up his third win of the season and at minimum likely locked up one of the two wild cards into the 12-driver field.
It's an amazing turnaround for Keselowski and his No. 2 Penske Racing team.
He was ranked 21st in points four races ago, when his struggling team went to a test session to work on road course improvement. But Keselowski was in a nasty accident during that Aug. 3 session that left him with a broken ankle.
It's hardly slowed him.
Since the accident, Keselowski won at Pocono, finished second at Watkins Glen, third at Michigan and now has the Bristol victory.
Although he's walked gingerly in the month since the crash, he hopped up and down in excitement as he climbed from his Dodge.
"An awesome car, an awesome team!" he yelled. "Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt won this race. It's a race of champions. There are races that pay more, that are races that might have a little more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all."
The win moved Keselowski up one more spot to 11th in the standings, and he's jumped 10 spots over the last four races. He's currently in position to claim the first wild card spot, and could clinch his berth next week at Atlanta by virtue of his three wins.
What's the secret of his turnaround?
"A team that just starts to click and believes in each other," Keselowski said. "We've just made good adjustments to our cars over the last few months. We made good adjustments to our car today and we find ourselves in Victory Lane. I can't believe it, I really can't."
Bristol Results
Brad Keselowski moved a step closer to making the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship by winning at Bristol.
1. Brad Keselowski, Dodge
2. Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
5. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
6. Matt Kenseth, Ford
7. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
8. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
9. Carl Edwards, Ford
10. Marcos Ambrose, Ford
Complete results
Other Chase hopefuls didn't fare so well.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Clint Bowyer began the race ranked ninth, 10th and 11th, but because none has a victory, they could get bumped out of the Chase depending on how the wild cards develop. Earnhardt wasn't a factor Saturday night and finished 16th, Bowyer struggled the entire race and was 26th and Stewart had a miserable weekend -- he qualified last in the 43-car field, was quickly lapped and finished four laps down in 28th.
It was no better for Paul Menard, who could earn a wild card spot based on his victory at Indianapolis. But he struggled, ran into the back of Denny Hamlin as they tried to avoid an accident in front of them, and wound up 30th.
At the front of the field, Martin Truex Jr. finished second and Gordon was third despite leading a race-high 206 laps. Five-time defending NASCAR champion Johnson was fourth and was followed by Jamie McMurray and Kenseth, who led 110 laps.
Hamlin, clinging to one of the wild cards, rallied to finish seventh despite Menard running into the back of his car to cause serious damage. He jumped one spot in the standings to 13th and is currently holding the second wild card because of his one win this season.
"We did what we had to do," Hamlin said. "I wish I could race harder, but at this point we have to have solid finishes. If we just handle business the next couple weeks then we'll be OK."
Ryan Newman was eighth and was followed by Edwards and Marcos Ambrose.
Kyle Busch, who on Friday picked up his record 50th Nationwide Series victory and was looking for his third consecutive win at Bristol in the Cup race, finished 14th after bringing out the final caution of the race with 87 laps to go when a tire issue sent him into the wall.
The finish also cost him in the standings: Busch is now tied with Johnson for the Sprint Cup Series points lead.
"Kind of disappointing day," Busch said. "We just never could get the car to where it would feel like it had in the past."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The race to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heated up Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Brad Keselowski moved a step closer to making the field by continuing his monthlong march through the standings.
[+] Enlarge
Andrew Weber/US Presswire
Brad Keselowski celebrates after winning the Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is Keselowski's third win of the season and moves him closer to a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Keselowski picked up his third win of the season and at minimum likely locked up one of the two wild cards into the 12-driver field.
It's an amazing turnaround for Keselowski and his No. 2 Penske Racing team.
He was ranked 21st in points four races ago, when his struggling team went to a test session to work on road course improvement. But Keselowski was in a nasty accident during that Aug. 3 session that left him with a broken ankle.
It's hardly slowed him.
Since the accident, Keselowski won at Pocono, finished second at Watkins Glen, third at Michigan and now has the Bristol victory.
Although he's walked gingerly in the month since the crash, he hopped up and down in excitement as he climbed from his Dodge.
"An awesome car, an awesome team!" he yelled. "Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt won this race. It's a race of champions. There are races that pay more, that are races that might have a little more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all."
The win moved Keselowski up one more spot to 11th in the standings, and he's jumped 10 spots over the last four races. He's currently in position to claim the first wild card spot, and could clinch his berth next week at Atlanta by virtue of his three wins.
What's the secret of his turnaround?
"A team that just starts to click and believes in each other," Keselowski said. "We've just made good adjustments to our cars over the last few months. We made good adjustments to our car today and we find ourselves in Victory Lane. I can't believe it, I really can't."
Bristol Results
Brad Keselowski moved a step closer to making the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship by winning at Bristol.
1. Brad Keselowski, Dodge
2. Martin Truex Jr., Toyota
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
5. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
6. Matt Kenseth, Ford
7. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
8. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
9. Carl Edwards, Ford
10. Marcos Ambrose, Ford
Complete results
Other Chase hopefuls didn't fare so well.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Stewart and Clint Bowyer began the race ranked ninth, 10th and 11th, but because none has a victory, they could get bumped out of the Chase depending on how the wild cards develop. Earnhardt wasn't a factor Saturday night and finished 16th, Bowyer struggled the entire race and was 26th and Stewart had a miserable weekend -- he qualified last in the 43-car field, was quickly lapped and finished four laps down in 28th.
It was no better for Paul Menard, who could earn a wild card spot based on his victory at Indianapolis. But he struggled, ran into the back of Denny Hamlin as they tried to avoid an accident in front of them, and wound up 30th.
At the front of the field, Martin Truex Jr. finished second and Gordon was third despite leading a race-high 206 laps. Five-time defending NASCAR champion Johnson was fourth and was followed by Jamie McMurray and Kenseth, who led 110 laps.
Hamlin, clinging to one of the wild cards, rallied to finish seventh despite Menard running into the back of his car to cause serious damage. He jumped one spot in the standings to 13th and is currently holding the second wild card because of his one win this season.
"We did what we had to do," Hamlin said. "I wish I could race harder, but at this point we have to have solid finishes. If we just handle business the next couple weeks then we'll be OK."
Ryan Newman was eighth and was followed by Edwards and Marcos Ambrose.
Kyle Busch, who on Friday picked up his record 50th Nationwide Series victory and was looking for his third consecutive win at Bristol in the Cup race, finished 14th after bringing out the final caution of the race with 87 laps to go when a tire issue sent him into the wall.
The finish also cost him in the standings: Busch is now tied with Johnson for the Sprint Cup Series points lead.
"Kind of disappointing day," Busch said. "We just never could get the car to where it would feel like it had in the past."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
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DJ Rossi
Guest
Sizzlin Summer-Keselowski!!
Keselowski inches closer to Chase with Bristol win
Leads wild cards with three victories; Johnson, Kenseth, Edwards clinch berths
By Sporting News Wire Service
August 28, 2011 12:40 AM, EDT
type size: + - BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Brad Keselowski's phoenix-like rise from the ashes continued Saturday, with an improbable victory in the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway -- his third win of the season and his second since breaking his left ankle Aug. 3 in a crash during testing at Road Atlanta.
Keselowski grabbed the lead on a restart with 80 laps left in the 500-lap Sprint Cup race and held on to win for the fourth time in his career. The victory all but assured Keselowski of at least a wild-card position in the upcoming Chase.
Martin Truex Jr. ran second, followed by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, pole-sitter Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose completed the top 10.
"Wow -- the night race at Bristol!" Keselowski exclaimed after exiting his car in Victory Lane, his broken ankle forgotten. "I used to watch Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt win this race. This is a race of champions. I can't believe it. There's races that pay more. There's races that might have a little more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all."
During the post-race celebration, Keselowski climbed onto the roof of his car, raised his fists into the air and then jumped from the roof to the tiled surface in Victory Lane. That's when he remembered the ankle, but the sudden stab of pain didn't diminish the satisfaction of a victory that belonged to a gritty driver and a team that produced in the pits when the race was on the line.
"A team that just starts to click and believe in each other," Keselowski said in explaining his recent success. "I believed in [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] since we started this year, and we've just made good adjustments to our cars over the last few months. We made good adjustments to our car during the race [Saturday] and found ourselves in Victory Lane. I can't believe it -- I just can't."
* Victory Lane: Jubilate Keselowski jumps for joy
Since Keselowski broke his ankle, he has finished first at Pocono, second at Watkins Glen, third at Michigan and first at Bristol. He will compete with the other three race winners in the past five weeks -- Paul Menard, Ambrose and Kyle Busch -- for a $3 million bonus Sept. 4 at Atlanta under the aegis of the Sprint Summer Showdown.
Should any of those drivers win the race, they'll earn $1 million for themselves, $1 million for charity and $1 million for a fan. As a two-time winner in Showdown qualifying races, Keselowski's will race for two fans, who will split $1 million if he wins.
Keselowski was a fixture in the top five all night long, but he didn't make his winning move until late in the race.
After a caution for Mark Martin's backstretch crash on Lap 361, Gordon, who led a race-high 206 laps, passed Kenseth moments after a restart on Lap 369. Seven laps later, Keselowski passed Kenseth for the second position while Gordon opened a lead of more than one second.
But a caution for debris on Lap 413 allowed all lead-lap cars to pit. Truex and Newman took two tires and restarted first and third, respectively. But Keselowski beat Kenseth and Gordon out of the pits to start alongside Truex. Keselowski got a huge jump on the restart on Lap 421, passed Truex for the lead and pulled away for the victory.
Johnson, Kenseth and Edwards all clinched spots in the Chase. They join Busch, who clinched a spot last week, as four of the 12 drivers who will be in the Cup Series' postseason. Johnson gained a share of the points lead with Busch, who finished 14th.
Clint Bowyer and Stewart had miserable nights, finishing 26th and 28th, respectively. Tenth in the standings, without a victory this season, Stewart leads Keselowski, who gained one spot to 11th place, by 21 points with two races left before the Chase field is set. Menard, David Ragan and Ambrose -- potential beneficiaries of a wild-card spot in the Chase if Keselowski cracks the top 10 -- are 20th, 21st and 22nd in the standings, covered by a four-point spread. A driver must be in the top 20 after 26 races to take advantage of the wild-card rule.
Keselowski inches closer to Chase with Bristol win
Leads wild cards with three victories; Johnson, Kenseth, Edwards clinch berths
By Sporting News Wire Service
August 28, 2011 12:40 AM, EDT
type size: + - BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Brad Keselowski's phoenix-like rise from the ashes continued Saturday, with an improbable victory in the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway -- his third win of the season and his second since breaking his left ankle Aug. 3 in a crash during testing at Road Atlanta.
Keselowski grabbed the lead on a restart with 80 laps left in the 500-lap Sprint Cup race and held on to win for the fourth time in his career. The victory all but assured Keselowski of at least a wild-card position in the upcoming Chase.
Martin Truex Jr. ran second, followed by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, pole-sitter Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose completed the top 10.
"Wow -- the night race at Bristol!" Keselowski exclaimed after exiting his car in Victory Lane, his broken ankle forgotten. "I used to watch Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt win this race. This is a race of champions. I can't believe it. There's races that pay more. There's races that might have a little more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all."
During the post-race celebration, Keselowski climbed onto the roof of his car, raised his fists into the air and then jumped from the roof to the tiled surface in Victory Lane. That's when he remembered the ankle, but the sudden stab of pain didn't diminish the satisfaction of a victory that belonged to a gritty driver and a team that produced in the pits when the race was on the line.
"A team that just starts to click and believe in each other," Keselowski said in explaining his recent success. "I believed in [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] since we started this year, and we've just made good adjustments to our cars over the last few months. We made good adjustments to our car during the race [Saturday] and found ourselves in Victory Lane. I can't believe it -- I just can't."
* Victory Lane: Jubilate Keselowski jumps for joy
Since Keselowski broke his ankle, he has finished first at Pocono, second at Watkins Glen, third at Michigan and first at Bristol. He will compete with the other three race winners in the past five weeks -- Paul Menard, Ambrose and Kyle Busch -- for a $3 million bonus Sept. 4 at Atlanta under the aegis of the Sprint Summer Showdown.
Should any of those drivers win the race, they'll earn $1 million for themselves, $1 million for charity and $1 million for a fan. As a two-time winner in Showdown qualifying races, Keselowski's will race for two fans, who will split $1 million if he wins.
Keselowski was a fixture in the top five all night long, but he didn't make his winning move until late in the race.
After a caution for Mark Martin's backstretch crash on Lap 361, Gordon, who led a race-high 206 laps, passed Kenseth moments after a restart on Lap 369. Seven laps later, Keselowski passed Kenseth for the second position while Gordon opened a lead of more than one second.
But a caution for debris on Lap 413 allowed all lead-lap cars to pit. Truex and Newman took two tires and restarted first and third, respectively. But Keselowski beat Kenseth and Gordon out of the pits to start alongside Truex. Keselowski got a huge jump on the restart on Lap 421, passed Truex for the lead and pulled away for the victory.
Johnson, Kenseth and Edwards all clinched spots in the Chase. They join Busch, who clinched a spot last week, as four of the 12 drivers who will be in the Cup Series' postseason. Johnson gained a share of the points lead with Busch, who finished 14th.
Clint Bowyer and Stewart had miserable nights, finishing 26th and 28th, respectively. Tenth in the standings, without a victory this season, Stewart leads Keselowski, who gained one spot to 11th place, by 21 points with two races left before the Chase field is set. Menard, David Ragan and Ambrose -- potential beneficiaries of a wild-card spot in the Chase if Keselowski cracks the top 10 -- are 20th, 21st and 22nd in the standings, covered by a four-point spread. A driver must be in the top 20 after 26 races to take advantage of the wild-card rule.
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
Congrats to the #2 team.
Menard, David Ragan and Ambrose -- potential beneficiaries of a wild-card spot in the Chase if Keselowski cracks the top 10 -- are 20th, 21st and 22nd in the standings, covered by a four-point spread.
The chase probably wont be set until the last lap at Richmond. It looks like Ragan and Menard are pressing their way out of a chase berth. Ambrose could be the man, but all 3 of these guys will be cheering Brad to make the top 10.
Menard, David Ragan and Ambrose -- potential beneficiaries of a wild-card spot in the Chase if Keselowski cracks the top 10 -- are 20th, 21st and 22nd in the standings, covered by a four-point spread.
The chase probably wont be set until the last lap at Richmond. It looks like Ragan and Menard are pressing their way out of a chase berth. Ambrose could be the man, but all 3 of these guys will be cheering Brad to make the top 10.
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
Brad got his 4th win in his 77th Cup start.
Kyle needed 6 more starts to get 4 wins.
I just felt like mentioning that.
Kyle needed 6 more starts to get 4 wins.
I just felt like mentioning that.
Blaze
The Midnight Rider
Brad got his 4th win in his 77th Cup start.
Kyle needed 6 more starts to get 4 wins.
I just felt like mentioning that.
Haha xD nice
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DJ Rossi
Guest
Kez 2011 Cup Champion!!
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pdesil711
Guest
Brad got his 4th win in his 77th Cup start.
Kyle needed 6 more starts to get 4 wins.
I just felt like mentioning that.
I am confused unless you are gloating about Kyle's ability to win
Blaze
The Midnight Rider
I think he's saying it took Kyle longer then Brad to get 4 wins
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pdesil711
Guest
Brad got his 4th win in his 77th Cup start.
Kyle needed 6 more starts to get 4 wins.
I just felt like mentioning that.
Wait nevermind I get it blonde moment its late lol thats my excuse
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
lol I just spent 2 minutes trying to make sense of your reply, because it ALMOST seemed to make sense..
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pdesil711
Guest
Im just completely retarded sometimes don't mind me lol
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
Kez 2011 Cup Champion!!
Well, we can hope. They have done amazing with very little experience on the tracks they are winning on now. If the stars are right, they could do it.
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DJ Rossi
Guest
Love the"pit road speed" deal.. No Jeffy Win works for me...
Jeffrey00
Stamos Cozy
Kez 2011 Cup Champion!!
If he can crack the top 10 the 3 (or possibly more) wins will set him up nicely to start the chase. He could be leading the points coming out of the first chase race for sure.
FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
Love the"pit road speed" deal.. No Jeffy Win works for me...
I thought it was odd that Jeff Gordon complained, then admited that he was doing the same thing out of his pits. I just think Kez and Kenseth took it to another level and surprised him.
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FlFlash
Guest
Love the"pit road speed" deal.. No Jeffy Win works for me...
I'm proud the guys figured that one out, adds another facet to The Race in The Pits! Now if we could just get the network to FOLLOW WHATS GOING ON IN THE PITS instead of trying to sell us crap.
I bet NASCAR pulls the plug pretty quick
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Blaze
The Midnight Rider
Oh YAY! This will now turn into one of those infamous Kyle threads....
Haha at least I didn't start it this time
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#17D500winner
Guest
Oh YAY! This will now turn into one of those infamous Kyle threads....
Seems to me that there's few things #18 fans enjoy more than yet another I hate him, I adore him thread.
Is does get somewhat old after a couple of years, does it not?
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carsntunes
Guest
At the rate he is going he won't need the wild card. Good job Kez.
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Gordon_Fan24
Guest
I must of missed where he said he was doing the same thing. I heard him say "that is not why we lost".
During the race I kept saying, "how in the world is the 17 not speeding". Then I remembered that the 48 has used this strategy for years. The thing I find entertaining is I remember people on this board calling it blantant CHEATING when the 48 did it....now people are saying that it is great that guys are doing it.....hmmmmmmm
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Personally, I think it's still preyy blatant. And Jeff didn't say anything bad about it, and said that's not why they got beat. But he did say that NASCAR should look at the pit road deal here, and I agree. I hate the little zones they have where you can't speed, it should be the whole pit road. It is, after all, a safety issue.
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Gordon_Fan24
Guest
Totally agree with you Va Dirt, I think that it should be the whole thing, not just by where the lines fall. However, until Nascar fixes the problem, drivers would be crazy not to take advantage of it. The 17 and 2 worked it to perfection last night. The 17 also tried to work it last weekend, I saw him try it several times and advanced his position on pit road.
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robbybee
Guest
It ain't cheating if ya don't get caught...
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chromehorn
Guest
Good to see the Blue Deuce in victory lane again at Bristol. Good for BK.
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DJ Rossi
Guest
"Blame the Cussin on my Daddy.Good looks on my Momma.." Go Brad Go!!
M
mickeysimzac
Guest
It ain't cheating if ya don't get caught...
But when you continue to pass cars on pit road that are running the legal pit road speed, how is that not cheating?
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Because EVERYONE can speed in that area if they want to.
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
And that in itself is a problem that needs addressing.
C
chromehorn
Guest
Why? If a team can use that to their advantage then let them.
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robbybee
Guest
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DJ Rossi
Guest
The season’s first Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway will be remembered for the incredible number of empty seats around the half-mile track. A crowd of perhaps 80,000 – less than half the capacity of the cavernous stadium – were scattered around the grandstands.
The turnout sent shock waves through the NASCAR community as a litany of reasons were thrown out as to why one of the sport’s most popular venues was now playing to such a small audience.
The usual rundown of reasons included the economy, high gasoline prices, outrageous hotel rates and even speculation of oversaturation in the area. The addition of Kentucky Speedway, about a three or four hour drive from BMS, to the Sprint Cup calendar, may have siphoned off more than a few thousand fans that opted to stay either closer to home or take in the inaugural visit by NASCAR’s top division to the Bluegrass State track.
Although Saturday night’s IRWIN Tools Night Race wasn’t a sellout, it drew a much larger crowd than its spring cousin. An estimated 130,000 turned out for the annual prime time affair that has been a staple of the NASCAR calendar for years. And for whatever reason the problems that seemed to plague the March weekend’s ticket sales were gone for the summer visit.
What it does prove to me is that despite the cry from some fans that the reconfigured Bristol of post-2007 took something away from the track’s reputation, the racing is as good and in my opinion much better and continues to be the main attraction. Yes it is different today racing in “Thunder Valley” because there are multiple ways to race side-by-side and actually pass rather than the old conveyor belt style that saw a single file line of cars roaring around the short track. Back then the only way to improve a position was to move the car ahead of you out of the way, a practice that caused many more accidents and caution flags than today’s Bristol.
There are those who preferred that spectacle and refuse to accept the new layout. But there are enough Figure-8 and demolition derbies around the country held every year that should give those souls their fix for destruction.
As was demonstrated in all four events held at Bristol this week, if it’s exciting racing and door handle to door handle competition that excites you, this about as good as it gets in NASCAR.
The fans that bought a ticket to Bristol’s August activities got their money’s worth. My guess is many will be back at both weekends in 2012.
•The amazing summer of Brad Keselowski continued with his win Saturday night. Since finishing 35th at New Hampshire the Penske Racing driver has rattled off finishes of ninth, first, second, third, and first while throwing in a broken ankle and foot injury while testing for good measure. His third win of the season Saturday night more than locked up a Wild Card spot but with the surge Keselowski’s currently on there’s good reason to believe he’ll find his way into the Top 10 of the points standings by the time the checkered flag waves in Richmond.
•Keselowski’s night was tempered somewhat for the Penske organization by the continued struggles of his teammate Kurt Busch, who was pegged for a pair of speeding penalties on pit road. The calm Busch from earlier this summer has completely disappeared and the frustration continues to mount for the driver who wasn’t that long ago was considered a potential season champion. Things are going to have to change in a dramatic way for the 22 team to get back in the title conversation.
•Denny Hamlin was nearly buried in terms of his Chase hopes again Saturday night with early problems including getting slammed into by Paul Menard. But the FedEx Toyota team hung together and Hamlin was able to get a much-needed Top 10 finish to stay in the title picture. No doubt Hamlin is hoping to keep close next week at Atlanta to have a chance at finally punching his Chase berth ticket at his home track in Richmond.
•Tony Stewart is hanging on by a thread to his Chase hopes after an amazingly bad night on Saturday that saw the two-time champ fall two laps down early and wind up 28th, three laps off the pace. Keselowski has stolen the summer thunder that used to belong to Stewart and right now the odds of Smoke being a threat for the title even is he does make the Chase aren’t very promising.
The turnout sent shock waves through the NASCAR community as a litany of reasons were thrown out as to why one of the sport’s most popular venues was now playing to such a small audience.
The usual rundown of reasons included the economy, high gasoline prices, outrageous hotel rates and even speculation of oversaturation in the area. The addition of Kentucky Speedway, about a three or four hour drive from BMS, to the Sprint Cup calendar, may have siphoned off more than a few thousand fans that opted to stay either closer to home or take in the inaugural visit by NASCAR’s top division to the Bluegrass State track.
Although Saturday night’s IRWIN Tools Night Race wasn’t a sellout, it drew a much larger crowd than its spring cousin. An estimated 130,000 turned out for the annual prime time affair that has been a staple of the NASCAR calendar for years. And for whatever reason the problems that seemed to plague the March weekend’s ticket sales were gone for the summer visit.
What it does prove to me is that despite the cry from some fans that the reconfigured Bristol of post-2007 took something away from the track’s reputation, the racing is as good and in my opinion much better and continues to be the main attraction. Yes it is different today racing in “Thunder Valley” because there are multiple ways to race side-by-side and actually pass rather than the old conveyor belt style that saw a single file line of cars roaring around the short track. Back then the only way to improve a position was to move the car ahead of you out of the way, a practice that caused many more accidents and caution flags than today’s Bristol.
There are those who preferred that spectacle and refuse to accept the new layout. But there are enough Figure-8 and demolition derbies around the country held every year that should give those souls their fix for destruction.
As was demonstrated in all four events held at Bristol this week, if it’s exciting racing and door handle to door handle competition that excites you, this about as good as it gets in NASCAR.
The fans that bought a ticket to Bristol’s August activities got their money’s worth. My guess is many will be back at both weekends in 2012.
•The amazing summer of Brad Keselowski continued with his win Saturday night. Since finishing 35th at New Hampshire the Penske Racing driver has rattled off finishes of ninth, first, second, third, and first while throwing in a broken ankle and foot injury while testing for good measure. His third win of the season Saturday night more than locked up a Wild Card spot but with the surge Keselowski’s currently on there’s good reason to believe he’ll find his way into the Top 10 of the points standings by the time the checkered flag waves in Richmond.
•Keselowski’s night was tempered somewhat for the Penske organization by the continued struggles of his teammate Kurt Busch, who was pegged for a pair of speeding penalties on pit road. The calm Busch from earlier this summer has completely disappeared and the frustration continues to mount for the driver who wasn’t that long ago was considered a potential season champion. Things are going to have to change in a dramatic way for the 22 team to get back in the title conversation.
•Denny Hamlin was nearly buried in terms of his Chase hopes again Saturday night with early problems including getting slammed into by Paul Menard. But the FedEx Toyota team hung together and Hamlin was able to get a much-needed Top 10 finish to stay in the title picture. No doubt Hamlin is hoping to keep close next week at Atlanta to have a chance at finally punching his Chase berth ticket at his home track in Richmond.
•Tony Stewart is hanging on by a thread to his Chase hopes after an amazingly bad night on Saturday that saw the two-time champ fall two laps down early and wind up 28th, three laps off the pace. Keselowski has stolen the summer thunder that used to belong to Stewart and right now the odds of Smoke being a threat for the title even is he does make the Chase aren’t very promising.
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DJ Rossi
Guest
•NASCAR plans more scoring loops at Bristol: Bristol Motor Speedway is unique among NASCAR Sprint Cup tracks in that it has two separate pit roads - one along each straightaway. That alignment does not fit well with NASCAR's modern method of pitting, which includes strict pit-road speeds and an attempt to make pit stops and the entrance to and exit from the pits as equal as possible. That was not the case in Saturday night's Irwin Tools Night Race at the track. Race winner Brad Keselowski and others appeared to benefit from the location of their pits, giving them more room to move faster in certain sections of pit road. Other pit spots were not as advantageous. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series director John Darby admitted after the race that the situation was not ideal and said NASCAR will address it. "We understand what happened, and we're already looking at it," he said. "We'll probably put in two more scoring loops on each side of pit road." Darby's intent is to add loops on the Bristol surface, thus providing a closer read on speeds. Based primarily on their pit locations, some drivers were positioned to "speed" along portions of pit road, then quickly hit their brakes before being detected. Additional loops should take care of that discrepancy.(SPEED)(8-28-2011)