Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
By Richard Tix
NASCAR Opinion:
After Watkins Glen was over the temperature ran hot for a few drivers. Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr both went for a spin late in the race and neither was happy because it was caused by another driver and not sell inflicted. Kyle Larson had much more to loose while trying to get a spot in the Chase off of points.
Meanwhile, Truex received a rare apology from Brad Keselowski right after the race, yet still took to Twitter to complain about the Penseke driver. He should be upset, BK did get into him late in the race but Truex didn't help himself on the day. Truex had a chance to go for the win but wouldn't move a "JGR Teammate" so he was stuck racing for second with the rest of the field.
WGI has turned into the old short track scene where moving someone is the way to go, especially with the race winding down. Truex is almost always a very clean and respectable driver, but some moments call for a little more aggression if you want to be a Cup Champion (I know, I know it can be done in other ways, but WGI is an aggressive track). Kyle Busch might have looked at moving someone in that position as well as a few other, more aggressive drivers.
In the end it was a tough time right after the race for Truex and I am sure he reacted with emotion on Twitter even after BK gave his apology and took blame. The nice thing? We get a week to cool down and move on until we get to Bristol where anyone can move anyone if they really want to intact "payback."
Race Preview:
Moving onto the next race on the schedule, Bristol. Motor. Speedway. It's Bristol Baby! If a driver has been waiting for payback, Bristol could be the place it happens (though I doubt much plays out this week). Just four races left before the Chase starts so I expect drivers to play if safe unless they're already down and out and just riding around looking for a "Kenseth Moment."
Earlier this year Carl Edwards came, dominated, and conquered Bristol. Edwards took the trip to victory lane after leading 276 laps which was the most on the day (Kenseth lead 142 but was caught up in a wreck).
Joe Gibb's Racing will once again be the team to beat at Bristol this week, which will continue a 2016 trend. Kyle Busch (5 Bristol wins), Matt Kenseth (4 wins), Carl Edwards (4 wins), and Denny Hamlin (1 win) have all won here and bring 14 total wins to BMS. By contrast, the rest of the current drivers have 20 total wins here.
So, really the story of BMS will be can NASCAR beat JGR?
**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**
The Good
- Carl Edwards- JGR was mentioned above, but out of the bunch Carl has been the best as of late. He has two wins since 2014 at BMS (five races) and started worse than 3rd only once (2014 when he started 12th and won the Fall stop).
- Joey Logano- JoLo's first seven starts and his last eight starts are completely different. First seven starts: zero top 10's, one top 15, and three top 20's. His last eight: two wins, three top 5's, five top 10's, and seven top 20's.
- Matt Kenseth- Matt's dominance here at BMS has been speradic at best, but when he is on he is on. He has two wins in his last six races here. That is a win from Kenseth or Edwards in four of the last six races. Actually, all three of these drivers have combined for the last six wins at BMS.
The Middle
- Too Many to Focus on One: Ricky Stenhouse Jr (Avg finish of 11.9), Clint Bowyer (five top 10's in last nine. Back to back top 10's), and Ryan Newman (Four top 10's in last Seven races. Three straight top 10's).
The Bad
- Kyle Busch- Don't bet on this one coming true...However, it must be noted Rowdy only has one top 10 in the last five races. Bad luck aside, most of his wins came from 2007 to 2011 and he only has three top 10's since.
- Kasey Kahne- Bristol used to be a much better track for Kahne, but his last four have produced lack luster results. Four straight races with zero top 15's and only two top 20's can be improved upon.
- Martin Truex Jr- 21 career BMS starts and only two top 5's, that's it. Only eight top 15's and 12 top 20's in that same time. His three Furniture Row starts have been 29th, 28th, and 14th.
About the Track: Bristol
Track Stats
- Cup has run 111 total races at Bristol since 1961.
- Richard Petty ran the most career races at Bristol: 60.
- Darrell Waltrip has the most career Bristol wins: 12. Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, and Cale Yarborough follow with 9 each.
- Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip are tied for the most career top 5's with 26.
- Richard Petty has the most career top 10's with 37.
- Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough are tied for the most career Poles with 9.
- Of current drivers. The Busch Brothers, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch have the most wins with 5.
Track Info
- Surface
- Length
- Banking
- Turns: 26-30 degrees
- Straights: 6-10 degrees
