It’s Bristol Baby!
Story and photos by: Drew Hierwarter
The August race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway just may be the most difficult event of the season to write about. What are you going to say that hasn’t already been said by every other writer in the business? That this year was the 55th consecutive sellout? That the reconfigured track surface produced another competitive race with lots of side-by-side, and even some three wide racing all through the pack? That 160,000 fans seated under the lights around a half mile race track produces an atmosphere that creates its own excitement? Yawn. Yes, the
There was the fact that for the first time in recent memory tickets were available. Whether it’s the faltering economy or some other reason, there were some season and corporate ticket packages that were not renewed. Many fans who thought they would never be able to get tickets to this event finally got their chance.
A new event for
When qualifying was canceled by a rain shower, NASCAR officials decided to start all 40 cars that had entered the event, lined up based on points.
The race came down to a two car affair between Ted Christopher and Donny Lia. Christopher led the first 107 laps until Lia took over the lead. Then on a subsequent restart NASCAR officials called Lia for jumping the flag and made him give the lead back to Christopher. However Lia was able to resume the lead three laps later and stormed off to win the event.
The main attraction on Wednesday night was the 200 lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. There were lots of story lines in this race not the least of which was series veteran Ron Hornaday, Jr. going for an unprecedented sixth consecutive victory. Ryan Newman was also entered in this race as he was for all four of the weekend’s races at
Kyle Busch got his third truck series win of the season when he crossed the line almost three seconds ahead of second place Matt Crafton. Hornaday was third followed by pole sitter Ryan Newman and then Brian Scott to round out the top five.
Busch’s luck wasn’t quite as good on Friday night as he was knocked out of the lead early in the Nationwide Series race. Series rookie Chase Austin cut a tire and pulled down into the path of Busch’s speeding car just as he had taken the lead from Kevin Harvick. The contact turned Busch hard into the front stretch wall and sent him to the garage for lengthy repairs.
Saturday’s big finale, the Sharpie 500 for the Sprint Cup Series was much better for Kyle Busch. Just as he had on Wednesday, he ended the night in victory lane. The fans were treated to a great late race battle between Busch and pole sitter Mark Martin with Martin trying everything short of knocking Busch out of the way to no avail. The win moved Busch to 13th in the standings just 34 points out of the 12th and the all important Chase for the Championship. His second place finish also helped lift Mark Martin from 12th to a slightly more comfortable 10th place with only two more races left before the top twelve drivers are locked into the championship chase.
So, another Bristol Race Week is in the books. This one featured all the usual drama and excitement. The fans came from all over the country, had a typically huge impact on the local economy, and left the usual mountain of trash behind. But they all left with good memories, maybe a hangover or two, and already trying to figure out how they are going to score some tickets for next year. Because, after all, it’s
August 24th, 2009 at 11:27 am
NO IT”S NOT BABY!
I have put this on other sites that say it’s like the old Brisdull.
You have to realize the track is engineered to have the side by side racing, and that a lesser car can hug the steeper banking on the top groove and hang with a faster car running the less banked lower line. This so-called “exciting” racing is staged and is shameful. Not only that, side by side is cookie cutter racing, not Brisdull.
If you like the side by side racing, why did you ever come to Bristol in the first place?
Bring back the old track!
August 24th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
JW, are you crazy? How do you manufacture all the battles that happened Saturday night? That was a very exciting weekend of races. If what you want with racing is a crash-fest, then you’re right, Bristol isn’t that any more. It’s a RACE TRACK, not a crash track. Thank goodness for Bristol and it’s exciting racing. Too bad JW just doesn’t get it.
August 24th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Skye,
I and record numbers did get it. That type of racing made the track what it was.
The track was designed for merry go round racing, that’s a fact, no engineer will deny this. BMS announced this, they were making the track changes for side by side racing, smoother transitions and variable banking are a drivers dream, makes for an easy night compare to the guts and skill required before. They variable banking lets the slower car stay on top and slow the faster car down by not letting him use the whole track. Then when the pack catches up, the slower car concedes that he must let the faster car go and lets him ahead. Then the faster car leaves the slower one in his dust. I watched this over and over Saturday night. Did you watch on TV, or were you at the track? Did you hear the TV/radio propoganda or did they tell it like it is?
Everything I said is a fact, physics don’t lie! Would you like the NFL to spot teams points to make the game more exciting for the fans? That’s what BMS has done, and pulled the wool over your eyes and many other fans who don’t realize they are seeing manipulated competition.
I ask you the same question I ask others with your opinion, if you didn’t like that type of racing before, why did you watch? Especially when there are all those other tracks out there where you can see that almost weekly. Except those tracks have a legitimate surface.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Well JW, you certainly have a right to your opinion, however skewed it may be. But I’d like to suggest that you are in the minority. Read this:
http://www.frontstretch.com/bkeith/26826/
I’d also like to remind you that you made similar comments after my column on last year’s Bristol race. There’s a simple solution to these Bristol issues, however. Since you obviously don’t enjoy the races at Bristol, just don’t watch anymore.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Drew,
My opinion reflects most of the fans I talk to at the track, and maybe the economy isn’t the only reason Bristol had tickets to sell this year. Maybe there is a turnover of fans who don’t like the new Bristol, giving up their tickets because they just can’t stand it. I know several who have, but that’s a small sample, not enough data to use as a true indicator. I do know the track had to cut prices and give a lot of tickets away to get their precious sellout. Some others have complained about that on other web pages.
I sign my name the same so everyone can know it’s the same person, so you are probably right that I said similar things last year, although I know there are others who sign the same. I put my opinion on all articles that have a post if I have the time, I will always bring my point of view because that’s what the posts are for.
Everyone agrees that we all have the right to our opinions, but no one can dipute the facts I have laid out about the track and how it’s engineered, mainly because that’s how it was intended to be, and guess what, it worked. It is manipulated competition, no two ways about it.
I do not like wrecks for the sake of wrecks, I do like the hard racing the old Bristol had, but that doesn’t mean they have to wreck. It was a tough track. Now it’s a mini Dover. Nothing unique anymore.
Some sports writers now tout the wrecks, happily comparing it to the old Bristol, and some of these writers are the same ones who said they hated the wrecks the old Bristol had after they saw the first snoozefest on the new surface.
Your point about me not watching is another thing I’m criticized over, but I think people just don’t want to hear my opinion. Who wants to hear that the track has manipulated the racing, and then hear info to prove it? No one.
I said I would give the track two years, and I am seriously considering not going anymore. I will sell my tickets to family and friends, but lately, it’s getting hard to get them to go, the interest they once had is not there anymore. At some point, I’ll probably let the tickets go, and I’ll spend my money on Martinsville and Richmond.
Another point I keep making, the ones that depend on NASCAR to get a paycheck are the ones who defend the new configuration the most. PRN (owned by Bruton Smith), TV and a lot of sports writers talk about how much they, and the fans, like the new track. Well, I have to ask them the same thing I was asked, if you didn’t like the old track, why did you watch?And why did that type of racing make the track world famous?
August 25th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
JW - you keep sharing your opinion, and I’ll do the same. I did not go to the Saturday night race, but I did attend the races on Wednesday, and had a great time. I watched the Saturday race on TV, and I enjoy the commentary, but I am able to make up my own mind. I enjoy side by side racing, good passes, and excited race car drivers. Call me crazy! That is Bristol racing to me. I think the track has been improved, and I get it, you disagree. I’m okay with that. I just don’t really understand it. Sorry!
August 26th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Skye, no apologies necessary. As I’ve said to others about this topic, Coke/Pepsi, Colgate/Crest, Democrat/Republican, Microsoft/Apple and so on, we all can agree that we disagree. And luckily we can do that freely on any topic. That’s what makes this country the best.
They will still hit the track no matter what, and I guess that’s what’s important.