Sharpie 500 - Night Racing at Bristol!:
This weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars invade Bristol Motor Speedway for the single most exciting night on the schedule. The Sharpie 500 features 500 laps under the lights on the very tight high-banked half mile oval. The racing will be exciting. Tempers will overheat. The fans will get their money's worth at this Saturday night shootout under the lights.
The Track:
Measuring in at .533 miles and featuring 36 degrees of banking in the corners. Bristol Motor Speedway is very tight and very fast. Racing here was once compared to racing jetfighters in a gymnasium.
The high speeds and close quarters makes for a lot of pushing and shoving on the track, and sometimes in the pits. Adrenaline (and tempers) run high as often the only way to pass is to shove the guy in front of you out of the way.
Race Distance:
500 laps = 266.5 miles
The Big Picture:
This is race number 24 of 36. Only three races remain until the cutoff to begin The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Jamie McMurray holds down 10th by 51 points over Dale Jarrett and 58 ahead of Jeff Gordon. Anything can happen at Bristol.
The current points top ten are: 1. Tony Stewart 3,268. 2. Jimmie Johnson 3,142. 3. Greg Biffle 3,016. 4. Rusty Wallace 2,979. 5. Mark Martin 2,899. 6. Jeremy Mayfield 2,869. 7. Kurt Busch 2,848. 8. Ryan Newman 2,773. 9. Carl Edwards 2,758. 10. Jamie McMurray 2,702.
Storylines:
Racing at Bristol in August means we must talk about hot tempers. You'll see the old clip of Bobby Labonte throwing his helmet and kicking his car, videos including lots of hand gestures and "what were you thinking" motions. Racing at Bristol is a full-contact sport that brings out the worst in some drivers.
We will also see clips from the legendary antics of a very special black #3. Dale Earnhardt Sr. loved Bristol and built much of his legend here. His son Dale Jr. won this race in 2004.
Media Coverage:
TV: TNT Saturday August 27st 7:00PM Eastern.
Radio: PRN and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 7:40PM Eastern
Last Year:
In 2004 Jeff Gordon put his Dupont Chevy on the pole but the weekend belonged to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior lead 295 of the 500 lap distance and scored the convincing win. Dale Jr. also won the Busch race on Friday night to complete the weekend sweep.
Predictions:
It is tough to pass at Bristol so drivers are left with two choices: outsmart them in the pits or bump them out of the way.
When it comes to outsmarting them you can't go wrong with a cagey veteran. Rusty Wallace has nine wins at Bristol and knows what it takes to win there.
On the bump them out of the way side I'll go with a driver that needs a good run and has used the bump-and-run move to steal a win here in the past. Jeff Gordon is my backup for this week.
