WAYNE'S WORDS: Bristol No 'Hold-The-Bottom' Track Any Longer
08-17-2009 8:26 pm

Bristol Motor Speedway always signals that the home stretch to the championship is beginning. The O'Reilly 200 is the last of three races in the state of Tennessee and in many seasons, it's offered a window into who to watch over the final 11 races.

"Bristol always has provided exciting racing for a variety of reasons. The speeds are fast — almost speedway fast — and both driver and crew chief have to be on the top of their games since one mistake can put a team a lap down on the leaders in the blink of an eye.

"Historically, Bristol was a hold-the-bottom track. You had to be fast enough to keep your rivals behind you but if you weren't, sooner or later you'd get shoved high and track position would go away quickly.

"That's no longer the case since reconfiguration to progressive banking. Drivers now have choices — low, middle or high — and the past couple of races have seen many outside passes for position.

"Speedway-style rim-riding is in the equation now adding a new element to what might in the past have been the only way to defend against the pass.

"That's not to say there won't be plenty of Bristol-style rubbing. There will be.

"Bristol is the last of the three concrete-surfaced tracks on the 2009 schedule. No series driver has won Dover, Nashville and Bristol in the same season but one — Ron Hornaday Jr. — has conquered all three in his career.

"It will be interesting to see if he can win at Bristol for a third time and extend what's become one of the most talked-about winning streaks in recent NASCAR history."