Bristol Motor Speedway is the smallest track in length that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series race on during the season. However, the last coliseum is also one of the fastest short tracks in all of racing. As these elite stock car drivers take on the bumps and banks of Bristol, here are your four storylines to follow for NASCAR at Bristol Motor Speedway:
The Turn Two Bump
One of the biggest stories leaving practice for both series was the bumps in Turn 2. The track has character, a character that drivers and teams have to work to accommodate. The fastest drivers find a way to run over the bumps, and continue to race, and that could prove to be the winning move for the weekend’s races.
The Bump and Run
Another type of bump will be seen on track in the races, when the nighttime is the right time to try the bump and run. The move made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt, it has become a common move to get someone out of their groove and slip past them for position, or even the win. Could we see some desperate drivers who employ the bump and run for the win at Bristol?
Temper Temper
As the Sprint Cup Series closes in on the start of the Chase for the Cup, tempers have begun to boil in recent races, as those on the bubble become more and more desperate for a win to lock in. Meanwhile, in the Xfinity Series, coming off of two road courses means lots of pent up road course rage for those who got the short end of the stick there. Now they all will pile into the short track at Bristol, where payback may be in their plans.
Three Races Left
That’s right, three races remain until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, which means that bubble is getting tighter, and those on the outside looking in are running out of time to move up. Can a new winner on the season emerge at Bristol? Will Kasey Kahne finally notch his win at the short track? Or will Clint Bowyer silence the worries of Michael Waltrip’s racing demise?
Be sure to catch all the racing, the rubbing, the bumping, and the post-race banter this weekend from Bristol Motor Speedway. Watch the Xfinity Series live on Friday night on NBCSN, and the Sprint Cup Series race, the Irwin Tools Night Race, on Saturday night also on NBCSN.
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