This weekend, the Nascar Sprint Cup Series heads to Tennessee for the Food City 500. Held on the track at Bristol known as "The World's Fastest Half-Mile", the Food City 500 is the first of the season to be held on a short track. Bristol is a track where racing is racing and tempers tend to get very hot with all the beating and banging that goes on there. Last year, this race was the first to run the COT and the end result was a great back and forth race that saw Kyle Busch hold off Jeff Burton at the line to take the win. However, the fall race at this track was tabbed by many to be one of the worse races of the season, with the Car of Tomorrow making it difficult to pass with little or no side by side racing.
When it comes to racing at Bristol, how a car handles and how well the brakes hold up on this track which will be the key to victory on Sunday. A driver's skill here is really tested and he must display a lot of patience or he will end his day in the garage. Most drivers and crews would agree that a good handling racecar with a good set of brake pads is more important than horsepower at Bristol. The cars must handle well thru these high banked corners, have plenty of power to max their speeds on the short straight away's and be able to brake going back into the next corner. Pit strategy will be critical and the race team that manages to get his driver out first on the last series of pits stops on fresh tires will probably win this race. Obviously, cars that remain on the lead lap should all have a good finish, and with so few left on the lead lap, any of those drivers can have a legitimate chance to win.
Bristol has traditionally been a track that favors veteran drivers and in four out of the last ten races, Kurt Busch has risen to the challenge and won those races. Jeff Gordon has 5 career wins there but none in the last ten races. Other race winners include Matt Kenseth twice, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards won the fall race last year and Kyle Busch won the spring race last year in the debut of the COT car. These guys have to all be considered favorites and the chances for an unfamiliar face visiting victory lane on Sunday are very slim to say the least and the winner will more then likely be a veteran with more then one win under their belt and a couple years of experience under their belts.
Ones to Watch
Kyle Busch - He's finished in the top 11 for all four Cup events, including two fourths to start the season at Daytona and California. Busch has also had excellent results at Bristol Motor Speedway, winning in March 2007 and finishing second in August 2006.
Matt Kenseth - If an unlucky accident didn't knock Kenseth back at Las Vegas, he would be aiming for his fourth straight top-10 Cup finish this season. Still, he's managed to place fifth and eighth at California and Atlanta in two of the past three races. He's had great success at Bristol, clinching victories in August 2006 and 2005. He's also posted seven top fives and 10 top 11s in the past 12 Cup events at Bristol
Greg Biffle - The No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford is sitting pretty in the second position of the Sprint Cup point standings after four events, having finished 15th or better in each race. He's a top pick for a repeat performance this weekend at Bristol, where he ranks among the top drivers on the circuit. Biffle has earned three top fives and six top 10s in 10 career starts. Five of those top-10 finishes have come in his past six starts.
Jeff Gordon - He can drive on any surface and for any length, but his five career wins, five career poles and 18 career top 10s in 30 starts at Bristol make him an easy start for me this week. He has three top sixes in his last five trips to Tennessee
Dale Earnhardt Jr - Earnhardt, Jr. offers fantasy participants a great option this weekend at Bristol, where he's raced to 13 consecutive top-16 finishes, including nine top 10s. Junior did win here during the 2004 season, and he has averaged a 22-position improvement from his qualifying slot to earn six top 10s in his past seven Bristol starts
Brian Vickers - You've gotta like how he's been looking so far this season. He has three top 12s in the year's first four races and placed 15th in his last trip to Bristol. I'm expecting him to have a decent run again on Sunday.
My Pick - Matt Kenseth - Kenseth earned his second top-10 ride of the season with a strong 30-position improvement from qualifying to capture eighth place at Atlanta. He'll look to build momentum this weekend at Bristol, where he's won twice in the past. An accident in last August's Sharpie 500 ended an 11-race streak of top-16 finishes during which Kenseth scored his nine top 10s.
Sleeper Pick - Kevin Harvick - His record here is really good and his aggressive style fits this track very well. RCR cars have looked ok this season in the COT but I think Harvick's experience will make up for any shortcomings seeing as speed really isnt a priority for this race.
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