| | The NASCAR Winston Cup record book shows that Dale Earnhardt has nine victories at the Bristol Motor Speedway, but there is a strong argument that he has only won there eight times. That is the scene-setter for another Saturday night race at Bristol, the high-banked, half-mile from hell.
How can something so small cause all that trouble? I don't know, but I do know the fans love it. And now the circuit is ready for the 500 laps that make up the 23rd stop of the season.
|  | | Rusty Wallace, a winner during the day at Bristol the past two seasons, feels at "home" on the half-mile oval. |
Earnhardt will be out to defend his win and his reputation. Rusty Wallace won at Bristol in the spring. I don't know what I can tell you about this track that you don't already know. I always look at the Bristol night race as a special event. While the Winston Cup series races there in the spring, that is just another Sunday afternoon spent going around in circles, great racing and plenty of excitement. But the race under the lights always ignites a spark of magic from the Tennessee mountains.
I could go into the statistics, or underscore the importance of points here Saturday night, but I have never approached this race in that fashion. The points are critical, as they are every week, and Bobby Labonte will be looking to survive on Saturday then escape with as many points as possible. His pursuers have similar goals. Each will try to gain points and hope Labonte is one of the victims instead of the victor at Bristol.
When I head into the track on Saturday, I expect to see more than a race; I expect to see an event.
As a broadcaster it's a challenge to make sure you don't miss a thing. It's just like it is for the drivers, at Bristol, everything happens in a hurry and you have to make certain you have your eye on everything and everyone. But as a fan, you're doing the same thing. You're watching everything. Or at least trying to watch everything.
Nothing about Bristol is predictable. The race at this track one year ago is a great example. Even on the rare occasion when there is a long green flag run, it's the constant anticipation of the next caution that keeps the fan and the crew on the edge of their seats.
If it does stay green for an entire fuel run, the crew chief and the driver have to start worrying about when to pit, because the crew chief just knows that the moment he brings his driver into the pits, the next caution is going to fly, his man is going to be a couple of laps down and the rest of the night is a seemingly endless marathon desperately trying to make those laps up.
One more thing you have to keep in mind about racing at Bristol is that it can all come down to fuel mileage. It rarely happens, but it can, and usually it's from the last stop to the finish. Up and down pit road, the crew chief will keep and eye on the lap count and once it clicks off lap 350, the calculators start buzzing. Like I said, it rarely happens, but it can happen.
The key to winning? Making sure you are still around at lap 350. I like the way Rusty describes it, heads-up and flat out.
"People always ask me why I seem to do so well there and in those races," Wallace said. "Well, it's really a throwback to where I came from and what we did in the early days in the sport. We ran all the half-mile bullrings around the country on Saturday nights. Here we're running a half-mile short track on a Saturday night, too, only there's 130,000 fans in the stands and a national TV audience all tuned in.
"And, as I've always said, the track really suits my racing style -- heads up and flat out.
"We've always had one of our biggest fan bases right there in that part of the country and with our car dealerships just down the road in the Morristown area, it's like a home track feeling we get every time we race at Bristol."
If Wallace is the hometown hero on Saturday night, then it's safe to say Earnhardt will be cast in a role he has become quite familiar with over the years, The Villain.
And if this track suits Rusty's style, it certainly suits Earnhardt, too. His first win at Bristol came in April of 1979, his rookie year. Twenty years later he was still winning at the track.
"Bristol under the lights is one of the best events for the race fans," Earnhardt said. "It's close, tight racing right in front of the fans. Sometimes too tight, but going into this race everyone knows it's going to be that way. If you let it, Bristol will definitely mess with your mind by the end of the night."
"Friday the key is qualifying for a front stretch pit position," said car owner Richard Childress. "We started 11th in the spring and that helped keep us in contention at the start. The less cars you have to pass the better off you are to save the equipment for the end. Dale is the best at using his equipment wisely. He knows when to run hard and when to run as hard as needed, saving a little for later."
"There are so many variables into winning a race at Bristol," said Earnhardt. "Everything has to go your way, including track position,
avoiding all the wrecks in front of you, behind you, and beside you during the night."
And that's all night -- from the first lap to the final one.
I purposely did not dwell on what happened at the end of the night race one year ago. Heck, everybody else has. That is in the past.
But what that finish does bring into this race is the anticipation, the unknown. There will be an added element in the always-electrified environment Saturday night. And anytime we can add some more magic to the night race at Bristol, that's a good thing.
One more note about this race, and you are probably already aware of it. This is the final Bristol race for all of us at ESPN. It's always been a trip and a race we have really enjoyed. I know we'll enjoy this one, too. Right down to the final lap! | |
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