When you have an opportunity to make the most of a situation, you take it.

And that's exactly what Sterling Marlin hopes to do in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Not only is Marlin atop the Winston Cup points standings heading into this weekend's race, he's also the only multiple race winner thus far this season, having taken the checkered flag at Las Vegas and this past Sunday at Darlington.

	Marlin hopes to emerge from his car on Sunday from Bristol's Victory Lane.

What's more, Marlin comes into this weekend with eight consecutive top-10 finishes, the most of any driver, dating back to the last three races of last season. To say he's red hot going back home to the Volunteer State is an understatement.

While close friend Rusty Wallace has won there nine times, the most of any active driver, Marlin has never won at Bristol -- which he considers his "home" racetrack. But given the type of momentum Marlin and the No. 40 Coors Light Dodge race team bring into this weekend, don't be surprised if Marlin finally grabs that first elusive win and pulls away even further from the pack.

"I'm a little surprised with our streak right now," Marlin said. "I knew we were going to run good with the way we finished last season, (but) I'm surprised a little with all the good luck we've had.

The frustration of still not having won a Cup race at Bristol has somewhat faded as the end-all and be-all motivation in recent years for Marlin. He readily acknowledges that earlier in his career he tried too hard each time he returned to the high-banked .533-mile oval -- wanting to impress family and friends -- only to leave each time without the checkered flag in hand.

But as Marlin has developed and matured as a race car driver -- "it's more like I've just gotten older," he laughs in his heavy Southern drawl -- his mindset now, each time he returns to Bristol, is more of resignation that rather than try and force things like he did when he was younger, he'll just take whatever finish and outcome he can get. Sooner or later, Marlin is convinced he'll capture the elusive victory flag.

"It's kinda like Dale (Earnhardt) and Daytona," said the 44-year-old Marlin. "Look how long it took him to win the 500 (20 years). It'll (winning at Bristol) come in time, I hope."

At Bristol, perhaps more than most other tracks on the Winston Cup tour, the luck factor a driver has can be as important, if not more so, than actually having a good car. If a driver can stay off the walls or avoid the inevitable multitude of crashes that come with tight, close racing, the chances of having a successful finish are greatly multiplied.

"I guess it's better to be lucky than good at Bristol because so many things can happen there," Marlin said. "If you've got a good car and can stay out of trouble and be patient, then you're going to get a decent finish.

But luck isn't the only factor to running well at Bristol.

"Qualifying is real important at Bristol," said Marlin. "Track position means everything, and it's real important to stay up front so you can stay out of trouble.

"We're taking chassis No. 109. It's the same car we ran at Rockingham (qualified sixth and finished second). I think it'll be good if we can keep it in one piece. We tried to test up there last week, but we got rained out, so we'll just go cold turkey and see what works."

	“	It's nice to have the (championship) lead, but 99 points don't mean much. Heck, that could be wiped out before the Bristol race is half over. ”
		—Marlin

"We've been racing pretty good at Bristol," Glover said. "We haven't had a lot of luck there recently, but our whole team is pumped up and we think we can use this momentum to carry us through Bristol.

"You've got to be lucky at Bristol, but I think using your brain creates luck. You've got to be smart on and off the track. If you give Sterling Marlin a good car, he'll use good judgment and get you a good finish."

"We're just having a good time right now and taking it one step at a time. Sterling is the best he's ever been in a race car right now. He's driving smart, he's communicating well with the team and he's the best I've ever seen him beyond a shadow of a doubt. I hope he's peaking at age 44 or 45 and will maintain it for the next dozen years."

Having the hottest right foot, the hottest car, the hottest race team and the hottest momentum should add up to a strong finish Sunday, Marlin hopes.

"It'd be nice to come through Bristol with another top 10 and then get a weekend off before going to Texas," Marlin said. "There's still plenty of racing left, and it's way too early to talk about points.

"It's nice to have the lead, but 99 points (ahead of second-place Ryan Newman) don't mean much. Heck, that could be wiped out before the Bristol race is half over. We're just going to try to take it smart and bide our time and hopefully we'll be around at the end to give 'em a run for their money."

Veteran motorsports writer Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com.