Race Preview: Nationwide Series from Montreal

We don't have Cup racing this week but do have Nationwide Series racing from Canada. A road course in Montreal, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a 2.71 mile round trip that includes 15 turns along the way. The race in Montreal has been part of the Nationwide Schedule since 2007. The NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge will include 74 laps around the road course on Sunday.

So-called road course ringer Marcos Ambrose hopes to run well over the weekend, as Montreal has been particularly tough for Ambrose. In his three starts he was driving the fastest car, led the most laps, but did not come home a winner from any appearance. In 2007 Marcos led 37 laps before getting into trouble with Robby Gordon and finishing seventh on lap 75 after a green-white-checker finish. 2008 found Ambrose leading 25 of a rain-shortened 48 lap event but lost the lead after speeding on pit road and serving a penalty.

2009 found Ambrose the closest to a win, but after leading 60 laps, he made a mistake in the Chicane which gave Carl Edwards the opening he needed to take the lead away from Marcos. Edwards ultimately won the 2009 race, whereas Ambrose finished in the runner-up spot. Other than Carl, previous winners of the Napa Auto Parts 200 have been Ron Fellows in 2008 and Kevin Harvick in 2007. Out of the three former winners, Edwards and Fellows are both included on the Napa Auto Parts 200 Entry List for this weekend, Harvick is not.

Jacques Villeneuve and Brad Keselowski are another pair to watch this weekend for strong performances. The pair finished fourth and fifth, respectively in 2009. Villeneuve has much experience in road course racing in multiple racing series. Keselowski is coming into the weekend as Points Leaders, 313 ahead of who else but Carl Edwards. After a win two weeks ago at Michigan and getting dumped by Kyle Busch in last week's Nationwide race at Bristol, Brad would love to come out and post another win to increase his points lead.

Max Papis will be in the number 33 for this week's race and hopes to finish better than his 2009 finish of 20th. Papis has also been referred to as a road course ringer but has largely failed to live up to that term in NASCAR racing. This is the first Nationwide race that Papis has taken part in this year. In his six NASCAR Cup Series Road Course starts, Max has posted just one top ten finish. This weekend at Montreal could be a chance for Papis to regain his road course glory.

Another driver who posted strong finishes in road course racing at Watkins Glen earlier in the Nationwide Series is Joey Logano. Joey took home a second place finish a few weeks ago at The Glen but has not posted good finishes previously at Montreal. Logano did not race in last year's Napa Auto Parts 200, was taken out of competition in 2008 by an accident, and did not participate in the 2007 running at Montreal. With little experience at this track, that could hurt Logano's chances to move up from his 11th place spot in the Nationwide Points Standings.

What it comes down to is that this could be anyones race, and it should be a good one among competitors. Edwards and Keselowski are both contenders, but with both still on probation for their run-ins earlier in the season it is unlikely that the two will be the cause of any fireworks on Sunday afternoon. I expect a clean race from both drivers.

Ambrose is driven to get a win in Montreal as it would be his first Canadian win. He may race a little too hard and find himself spinning in a turn late in the race, however. Justin Allgaier and Paul Menard are in the top five in the Points but neither made it inside the top ten at this track last year. I pick Carl Edwards for the win, Joey Logano for the runner-up spot, and Brad Keselowski to come in third. Villeneuve and Papis round out my top five.

Although racing in the rain is allowed at Montreal, there is little chance of rain in the area forecast for the weekend. With a 20% chance of rain Saturday and Sunday and temperatures expected to be in the mid-80s weather should not play a factor in the weekend event. Catch Nationwide practice Saturday at 11:30 a.m., Qualifications at 5 p.m. Saturday, and the race on Sunday at 2 p.m. All coverage of this weekend's NASCAR Nationwide Series Napa Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal will be aired on ESPN2. There will also be an untelevised Practice Session Saturday morning beginning at 9 a.m. that can be followed on NASCAR.com


Photo Credits
Photo 1: http://nationwide.nascar.com
Photo 2: Kent Holloway www.kentholloway.net
Photo 3: www.nascar.com
Photo 4: http://sports.espn.go.com

Focus on Camping World Truck Series

There's no Cup Series racing action this week. The Camping World Truck Series will be racing at Chicagoland Speedway in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225. Trucks will go 225 miles, 150 laps around the D-shaped. Many NASCAR fans don't follow the Trucks Series; I didn't really get into it until a couple years ago. Once I caught a Trucks race on TV, though I realized how much action occurs during the races.

Have you ever driven a Chevy S-10 or Ford Ranger on an icy road, went around a curve and had the back end fishtail? Truck Series drivers handle that on almost every curve. It's fun to watch and many Cup and Nationwide driver pull double duty at least some weekends. There are many familiar faces among the CWTS drivers...and many to get to know.


Kevin Harvick is a team owner in the CWTS. Kevin Harvick, Inc. has the number 2 truck, co-driven in 2010 by Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Shelby Howard, and Ken Schrader and the number 33 truck driven by Ron Hornday. Between the two trucks KHI has five wins in the CWTS for 2010. Hornaday won at Indianapolis in the number 33, holding off Kyle Busch at the end of the race at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Sadler has posted one win in the number 2 truck, winning at Pocono. Harvick claims the other three wins for the team this season, with wins at Atlanta, Martinsville, and most recently Gateway.

At the top of the CWTS Points board is Todd Bodine. Bodine leads second ranked Aric Almirola by 211 points with just nine races left in the 2010 season. Another 39 points back we find Timothy Peters, and in 288 points behind the leader in 4th is Johnny Sauter. Hornaday is currently ranked 5th in the CWTS Points, 323 points out of the lead. Finishing the top ten are Matt Crafton, Austin Dillon, Mike Skinner David Starr, and Ricky Carmichael.

Racing at Chicagoland is fairly new for Truck Series drivers; this is only the second race at the facility. Kyle Busch won the 2009 EnjoyIllinois.com 250 after leading 79 of the 150 laps. Current Points leader Todd Bodine finished just over half a second behind Kyle for second place in last years race. If Almirola wants to close the gap between himself and Bodine in the Points, Aric will have to post better than last years 8th place finish, as Bodine will most likely run near the front throughout the race.

At least two of the top ten in Points have had on and off track disagreements in the past. Rivalling some of the biggest fights in NASCAR, Todd Bodine and David Starr had it out after the 2008 New Hampshire race. The problems started when Starr bumped and turned Bodine, causing Todd's truck to end up against the wall. After the race Todd bumped David to show his displeasure and then followed Starr into the pits.

On pit road, Bodine's Team got involved and ultimately drug Starr out of his truck. Punches were thrown and NASCAR Officials came in and diffused the situation...they thought. Just a couple minutes later the fights broke out again, with most of the Bodine Team going after David Starr and his Team Members. Other Teams got involved, as Bodine was just one of four trucks that Starr had turned around during the race.

Mike Hillman, Sr, of Bodine's Germain Racing Team was a main player in both rounds of this melee, at one point climibing onto the top of Bodine's truck to reach Starr and his team. Ultimately, local Sheriff Department Officers came into the hauler area to speak with Hillman and other CWTS Team Members. NASCAR handed down suspensions to Hillman and William Divel, crew member for David Starr's team for two races, and various probations and fines to no less than seven other crew member among three teams. No one can claim that the CWTS doesn't see as much action as the Cup Series.

During this off-week for Sprint Cup Racing tune into the Camping World Truck Series race from Chicagoland Speedway. It is a track we all know, take a look at how the trucks handle, watch what unfolds. With Almirola needing to close on Points Leader Todd Bodine, and Ron Hornaday hanging fifth in Points things could get interesting. Qualifying will air on SPEED Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST; the EnjoyIllinois.com 250 will also air on SPEED, Friday night at 8:30 p.m. under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway.

Photo Credits
Photo 1: www.nascar.com
Photo 2: http://www.nascar.com/
Photo 3: http://www.kansascity.com/

Love Him or Hate Him: Kyle Busch

Twitter has been all aflutter with people loudly voicing opinions on if the love Kyle Busch or hate him. To the Busch lovers he has achieved the greatest feat known to mankind - the Bristol Sweep. To the haters, he cheats and can't drive worth a damn. What happened to respecting a driver for his skill? You don't win three races in four days without being able to drive the car.

Personally I do not like Kyle as a person from what I have seen at the track and on-camera. He tends to blame others before having all the facts, he conveys a sense of entitlement that he hasn't earned, and he disrespects the fans. I do not argue that Kyle has skills as a driver, however. No driver makes it to the Cup Series without  in some way earning the right to be there.

For me, it's not the way Kyle drives aggressively. I am a big fan of aggressive racing. When NASCAR announced the "Have at it, Boys" policy I was thrilled. It's that Kyle's attitude is crap. He mostly acts like a spoiled, condescending brat.

During driver introductions at Bristol Saturday night he was booed; Busch said into the microphone something about the love he felt from the crowd...with a sneer on his face. After the race, from the Winner's Circle he again took a jab at the booing masses in the crowd. Race fans pay for Kyle's paycheck. It seems to me he would at least show them the respect they deserve for spending their time off work and money on traveling, lodging, and race tickets.

So, does having fans hate you with a passion hurt you as a driver? Not if you listen to what has been said before about getting more booing from the crowd than cheering at times of introduction. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. said "Whether they boo or cheer, as long as they're making noise you are doing something right." NASCAR fans definitely make noise for Kyle.

On his way to the Friday night Nationwide win he took out Brad Keselowski. Granted, he owned up to it in post-race interviews but standing there saying that he "dumped" Brad intentionally takes another couple notches off my personal opinion of Kyle. If Kyle had not wrecked Brad we would have seen more good racing before the night's end. Would Kyle have still won the race? No one can know, but there would be a lot fewer angry fans around.

The facts of the weekend are that Kyle earned the pole position but started from the back after engine repairs and won the Wednesday night Truck Series Race. He started third in Friday night's Nationwide race and crossed the finish line first at the end of the night. He qualified 19th for the Irwin Tools Night Race and at the end, he was in front. He is the only driver to take wins in all three National touring series in the same weekend. These facts earn Kyle Busch - as a driver - my respect. So Kudos to Kyle Busch for taking the Sweep at Bristol....but I still don't like you.

Photo Credits
Photo 1: http://nascar.speedtv.com/
Photo 2: Getty Images/ http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/
Photo 3: http://msn.foxsports.com/

In the Rearview Mirror: The Last 7 Days in NASCAR

2011 Schedule

The NASCAR 2011 Schedule was released on Wednesday. Many of the major changes had previously been announced – that of Kentucky Speedway gaining Cup dates, Atlanta and Infineon Raceway losing a date each, Chicago to the Chase, etc. One item that had been a matter of speculation was whether NASCAR would move the season finale away from Homestead Miami Speedway.

The schedule shows that Homestead did, indeed keep the final race of the 2011 Season. The 1.5 mile track is considered to be one of the most beautiful tracks in the NASCAR Circuit with palm trees lining the edges and interior of the facility. With the last race of the season being in late November there is a limit to which track can hold that final race from a weather point of view.

Vegas was discussed in circles of both media and fans to bring the season finale and the awards banquet to the same city. Although in theory this would seem to be a way to bring more fans to Vegas for the awards banquet, in reality a two-week Las Vegas event would be more of a strain on most family budgets than would two individual weekend events on opposite sides of the country.

Driver Contract and Sponsor Deals

Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing announced this week, officially, that Budweiser is coming on board to Sponsor Harvick in 2011. Announced Tuesday, this is a three-year deal for 20 points and two non-points races each season. RCR also announced last week that Paul Menard and family sponsor Menard's will join the team in 2011.

Marcos Ambrose signed with Richard Petty Motorsports on Tuesday. Ambrose said that driving for RPM is an incredible honor and a dream opportunity. After announcing that he was parting ways with JTG/Daugherty Racing he almost immediately began talks with Richard Petty Motorsports regarding a 2011 in the number nine car. Stanley Tools will be the main sponsor of Ambrose's ride.

Aric Almirola and JR Motorsports announced during a Bristol press conference on Friday that Almirola will be driving in the number 88 car full-time in 2011. Aric was smiling throughout the press conference, and for good reason. After the Earnhardt-Ganassi number eight funding dried up early in the season Almirola moved to the Trucks Series and currently sits in the second place spot in the Camping World Trucks Series Points. Further, he stepped in for David Reutimann during Sprint Cup practice after David fell ill to suspected food poisoning. Almirola had a good week.

Bristol Week
Fans began arriving around Bristol Motor Speedway at the beginning of the week. The Camping World Truck Series Race ran on Wednesday night. Due to pre-race engine repairs Pole-sitter Kyle Busch was relegated to the back of the field to start the O'Reilly 200. Busch ran his way through the field and took the lead on lap 91.

On his way to his win, Busch spun Jennifer Jo Cobb on lap 85 when she got loose and checked up in front of Kyle. Busch was in the process of lapping Cobb when the incident occurred. The spin caused Cobb to come down on the number 31 of James Buescher and caused major damage to both trucks.

Busch only took one pit stop, on lap 30; fuel conservation was in full play by the end of the race. When a late race caution came out for a crash involving Ken Schraeder and David Starr, Busch and his team were concerned whether they had enough fuel to go for the green-white-checker finish. In the end, Kyle prevailed and bowed to the crowd from the start finish line.

Friday night's Nationwide Series Food City 250 saw Kyle Busch starting from the third position, after racing Brad Keselowski for several laps Kyle's car got loose and moved up the track in front of Brad. Kyle admittedly thought he was clear; he was not. Brad got into the back of Busch which Kyle thought was an intentional act. From the fan view on replays, it was not. Kyle came back in the next turn on lap 219 and dumped Brad.

Kyle continued to hold off contenders Jason Leffler and Elliot Sadler to take home his second win of the weekend. Busch starts 19th in the Irwin Tools 500 Cup Race on Saturday night and will be going for a win to complete the sweep. He will not go unchallenged, however.

Three drivers are going into the Saturday night main event having already run twice this week at Thunder Valley. Whereas running both the Nationwide Race and Cup Race on the same weekend is fairly commonplace among NASCAR drivers, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Newman will pull triple duty. Busch and Keselowski raced in both the Trucks Series and Nationwide races; Newman raced in the Modified race earlier in the week and the Nationwide race.

Eleven other drivers are pulling double duty at Bristol this weekend. Todd Bodine and Max Papis are running both the Cup Series race on Saturday night and raced the Trucks Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 200. Drivers participating in the Cup Race after having competed in Friday night's Nationwide Race are Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Reed Sorenson, and Paul Menard.

Beyond those drivers starting two or more races Kyle will also have to get past Jimmie Johnson on Busch's way to a possible sweep. Johnson is starting from the Pole on Saturday night and posted a win in the Spring race at Thunder Valley. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was strong in the Nationwide Race and said that his Cup car is very similar; could we see Earnhardt get winners points this week?

Will the double and triple duty drivers' efforts to get Bristol Motor Speedway figured out pay off? Will Kyle take the Bristol Sweep? Will Jimmie be able to repeat? NASCAR Nation will find out by the end of the night. ABC coverage of the Irwin Tools Night Race starts at 7:30 p.m. From Thunder Valley.
 
Photo Credits
Photo 1: http://www.nascar.com/
Photo 2: http://www.espn.com/
Photo 3: http://www.soundandspeed.org/
Photo 4: http://www.nascar.com/
Photo 5: Jerry Markland/Getty Images
Photo 6: http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/

2011 NASCAR Schedule: Reactions

With the release of the 2011 NASCAR Schedule on Wednesday August 18th there has been much discussion over if the new schedule is better or worse than the last ten years has been. I think it depends on whose point of view one is looking from on whether the 2011 schedule is an improvement over 2010 or just something new.

Two weeks before the official release of the schedule NASCAR dropped the major changes on the fans in bits and pieces. Atlanta lost the spring race, Fontana lost the spring race, Kentucky and Kansas were joining the Cup Schedule, Chicago gained a race and became the first race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Viewpoints from fans were mixed; some were disappointed over the loss of Atlanta whereas many were ecstatic that Kansas was picking up a second Cup race. The reaction from fans and media regarding Kentucky has been mixed, as has the reaction to the loss of the first Fontana date and the realigning of the Texas date.

One person who voiced his opinion about Kentucky Speedway joining the Cup Series during his Thursday night Live Online Chat is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt said that he knows there are a lot of NASCAR fans in that part of the country. He also said that he went to Kentucky Speedway before the official announcement was made to do some unofficial testing and the track was a lot of fun to run.

In regard to Texas getting a night race, NASCAR fan Michelle says “I love it! Texas is my home track and we get a night race!!” Another fan gives the opinion that he is concerned regarding the temperatures during a November night race in Fort Worth. A valid concern, it seems, since the average high on November 6 at Texas Motor Speedway is 70 degrees and the average low is 44 degrees. This means that by the end of the race, temperatures could be hovering in the mid-fifties. On the upside, Texas Motor Speedway can expect sales of sweatshirts and jackets to improve.

Chicago appears to be another source of disagreement among fans. One fan from Michigan says she is glad that Chicago made the Chase. Jim, a NASCAR fan from northern Indiana says that he thinks NASCAR will have difficulty to get the desired level of media coverage in Chicago for the September 18, 2011 Cup race if the NFL's Chicago Bears are also playing that day.

On the corresponding date during this 2010 NFL season Chicago plays at Dallas. If the 2011 NFL Schedule doesn't change it looks like the first September race at Chicago will be taking place the same day as a home Chicago Bears game. Having a NASCAR race in Chicago on the same day as a NFL football games seems risky, at best. Lodging will be hard to come by, traffic could be horrendous, and getting media coverage for the event may be tough.

Local attendance to the NASCAR race when there is a home Chicago Bears game the same day is going to be tough to get. Chicago residents tend to be very supportive of their NFL team. The Chicago Bears, on average drew 62,650 fans to each home game. For the record, that is almost a sold out crowd at every home game. Chicagoland holds 75,000...whether Chicago is NASCAR's second largest market or not, NASCAR organizational leaders may soon remember why Chicago has not had a fall race.

One definite positive was mentioned by Steve O'Donnell of NASCAR during an on-camera interview. O'Donnell said that the three opening races of the season are all unique. Opening the season with Daytona, Phoenix, and Las Vegas take drivers from a 2.5 mile Super Speedway to the short-track racing style on the one mile tri-oval at Phoenix followed by a fast 1.5 mile D-oval at Las Vegas. I agree that the opening three races in 2011 are going to be fun to watch.

One thing that Tiffany, a NASCAR fan from Michigan was disappointed with is that there is no road course in the Chase to the Sprint Cup. Several others have echoed that sentiment and wish for the addition of a road course to the last ten races of the season. I am not a big fan of road courses but understand that it would be good for the Chase to have at least one example of every type of course included in the circuit. Having a Super Speedway, a Mid-Length Track, a Short Track, and a Road Course would result in a Champion at the end of the season who is good on each variety of track.

One much talked about item during the final wait for the 2011 NASCAR Schedule release was whether the final race of the season would remain at Homestead. There was much speculation that the finale would move to Las Vegas to make it easier for teams, media, and fans to attend the Awards Banquet following the last race of the season.

When the schedule came out on Wednesday Homestead was indeed still the season finale. While I cannot imagine the season finale not being at Homestead, other fans do not agree. Don from Missouri says he would like a “bigger” venue for the final race of the Chase; He suggests Daytona or Las Vegas. As long as Homestead is owned by ISC and Las Vegas is owned by SMI, the general consensus is that there is no way Las Vegas will get the season finale. ISC has 19 of 36 races in the 2010 season. ISC is unlikely to part with the final race of the season.
 
Photo Credits
Photo 1: http://aolscv.sports.aol.nascar.com/
Photo 2: http://www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
Photo 3: http://www.newsobserver.com/ 
Photo 4: http://www.nascarbrasil.com/

Noteworthy in NASCAR

Jack Roush

Last Friday Jack Roush returned to the track at Michigan. Jack was, as we all know, involved in a plane crash when landing at an air show in Wisconsin on July 27th. Jack went from a local hospital to the Mayo Clinic where it was only said that he was being treated for "facial injuries".

Jack did an interview on Friday shortly after arriving at the track and wearing large dark sunglasses said that he is in a back brace due to a compression fracture in his back, suffered a broken left jaw, has packing still in his nose, and lost his left eye as a result of the accident.

Jack arrived on race day as well; there were many pats on the back and “Glad you're back” comments from many teams, fans, and media as Jack made his way through the Pits. It was business as usual for Jack though as he found himself his usual spot on top of a Pit Box.

Jack's return to the top of the Pit Box seemed to be a boost for his Roush Fenway drivers on Sunday; Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth finished third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

Moving on Up

Carl Edwards has put on quite a show over the last seven races with finishes of 6th, 2th, 7th, 3th, 5th, 3th, and 8th respectively. This is quite the improvement over his five finishes prior to the June race at Louden. Those five races found him finishing in 16th, 12th, 12th, 29th, and 25th.

The last seven races Carl's average finish has been 4.85. The five races before that show a 18.8 finish. Edwards is definitely a man on the move. He sits in 5th place in the Points; Carl gained three spots with his 6th place finish in the Carfax 400.

If Carl can continue to run like this every week for the rest of the season it may come down to Edwards giving Harvick and Johnson a run for their money in the Chase to the Championship.

Chase Game Over?

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. lost another spot in the Cup Series Points Standings on Sunday. His 19th place finish caused him to fall back into the 17th spot in the standings. Going into Michigan Dale was just 12 points in front of Kasey Kahne in the Points.

Kahne finished the Carfax 400 five spots in front of Dale and gained 19 points – more than he needed to claim the 16th place in the Points. Over the last three races Kahne has been able to gain 44 points on Earnhardt. Dale is simply being out-performed.

Opinions on why Earnhardt is falling out of any chance to get into the Chase range widely. I have seen opinions that the team isn't working well together, Dale doesn't fit in well at Hendrick Motorsports, and that Earnhardt has lost confidence either in himself or in his team. Another possibility is that Dale is spending too much time with his JR Motorsports racing team and not enough time at the Hendrick shops.

Dale is 129 points out of the Bubble spot in the Race for the Chase with just three races before the cutoff. No one has been able to make up 129 points in the last three races before the Chase to the Sprint Cup in more than 10 years. Bill Elliot came closest in 2001 – he made up 112 points in those three races and went from 15th to 13th place.

While it is not numerically impossible for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to make the Chase the chances that Dale will break into the top twelve in the next three races are extremely small.

Photo Credits
Photo 1: Getty Images/Todd Warshaw
Photo 2: http://www.autoracingsport.com/
Photo 3: Getty Images/Calos Osorio

Irwin Tools Night Race: By the Numbers...and Beyond

Bristol. Thunder Valley. Short-track racing at it's best in many NASCAR fans' minds. I know it's my favorite. Bristol had long since been on my bucket list; I finally made it to the Spring race this year. I loved being able to see action on the track from my seats no matter which turn or side of the track. Which driver will come out of Saturday night with the fondest memories that include a win at Thunder Valley?

Jimmie Johnson won in the Spring and has had both successes and struggles at Bristol. 2009 was a good year for Johnson, who finished eighth in the August race and third in the Spring. Prior to 2009 Jimmie had struggled at Bristol with finishes of 33rd and 18th in 2008 and 21st and 16th in 2007. Maybe Johnson got this half mile track figured out and can end up on top on Saturday night. He should at least secure a solid top ten finish. Johnson has brought in four top five finishes and nine top tens at Bristol.


Kurt Busch is a driver who has seen many a good time at Bristol. The spring race got Kurt 10 bonus points for leading the most laps when he finished third. Out of Kurt Busch's seven short track Cup Series wins five have come at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kurt has also finished in the top ten 11 times at Thunder Valley. Coming off a DNF at Michigan for engine failure, he needs to finish strong to improve his now 10th place standings in the points. Chances are Kurt will be near the front again as the laps wind down under the lights this weekend.

How about Kyle Busch? Last week at Michigan Kyle scraped the wall late in the race and finished 18th in the number 18 car after starting 18th....interesting. He swept Bristol Cup Series Racing in 2009 and finished in ninth position in the Spring of this season. Kyle Busch also won the first race at Bristol in the Car of Tomorrow, in 2007. Kyle sits in the eighth position in Cup Points and needs to perform well this weekend to further secure his spot in the Chase. His brother Kurt proved last week how easy it is to lose six spots in the standings in just one race.

Carl Edwards is another driver I will be watching this weekend to perform strongly. After racing through the field to finish third in last weekend's Carfax 400 at Michigan, Carl said he is happy where they stand in Series Points. The third place finish moved Edwards up three spots in the standings, 266 in front of 13th. Edwards has won two of the last three Fall races at Thunder Valley and finished 6th in this year's Spring race. Carl has two previous wins and five top tens at Bristol in Cup Series Racing; can he win again on Saturday night?

Tony Stewart is up for discussion next; Tony is coming back to Bristol after finishing in the runner-up position in the Food City 500 in March. Tony is hanging tough in 4th spot in the standings, and coming off of a 6th place finish last week at Michigan is ready to further solidify his place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. 300 points ahead of 13th place in the standings, Stewart can go for broke in Thunder Valley and race for the win. He might just get it at the end of the night.

Jeff Gordon can claim five wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, and an additional 15 top tens. Jeff finished a disappointing 14th in the Spring race and is coming off of a 27th place finish at Michigan. Gordon is second in the points standings right now and has enough of a cushion that you can bet he will be coming in looking to break his winless streak and share season spilt honors at Bristol with teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Neither Clint Bowyer nor Mark Martin did well at Bristol in the Spring but have everything riding on the Irwin Tools Night Race. Mark finished 35th to Clint's 40th in March and is sitting 45 points behind Bowyer in the 13th spot in the Series Points Standings. Clint has better momentum coming into this race however; Mark finished 28th last week to Bowyer's 13th place run.

Bowyer has never won at Thunder Valley and has just one short track win. Mark has two previous wins at Bristol and 23 top tens; his average finish shows to be 12.7. With 13 top ten finishes at short tracks in Bowyer's Cup Career there is a good chance that desire to stay in the top twelve will help Clint gain another top ten to add to his stats. Martin needs to have a top ten finish to stay within reach of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. With just three races to go it's do-or-die time for the number five driver.

Denny Hamlin was a big mover last week, gaining three positions in the Race to the Chase. He now resides in the third spot in the Points and has no desire to give up that position. With five top tens at Bristol and an overall average finish of 9.2 on short-track racing it may be time for Denny to get his first win in Thunder Valley. Coming off of a second place finish at Michigan he may have been close enough to victory last week to want it the most on Saturday night.

Kevin Harvick cannot be forgotten as we go into Bristol. The Points leader by 293 points, Harvick has guaranteed himself a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He has won at Bristol before and coming off of a win at Michigan, anything is possible. An average finish at Bristol of 12.2, and an average of 14.1 on short-track racing shows that it won't be a cake walk for Harvick to come in and post a top ten under the light this weekend but I fully expect to see Kevin in the top five by night's end.

Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick. Top three prediction is Denny Hamlin with the win followed by Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson. Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards will round out the top five. I also expect Greg Biffle to be just outside the top ten, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to continue his late season fade, and will predict a wreck involving Juan Pablo Montoya late in the race. Maybe we will see Ryan Newman and Joey Logano continue what was started at Michigan? Short-track racing does tend to bring out the tempers.

Don't miss the always great racing from Thunder Valley this weekend. NASCAR fans can watch practice on SPEED at Noon and 2:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Qualifications on ESPN Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST, and the Saturday Night Bristol Motor Speedway Irwin Tools Night Race on ABC Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Photo Credits
Photo 1: www.racintoday.com
Photo 2: www.nascar.com
Photo 3: www.autoracingdaily.com
Photo 4: Getty Images www.nascar.com
Photo 5: www.choiceracing.com