The NASCAR Sprint Cup series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway's half mile oval for the 24th race of the 2008 season, the Sharpie 500. Race Preview took a look at past performances, practice sessions, and season trends to predict how the field should finish on Saturday.
When: Saturday, August 23; 8 p.m./et
Weather: Partly cloudy with a high around 85; wind out of the SE at 7 mph. Chance of precipitation 20%.
The Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway is a half mile oval with high-banking around the entire track. The corners are banked 36 degrees with 16 degree banking on the straight-aways. This is a track where very few drivers have been able to dominate. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon have all had decent success at the track, but that status can change with one nudge to the left rear bumper.
Key to Race: DON'T BRING YOUR BEST CAR
The Bullring in Bristol has been described a flying an airplane in a gymnasium. There will be no cars that escape Saturday's race without damage. This race is one of the most entertaining on the circuit for fans and frustrating for drivers. Expect tempers to flare as the cars bump and bang. The driver that wins the race will have to have excellent pit stops and lots of luck.
Sports
Qualifying Procedures:
47 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by two lap qualifying runs on Friday, August 22 at 3:40 pm/et. Cars that are in the top 35 in owner's points are guaranteed a spot in the race.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet:
Top 5
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch has led at least one lap and has finished ninth or better in four of the last five races at Bristol. Rowdy is once again an excellent pick.
No. 20 Tony Stewart: Stewart has led 769 laps in the past five races at Bristol. He brought a great car to the track in March and should be strong once again this weekend.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has five wins and has led nearly 2,400 laps at Bristol during his career. He should finish in the top five once again on Saturday.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards won last year's night race at Bristol and has placed in the top 16 the past five races at the track. He is a great pick.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has 10 top 10 finishes in 15 career races at Bristol. He finished second in this year's March race and is a great choice on Saturday.
6 to 10
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne had the top car in last year's night race at Bristol, but he struggled at the track this March. He has made adjustments to the car they brought to the track this spring and should finish in the top 10.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has excelled at Bristol in his career. He has finished 16th or better in his last 14 starts at the track and has back-to-back fifth place finishes. Look for him to earn another top 10 finish on Saturday.
No. 07 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer had a great car at Bristol in March and has cracked the top 10 in his past three starts at the track. He should be back into the top 10 once again on Saturday.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has 10 top 10 finishes in 17 career races at Bristol. He has led 539 laps during the last six races at the track and is a great option to finish in the top 10 on Saturday.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton won the spring race and has finished second in two of the last seven races at Bristol. He only led two laps during his win at the track in March so we think it is a long shot he will pull the Bristol sweep this year. He is a great third driver in all fantasy leagues.
11 to 20
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle has never finished worse than 22nd and has seven top 10 finishes in 11 career starts at Bristol. He is a great fantasy option on Saturday.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has been a hit-or-miss driver at Bristol lately. He has led 275 laps in the past three races at the track, but has averaged just a 21st finish over that period. He is worth using as a third driver this weekend.
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has led just 15 laps in the past seven races at Bristol. He is usually a top pick, but we don't recommend him this weekend.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has won five races at Bristol during his career, but his last three races at the track he has averaged just a 21st place finish. He is still a strong option on Saturday, but we wouldn't anchor our team with him.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya has improved with each start he has made at Bristol, but it will take a great effort for him to better his 15th place finish from March.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan has been driving well lately and we expect he will be able to improve on his 21st place finish from Bristol's March race.
No. 12 Ryan Newman: Newman has three finishes in the top 10 and four finishes in the 30s during his last seven races at Bristol. His inconsistency makes him a very risky pick.
No. 1 Martin Truex Jr: Truex Jr has averaged a 23rd place finish at Bristol during his career. The success he had at the track while in the Nationwide Series has yet to carry over. We like other drivers much better this weekend.
No. 43 Bobby Labonte: Labonte's average finish during his career at Bristol is 19th. We think that is about where he will finish on Saturday.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers continues to be one of the biggest surprises of the 2008 season, but Bristol is one of his worst tracks. We recommend saving him for use another weekend.
21 to 30
No. 5 Casey Mears: Mears has just one top 10 finish in 11 career starts at Bristol. He isn't a fantasy option.
No. 44 David Reutimann: Reutimann finished a solid 20th place in his first career start at Bristol in March. He will be doing well to run so well again this weekend.
No. 28 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil has been decent at Bristol in his career, but we doubt he will do quite enough to help your fantasy team. He is only worth using in the deepest leagues.
No. 26 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has finished outside the top 20 in six of the last seven races at Bristol. We don't recommend using him as much more than a fifth fantasy driver this weekend.
No. 66 Scott Riggs: Riggs is a classic middle-of-the-packer. He won't help or hurt your fantasy team.
No. 55 Michael Waltrip: Waltrip has made 43 career starts at Bristol in his career. It should be good for something, right?
No. 8 Aric Almirola: Almirola shocked everyone with an eighth place finish at Bristol during the March race. Although we doubt he will crack the top 10 again, he is a sleeper this weekend.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler has struggled at Bristol lately. This isn't the weekend to use the No. 19.
No. 15 Paul Menard: Menard hasn't been very average at Bristol. He should only be used as a potential fifth driver this weekend.
No. 41 Reed Sorenson: Sorenson has never had much success at Bristol during his career. We don't recommend using the No. 41 car this weekend.
31 to 40
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon has finished in the top 30 in three of the last four Bristol races. We expect he will be strong enough to accomplish that again this weekend.
No. 38 David Gilliland: Gilliland finished ninth in March, but previously he had been awful at Bristol. He is a risky pick this weekend.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. qualified strong, but struggled in his first career start at Bristol. We expect a similar outcome this weekend.
No. 96 Ken Schrader: Schrader is another veteran driver that gets a ride for this weekend's race. He has 46 career starts at the track and could finish strong with a little luck.
No. 01 Regan Smith: Smith has finished 25th and 26th in his two career starts at Bristol. He will be doing well to match those finishes this weekend.
No. 70 Tony Raines: Raines has made six career starts at Bristol in his career without doing anything special. He isn't worth using in fantasy leagues.
No. 00 Mike Skinner: The veteran Skinner will attempt to qualify the No. 00 car for Saturday's race. He has made 16 Cup starts at the track during his career so he knows his way around the track better than most.
No. 22 Dave Blaney: Blaney continues to struggle. He isn't an option
No. 84 AJ Allmendinger: Allmendinger will get the No. 84 car into the race, but he won't do enough to help your fantasy team.
No. 45 Kyle Petty: Petty is behind the wheel for the first time since May. We doubt the layoff will help him.
Field Fillers
No. 78 Joe Nemechek: With the weak field showing up this weekend, Nemechek should have no problem getting the No. 78 car into the race.
No. 21 Bill Elliott: "Awesome Bill" will get the No. 21 into Saturday's field. We think that is about all the good news the No. 21 car will have all weekend.
No. 10 Patrick Carpentier: We have a feeling poor Patrick will look lost this weekend at Bristol.
No. 09 Sterling Marlin: Marlin tries to qualify for his fifth races of the season. It should be a struggle.
No. 08 Johnny Sauter: Sauter will battle to be the final car to make the field.
No. 34 Jeff Green: Green is yet another veteran driver that gets a chance to run Cup this weekend. He will be in the mix for the final spot in the field.
No. 50 Stanton Barrett: Barrett continues to chase his dream of being a NASCAR driver. We wish him luck in qualifying.
Brownie's Picks
Top Four:
1. Kyle Busch
2. Tony Stewart
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Carl Edwards
Sleepers:
1. Kurt Busch
2. David Ragan
Busts:
