Consider what AJ Allmendinger said on team radio during the 2014 night race: “I freakin’ hate this track, man. The moment I get it figured out, the moment it goes to … "
MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. update | Bristol schedule | Chase trouble report
We’ll leave the final word to your imagination. Yes, it is an expletive.
A better way to look at Bristol might be Tony Stewart’s notion. “It’s one of my favorite tracks, but Bristol is a track that’s feast or famine. If you have a really good day, it’s a lot of fun. But if you have one little problem, it normally makes for a very long day. Lately, we’ve had a couple long days there.”
Stewart made those comments in 2005. He had another of those bad Bristol moments in 2012 when, after being wrecked by Matt Kenseth, Stewart flung his helmet at his antagonist’s passing car.
Other drivers have similar feelings about Bristol, and fans have made their opinions known about a loss of excitement in Thunder Valley. The self-described “last great colosseum” in recent races had lost its luster.
But as Sprint Cup teams prepare for Saturday’s race there is an element of the unknown, one which began to get attention when Truck Series drivers hit the track Wednesday. “Minor modifications” were made to produce a racing groove lower on the racing surface. Bristol’s so-called polishing included preparation with an agent that improves tire grip.
That came with the approval of NASCAR and with input from drivers to answer fan criticism that racing at Bristol had become boring. Bristol? Boring? That’s what happened with drivers began relying on an upper groove that took away side-by-side racing.
“We wanted to try a few things to see if we could make the lower racing groove more preferred by drivers,” track general manager Jerry Caldwell told the Bristol Herald Courier.
If it works, and fans are again treated to cussing and fussing and helmets thrown in anger, all the better. The proof will be in the racing.
And Wednesday, there was evidence of how the changes just might work. Rodney Childers, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, was dubious about the changes. He then had to eat his tweeted words.
Let’s see what happens during night racing.
UPDATE: Dale Jr., who will not be racing this weekend, sounded cautiously optimistic while watching the trucks go round and round.
Word on Wednesday’s Truck laps will filter back to teams. Consider what Daniel Suarez will impart to Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Honestly, whatever these guys, Bristol, did to the bottom, the racetrack has total grip,” Suarez told Fox Sports 1. “You feel like you can get into the bottom super deep, the truck can stay there, and then you can go.”
Reports suggested the sticky stuff started working as the track temperature rose. With highs in the mid-80s, daytime runs will benefit. But this is a night race, so there were questions about what cooler temperatures might bring. That’s another reason why teams will pay close attention the Truck Series race and Friday’s Xfinity Series race.
Hot and sticky beats cool and slick hands down.
Here are the entries for Aug. 20’s race at Bristol.
