and has been thrilling fans ever since. This all-concrete, high-banked, high-speed track has been dubbed the “World’s Fastest Half Mile”.
The following drivers have the best chance of pulling out a top finish this weekend. My top twenty-five list utilizes an exclusive formula I’ve developed over years of analyzing races. It factors in drivers’ history at this track and similar tracks, key driver stats from this venue, and the ever-powerful momentum. Every driver/team will have the occasional “off” race. They can have a rough outing or two without being unduly harmed in the rankings. If they generally run in the top half of the field, they’ll find themselves moving up the list.
TOP TWENTY-FIVE
1)
5Mark Martin
2)18Kyle Busch
3)11Denny Hamlin
4)48Jimmie Johnson
5)24Jeff Gordon
6)33Clint Bowyer
7)29Kevin Harvick
8)31Jeff Burton
9)39Ryan Newman
10)16Greg Biffle
11)14Tony Stewart
12)2Kurt Busch
13)88Dale Earnhardt Jr.
14)17Matt Kenseth
15)42Juan Pablo Montoya
16)9Kasey Kahne
17)99Carl Edwards
18)47Marcos Ambrose
19)1Jamie McMurray
20)00David Reutimann
21)83Brian Vickers
22)20Joey Logano
23)82Scott Speed
24)56Martin Truex Jr.
25)43A.J. Allmendinger
If you’re looking for a safe bet, go with Busch to win — either Kurt or Kyle. Together, the Busch Brothers have dominated Bristol events in recent years with eight victories since the start of the 2002 season — five by Kurt and three by Kyle, including a season sweep of last year’s two events. Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon share the series lead for Bristol wins among active drivers, at five apiece. Darrell Waltrip still holds the all-time BMS win record, with 12.
The Food City 500 is the season’s first short-track race and it starts a “short-track doubleheader” since the following week, the series goes to the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway. The two weeks of old-school competition result from a schedule adjustment of several years ago. Consecutive short-track events once were routine.
BRISTOL HIGHLIGHTS
Most Wins - Active Driver: Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, 5
Races won from the top 5: 57 of 98 - 58.2%
Races won from the top 10: 79 of 98 - 80.6%
Most Top 5s - Active: 16 - Mark Martin
Most Top 10s - Active: 23 - Mark Martin
Races won from THE POLE: 22 [of 98 points race run], 22.5%
Bristol race track used to be a dairy farm and a football field.
In the 1973 Southeastern 500 from Bristol Cale Yarborough started on the pole and led all 500 laps!
Bristol’s first race was held on July 30,1961.
Race winner Jack Smith had to split the purse with Johnny Allen who sub for him partway through.
A total of 42 cars started the first race at BMS but only 19 finished
A seventeen year old Brenda Lee sang the National Anthem.
The first driver on the track for practice on July 27, 1961 was Tiny Lund in his Pontiac. The second driver out was David Pearson.
Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the first race at BMS with a speed of 79.225 mph.
Cup race record: Charlie Glotzbach, 101.074 mph (2:38:12), 7/11/71.
Most Bristol driver wins is 12 by Darrell Waltrip (seven consecutive).
Most Bristol car owner wins is by Junior Johnson with 21 (eight consecutive).
Most Bristol manufacturer wins is by Chevrolet with 41
In March 2001, Elliott Sadler won from the 38th spot, the farthest a driver has come to win at Bristol.
Most Bristol poles go to Cale Yarborough & Mark Martin with nine.
Johnny Allen crossed the finish line first in the inaugural BMS race, but he was driving in relief of Jack Smith, who gets credit for Bristol’s first victory.
On 4/11/99 there were 40 cars running at the finish – the most ever at Bristol.
On 3/20/66 there were only 7 cars running at the finish – the fewest ever at Bristol
On 3/25/73 there wasn’t one single lead change
BRISTOL QUOTES
"He moved me outta the way but hey it's Bristol at least we didn't crash". Matt Crafton who was at Bristol for the first time & finished 6th in the truck race.
"When you go to Bristol you have chill bumps from the time you get there til the time you leave". Barry Dobson
"You have to go to Bristol and enjoy it but know that the outcome could be the opposite of what you want it to be.” Kevin Harvick
"This racing is awesome. Fans dig it. That's the big thing about Bristol. You have to come to race hard." Kurt Busch
"Driving a fast car around Bristol is akin to flying a jet airplane around inside a gymnasium." Darrell Waltrip
"Racing at Bristol is like put 43 cars into a blender and hitting the on button". Barry Dobson
"I got wrecked racing for last. That’s Bristol." Todd Bodine
"Nobody gets treated nicely at Bristol. Everybody gets moved out of the way."
Casey Mears
“There's no such thing as fuel conservation at Bristol. You're on the gas hard, and you're off it quick. ... Bristol is where it's at. It's a driver's track, pure and simple." Tony Stewart
“Bristol is a rush-hour interstate at 120
miles an hour.” Robby Gordon
“I always think of Bristol as a huge cereal
bowl.” Elliott Sadler
“You know how demolition derby works?
You give up everything but try to protect
your radiator and try to keep the sheet
metal off the tires. Well, that’s the way
things are at Bristol.” Kyle Petty
“Bristol is down-and-dirty racing in a
bullring. It’s racing at its best: short-
track racing with high banks." Robby Gordon
"It's like being inside of an aluminum trash can with all your buddies hitting on it with ball-peen hammers." Tony Stewart
“Bristol can be such a wicked race track. You can have an awesome car and be working your way to the front, then, all of the sudden, the day takes a turn for the worse, and you’re stuck five laps down. Those are the longest race days.” Ryan Newman
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