Carnage at Bristol

NASCAR puts all three series
in the mix

Bristol Motor Speedway is the most popular race in the Nextel Cup Series, the most attended in the Busch Grand National Series, and will bring more people to the Craftsman Track Race than any other race all season. They have also added the Hooter Pro Cup Series to do battle on the .533 concrete track this year.
What makes Bristol so popular? That’s an easy answer: action. This is the only track on the circuit that the fans would rather be at than watch on television. There is something going on every lap and you cannot turn your head fast enough to keep up.
Kurt Busch will try for his fourth win in a row at the famed track, trying to match a winning streak set by Darrell Waltrip way back in the 80s. Busch will have his hands full as usual, as many of the other drivers would like to dethrone the Sharpie Ford driver. Many of the drivers are known as short track aces, including Rusty Wallace, who was denied a win when Jeff Gordon did a bump and run on him just last season. Gordon will play in the mix and with the momentum that he has built over the last seven races, will be hard to stop.
Kevin Harvick is hungry and it seems like he and Busch tend to get together at the track. His aggressive style keeps anyone in front of him looking in the mirror for the black and silver Chevrolet. Other hot drivers that are on the block for the last ten races are Kasey Kahne, who sat on the pole for the spring race but fell victim to a mishap with Jamie McMurray on the third lap and spent most of the day just trying to forget Bristol. Dale Jarrett is coming on with some consistency in the late stages of the season and may be able to run up front. Mark Martin is still reeling about the call he got at Michigan when the officials claimed he had a lug nut come off in the pits. The penalty may have cost him a win.
NASCAR was not ignorant when they made the last ten races the new points system; it put Bristol right in the mix because of the short track madness. Drivers are prone to get away with more on this track than any other one. NASCAR tends to turn their head for the aggressiveness of some just to make the show a little better for the fans.
If I were forced to make a prediction, I would have to go with Jeff Gordon in this race. I think the chances of Busch taking his fourth are slim, but he will certainly play a part in the outcome of the race.