Bristol Rocks

August 20, 2008 7:22pm CDT

“Patient aggression.” That is the phrase used to describe what it takes to conquer Bristol Motor Speedway. “Well-timed aggression” might be more apt.

The track may have changed—it has gone from a high-banked bowl to a progressively-banked bowl—but it is still a shark of a track. It waits, seemingly calm for a time, until it smells blood. Then it pounces and devours the unsuspecting prey whole.

In essence, success there is all about being patient for the first three-fourths the race before getting aggressive and ruthless when it counts the most. In a pool full of blood-thirsty fish, the drivers have to be sharks. They need to find their rhythm and spend as much time staying out of trouble as they do passing cars. Then, when the race is late and other teams have worn out their equipment, the shark lunges and makes the kill.

Claim Jumpers

They don’t call him “Concrete Carl” for nothing. Carl Edwards has mastered the concrete ovals in the past two years. In 2007, he won four concrete races in a row in the Nationwide Series, and then took victories at Bristol and Dover International Speedway in the Sprint Cup Series. He has not won such a race in 2008, but he was third at Nashville SuperSpeedway in the spring and second at Dover.

Clint Bowyer’s lead in the Nationwide point championship has been slipping lately. What he needs is a track that suits his driving style to help him get back on course. Bristol will fit that bill. His worst finish on the concrete tracks this year was his ninth at Dover. Specifically in Tennessee, he has a win, two top-fives and three consecutive top-10s at Bristol. Be sure that he will bring his “A-Game” to the track this week to keep from letting a series title get away.

David Reutimann has all the makings of a Bristol winner this week. The best part is, he will sneak under the radar in most leagues. Since he is not as recognizable as many of his fellow Claim Jumpers, many fantasy owners tend to overlook him. His numbers, though, can rival anyone’s this week. In his four-race career at Bristol, he has three top-10s, including thirds in the last two races there. He already has three top-fives on the concrete tracks this year, which is part of seven consecutive top-10s on those speedways.

Nationwide Regulars

Brad Keselowski still tastes his first career win at Nashville in June, and he will savor that with another concrete victory. Things have been going well for him on those tracks. He has not finished lower than seventh in the last six concrete races. The “K Man” has really taken to Bristol lately, which only makes him more appealing. In March 2007, he had his first experience there and went home 41st. Then he came back with a vengeance to finish seventh that August and improved to fourth earlier this year.

Joey Logano will be taking over the No. 20 Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series next year and it is the worst kept secret in the business. The teenager will be looking to impress next season’s competition beginning this week. Normally, it is a bad idea to go with an inexperienced driver at Bristol, but Logano is no ordinary driver. He made his Nationwide debut at the sister track of Dover and was disappointed with his sixth-place finish, so there is reason to be optimistic. The only thing that may give fantasy owners concern is that he will be competing without his crew chief Dave Rogers as he and several other key members of the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team have been suspended indefinitely for trying to rig a dyno test last week at Michigan.

David Stremme has been getting closer and closer to his first win of 2008 on the concrete tracks. He is four-for-four in terms of top-10s on those particular ovals this year. What is even better is that he has gotten progressively stronger with each start; he was ninth at Bristol in March and then sixth at Nashville. He then went to Dover and scored a third before earning a second in the return trip to Nashville. A win is the last thing on the list.

Power Rankings for Bristol Motor Speedway
(drivers with starts on this track)