Insider's View: Wally Dallenbach

Let's just say that while I expect this weekend's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway to be one of the most exciting races of the year, it's going to have to go a ways to beat last week's Darlington finish.

Just like I said in last week's column, Darlington's a place that's fun to drive and there's always a lot of slipping and sliding. Boy, was that ever the case last Sunday. I'm happy for Ricky Craven and glad he was able to get to Victory Lane in one of the best finishes you'll ever see.

But if you thought Darlington was fun, wait until you see Bristol. Whenever someone asks me where they should watch their first Winston Cup race, I have one answer ? Bristol Motor Speedway. Without a doubt, Bristol is one of the most physical racetracks anywhere and without a doubt an awesome place to watch a race.

	Wally Dallenbach

It's no secret that I personally never liked racing at Bristol. I like a racetrack with legs and to me, Bristol has no legs. What I mean by that is you have pretty much one choice to do well there and that's at the bottom of the racetrack. If your car doesn't work low, you're in for a long day.

Bristol is so fast, it's scary. It's a short track so you may only be going 80-90 mph, but you get around there so quick and the sensation of speed is so great you really have to stand up in your seat to get the job done.

Bristol is only a half-mile around but believe it or not, it has similarities to Daytona and Talladega. Obviously there isn't a draft at Bristol but just like the two biggest tracks on the circuit, once you get out of line you're forced to watch the freight train fly right on by you. And good luck trying to get back in line.

Because it's so fast, you can't screw up even a little bit because it will cause everyone behind you to check up and then you instantly have a chain reaction accident on your hands. With the outside retaining wall and the walls on the inside of the track as well, once you get hit you're like a pinball out there literally bouncing around.

Anyone who says race drivers are athletes needs to just look at what the drivers do at Bristol. Try 500 laps on that racetrack just as a passenger and I'll bet you'd be worn out.

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With the high banks and the speeds it's like being at the end of a whip being swung around the racetrack.

Who's going to do well this weekend? Well I look for Elliott Sadler to be the cream of the crop. He has a win at Bristol, he likes the racetrack and he has the best team and equipment behind him in his career. He truly has the whole package and no excuses to keep him from getting the job done.

Kurt Busch also has won at Bristol and after what happened at Darlington, he'll be hungrier than ever. He can only finish second so many times before he winds up getting back to victory lane.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has put together an impressive first five races of the season and also likes running at Bristol so I look for him to be in contention on Sunday. And keep your eyes on the 24 car. Jeff Gordon has a stellar record over the years at Bristol and he too has been running very well in the early part of the season without a win to show for the effort.

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