Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is a challenge in itself, even for teams based three hours down the road in Charlotte.

Imagine racing at Bristol working out of a shop on the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains -- that will more than double your degree of difficulty. Add in the fact that your car isn't in the top 35 in owner points and you're looking at a mountain equal of any within view of your shop.

That's what's facing Furniture Row Racing driver Joe Nemechek and crew chief Jay Guy this weekend.

"The truck left Wednesday morning for Bristol, and we left at the crack of dawn for a test at Iowa," Guy said. "We're doing it in two different trips, going to Iowa to test and then coming back and leaving for Bristol on Thursday morning."

Friday is THE day for teams like Furniture Row, who are chasing the top 35 in owner points. It's called go-or-go-home for a reason, and home is awfully far away.

"Certainly, for us and all teams out of the top 35, it's qualifying on Friday," Guy said when asked about the biggest challenge he'll face this weekend. "That's our main focus, because you can't really concentrate on race trim until you actually make the race. Bristol ... anything can happen and it can happen real quick. We just have to be prepared, get in the show and then focus on the race.

"Fridays wear on you. The stress of trying to qualify into the races, but other than that, you always try to go out and win and do the best job you possibly can. It doesn't really wear you out on race day, it's more the anxiety of Friday, trying to make the race."

Coming from the team's shops in Denver, traveling to the Southeast means that the team is a day behind on work at the shop, Guy said.

"You lose about a half-day to a day sometimes, but next week, going to California, we gain a day," he said. "It doesn't necessarily balance it all out at the end, travel-wise, but I think we have a greater advantage working on our cars out here because our guys go to lunch and don't bump into one of their buddies and say, 'hey, we found this today.' (Continued)