Stewart touts 'best racing fans will ever see'

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- To celebrate Bristol Motor Speedway's 100th Cup Series race, NASCAR.COM is taking a look back at significant moments and drivers that have made events at BMS the most sought-after ticket in NASCAR.

Two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has a special affinity for Bristol Motor Speedway, so he understands why race fans are so fanatic about the place.

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Inside the Numbers

Most Cup Series races

Rank	Track	No.
1	Daytona	127 *
2	Martinsville	123
3	Richmond	108
4	Darlington	107
5	Charlotte	103
6	Atlanta	102
7	Bristol	99
8	Michigan	83
9	Talladega	82
10	Dover	81
11	Pocono	66
12	Loudon	31
13	Phoenix	28
	Watkins Glen	28
15	Sonoma	22
16	Fontana	20
17	Texas	19
18	Indianapolis	17
19	Las Vegas	13
20	Homestead	11
21	Chicago	10
22	Kansas	9

* -- Includes 23 Daytona 500 qualifying races that were points events.
Race totals as of Aug. 15, 2010.

"There's really nothing like the atmosphere of a race at Bristol -- especially the night race," said Stewart, who won the 2001 Saturday night event. "There's so much electricity in the air and so much anticipation. As a driver, you can't help but walk into that place on Saturday night pumped up, especially when you see that crowd.

"All those fans, sitting so close, are right up on you. That gets your adrenaline pumping. And then the race starts and you've got 43 cars on this little half-mile track, all wanting to get out front. There's something happening every second -- and it's some of the best racing fans will ever see."

Jeff Gordon, who has five wins at the track -- tied with Kurt Busch for the most among active drivers -- said there are special moments that stand out in his mind.

"Bristol is a special place. A place that I have always looked forward to coming to each event. I always try to get a chance to look at the track the night before when the lights are on and nobody is in the grandstand," he said. "To me, Bristol is that surreal place, and luckily I've had some great moments on the track while racing to win a few races.

"I guess the one that stands out is the one that is pretty much the most documented one, is the bump-and-run with Rusty [Wallace, in 1997]. You know, battling with him throughout the race, and pretty much I had the second-place car until we caught traffic there at the end and had a shot at getting by Rusty. Had a couple of moves at the inside, and he put the block on me and I pretty much told myself, 'One more block and I'm gonna have to use the bumper.'

"And sure enough, it was one of those moments that moved him up the track, got by, took the white, came around, took the checkered, won the race and it was an awesome, awesome win."

Considering the near-misses for Stewart, who finished second in the spring race, has experienced at the World's Fastest Half-Mile, it might be understandable if he held a different opinion. But for him, the adversity only makes him crave more BMS hardware.

"I always look forward to going to Bristol," Stewart said. "As a driver, it's one of the most challenging and physical tracks we go to. But that's what makes it so much fun. When you win at Bristol, it's something special because you know how tough it is and how much everybody wants to win at that place.

"Some of the best drivers in history, like [Cale] Yarborough, [Dale] Earnhardt, [Darrell] Waltrip ... they dominated at that place because it's a racer's track. It demands a lot of respect and if you give it respect and you're patient and smart then you'll do just fine -- as long as you stay out of trouble."

Stewart loves the racing at Bristol to such an extent that he admits he would be at the races -- even if he wasn't a competitor.

"If I wasn't a driver, I'd want to have tickets to Bristol," he said. "These are races I'd definitely want to see from the grandstands. Where else do you have 160,000 fans sitting in a bowl right up on the cars?

"And everybody knows the kind of stuff that can happen there when you're racing so close together. Believe me, that place can change your mood in a second."

"Fans want lots of excitement and they want good racing. That's what you get at Bristol. There's just nothing else like it. It's one of those things everybody has to experience to really understand how fanatic people are about it. And they've got tickets -- which they haven't had in a long time. If I had never been to a race and wanted to get the full effect of what a NASCAR race was all about, I'd go to Bristol."

Related:
• Bristol's humble beginnings foundation of today's bullring
• Bristol resident has seen it all, literally: 99 races and counting ...
• Bristol night race revolutionized NASCAR in terms of TV, ticket sales
• Glotzbach's speed record at Bristol still standing
• Consistency -- not speed -- pays off for Johns
• History-laden Bristol on cusp of 100th Cup race