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Elliott leads all rookies in the Nationwide Series, currently standing in fifth place

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Over the first three races of the 2014 season, NASCAR Nationwide Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott has continued to make progress.

In the season-opening race at Daytona, the 18-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, finished a respectable 15th. The following week he notched his first top 10 in the series, coming home ninth at Phoenix. Then last week, the younger Elliott posted his first top-five finish at Las Vegas, when he placed fifth.

If Elliott is able to continue his upward trajectory, its feasible that he could be celebrating in Victory Lane following Saturday’s Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 presented by Lilly Diabetes (2 p.m. ET on ESPN2) in his inaugural series visit to Bristol Motor Speedway.

"It’s going to be important to learn as much as we can to help build that notebook for the fall," Elliott said. "The past two races, my NAPA AUTO PARTS team has been getting into a nice rhythm and we want to build on our fifth-place finish at Vegas this weekend in Bristol."

Prior to this weekend, Elliott has competed at the .533-mile short track three times, including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in August 2013 where he finished fifth. He placed 10th in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in 2012. In his first race at the track — in the X-1R Pro Cup Series — Elliott came home with a fifth-place showing.

He is currently fifth in the standings, only 14 points behind leader Regan Smith. In the rookie race, Elliott leads all rookies with Ty Dillon in second (-four).

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Numbers prove Rowdy’s success at Thunder Valley

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Dominance. In the annals of sports lore, what constitutes a feat of pure dominance?

How about when New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen threw the only perfect game in World Series history against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 … the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team dominated the college ranks in the 1960s, losing only twice in four years … the Miami Dolphins put together a perfect 17-0 season that ended with a Super Bowl victory … the 1992 U.S. Olympics basketball "Dream Team" steamrolled the competition on their way to the gold medal in Barcelona, Spain … the 1985-86 Boston Celtics went 40-1 in home games en route to the NBA title.

All of these are fine examples, but when it comes to NASCAR and today’s drivers and race tracks, there is no better pairing than Kyle Busch and Bristol Motor Speedway.

While Busch doesn’t have the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories at the .533-mile track nestled in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee — that honor belongs to NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with 12 — it is easy to see why he’ll be a favorite to win Sunday’s Food City 500 (1 p.m. ET on FOX).

"When they changed the track starting at the end of 2007, I just really took to it right away," said Busch, who has a record 15 victories at Bristol across all three of NASCAR’s national series. "I really liked it and I’ve been fast there, but also I’ve had great race cars from Joe Gibbs Racing. 

"It’s just a fun race track no matter what series I’m running there." 

In 18 starts in NASCAR’s premier series at Bristol, Busch has compiled five wins, eight top-fives, 12 top-10s and 1,431 laps led. The victories and laps led are personal bests for the Las Vegas native. Kurt Busch (Kyle’s older brother) and Jeff Gordon are the only other two active drivers with five wins at the track. 

The younger Busch has a series-best Driver Rating of 101.8, and series-highs in most laps led (1,431) and fastest laps (585). 

Since 2006, he has finished outside the top 20 only once — a 32nd-place finish in March 2012. Over the past nine years, his average finish at the track is 9.9. His average since the track was repaved following the 2007 season is 8.1.

His first Bristol win came March 2007 in a green-white-checkered finish. He followed that up with a Bristol sweep in 2009. His last two wins at the track came in August 2010 and March 2011. Since his last win, he has two top-six finishes, including a runner-up performance in the March 2013 event.

In the first three races of 2014, Busch has eclipsed the 100 Driver Rating figure and collected fastest laps run in each; however, he only has one top-10 finish to show for his efforts – a ninth at Phoenix. He finished 19th at Daytona and 11th last weekend in his hometown. He’s currently 10th in the standings, 38 points behind leader Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Busch is approaching a major series milestone, one that could come this Sunday. If he leads 140 or more laps — an accomplishment he’s achieved four times at Bristol, most recently in March 2011 — he will become the 15th driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to lead 10,000 laps.

In August 2010, Busch pulled off the rare hat trick by becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win all three national series events at the same track. Rightfully so, it’s his most memorable moment at the track.

"We won the Truck race on Wednesday night, backed it up with Nationwide race Friday and took home the Cup race on Saturday night," Busch said. "It’s something that’s never been done in the 16 years there have been three series and it hasn’t been done in the four years since I did it. There could be a chance for me to do it again." 

Busch’s Bristol success extends beyond the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He’s visited Victory Lane six times in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and four times in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Seven-time winner at Track to Tough Too Tame, sponsor meet fans, donate to food bank

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In advance of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon visited the "Track Too Tough to Tame" and a local food bank on Thursday

Gordon greeted and thanked fans who purchased the track’s AARP Drive to End Hunger ticket package. Some of the nearly 100 fans in attendance waited over 12 hours to purchase the AARP package, which will include a race-day question-and-answer session with Gordon. The seven-time Darlington winner also took one fan, Clea Smith of Rockingham, N.C., for a pace-car ride around the 1.333-mile egg-shaped oval.

"It was great to see all the fans show up today and support Darlington Raceway. It was a really fun event," Gordon said. "Darlington [Raceway] is one of my favorite tracks. I always enjoy this place and have had a lot of success here in my career. I’m excited to come back here in a few weeks and hopefully get another Bojangles’ Southern 500 victory."

Gordon also visited The Lord Cares, a local food bank in Darlington. The AARP Foundation, sponsor of his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS, made a $5,000 donation to the organization. Track partner Bojangles’ also donated a truckload of non-perishable food items.

"We can’t thank Jeff Gordon, the AARP Foundation, Darlington Raceway and Bojangles’ enough for what they did for our food bank," said Kevin Cauley, president of the board for The Lord Cares. "I can’t express how much his visit meant to us and the volunteers that put in so much time to make this food bank a success."

The AARP Foundation will benefit from every AARP Drive to End Hunger ticket package sold with a $10 donation for every $89 package sold. In addition to the Q&A with Gordon in the driver’s meeting tent on April 12, fans will get a Pearson grandstand ticket and a scanner rental.

Packages can still be purchased by calling 866-459-7223 or by visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com.
 
"This was a great event that accomplished many of our goals as a racetrack," Darlington Raceway President Chip Wile said. "We always enjoy putting events like this together which gets our great fans excited about Darlington Raceway and gives us an opportunity to reinvest in our local community. I would also to thank our great partner Bojangles’ for continuing to support all of the events at our great raceway."

Photo credit: Harrelson Photography / The AARP Foundation’s donation to The Lord Cares food bank in Darlington, S.C. From left to right: The Lord Cares president of the board Kevin Cauley, Jeff Gordon, Chip Wile and the Lady in Black Kaitlyn Bailey.

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Posted on by Staff Report

This marks the fourth consecutive year for the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks event

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Dover International Speedway announced Thursday that the Autism Speaks foundation will return as a presenting sponsor for its upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race June 1.

The agreement marks the fourth straight year for the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks event and the eighth straight year for the partnership between the Monster Mile and the charitable organization. 

Through the collaboration, the track will offer special Autism Speaks Day at the Races tickets in a sensory friendly area for families affected by autism.

Denny Hamlin won the Coors Light Pole Award for the race last season, driving a No. 11 Joe GibbsRacing Toyota with a special Autism Speaks paint scheme.

Drivers in all three NASCAR national series in the tripleheader weekend again will help to raiseawareness with Autism Speaks decals on their vehicles; 66 drivers participated in the campaign last season.

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Kenseth’s wife, Katie, expecting couple’s third child soon

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth has contingency plans in place for next weekend’s races at Auto Club Speedway as he and his wife, Katie, await the birth of their third child.

Kenseth told the Motor Racing Network during an event Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway that, if he needed to leave the track, Jeff Burton would be on standby for the Sprint Cup event. Sam Hornish Jr. would be his fill-in driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Katie Kenseth is expecting the birth of the couple’s third daughter in about two weeks. During media availabilities last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth quipped about how he would avoid needing a replacement driver: "I just told her to have it on Monday," he said.

Burton, a veteran with 21 Sprint Cup wins in more than 20 years of racing, is competing on a part-time basis this season for Michael Waltrip Racing before making the transition to the broadcast booth with NBC Sports in 2015. Burton and Kenseth are former teammates, having both raced together for Roush Fenway Racing.

Hornish, last year’s runner-up in the Nationwide Series, has a part-time schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing, driving in select races to spell Kyle Busch in the No. 54 Toyota. Kenseth is scheduled for part-time duty this season in JGR’s No. 20 entry in the Nationwide Series.

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Kasey Kahne won at Bristol in the spring in 2013

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In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series‘ first three weeks of competition, there have been three different winners and potential Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders. Brad Keselowski caught Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was running on empty, for a victory with a win in the bank.



Heading to the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, Joe Gibbs Racing could punch its first 2014 Chase ticket and the first for Toyota. The manufacturer attempts to join the Chevrolets of Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick and the Ford of Keselowski in NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

Kyle Busch: Among active drivers, Busch is tied with his brother Kurt and Jeff Gordon for most wins (5), and he has the best average finish at 9.889. Busch also has eight top-10 finishes in his last 11 races. The runner-up to Kasey Kahne in this race last spring, Busch set a track record in Coors Light Qualifying for that race. He also swept both Nationwide races in 2013 adding to his record national series win total of 15 in Thunder Valley.



Matt Kenseth: Winner of last year’s night race at Bristol, Kenseth has three Cup victories there to go with 11 top-five finishes and 18 top 10s in 28 starts. His 101.8 Driver Rating is tied with Kyle Busch for best at the track. He has a series-high 563 Quality Passes, which is passing a car running in the top 15 while under a green flag.



Jeff Gordon: ‘Four-Time’ shoved Kenseth on Bristol’s pit road in 2006 after the two traded bumps on the track and cost Gordon a top-five finish at the Tennessee short track (he already has 16 top-five finishes at Bristol). He joins Kyle Busch and Kenseth as the only drivers with a Driver Rating over 100 at 101.2. Since the inception of Loop Data, he has the best Average Running Position (9.5) and more laps in the top 15 (7,413) than any other competitor.



Kasey Kahne: With three consecutive top-10 finishes, and a win and a runner-up finish in last year’s two races at Bristol, Kahne could join Earnhardt Jr. as the second Hendrick Motorsports driver to all but clinch his spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano tangling on and off track last spring, it can be easy to forget that Kahne led 109 laps en route to a Driver Rating of 137.4 out of a perfect 150.0. 



Greg Biffle: The driver of the No. 16 has an average finish of 12.0, which is third among active drivers behind only Kyle Busch and Earnhardt Jr. His Driver Rating of 94.8 is fifth-best, and his Average Running Position of 12.7 is third-best. Unlike the other four drivers on the list, he doesn’t have a win at Bristol yet, but wins have never meant as much as they do this year so NASCAR’s new "win and you’re in" policy may be just the motivation he needs.



Go deeper: Check out NASCAR’s Bristol Statistical Analysis for more stats and notes for Sunday’s Food City 500

.

Heading into the fourth race of NASCAR’s regular season, here is how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings look:

Pos. Driver Chase berth
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winner: Daytona
2. Brad Keselowski Winner: Las Vegas
3. Kevin Harvick Winner: Phoenix
4. Jimmie Johnson 3rd in points
5. Joey Logano 4th in points
6. Jeff Gordon 5th in points
7. Carl Edwards 6th in points
8. Matt Kenseth 7th in points
9. Denny Hamlin 8th in points
10. Ryan Newman 9th in points
11. Kyle Busch 10th in points
12. Jamie McMurray 11th in points
13. Greg Biffle 12th in points
14. Austin Dillon 13th in points
15. Kasey Kahne 15th in points
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 16th in points

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Bruce: Better to alter the qualifying format proactively

RELATED: NASCAR tweaks qualifying procedure | Official NASCAR press release

It happened sooner than expected. NASCAR on Tuesday announced changes to its 2014 qualifying format after barely three weeks of use.

The newness had yet to wear off.

It was an abrupt about-face for the sanctioning body, coming just days after officials stated there were no changes on the horizon. Give teams time, they said. Give the process time, they said. 

And then on Tuesday they said let’s change it.

Many teams were still trying to fully understand the process, how to possibly exploit it, expose and take advantage of any flaws that might be hidden somewhere within. 

Team Penske was ahead of the curve. 

Its drivers, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, were batting a collective .667 in qualifying trim through the first three races, sweeping front row spots at Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Either those folks had found a way to take advantage of the group qualifying format, or the two teams simply have fast drivers and faster cars. Perhaps it’s been a little bit of both. 

The format consists of two or three rounds, depending on the length of the track, and provides teams with a pre-determined window of time in each round in which to post a qualifying lap. The fastest from each round continue to advance. 

One of the unintended consequences of the format has been the combination of fast cars making qualifying runs while others, running at a greatly reduced speed, circled the track in an attempt to cool their cars’ engines by forcing air through the front grille and openings.

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway last week, where the three-stage process was used for the first time, drivers in the opening round were loggings laps of 190 mph or faster, often while slower cars idled their way around the bottom of the 1.5-mile track. 

It created, according to some drivers, a situation that was both unnecessary and dangerous.

This weekend, NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series travel to Bristol Motor Speedway, a tiny, tight, high-banked half-mile track.

Because the track falls into the "less than 1.25 miles in length" category (its racing surface measures 0.533 miles), only two rounds of qualifying will be used to determine the starting lineup for each race. 

But the number of cars looking for clean air and an uncluttered race track remain basically the same. 

In an attempt to eliminate the problem, drivers will no longer be allowed to return to the track for "cool-down" laps. Instead, teams will be permitted the use of a cool-down unit, located outside the car, to reduce heat in engines while on pit road. 

The move isn’t expected to alter the intensity of the new format, but it should make it safer.

NASCAR requires drivers to maintain a minimum speed during races as a safety precaution. Keeping slower cars off the track during qualifying is no different.

Maybe nothing would have happened had no changes been made. Maybe no one would have spun, no one would have cut a tire, no one would have suffered an unexpected parts failure and found themselves spinning, out of control, while coming up on a slower car. 

But what if that had not been the case? 

Too many opportunities for trouble still exist on the track today.

The addition of yet another was not only unwise, it was unnecessary as well.

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Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch among favorites; what about Junior?

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Earnhardt Jr. leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with 133 points.
Past three races: 2nd at Las Vegas, 2nd at Phoenix, 1st at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 win, 3 top-fives, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Bristol, Earnhardt Jr.’s average finish is 9.7 and his average running position is 13.6 over the past nine years. In 28 career starts at Bristol, he has one win, seven top-fives and 14 top-10s.
Quick hit: Not only does Earnhardt love the beating and banging that comes on a short track, he’s improved his performance on them throughout his career. And with the way he’s running right now, why would anyone possibly bet against a top-five?

2. Brad Keselowski (No. 2)

Team Penske, Ford 

Standing: Keselowski is second in the standings with 132 points.
Past three races: 1st at Las Vegas, 3rd at Phoenix, 3rd at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 win, 3 top-fives, 3 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Bristol, Keselowski’s average finish is 14.4 and his average running position is 13.2 over the past nine years. In eight career starts at Bristol, he has two wins, three top-fives and three top-10s.
Quick hit: Keselowski once won consecutive races at Thunder Valley, but he’s finished exactly 30th in two of the past three events. Those were both night races though, and he’s coming off a momentum-building win in the desert. Think big.

3. Jimmie Johnson (No. 48)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Johnson is third in the standings with 117 points.
Past three races: 6th at Las Vegas, 6th at Phoenix, 5th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Bristol, Johnson’s average finish is 16.3 and his average running position is 13.2 over the past nine years. In 24 career starts at Bristol, he has one win, seven top-fives, 13 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Bristol is one track where Johnson’s stats don’t dwarf all other drivers. Still, the 48 team has three top-fives and four top-10s in its past six races at the Last Great Colosseum. Combined with three efforts of sixth of better this year, Six-Time seems primed for another strong showing.

4. Joey Logano (No. 22)

Team Penske, Ford 

Standing: Logano is fourth in the standings with 116 points.
Past three races: 4th at Las Vegas, 4th at Phoenix, 11th at Daytona.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s, 1 pole.
Track history: At Bristol, Logano’s average finish is 19.9 and his average running position is 18.5 over the past nine years. In 10 career starts at Bristol, he has one top-five, two top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Logano’s biggest Bristol moment came last year when he and former teammate Denny Hamlin tussled following the race. Team Penske has its two drivers in the top four of the points standings, so Logano has a shot to make his most memorable moment here something that actually happened on the track.

5. Jeff Gordon (No. 24)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet 

Standing: Gordon is fifth in the standings with 115 points.
Past three races: 9th at Las Vegas, 5th at Phoenix, 4th at Daytona.
Season stats: 2 top-fives, 3 top-10s.
Track history: At Bristol, Gordon’s average finish is 12.9 and his average running position is 9.5 over the past nine years. In 42 career starts at Bristol, he has five wins, 16 top-fives, 23 top-10s and five poles.
Quick hit: Gordon’s sterling Bristol record speaks for itself. Like so many of these tracks, though, it’s worth noting that most of Gordon’s outlandish success came during his prime — his last win here was 2002, and his other four wins all came before the turn of the century.

6. Carl Edwards (No. 99)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford 

Standing: Edwards is sixth in the standings with 105 points.
Past three races: 5th at Las Vegas, 8th at Phoenix, 17th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Bristol, Edwards’ average finish is 14.9 and his average running position is 15.1 over the past nine years. In 19 career starts at Bristol, he has two wins, four top-fives, seven top-10s and two poles.
Quick hit: A pair of 39th-place finishes is among Edwards’ most recent four outings here, and the other two showings resulted in finishes outside the top 15. Edwards has started first, second and third in three of his past six Bristol races, but has had trouble finishing.

7. Matt Kenseth (No. 20)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Kenseth is seventh in the standings with 105 points.
Past three races: 10th at Las Vegas, 12th at Phoenix, 6th at Daytona.
Season stats: 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Bristol, Kenseth’s average finish is 12.3 and his average running position is 10.6 over the past nine years. In 28 career starts at Bristol, he has three wins, 11 top-fives, 18 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Kenseth enters the Food City 500 as a race favorite. He won the night race last year, and he had been in position to perhaps win the spring race as well before Jeff Gordon blew a tire and inadvertently wrecked the No. 20. Combine that with three top-fives and eight top-10s in the 10 races from 2008-12, and you have a veteran totally comfortable on one of the circuit’s most intense tracks.

8. Denny Hamlin (No. 11)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Hamlin is eighth in the standings with 101 points.
Past three races: 12th at Las Vegas, 19th at Phoenix, 2nd at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-five, 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, Hamlin’s average finish is 16.1 and his average running position is 14.9 over the past nine years. In 16 career starts at Bristol, he has one win, four top-fives, seven top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: For all his success on one short track — Martinsville — Hamlin has been inconsistent on the other. Three of his past four finishes at Bristol have been 20th or worse, but he won during that timeframe, too. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, are better Fantasy Live plays this week.

9. Ryan Newman (No. 31)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Newman is ninth in the standings with 97 points.
Past three races: 7th at Las Vegas, 7th at Phoenix, 22nd at Daytona.
Season stats: 2 top-10s.
Track history: At Bristol, Newman’s average finish is 16.7 and his average running position is 15.1 over the past eight years. In 24 career starts at Bristol, he has one top-five, 13 top-10s and three poles.
Quick hit: Three of Newman’s 51 career Coors Light Pole Awards have come at Bristol, but he doesn’t have any wins here. In fact, he only has one career top-five in 24 starts and the Richard Childress Racing program is more suited for big and intermediate tracks.

10. Kyle Busch (No. 18)

Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota 

Standing: Busch is 10th in the standings with 95 points.
Past three races: 11th at Las Vegas, 9th at Phoenix, 19th at Daytona
Season stats: 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, Busch’s average finish is 9.9 and his average running position is 13.0 over the past nine years. In 18 career starts at Bristol, he has five wins, eight top-fives, 12 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: The ‘Bad Boy’ Kyle Busch persona just seems to fit rough-and-tumble Bristol, doesn’t it? ‘Rowdy’ once won four times in five races here, and was runner-up last year in this event to Kasey Kahne. He’s one of the favorites.

11. Jamie McMurray (No. 1)

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Chevrolet  

Standing: McMurray is 11th in the standings with 93 points.
Past three races: 15th at Las Vegas, 10th at Phoenix, 14th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, McMurray’s average finish is 19.0 and his average running position is 18.8 over the past nine years. In 22 career starts at Bristol, he has three top-fives and nine top-10s.
Quick hit: McMurray seems to have gotten over the Bristol bumps he experienced early in his career, and the Chip Ganassi Racing program showed speed at both Phoenix and Vegas. McMurray’s average finish here is 19.0 over the past nine years, a number he should improve on Sunday.

12. Greg Biffle (No. 16)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Standing: Biffle is 12th in the standings with 86 points.
Past three races: 22nd at Las Vegas, 17th at Phoenix, 8th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, Biffle’s average finish is 11.9 and his average running position is 12.7 over the past nine years. In 22 career starts at Bristol, he has six top-fives, 12 top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Biffle’s ninth-place effort in last year’s fall race snapped a four-race stretch of finishing outside the top 10. Given Roush Fenway Racing’s struggles under the new rules package at 1.5-mile Las Vegas last week, Biffle and his team are probably thrilled to be at a short track.

13. Austin Dillon (No. 3)

Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet  

Standing: Dillon is 13th in the standings with 84 points.
Past three races: 16th at Las Vegas, 24th at Phoenix, 9th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-10, 1 pole.
Track history: Dillon has never started a Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol.
Quick hit: In four Nationwide Series starts at Bristol, Dillon had two top-fives and finishes of 11th and 12th. He’d be thrilled with a similar performance in his first Cup race, but don’t expect that as he tangles with the sport’s veterans.

14. Kevin Harvick (No. 4)

Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevrolet 

Standing: Harvick is 14th in the standings with 83 points.
Past three races: 41st at Las Vegas, 1st at Phoenix, 13th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 win, 1 top-five, 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, Harvick’s average finish is 15.1 and his average running position is 13.6 over the past nine years. In 26 career starts at Bristol, he has one win, nine top-fives and 12 top-10s.
Quick hit: Will Harvick’s hot stretch to open the season begin to cool in Bristol? It’s tough to bet against him and crew chief Rodney Childers. Then again, Harvick’s finished outside the top 10 here in nine of the past 10 races.

15. Kasey Kahne (No. 5)

Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet

Standing: Kahne is 15th in the standings with 83 points.
Past three races: 8th at Las Vegas, 11th at Phoenix, 31st at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, Kahne’s average finish is 15.9 and his average running position is 17.2 over the past nine years. In 20 career starts at Bristol, he has one win, five top-fives, nine top-10s and one pole.
Quick hit: Kahne won last year’s spring race and finished second in the night race, easily the best year at Bristol of his career. He’s improved his finish in every race this year, too.

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 17)

Roush Fenway Racing, Ford

Standing: Stenhouse Jr. is 16th in the standings with 80 points.
Past three races: 27th at Las Vegas, 18th at Phoenix, 7th at Daytona.
Season stats: 1 top-10.
Track history: At Bristol, Stenhouse Jr.’s average finish is 17.0 and his average running position is 17.7 over the past nine years. In two career starts at Bristol, his best finish is 16th in the spring 2013 race.
Quick hit: Stenhouse Jr. finished 997 of 1,000 laps at Bristol last year, an impressive slate for a rookie. His next goal should be his first top-15 — or perhaps top-10 — finish at the track.

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Logano, Hamlin fireworks in 2013 among most memorable battles at short track

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There were no lights, there were no high banks; there was, as yet, no need to blow the top off a nearby mountain to accommodate a seating expansion. What was then called Bristol International Speedway was very much a simple short track in 1961, when 17-year-old Brenda Lee sang the national anthem before the facility’s inaugural NASCAR premier-series race. But there were hints of the beast to come — credited winner Jack Smith was pulled from his car halfway through with heat blisters, and only 19 vehicles made it to the finish.

So yes, the unforgiving animal we know now as Bristol Motor Speedway has always been there, lurking amid those smoky hills. Eventually, the corner banking was raised to dizzying levels; lights were added to heighten the spectacle; speeds increased and concrete was put down and grandstands climbed toward the sky. It all combined to create the atmosphere and the phenomenon of Bristol — but it all began beneath the unflinching east Tennessee sun.

Indeed, Bristol’s day race has compiled a legacy that can stand up against that of any other event, including a certain August edition under the lights at the same venue. Bent sheet metal, hurt feelings, physical altercations, lingering disputes, gripping runs to the finish — they’ve all unfolded in the daytime, further crafting the character of a facility that adds to its reputation with every passing year. That was certainly the case last spring, when conflict on the track continued off it, and picked again seven days later, with season-altering results.

Another memorable episode could very well unfold Sunday, when the Sprint Cup Series takes to the high banks once again. Until then, here are the top 10 battles in the Bristol springtime.

10. Kyle Busch vs. Jeff Burton, 2007

The vehicle then known as the Car of Tomorrow may have had its detractors, but it certainly helped put on a thrilling finish to its inaugural event. Kyle Busch led the final 20 laps, but he had to withstand a green-white-checkered finish after David Ragan spun on the backstretch. In an era of single-file restarts, Jeff Burton surged past Jeff Gordon on the outside to take second, got to Busch’s rear bumper, applied a few bumps — but was unable to get past. "All I know is, Kyle Busch better be glad that’s Jeff Burton behind him," Darrell Waltrip opined on Fox television. It was one of those rare days at Bristol when sportsmanship reigned.

9. Jeff Gordon vs. Tony Stewart, 2001

Sportsmanship? Forget about it. Elliott Sadler may have ultimately won the day, stretching his tires to the limit to claim his first premier-series victory, and deliver Wood Brothers Racing its first triumph in eight years. But Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart stole the show as they battled for fourth on the final lap. Stewart moved down the track, Gordon didn’t budge, and the orange No. 20 car went spinning as a result. "I don’t see anything wrong with what I did," Gordon said afterward. Stewart got in one retaliatory shot, turning the No. 24 on pit road following the checkered flag. "Doesn’t surprise me at all," Gordon added with a laugh.

8. Kevin Harvick vs. Greg Biffle, 2002

Not even what is now known as the Nationwide Series was immune from the madness at Bristol. After being punted into the wall by Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick nonchalantly walked across the track and took a seat in the garage area. "I’ll be waiting when he comes in here," he told reporters, and indeed he was — Harvick went right after Biffle following the race, grabbing his collar and going to nose-to-nose in a heated exchange with his rival until the two were pulled apart. "Just a racing deal," Biffle called the latest in a series of run-ins between two drivers who seemed to respect one another, but nonetheless had their differences.

7. Mark Martin vs. himself, 1994

There was no fight, no crash, no argument — just one of the more boggling mistakes in NASCAR history. Leading the field under caution in the era before the green-white-checkered, Mark Martin was coasting to yet another win in what is now known as the Nationwide Series. So he pulled off the track and headed toward Victory Lane — one lap short of the finish. His radio had been on the fritz, and spotter Jack Roush had been making his way down to the infield, but Martin took all the blame himself. "Stupidest thing I’ve ever done," he said. David Green proved the beneficiary, claiming the lone race win of his championship season. "Tough way to win one," Green said.

6. Jeff Gordon vs. Matt Kenseth, 2006

Otherwise mild-mannered Jeff Gordon has been in the middle of the maelstrom more than a few times at Bristol, and that was certainly the case in 2006. Battling with Matt Kenseth for top-five position late in the race, things got physical — Gordon moved Kenseth out of the way, and the then-Roush driver responded later with a bump that sent Gordon spinning to 21st place. An incensed Gordon climbed out of his car on pit road and, helmet still on, delivered the now-famous two-handed shove.  A stunned Kenseth took all the blame, but it was too late. "I left my car to go apologize," he said. "I probably should have waited a little bit longer."

5. Davey Allison vs. Mark Martin, 1990

Before the track was changed to concrete, Bristol’s asphalt would often crack at a rate that frustrated general manager Larry Carrier to no end, and required a new coating every few races to keep the surface intact. That certainly didn’t impact the racing, though — which was evident in 1990, when Davey Allison led a line of cars to the while flag, setting up one of the track’s most dramatic finishes. Sterling Marlin spun, and Mark Martin charged into the low lane to pull almost even with the leader exiting Turn 4. Allison claimed the victory by eight inches, in one of NASCAR’s closest margins before the introduction of electronic scoring.

4. Denny Hamlin vs. Joey Logano, 2013

There was no question where Joey Logano was headed after the race last spring — right to the car of Denny Hamlin. Logano stuck his head into the window and was pulled away by crewmen, but hard feelings lingered over on-track contact between the two drivers. Upset over an earlier incident, Hamlin spun Logano down the track late in the race when the Penske driver was in contention for the victory. "I will race him the same way he races me," Logano promised, words that took on an ominous tone a week later when the two crashed going for the victory in Fontana — a wreck that broke a bone in Hamlin’s back, forcing him to miss four races.

3. Kurt Busch vs. Jimmy Spencer, 2002

The feud between Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer reached a fever pitch at Bristol, when the upstart bumped the veteran out of the way to take the lead and run away to his first victory at NASCAR’s top level. "We won’t forget what happened today," an angry Spencer told his team over the radio, which was made clear when his disdain turned physical a year later. The undercard pitted Robby Gordon against Dale Earnhardt Jr., who felt he was held up by the lap-down Gordon, and the two banged fenders after the race. "That’s why it took three or four times for him to finally get into the Cup Series," Earnhardt said, "because he doesn’t know what he’s doing."

2. Jeff Gordon vs. Rusty Wallace, 1997

It is the signature move of Bristol, the bump-and-run, and no one has executed it better than Jeff Gordon. His masterpiece came in 1997, when Gordon spent the latter stages of the event hunting down leader Rusty Wallace. The Penske driver had a dominant car, leading 240 laps before Gordon put the bumper to him in Turn 3 on the final circuit of the race. Using lapped traffic to close the gap on the leader, Gordon’s bump was just enough to cause Wallace to bobble up the track and allow the No. 24 car to slip by. This was less a cage-rattling, a more a surgical strike — Wallace still hung on for second place, not that it was much solace at the time.

1. Rusty Wallace vs. Ernie Irvan, 1991

No crashes, no tempers, no controversy — just mesmerizing short-track racing at its absolute best, as Rusty Wallace and Ernie Irvan spent the final 20 laps pursuing one another on the half-mile oval. On a surface that was still asphalt, the leaders worked every inch of the track as they swung high and low to pass lapped cars, almost in tandem and never more than a few feet apart. Off the final turn, Irvan delivered a healthy shove to Wallace, pulled down low, and got beside the leader — but Wallace held on by half a car length to win one of the greatest duels the track has ever seen. The event still stands as proof that drivers don’t need to wreck one another to put on a great Bristol race. 

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Close ties between both drivers go back to Keselowski’s days at JR Motorsports

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The kid was a menace.

He would show up at the shop and linger for hours, to the point where crewmen would give him grief about needing a girlfriend or having nothing else better to do. He’d get shooed away in the garage area for sticking his head under an opponent’s hood, or in his more brazen moments even crawling underneath the chassis itself. He’d badger or harass his own team to try new things, or to give him exactly what he wanted out of his race car. And through it all, these older and more experienced motorsports men would look at one another and wonder — who does this guy think he is?

Now, everyone knows. Brad Keselowski was about as unheralded as unheralded can get when he arrived at JR Motorsports in 2007 to drive a Nationwide Series car for Dale Earnhardt Jr. It started as a three-race tryout, nothing more, yet it blossomed into a career springboard that ultimately launched the current Team Penske standard bearer to the top of the sport’s premier circuit. The characteristic that got him there — his ability to be an absolute pest — was the same one which helped him break through at JRM all those years ago, and the same one which helped the 2012 champion win Sunday to essentially lock up a return trip to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Paul Wolfe certainly knows it. The crew chief of Penske’s No. 2 car spent this past offseason watching his driver walk in and out of his office, with one question after another in the wake of a campaign in which Keselowski became only the second reigning champion to miss the Chase. In some ways it was certainly reminiscent of the way Keselowski pushed and pulled to get JRM on a surer footing back in his Nationwide days, or how he brought lists of potential improvements to team owner Roger Penske after first making the step up to the big leagues.

"There’s been plenty of days when Brad has come into my office and bugged me if we were working hard enough, or if we needed to be testing or what, and I just told him — ‘Just hang in there, we’re working hard,’" Wolfe remembered Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "That’s just Brad’s style. That’s why we love him. I mean, he’s dedicated. He wants to be the best out there, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to do that. Sometimes it can wear you down, there’s no doubt about that, and like I said, he was on me hard over the offseason. But I know that he’s just passionate about the sport and being the best."

Earnhardt certainly knows it. It was at JRM — Keselowski’s first real shot at a full-time, fully-sponsored ride after clawing his way up through family-owned or lesser-funded vehicles — where the Michigan native’s indefatigable persistence initially became evident at a national level. It was at JRM when everyone began to realize that this 23-year-old kid was going to give them all hell until he got what he wanted out of his race car. It was at JRM when crew chief Tony "Pops" Eury Sr. had to kick his driver out of the shop on occasion, Keselowski was becoming so annoyingly insistent. It was at JRM where the kid first really started to win, and everyone began to realize they might want to listen to him after all.

"He studies his team, studies the sport, studies the cars, and him and his crew chief work really hard. He overthinks everything, and he comes up with 20 ideas and 18 of them are crazy, but two of them are great. You know, that’s the way he always was with us," Earnhardt remembered after finishing second to Keselowski this past Sunday in Las Vegas.

"Pops has had to run him out of the shop, because he’s just nitpicking everything on the car — ‘Why is that like that? Why don’t we turn this this way, and do it like this?’ A lot of the stuff, Pops would have to explain it to him, but hell, a couple ideas would be pretty good. Brad does that with everything, and that’s why he’s successful. He’s obviously a very talented driver, just raw talent. You don’t learn that, you’re kind of born with some of those things, some of those traits. But his work ethic, I think his dedication to his craft, and he thinks about it every day. I think that’s why he’s so successful. He’s plugged in, real plugged into what he’s doing."

Keselowski’s time with Earnhardt’s team left a real impression — Keselowski bunked with Earnhardt for a while, and NASCAR’s most popular driver can recall taking the future champion to buy new clothes, he was so raw at the time. Keselowski also moved his sister down from Michigan at one point to help with his business affairs, an arrangement inspired by Kelley Earnhardt Miller’s stewardship of JRM. It all came full circle this past Sunday, when Earnhardt ran out of fuel on the final lap and Keselowski charged past, en route to a victory which virtually assured that the former employer and employee will both be in the mix for this season’s Sprint Cup Series title.

Indeed, the champion driver who held up that oversized wrench of a trophy in Las Vegas has come a very long way from the nosy kid the folks at JRM were first introduced to in 2007. And yet, in some ways, Keselowski hasn’t changed at all. He pushed and argued and pestered until Earnhardt’s Nationwide program reached the level where it could consistently contend for race wins. Then he moved to Penske and did the same thing, using his powers of persuasion to help deliver the Captain’s first premier-series championship. And now he’s doing it once more, in an effort to get his No. 2 team back to the level where it can vie for the title once again.

Turns out there’s a method to this menace, after all. And from Earnhardt’s team to Penske’s, that internal drive has always served Keselowski well — even if it’s occasionally gotten him booted out of shops or offices along the way.

"I knew Paul has kicked me out a few times, and I know Roger has given me a couple of sideways looks, but that’s part of it," Keselowski said in Las Vegas. "You know, you find one that sticks every once in a while, and that’s part of the fun of the sport. … Probably the (most fun) moments in racing are when you’ve done something no one else has done, because they’re a significant accomplishment that no one else can really own. We’ve done a few of them there, and I know we’ve got a few more to come, but they come from all those crazy ideas. Every once in a while, there’s a good one."

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