FYI WIRZ: NASCAR's Top Four Bristol Drivers Talk Before and After Race

When Kyle Busch won Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway in one weekend, NASCAR history was made. 

The Bristol Cup scene, a bump and bang short track thrill, was nearly won by David Reutimann (No. 00 Toyota) followed by a fast effort from Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chevy), but both were eclipsed by the history making surge by Kyle Busch (No. 18). 

The repaved Bristol track expanded the grooves resulting in less fender contact, and more side-by-side racing. Busch applied his skills to the popular track to come away with wins not so popular among Tennessee fans.

Busch’s talent cannot be denied, but his sometimes abrasive public personality has failed to lift him into the elite field of popularity shared by less successful drivers. 

That said, Busch has gathered a warehouse full of trophies and made history in a brief career at the very top of motorsports. His predictive words before the three races at Bristol are prophetic.

All top four finishers expressed their thoughts before the green flag and after the checkers for the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, race 24 of 36 in the long, ferocious NASCAR season. 

Kyle Busch (No.18 Toyota), Finished First

Before

"I’m looking forward to going back,” Busch said. “I hear there’s a different tire again, so I’ll get my first taste of it Wednesday night in the truck race. We’ll run the Truck race, then Nationwide and Cup. We’ll be there for all three. I’m looking forward to going back to Bristol and, hopefully, being able to make it—I think—three in a row in the Truck Series and three out of the last four in the Cup Series there.”

After

“It’s pretty cool because when you come so close and then don’t get it, it’s pretty frustrating,” said Busch. “I’m just real appreciative of what was able to happen tonight. It was pretty special, and I feel a lot about how this team has worked so much through the past few weeks to try to get ourselves back on track. Coming to Bristol you could say, yeah, well, we’re supposed to run well here. But still, it’s cool to be able to put it all together in a complete weekend, with the Truck, with the Nationwide car and with the Cup car.”

David Reutimann (No. 00 Toyota), Finished Second

Before

“I love Bristol!” Reutimann said. Goodyear’s got a little different tire this time, but in our business you can never just go back with the exact same stuff and expect to run well. That never seems to work—you always have to constantly evolve and change this up. I feel good about going back there this time—I’m pretty excited about it because we’ve struggled a little bit lately.”

After

“We had a good car, and it's just a total team effort,” Reutimann said. “So my team gets all the credit. I mean, we had a good race car, and we battled being loose at times through the center and loose on exit, and then we made the exit better but hurt the center, and that's kind of what ultimately got us at the end.

“You know, it was a good race. I enjoyed racing the guys up front, Jamie and Kyle and those guys. I feel really, really good about the finish.”

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chevy), Finished Third

Before

“I personally really enjoy short-track racing so I’m looking forward to getting back to that type of racing after a long stretch of bigger tracks,” McMurray said. “Qualifying well is really important so that you have good track position to start with and get a pit stall on the front stretch. 

Everything happens so fast at Bristol, you can be leading the race one second and find yourself in the wrong place in the middle of a wreck the next, you’re really one your toes all night. Since they repaved the track it has more options with running the top or bottom line which can make for some great racing under the lights. Bristol is always one of the most exciting races of the season.”

After

We qualified well this weekend,” McMurrray said. “We had that long 130-lap run and just had a really fast car throughout that, was able to drive up to the lead. And then we put our last set of tires on. 

The tires just felt flat in the front and I couldn't get my car to roll through the center as quick as it had earlier in the night. It wasn't way off, but it was off just enough that I couldn't compete with the 18 there.

Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Chevy), Finished Fourth

Before

“Bristol is all about speed,” Bowyer. “The track has a tremendous amount of speed for its size, and things happen fast. The key is to avoid trouble on the race track. It's easier said than done. I like the side-by-side racing at Bristol, and the fact that you can race really hard there. I like the track because, like most drivers, it reminds me of my short track racing roots.

“You have to be able to get it all through the whole race. You can run well, but with the way these things are shaking out at the end, it doesn't matter. You have to be there at the end. You have to make the right decision to put yourself in right position to have a good finish."

After

“It was a well-needed run,” Bowyer said. “It was a good way to bounce back. I love this race track. I love competing here.

“We’ve got two races to go. Two good race tracks—I love Atlanta, run well there, and I love Richmond, run well there. With any luck at all, we’ll be in this thing.”

FYI WIRZ is the swift presentation of pertinent motorsports topics compiled and condensed by Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com. Quotes provided by NASCAR and Sprint Cup team media.

Photo credit: Kyle Busch No 18 car by Dwight Drum @ Racetake.com