March Madness at Bristol: Can Storylines Become Headlines?
March Madness is in full bloom, and with all the NASCAR storylines in place, the madness may continue at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.
The unnecessary one-week hiatus taken by the top-two series of NASCAR won't have the upward momentum of the sport impeded providing certain key players continue to deliver surprises and the anticipated excitement of Bristol racing plays out.
Bristol Motor Speedway will celebrate its 50th anniversary from that first race in 1961. The Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City honors the former track president who passed away last year.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will take to the .533 mile concrete track in the Scotts EZ Seed 300. It will be the first true test of the new style car on a half-mile circuit.
Eight of nine all-time Bristol Cup series winners were also champions. Darrell Waltrip leads with 12, Dale Earnhardt had nine, as did Rusty Wallace and Cale Yarborough.
Current NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch, have five wins that tie them with David Pearson and Bobby Allison.
The remaining driver, Kyle Busch, is no doubt a future Cup title holder who currently shows a record of four wins at Bristol.
There are surprises lurking within the top-10 in the Cup point standings. Some who normally make a slow start are hot and vice versa.
Bristol Motor Speedway is tough place to race, tempers flare and survival of the fastest is not always the key to winning.
The "bump and run" is sure to be a factor with the banked track offering only two good racing grooves for the drivers to attempt aggressive passes on.
Let's take a look at some of the storylines that may become headlines as the top-two series of NASCAR make their spring appearance at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Greg Biffle
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Greg Biffle has driven his No. 16 3M Roush Fenway Racing Ford to 31st in points and he is none too thrilled about the way he got there.
Fueling problems at Las Vegas forced a personnel change with the fuel specialist in preparation for the race at Bristol.
With the new points system, even this early in the season, a slot toward the bottom of the points system makes a rapid recovery in performance even more critical.
Paul Menard
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The four-car stable at Richard Childress Racing finds the newest addition, Paul Menard, ranked sixth in the Cup point standings.
Kevin Harvick finds himself in 20th place with Clint Bowyer two slots ahead of him in 18th position in the points.
It is Jeff Burton who finds himself in a bit of trouble with his 32nd place standing. Burton cannot afford a poor finish at Bristol without digging himself a hole that will be hard to climb out of.
Menard was thought to have been chosen because of the strong sponsorship he had, but it just may be that he is the real deal behind the wheel of quality equipment.
The Wood Brothers
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Trevor Bayne, a Knoxville, Tenn. native, took the famous Wood Brothers No. 21 to Victory Lane at Daytona.
Ten years ago, Elliott Sadler won with the Wood Brothers at Bristol in 2001 race.
Though it doesn't seem likely, a great story would unfold if Bayne could drive to victory in the Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol.
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Stewart-Haas Racing
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Normally, Tony Stewart doesn't hit his stride until the heat of summer rolls around. So far this season, Stewart is hot as he sits atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings.
He shares the top position with Kurt Busch. Stewart would have had a win at Las Vegas but stated after the race that he "shot himself in the foot."
Ryan Newman is off to a strong run as well. He moved up three slots to a fifth place ranking in the points.
It appears all the hard work done in the offseason by everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing is really paying off with the good showing of the two drivers.
Nationwide Car
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The new style NASCAR Nationwide car with more obvious brand identity that includes the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger will get its first real short track test on the half-mile track at Bristol.
Last September, the new style car was raced at the three-quarter mile, D-shaped, asphalt Richmond track. There is a considerable difference in racing between the two tracks.
Racing at Bristol is all about mechanical grip and handling rather than speed or aero packages.
Kurt Busch
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Kurt Busch is the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing. He seems to have found a new momentum after passing his ride in the famous Blue Deuce to teammate, Brad Keselowski.
Busch is the 2004 Cup champion who shares the top spot in points with Tony Stewart who happens to be the 2002 and 2005 champion of the top series in NASCAR.
The Penske driver is pumped after making his debut in the Pro Stock class at the NHRA Gatornationals this past weekend.
He qualified 12th in the field of 16 and made a stout run against veteran driver, Erica Enders, but lost in the first round.
This may be the year the older Busch brother is a force to reckon with in his bright yellow Dodge.
Danica Patrick
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Danica Patrick's learning curve has taken an upward turn for the driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
With a fourth place finish at Las Vegas, Patrick stated, "To be honest I think we're making some real progress." Indeed, she does seem to be looking more racy on the track as she gains confidence.
The attention she garnered for being the first woman in NASCAR to finish that high was tempered by her comments that she would rather just be considered a racer capable of strong finishes.
Patrick's goal of finishing in the top-15 of a race may be tested really hard at Bristol Motor Speedway. During NASCAR Media Day at Daytona, she admitted asking what state Bristol was in.
Currently, Patrick ranks fourth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Regardless of her finish at Bristol, the point standings become irrelevant as she heads off to her other job with the IndyCar Series.
Reed Sorenson
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The expanded Turner Motorsports is rocking the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings. Three of the top-five drivers are Turner teams.
Reed Sorenson is the leader in the points with Jason Lefler being third and Justin Allgaier fifth. Allgaier happens to be the defending Bristol winner in the second-tier series.
A fourth Turner Motorsports car will be driven by Kasey Kahne in the Scotts EZ Grow 300. He is fresh from a win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Darlington.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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After swapping teams at Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears to be making strides in performance under the guidance of his new crew chief, Steve Letarte.
The driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet is currently 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings.
He has had top-10 finishes the last two races. Bristol Motor Speedway has been good for Earnhardt Jr. with one win, seven top-five finishes and an average of 11.5.
Aric Almirola will be on the side lines as his boss, Earnhardt Jr., makes one of his rare appearances in the Nationwide series with his No. 88 JR Motorsports ride.
Strong runs by the eight-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver are always good for the sport. A win would make for a great headline.
Surprises
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Surprises with drivers expected to have secured their place in the top-10 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup points are on the outside looking in.
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are 12th, 19th, 20th and 14th respectively in points.
There is little doubt these drivers will come roaring back with wins and top finishes this season, but with the tough racing at Bristol, there is no place to hide and more shakeups are likely when the checkered flag falls.
It remains to be seen just how long Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Juan Pablo Montoya can maintain their status in the top-10.
The surprise may be drivers like Menard are serious contenders this year and comebacks for the more experienced drivers may be just around the next turn.
Drivers like Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton have to race to the front and stay there before they become buried too far back in the points.
"It's Bristol, baby," and anything can happen.
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