Green White Checkers

Stop #4: Thunder Valley

By Ryan Frisco

Photo Cred www.motorsports.com

When I was a little boy, I had two idols.  One was Cal Ripken, Jr.  The other was Rusty Wallace. My dad somehow managed to get me into racing at an early age, and Rusty was the man who kept me coming back.  He was the old school short track driver, and while he was racing, no one compared to him on this type of track.  Bristol Motor Speedway, nicknamed Thunder Valley, was his favorite track, and my favorite to watch.  He won 9 times at Bristol, bumping and banging his way around the track.  Rusty no longer drives in NASCAR, but I still watch, and nothing excites me more than to see the circuit make their way back to Bristol for a little showdown in the bullring.

Photo Cred www.examiner.com

It's hard to fit 43 cars in half a mile, which makes this race one of the most action packed of the year.  Add in the steep banking, and you've got a serious recipe for all sorts of things to happen.  It's not uncommon to see over 20 accidents at Bristol in a single 500 lap race.  If your car escapes the race with no tire rings on the side, than you obviously spent the whole race in the pits or the garage.  There's no way to escape it.  The only way to pass is to bump someone out of the way.  Things never slow down at Bristol.

When Rusty retired in 2004, the short track torch was passed on to youngster Kyle Busch, and he has not failed to live up to Rusty's legacy.  He already has 5 victories in Sprint Cup at Bristol, and has swept all three series here more than once.  He is the overwhelming favorite to win every time they come to Bristol.  Things don't seem to be changing this time, as he smashed the track record in qualifying and will sit on the pole.  The media is picking Kyle Busch to win this race.

Photo Cred www.michaelwaltripracing.blogspot.com

Who am I picking?  Not Kyle Busch.  With the odds so much in his favor, I'm sure he can't win this race.  Take a look at last year's Spring race at Bristol.  Michael Waltrip Racing cars finished 3rd, 4th and 5th.  Are they short track drivers?  Apparently these guys can drive any track.  Brian Vickers is running his first race of the year; he finished 3rd last year at Bristol.  I expect MWR to be fast this year, and my pick to win is Martin Truex, Jr.  He finally got a little momentum with a Top 10 last week.  I think that five year winless streak will fall Sunday afternoon in Bristol, Tennessee.

Readers, if you're not into NASCAR, it's hard to get into.  But, if there's just a twinge of curiosity, please tune in Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm on ABC.  This is THE most exciting race of the year.  Cars spinning all over the place, tempers flaring.  Last year in the August race, Tony Stewart took his helmet off after a crash and threw it at Matt Kenseth's car.  Check out the video!

This stuff doesn't happen every day.  Watch, this race, you never know what is going to happen at Bristol.