The one thing that is always anticipated at Bristol is the idea that drivers will at some point beat, bang, and dent the competition's fenders. The first half of the race saw one major accident.
The second half was a different story.
It was the tale of both the old Bristol and the new Bristol. The progressive banking made for great side-by-side action, and also saw many drivers decide on the high line as the prefered one to run.
One complaint that wasn't talked about a lot was the tire change that was made at the beginning of the weekend. After Goodyear brought a new compound to the track, drivers showed immediately that the rubber that was to be laid down wasn't happening. Just like Indianapolis two years ago, the rubber became more of a powder...and tires wore to the cords.
Goodyear decided to make a quick change, bringing in a brand new right-side tire, which had been used before at the track. It seemed to work as the corners that started out a slate gray at the green flag became blackened by midway.
However, the one driver that seemed to not even worry about tires, or for that matter the other drivers, was one Kyle Busch. For the fifth straight race at Bristol, combined in Trucks, Nationwide and Cup, Busch drove into victory lane, and brought the broom with him.
It's hard enough to win one race at Bristol in any series, let alone five spanning three. But, this young man is just right now unbeatable at this place. Before it was his older brother taking the domination at Thunder Valley, but that is no more.
The new Bristol can be described as Kyle Busch property because he's dominated here since the track was reconfigured to the new banking.
What does that domination mean for the writers? It means five victories in one weekend. This means half of the pool have victories already, and it's only race number four of the season.
Here's how the points stack up following the Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol:
Sal Sigala Jr. (140) Kyle Busch WON (1)
Kelly Crandall (131) Matt Kenseth finished fourth (0)
Rob Tiongson (113) Kyle Busch WON (1)
Ryan O'Hara (111) Kurt Busch finished seventh (1)
Billy Fellin (110) Kyle Busch WON (1)
Misan Ayuka (104) Jamie McMurray finished 21st (0)
Kara Martin (103) Kurt Busch finished seventh (0)
Michael Hirshbein (99) Kyle Busch WON (1)
Christopher Leone (99) Kyle Busch WON (1)
Dustin Parks (87) Jeff Gordon finished 14th (0)
James Broomhead (84) Denny Hamlin 33rd (0)
Summer Dreyer (75) Tony Stewart finished 19th (0)
Next Race: From the high banks and short track at Bristol, NASCAR is heading to the Hollywood hills next Sunday. Instead of having a short temper, drivers may need to have a light right foot.
Known to come down to fuel mileage, it is the lone race for the Auto Club Speedway for the 2011 season. The stars will be shining as it will be the Auto Club 400 next Sunday afternoon.
Writers, picks are due by 9 p.m. Thursday.
NOTE: Please read the email that I will be sending out tonight regarding this weekend's "Picks" article.
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