“I’ve read a few articles and blogs stating that this last week’s break doesn’t make sense after only four races into the season. A part of me agrees. However, with back-to-back trips to the west coast I have to think that the crews and transport drivers may feel differently.

While the Cup schedule does need an off week later in the season where teams will go months without one, this breather after race number four does have it’s benefits. Think of it as taking a couple practice swings up on the tee box before really ripping one down the fairway. The teams have a chance to regroup and refocus on this one final race before the current season’s owner points come into play for the top 35. I’m sure the teams for Jeremy Mayfield & Scott Riggs are happy to have the extra week to prepare. They’re trying for a full season run as opposed to being a pair of “start-n-park” teams. But that’s a whole other blog post.

My Atlanta Prediction Results:

Ford = Carl Edwards. Carl finished 3rd.
Chevrolet = Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie finished 9th.
Toyota = Kyle Busch. Kyle finished 18th.
Dodge = Kurt Busch. Kurt finished 1st.

Last week I said that Kurt Busch could be a good darkhorse pick to win. I hope you gambled on the #2 car in your fantasy NASCAR games the same as I did. Unfortunately, you win some and you loose some. While I followed my heart on Kurt, I didn’t follow my gut and go with Jeff Gordon. Instead I went with Johnson based on on the numbers. Sure would have been nice to have that 1-2 finish.

My Bristol Predictions for each Manufacturer:

Matt Kenseth is Ford’s best hope for a win this week. Matt finished 10th and 9th at Bristol in the 2008 season. In the 10 Bristol races from 2002-2006, Matt posted a top ten in 9 out of 10 races, two of which were wins. Oh, and that 10th race he finished 16th. Charge up the batteries for the Kenseth robots!

This week I’m going with stats and my gut, which means I believe Chevy’s best hope for a win should come from Jeff Gordon. The #24 team has been running very strong these first four races of 2009 and has posted finishes of 14th, 2nd, 6th and 2nd. Gordon has 5 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and a career average start and finish of 5th and 11th, respectively.

Let’s face it, Toyota’s chances of a win are most likely always going to come from the Joe Gibbs operation. This week the numbers are very comparable between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. I’m going to go with Denny this week for the Toyota banner. In six career starts at Bristol he has three top tens and finished 14th or better in all but one race. That race was a 43rd place finish due to engine failure.

In one goofy backwards victory lap, Kurt Busch has once again put Penske racing in the spotlight. Has the organization turned things around? I think it’s far too early to say for sure. However, prior to the 2005 season Kurt had to be considered a favorite for the Bristol win– even if he would have been driving a golf cart. If last week was the sign of Kurt and Penske’s return, then we all need to pray Kurt doesn’t do snow angels again if he wins this week.

My Pick To Win?

I kicked myself in the butt last after taking Johnson over Gordon. The bad part is I continued to second guess my pick even before the race started. However, I went with the numbers. This week I’m going stick with Jeff Gordon. The historical numbers are there, the current season performance is there, and my gut is still telling me Jeff Gordon for the win!”

Ned and Dale Jarrett Working Together in Booth on Race Telecast

ESPN2 will have live coverage as some of the greatest names in the history of NASCAR return to action for a special charity race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 21, at 6 p.m. ET.

And just as many great drivers will be racing again, Ned Jarrett, a mainstay of ESPN’s coverage of NASCAR from 1986-2000, returns to the air to join his son, ESPN lead NASCAR analyst Dale Jarrett, and lap-by-lap announcer Dr. Jerry Punch in calling the action in the Scotts Saturday Night Special.

Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Harry Gant and ESPN analyst Rusty Wallace are among the 12 legends of NASCAR who will compete for 35 laps in late model stock cars. The winning driver will earn a $25,000 donation for the charity of his choice. The race airs following ESPN on ABC’s live coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Scotts Turf Builder 300 event at Bristol that day at 2 p.m.

“Our goal with this race was to give our fans something really special," said Jeff Byrd, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. "I think we’ve definitely done that when you consider that we have many drivers involved in some of Bristol Motor Speedway’s most memorable moments participating in the Saturday Night Special. This is such a major event that ESPN2 will carry it live. That in itself says quite a bit about how special this race is and how excited the folks in Bristol north are about bringing it to the sports audience." 

Ned Jarrett, who retired from television at the end of the 2000 season, returned briefly to help call part of a Nationwide Series race at Charlotte on ESPN2 in 2007, working alongside his son for the first time.

“I’m really excited about working with Dale and Jerry in the booth again,” said Ned Jarrett. “I had a lot of good times over the years with Jerry when we were both working with ESPN, but I only had that one experience with Dale. This is a little more special because of the type of race that it is and I’ll be talking about many of the guys that I used to talk about when I worked for ESPN. That makes it even more exciting.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for fans,” he said. “I expect these drivers are going to have fire in their eyes. They certainly have some age on them, some of them more than others, but they still believe that they can do it, and I believe they can do it.”

Others in the race, all former winners in NASCAR competition at Bristol, include Terry Labonte, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, Phil Parsons, L.D. Ottinger and former NASCAR Nationwide Series champions Jack “Iron Man” Ingram and David Green.

“Many of today’s NASCAR fans have only seen drivers like Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Cale Yarborough race on ESPN Classic,” said Julie Sobieski, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions. “This event gives new and longtime fans a chance to connect with some of NASCAR’s greatest drivers.”

Wallace will be ESPN’s “In-Race Reporter” and will talk via radio with Dale Jarrett during the telecast. Allen Bestwick will host the telecast and pit reporters will be Dave Burns, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.

About NASCAR on ESPN: ESPN and ABC have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season. All programming is produced totally in high definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNRadio and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network’s award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 18 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

”

To be the man, you got to beat the man, so becoming Honorary Race Director at Lowe’s Motor Speedway just became a whole lot tougher. Speedway officials announced today that Ric Flair, 16-time World Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, will serve as Honorary Race Director for the 25th running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 16.

As Honorary Race Director, Flair will attend the drivers’ meeting, assist SPEED personalities with driver introductions for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and serve on the panel of judges for the second annual Pennzoil Victory Challenge during the pre-race entertainment.

"I’m honored to be a part of the 25th running of the Sprint All-Star Race," said Flair. "I’m a long-time Charlotte resident and Lowe’s Motor Speedway is an integral part of our city. It’s one of the things that makes Charlotte a great place to live. There’s nothing like NASCAR and the ‘Nature Boy’ to get you pumped up! WoooOOOooo!"

Known for his flamboyant ring presence, Flair has enjoyed a 36-year professional wrestling career, winning 16 World Heavyweight Championships and in 2008 he became the first active wrestler ever inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

"We’ve had some great personalities serve as dignitaries at the speedway over the years, but I have to admit, none have been stylin’ and profilin’ like the ‘Nature Boy’ will be at the 25th NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race," said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway. "Growing up in this area and watching Ric perform through the years, it’s going to be a treat for me and all of the fans at the speedway. I can’t think of a better fit for NASCAR’s All-Star slugfest."

In addition to Flair’s role on race day, the Charlottean will be voicing the speedway’s radio and television advertising campaign for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race that will begin airing within the next 10 days.

Tickets for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 16 start at only $25 and can be obtained by calling 1-800-455-FANS or online vis Ticketmaster. Convenient payment plan options and multi-day ticket packages are also available.

“We looked at this odd grouping of similar NASCAR tracks just a couple of weeks ago when NASCAR raced in Las Vegas. Our percentage of close calls wasn’t too bad. 12 of the 41 participating drivers in our list finished within five spots of where the similar track averages placed them. And, that included a variety of A-List drivers like Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle as well as B & C-List drivers like AJ Allmendinger, Paul Menard & Joe Nemechek.

23 of our 41 drivers finished within ten spots of where our similar track averages placed them. That’s 56%.

Similar Track Concept

The theory behind this chart is that there are similar tracks (aka sister tracks) within the NASCAR schedule in terms of banking, distance and shape that a driver may excel at.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

I am prone to look at a drivers performance more recently then over their career. So, this table is sorted by 2008 averages rather then over the length of the drivers career. That stat is still in the table though.

The Tracks

This week’s race is at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. So, the similar tracks we are going to look at are: Bristol, Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, Darlington & Dover.

The Similarities

This may seem like an odd combination of tracks. It is the ‘loosest’ of all our are similar track associations. I group these tracks together though based on these similarities: They are all relatively steeply-banked tracks ranging from 20° – 25°’s with Bristol all the way up to 36°. These tracks don’t adhere to the typical cookie-cutter design like Texas, Charlotte & Atlanta. Some are concrete (Bristol and Dover) and some are former flat tracks converted to a steeper banking (Homestead-Miami and Las Vegas). Historically, this group of tracks have worked out well together.

By the way, this table also shows the drivers median finish which I think is better than the average.

* Take these drivers with a grain of salt. Logano’s only race in our similar tracks was the Vegas race a few weeks ago. Kvapil didn’t race Las Vegas this year and only accomplished an average finish of 25.5 at Bristol last year. Scott Speed only has this year’s Vegas start and only one short track race at the Cup level which was Martinsville last year where he finished 30th.

Rank	Driver	Bristol	Vegas	Miami	Darlington	Dover	Starts	Avg	‘08/’09
1	Carl Edwards	12.0	14.0	5.0	7.0	3.0	33	8.2	4.6
2	Jeff Gordon	7.0	10.5	6.0	3.0	7.0	90	6.7	8.3
3	Kyle Busch	8.5	6.0	29.0	15.0	5.0	30	12.7	11.5
4	Clint Bowyer	7.5	21.5	10.0	15.0	10.0	22	12.8	12.4
5	Joey Logano*	0.0	13.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1	13.0	13.0
6	Travis Kvapil*	22.0	26.0	29.5	30.0	22.0	22	25.9	13.1
7	Kevin Harvick	4.0	12.0	7.5	15.5	19.5	61	11.7	14.8
8	Matt Kenseth	9.0	11.0	21.0	19.0	8.0	72	13.6	15.0
9	Greg Biffle	9.5	7.5	13.0	12.0	7.0	46	9.8	15.1
10	Denny Hamlin	10.0	9.5	8.0	7.0	24.5	23	11.8	16.1
11	Jamie McMurray	18.0	15.0	14.0	13.5	14.0	46	14.9	16.3
12	Jeff Burton	12.5	6.5	12.5	9.5	10.0	90	10.2	16.8
13	Martin Truex Jr	26.5	17.5	8.0	14.0	9.5	23	15.1	16.9
14	David Ragan	23.5	37.0	17.0	16.0	18.0	16	22.3	17.1
15	Jimmie Johnson	16.0	8.5	8.5	5.0	7.5	54	9.1	17.2
16	Kasey Kahne	16.5	8.5	16.0	16.5	28.5	37	17.2	17.7
17	Mark Martin	14.5	6.0	9.0	10.0	5.0	85	8.9	18.2
18	Dale Earnhardt Jr	9.0	13.5	21.0	10.5	18.5	69	14.5	18.4
19	Scott Speed*	0.0	21.0	16.0	0.0	0.0	2	18.5	18.5
20	David Gilliland	30.0	21.0	32.0	25.0	24.0	18	26.4	19.7
21	Tony Stewart	15.0	10.0	12.0	11.0	6.5	77	10.9	20.3
22	Dave Blaney	29.5	26.0	22.0	26.5	25.0	60	25.8	20.7
23	David Reutimann	22.5	20.5	22.5	26.0	18.0	11	21.9	20.8
24	Juan Pablo Montoya	18.0	22.0	17.0	23.0	21.5	16	20.3	21.5
25	Ryan Newman	15.5	14.0	21.0	5.5	8.0	54	12.8	22.1
26	Bobby Labonte	21.5	12.5	17.5	14.0	14.0	90	15.9	23.1
27	Casey Mears	31.0	13.0	21.0	34.5	21.5	45	24.2	24.4
28	Scott Riggs	24.5	29.0	14.5	30.0	24.5	34	24.5	24.7
29	Brian Vickers	20.0	23.0	33.0	24.0	21.0	36	24.2	24.9
30	Kurt Busch	9.0	20.0	21.0	12.5	18.0	62	16.1	25.2
31	Bill Elliott	19.0	14.0	17.0	11.0	18.0	59	15.8	25.3
32	AJ Allmendinger	35.0	33.0	11.0	31.5	35.0	11	29.1	26.3
33	Michael Waltrip	22.0	22.0	35.0	25.0	22.5	85	25.3	27.3
34	Regan Smith	25.0	26.5	34.0	29.0	29.0	9	28.7	27.7
35	Robby Gordon	26.5	26.5	27.0	28.0	22.0	61	26.0	27.9
36	Paul Menard	24.0	32.0	30.0	33.5	21.0	14	28.1	28.0
37	Aric Almirola	13.0	40.0	35.0	0.0	0.0	6	29.3	28.2
38	Elliott Sadler	24.0	28.0	28.0	18.5	18.5	78	23.4	30.1
39	Reed Sorenson	33.5	32.5	25.0	32.0	26.5	23	29.9	30.1
40	Marcos Ambrose	0.0	20.0	42.0	0.0	32.0	3	31.3	31.3
41	Sam Hornish Jr	33.0	28.5	37.0	38.0	30.0	8	33.3	32.4
42	Joe Nemechek	27.0	19.0	21.0	21.0	26.0	83	22.8	34.9

Top 35 Owner Points Countdown: Four Down, One to Go

The developing picture of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will become clearer at the conclusion of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 22.

That’s when the use of last year’s final car owner points to determine the top 35 weekly guaranteed starting spots ends. Starting at Martinsville Speedway March 29, the current owner points determine the top 35 guarantees. The “bubble” is big news looking ahead to Bristol.

The reason for that, is this: Some major NASCAR names are hovering way-too-close to the cut-off, starting with the out-of-retirement Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/Carquest Chevrolet) whose Hendrick Motorsports team sits in 35th this week, merely nine points ahead of the 36th-place team owned by Chip Ganassi, the No. 8 Cub Cadet Chevrolet driven by Aric Almirola.

Some other teams in potential bubble trouble:

The No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet owned by Tony Stewart and driven by Ryan Newman, 32nd in car owner points, a surprising development to say the least;

The No. 82 Red Bull Toyota owned by Dietrich Mateschitz and driven by former Formula One racer Scott Speed, a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate, is 37th.

And the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota owned by Joe Gibbs and driven by Joey Logano — arguably the favorite in the rookie of the year competition — is 33rd in the standings.

Now, consider the “Bristol factor.”

The half-mile high-banked oval is notorious for incidents that can quickly ruin one’s chances of winning. With the top 35 situation in play, Bristol quickly becomes even more worrisome.

Nothing like an off-week to let the nerves simmer.

Busch Brothers Post Back-To-Back Wins For Second Consecutive Year

Kurt and Kyle Busch have posted back-to-back NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins for the second consecutive year.

In the series’ two most recent events, Kyle, 23, (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 1 where the brothers were also the top-two qualifiers, while Kurt, 30, (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) won at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8.

The brothers also posted consecutive wins in 2008. Kyle won at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., followed by Kurt winning at New Hampshire the following week.

So far as the sibling rivalry goes, Kurt, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, still has the upper hand in the race wins category with 19, compared to Kyle’s 13.

Both have won at the series’ next stop at Bristol Motor Speedway, but only Kurt has also won at Martinsville.

In fact, Kurt scored his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in 2002 at Bristol. His second career win came at Martinsville. He has also won pole awards at both tracks.

But while younger brother Kyle was on a roll last year with a dominating eight wins, Kurt had only one, at New Hampshire in June.

“This was big,” Kurt said of the comeback victory. “I have to thank my Miller Lite guys… this car was unbelievable.

“We had great calls by (crew chief Pat Tryson) and our engineering staff. Penske power is back. This feels awesome.”

He also topped his hat to Kyle.

“I’ve got to hold up my end of the bargain because Kyle is on a tear right now,” Kurt said. “I’m real proud of him. Real happy for him. “

Penske Has Change Of Heart

After watching Kurt Busch go to Victory Lane at Atlanta, car owner Roger Penske admitted a change of heart over the newly instituted NASCAR test ban at any NASCAR-sanctioned track.

“I think over the offseason I complained about not having testing, but (now) I’m glad we didn’t because we worked on some of the (other) things we needed (to work on).”

Meanwhile, Penske also observed that the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car is demonstrating an important intended benefit. With a fleet of Dodge race cars in their shop, the team raced the same car within seven days with great success.

Game Plan For Cracking Top 35: Keep It Simple

A simple philosophy is paying dividends for a start-up NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team: qualify for the races and then finish them.

That’s the goal for the new full-time effort of team owner Kevin Buckler and the No. 71 Capital Window/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet team.

Driver David Gilliland is teaming nicely with crew chief Slugger Labbe. The No. 71 has made only three of the four races thus far, all with driver Gilliland. Nonetheless, the entry is 34th in car owner points, ahead of a number of higher-profile teams, including that of living legend Mark Martin.

Martin Has Short-Track History

Mark Martin’s first pole in eight years at Atlanta last weekend may offer some further optimism, as he attempts to get an initially promising season back on course.

Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, sites of the Food City 500 on March 22 and the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 on March 29,  are places where Martin has also won poles. The Atlanta pole was the 42nd pole of his career.

Martin’s 1989 pole at Bristol led to a sixth- place result; his 1993 Bristol pole resulted with a win; his 1995 pole brought a fifth-place finish; his 1996 pole there resulted in a third-place finish; and his 2001 pole resulted in an unusual 34th- place finish.

At Martinsville, Martin has two poles, both in 1991 that resulted in finishes of 29th and fifth.

In all, Martin has two wins at Martinsville and one at Bristol and two at Atlanta.

Martin has 35 career wins, the first in 1989 at Rockingham, N.C., and the most recent at Richmond in 2001.

Martin’s best year in pole qualifying was 1989 when he won four poles.

Loop Data: Kurt Busch Scores Perfect Driver Rating at Atlanta

When your statistics far surpass your standings position, you’re likely having bad luck. Right now, three drivers at Hendrick Motorsports know that exact feeling.

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) continued his march up the standings after Atlanta and sits just one spot out of the top 12.

But statistically, he has been much better than his points position suggests. Though 13th in points, Johnson ranks in the top five of nearly every key statistical category.

The three-time defending series champion has a Driver Rating of 104.2 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 8.5 (second), 81 Fastest Laps Run (fourth), a fifth-fastest Green Flag Speed and 894 Laps in the Top 15 (87.9%), which is third-most.

In other words, there is little reason for panic. Also, Johnson’s slow start is nothing new. Last season he was also 13th after four races and entered the top 10 for good after race No. 6.

Mark Martin feels his Hendrick Motorsports teammate’s pain. Martin has suffered a DNF in two of four races this season and has failed to finish on the lead lap in three of the four.

Statistics indicate he has been competitive prior to each problem. His ranking in most categories is higher than his 34th-place points position. He has a Driver Rating of 86.4 (13th), an Average Running Position of 17.2 (17th), 31 Fastest Laps Run (seventh) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 60.3% (14th).

The same goes for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet), another Hendrick driver. He has a 15th-best Driver Rating of 79.8, but a points position of 24th. He also has an Average Running Position (17.3) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage (58.2%) that rank in the top 15.

Earnhardt’s Lucky Penny Donor Wessa Miller To Revisit Bristol

Wessa Miller, the girl who gave Dale Earnhardt Sr. her lucky penny prior to his winning the Daytona 500 in 1998, will make a second visit to Bristol Motor Speedway on March 22. Earnhardt brought Wessa and her family to Bristol 11 years ago to thank them for the special gift, which rode with him to Daytona’s victory.

Through the efforts of the NASCAR Angels television program and working with The NASCAR Foundation, Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), and the Pennies For Wessa Fund, the Miller family makes its return visit to Bristol.

Miller, now 16-years-old and still residing in Phyllis, Ky., was six-years-old on Feb. 15, 1998, when her dream to meet the legendary Earnhardt came true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. During their meeting, Wessa gave Earnhardt her lucky penny. That weekend, with the coin affixed to the dashboard of his No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet, Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in his 20th attempt.

That April, Earnhardt arranged to have Wessa and her family attend Bristol. He presented the Millers with a new van to help with their transportation needs.

The NASCAR Foundation has partnered with NASCAR Angels and Motor Racing Outreach to launch an online auction that will benefit the MRO Benevolent Fund which supports causes such as the Pennies For Wessa Fund.

The auction will feature a variety of items including autographed memorabilia from drivers.

The Pennies For Wessa Fund was started by NASCAR beat writer and Sirius XM radio host David Poole in an effort to assist the needs of the Miller family.

To learn more or to bid on items to support this auction, visit www.nascar.com/foundation.

Donations can also be made directly by visiting the Pennies For Wessa Fund at www.penniesforwessa.org.

Up Next: Back-To-Back Short Tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway

Following the off weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hits stride with back-to-back short track events.

The series makes it’s 97th appearance at the .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 March 22, followed by the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at the .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway March 29.

Bristol looms large in setting the tenor for the first half of the season. The Food City 500 is the fifth race of 2009, and the last where the top-35 owner points of 2008 are assured of starting positions this year. After the Food City 500, the top 35 in current owner points are eligible for making it into events moving forward as long as they remain in the top 35.

Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet) scored his first Bristol win in the 2008 Food City 500. Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) finished second followed by Clint Bowyer (No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet), Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Two drivers, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon (No 24 DuPont Chevrolet) lead active drivers with five Bristol wins each.

Darrell Waltrip leads all drivers with 12 Bristol wins, seven of them in consecutive events from spring 1981 through spring 1984. All seven were with retired team owner Junior Johnson.

Johnson is the series all-time leading car owner at Bristol with 21 wins. Jack Roush is second with 10 wins.

The 1989 series champion, Rusty Wallace, holds nine Bristol victories. Wallace was so dominant at Bristol he won the pole seven times, and converted four of those poles to victories.

At Martinsville, Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins, followed by teammate Jimmie Johnson with five wins each.

Next Race: Food City 500

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile concrete oval)

The Date: Sunday, March 22

The Time: 2 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 500 laps/266.5 miles

TV: FOX , 1:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN and Sirius Satellite

2008 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson (via final 2007 points; qualifying was rained out)

2008 Winner: Jeff Burton

Schedule: (All times local ET) Friday—Practice, 12-1:30 p.m., Qualifying, 3:40 p.m. Saturday—Practice, 11-11:45 a.m.

2009 Top 12 Drivers

Rank	Driver	Points
1	Jeff Gordon	634
2	Clint Bowyer	591
3	Kurt Busch	588
4	Carl Edwards	547
5	Matt Kenseth	546
6	Tony Stewart	521
7	Kyle Busch	514
8	Kevin Harvick	511
9	Kasey Kahne	484
10	Greg Biffle	480
11	Brian Vickers	477
12	David Reutimann	475

“In the next week we’ll hear lots of talk about bubble teams, making the cut and “do or die”. Most of the talk will center around the beloved NCAA tourney, but NASCAR has its own version of March Madness, although no one will bet any money or try to follow NASCAR’s version from work.

Hanging On (for now)

• John Andretti Thanks to some leftover owner points from the DEI-Ganassi merger, Andretti has qualified for the first four races. He has one top 20 finish and hasn’t fared worse than 31st so far. If Andretti can last one more race and avoid trouble it would be a surprising story for the early season.
• Sam Hornish Jr I have heard several times that this is a make or break year for Hornish in NASCAR. That’s just ridiculous. The man has one full season in a stock car and has a pretty impressive resume in open wheel racing, plenty of lesser drivers have lasted longer in stock cars.
• Ryan Newman Newman has had a few rough races with about every kind of problem: mechanical failures, tires, wings falling off. So he might slip out of the top 35? He may have to qualify for a race on time!
• Joey Logano While some are relishing in his struggles, let’s remember he’s 19. Not everyone-even Mark Martin-endorsed phenoms-should be compared to Kyle Busch. And remember that Logano lost basically all the winter track time that rookies normally use to acclimate to a new team.
• David Gilliland It feels like a long time ago when Gilliland came out of nowhere to win a Busch race and almost instantly land a ride with Yates Racing. Now he’s back with another unknown team (sports car team TRG) and if he can attract sponsorship, might wind up in the top 35 despite missing Daytona.
• Mark Martin In recent years Martin has shown a softer, more optimisitic side. That was before Martin returned to fulltime racing in 2009. Any therapeutic breakthrough was lost after two engine failures, a wreck from a flat tire and a 35th place in owners’ points. And Martin gets to go to Bristol, a track he loves so much that he skipped all four races in the last two years.

• Ready to Pounce (or at least willing to crawl past others’ misfortune)

• Aric Almirola It’s hardly surprising that Almirola has struggled so far this season. The good news is that he has run very well at Bristol with 8th and 13th place finishes. His 2009 prospects don’t bear much hope, but if he finds a way into the top 35, the team keeps paying the bills, then who knows? Almirola certainly deserves the chance to show what he can do.
• Scott Speed Until he makes the top 35 I’m going to call him “Lacks”. I wonder if Red Bull notices where AJ Allmendinger sits in the standings (20th). Lacks has avoided major trouble to this point but he’s never raced at Bristol before.
• Paul Menard Not only is Gilliland in the top 35, both Yates cars are on the outside. Menard has been in this spot before in 2006. He didn’t return to the 35 until August when DEI acquired owners points to secure his safety.
• Travis Kvapil Kvapil spent several weeks in the top 20 in points last year and wildly overachieved. This year has been disaster so far. At least Paul Menard is squandering the owners points Kvapil’s team gifted him.

“

“After a week off, the NASCAR boys head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for the fifth race of the 2009 NASCAR season.

Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN.

Bristol Motor Speedway History

• Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
• Bristol held its first NASCAR Sprint Cup race on July 30, 1961.
• In the fall of 1969 the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-mile.
• The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
• The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was held on March 13, 1982.
• The first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol was held on June 23, 1995.
• The track surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
• The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
• The track was resurfaced between races in 2007.

Track Numbers

• There have been 96 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Bristol Motor Speedway since the first race there in 1961, two races each season.
• All Bristol races have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400-lap events.
• Fred Lorenzen won the first pole.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was won by Jack Smith (with relief from Johnny Allen).
• There have been 42 different pole winners, led by Cale Yarborough (nine); 19 drivers have more than one.
• 37 different drivers have won races at Bristol, led by Darrell Waltrip (12); 15 drivers have more than one victory there.
• The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position.
• 79 of 96 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 51 from the first four spots.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 38th by Elliott Sadler in 2001.
• There have been six different pole winners in the past eight Bristol races. Qualifying was canceled in the spring of 2006 and 2008. There have been seven different race winners in the 10 races since Kurt Busch won three straight in 2003 and 2004. Matt Kenseth (fall 2005 and 2006) and Carl Edwards (fall 2007 and 2008) are the repeat race winners since.
• Junior Johnson won 21 races, more than any other car owner. His victories came between 1965 and 1986 and were scored by five different drivers, including one himself.
• There has been one caution-free race at Bristol, July 1971.
• There have been two extended races at Bristol: March 2005 (504 laps) and March 2008 (506 laps).

Hot Fact

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has scored the most points in the past 10 races at Bristol (1,468), 50 more than his closest competitor Kevin Harvick. He has posted seven top-10 finishes, including one victory, in the 10-race span.

Bristol Motor Speedway Data

• Race #: 5 of 36 (3-22-09)
• Track Size: .533 miles
• Race Length: 500 laps/266.5 miles
• Banking/Corners: 26 to 30 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 4 to 9 degrees

Qualifying/Race Data

• 2008 pole winner: None (weather)
• 2008 race winner: Jeff Burton (89.775 mph, 3-16-08)
• Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman (128.709 mph, 14.908 seconds, 3-21-03)
• Track race record: Charlie Glotzbach (101.074 mph, 7-11-71)
• Estimated Pit Window: Every 120-130 laps, based on fuel mileage.

“

You already know that Onebadwheel is one-stop shopping for NASCAR statistics and fantasy advise. But did you know that OBW has gone social?

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What is The C-List?
The weekly guide on getting the most out of low-rent fantasy drivers; C-List drivers in the Yahoo! game and/or drivers valued at $20.00 or less in salary cap games.

Juan Pablo Montoya – (last season: 15th @ Food City 500, 19th @ Sharpie 500)
Montoya has had good runs early in seemingly each week but hasn’t been good in the second half of races. At Bristol, Montoya has four career starts and an average finish of 17.0 in the last three. He has never finished in the top-10 but he has put together decent finishes from a variety of starting positions.

Aric Almirola – (last season: eighth @ Food City 500, 13th @ Sharpie 500)
Almirola has started at Thunder Valley three times. Last season, he had an average finish of 10.5 between the two Bristol races, including his best career finish (eighth).

Almirola is has not looked partially good this season but is dirt-cheap in salary cap games allowing flexibility to invest in high caliber drivers. Allocation owners are unlikely to give Almirola many looks this season and can take a gamble with him at his best track.

C-List results last week @ Kobalt Tools 500:

AJ Allmendinger (17th)

C-List 2009 season tally:

Starts average finish: 17.2

Last week, I caught some flak for not suggesting Bobby Labonte at Atlanta. There are several reasons why I thought Allmendinger was a better choice, partially in allocation formats.

First, while Labonte has some success Atlanta, none of it has been recent: five top-20s since 2004.

Second, 60% of players in the Yahoo! game started Labonte. That’s a great opportunity to set yourself apart and move ahead of a lot of other players.

Labonte ended up 40th with a DNF and Allmendinger finished 17th, tops among all C-List drivers

“I’ve been a NASCAR fan for quite a while. I remember when the track was covered with Buicks, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Fords… and they looked like Buicks, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Fords from a distance too, chrome bumpers and all! A lot has changed though, both on the track and in victory lane. While some may say that the Car Of Today is ugly compared to the last car, I think they’re all ugly when compared to the cars I watched as a kid.

One area in NASCAR where things have changed for the better (at least in the appearance department) is in victory lane. With all due respect to Bill Brodrick and the discipline he brought to The Hat Dance,” the decision to add a Miss Sprint Cup girl to the victory lane celebration is, well, a beautiful one!

There are two Miss Sprint Cup girls, Monica Palumbo and Anne-Marie Rhodes. Both are absolutely gorgeous. I noticed Monica first and I instantly hit the pause button (thank you Lord for DVRs) and exclaimed, Who’s that girl?” My wife didn’t know, and stranger still, didn’t seem to care! :D

Monica started as a Miss Sprint Cup girl in 2008 and has been acting in promotions work since the age of 20. Her favorite driver is Martin Truex Jr. and Phoenix is one of her favorite tracks. Her duties include hosting the Sprint Experience area, interviewing drivers and talking to fans about the racing.

If you think you’ve seen her before, you probably have. She has been Miss North Carolina, a guest co-host on Live with Regis and Kelly, and a top six finalist in the ABC reality show, All-American Girl. She competed for Miss USA in 2001 and won the title of Miss Congeniality. That helped her land a job promoting the film “Miss Congeniality,” starring Sandra Bullock.

Before Miss Sprint Cup there was Miss Winston. The Miss Winston program began in 1971 and it seems the selection process, duties, and even the every-other-weekend rotation of Miss Winston girls has been carried over to the Miss Sprint Cup girl program. Some of the most well known Miss Winstons would include Pattie Petty (Kyle Petty’s wife), Shannon Wiseman (has worked as a NASCAR.com correspondent), and of course Brooke Sealey (Jeff Gordon’s ex-wife).

Admittedly, Monica and Anne-Marie do a fine job making a driver’s fire suit look good. But I must say, Sprint needs to hire about 22 more Miss Sprint Cup girls. Maybe start with hiring the girls who make up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader squad. Have them bring their old uniform, change the red to yellow, and sprinkle them around the track and Sprint would sell a ton of unlimited voice & data plans. :)”