Heading to Thunder Valley 3/18/10

Back after a short break for short track racin’ at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend!

photo credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

To catch up where we left after an off-week, the Richard Childress Racing drivers have gotten off to a quick start thus far this season. Last year, none of the RCR drivers were able to make it into The Chase. This year, all three RCR drivers are currently sitting in the top-6 in the point standings.

Kevin Harvick leads the standings. Harvick has finished in the top-10 in all four races so far this season. He has scored one cup win at Bristol, but he has also won five times there in the Nationwide Series.

Richard Childress Racing drivers/stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:
Kevin Harvick has scored one win, 9 top-5 and 11-top 10 finishes in 18 starts.
Jeff Burton has scored one win, 8 top-5 and 13 top-10 finishes in 32 starts.
Clint Bowyer has posted 2 top-5 and 4 top-10 finishes in 8 starts.

Reigning series champ Jimmie Johnson has won two of the first four races so far this season. According to his stats, Bristol is his second worst track. In sixteen starts, he has posted just three top-5 and 8 top-10 finishes at the track.

Johnson’s Hendrick teammate, Jeff Gordon has led more laps than any other driver this season.

The drivers who’ve led the most laps (in the triple-digits) this year are:
1.  Jeff Gordon (232 laps)
2.  Kurt Busch (163 laps)
3.  Kasey Kahne (148 laps)
4.  Jimmie Johnson (119 laps)

Jeff Gordon hasn’t won yet, but moved up to 11th in the point standings after the first four races of the season. Gordon is tied with Kurt Busch for the most wins at Bristol among all active drivers with five a piece.

Let’s talk about Kurt Busch. He won the last cup race almost two weeks ago before the break.

“We’d love to come in there this weekend and score another dominant win,” Kurt Busch said, “but we’d be thrilled to get a victory no matter
how it comes.”

Kurt has collected five wins, 5 top-5′s, 10 top 10′s and one pole in 18 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. It probably should be said that two days after winning at Atlanta, the #2 team tested at Greshman Motorsports Park, a half-mile track in Georgia, in preparation of the upcoming short track races on the schedule.

Kurt’s younger brother, Kyle, is the defending race winner. Kyle swept both Bristol races last year.

“Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the best race tracks on the circuit,” Kyle Busch said. “All the fans love it because of the excitement, the run-ins, the closer quarter action with all the cars being packed on top of one another at a half-mile racetrack with us 43 lunatics running around in a tight circle. With the fans, the atmosphere there always makes for a good time.”

Busch is one to beat at the high-banked short track. Not only did he sweep both Sprint Cup Series races last season at Bristol, he also won the last two Camping World Truck Series races there.

“Ever since I got through my rookie year I’ve just taken a liking to the place,” he said. “Of course, I’ve been able to get some help from my brother. He’s always been really good there.”

TV coverage of the Food City 500 begins at Noon this Sunday on FOX.

The Nationwide Series – Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway airs  at 2 this Saturday on ABC.