Matt Kenseth celebrated the win in the Bristol night race last year, will he do it again in 2014? [Sean Gardner/Getty Images]
by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
It’s time for one of the most anticipated NASCAR Sprint Cup races of the season as the Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the Irwin Tools Night Race Saturday night under the lights.
IRWIN Tools Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway 266.5 miles (500 laps) Saturday, Aug. 23 7:30 pm ET ABC, 7 pm ET
PRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
For years, a ticket to the Bristol night race was the hottest commodity in the sport as Bristol’s steep banks and close quarters naturally draw out the driver’s aggressions, making the race one of the most exciting of the season.
Emotions run high at Bristol as well and lately it’s been a tough race to predict as there have been five different winners in the last five races there.
It’s Bristol Baby! And here are some drivers to watch Saturday night.
Matt Kenseth
(Dan Margetta): If Matt Kenseth is going to win to get in The Chase, this is the race to do it. He’s the defending champion of the night race and has three Bristol wins to his credit, all occurring under the lights. Kenseth is listed at 7-1 odds this week and should like his chances as the horsepower deficiency suffered by the Toyotas this year should not be a major factor at Bristol. Plus, Bristol is just a big Slinger, racing similarly to the Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin where Kenseth came up through the ranks and those of us in the Badger state know how well he races there. With only three races left to the Chase cut off, Bristol is the best opportunity for Kenseth and the #20 team to find victory lane for the first time this season.
Jeff Gordon
(John Wiedemann): Jeff Gordon is the hottest driver on the circuit right now and seemingly can win at every track throughout the rest of the schedule. Statistically, Gordon is very good at Bristol with five wins, 16 top five and 24 top ten finishes, and an average finish of 12th place. But, none of that matters right now as Gordon has turned back the clock and is the dominant racer he was ten plus years ago. Gordon’s flaw of not being good at restarts has been eliminated, just ask Kasey Kahne about Indianapolis and Joey Logano about Michigan. The “drive for five” is back as Gordon looks to add another championship trophy to his mantle and it is a blast to watch.
Brad Keselowski
DM: Entering Bristol at 6-1 odds, Brad Keselowski should be a contender this weekend as he typically races well here. With two Bristol wins to his credit, Keselowski seems to like the high banks as this circuit along with Kentucky are the only two where he owns multiple victories. The #2 team is bringing the chassis that raced to a third place finish in Michigan in June and Keselowski is plenty aggressive to get the job done at Bristol. Brad and the #2 team will be looking to make a statement Saturday night that they are major championship contenders with the Chase on the horizon.
Greg Biffle
JW: Now the number one driver at Roush Fenway Racing, Greg Biffle has worked his way into Chase contention with a streak of three top ten finishes. Right now he would be in the Chase but with three races to go, Biffle’s position is very precarious. Twelve drivers are in based on points and four drivers would make it based on points with Biffle being the fourth driver. Another new winner in the next three races could bump Biffle out. Also, Kasey Kahne is only nine points behind and rookies Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson are within 24 points. Biffle’s teammates finished 1-2 at the spring Bristol race while he struggled early and climbed back through the field to finish 12th. A win a Bristol, which would be Biffle’s first at the track, would put him in the Chase, otherwise top five runs should be on the agenda.
Kurt Busch
DM: Kurt Busch has an attacking driving style which fits in real well with the aggressive Bristol high banked track. He owns a total of five victories here and at one time was almost a sure bet to find victory lane. It’s been some time since he won here but this team comes to Bristol this weekend looking for one thing…another victory to solidify their Chase position. Busch is listed at 15-1 odds this week but his 14 career top ten finishes to go along with the five wins make him a contender this week at Bristol.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
JW: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. captured a runner-up finish to teammate Carl Edwards in the spring Bristol race this year. After starting the race mid-pack, Stenhouse climbed to run with the leaders just past the halfway point. Proving he belonged, Stenhouse then spent the rest of the race running in the top ten and late race strategy put him in the top three for a seventy-five lap run to the finish. Battling with Aric Almirola and passing him with about thirty circuits left in the race netted Stenhouse the second place finish. Can he do it again? This hasn’t been the season that Stenhouse has wanted but Bristol, which was a good track for him in the Nationwide Series, has been a bright spot. The only thing that is going to get Stenhouse in the Chase is a win and Bristol is probably his best shot. With nothing to lose and a lot to gain, the #17 could be fun to watch.
Carl Edwards
DM: The winner of the last Bristol race contested in March, Carl Edwards returns to the high banks at a whopping 25-1 odds to win. Edwards does have three Bristol wins in his career to go along with a total of 8 top ten finishes but this is the first race since the official announcement this week Carl is leaving for Joe Gibbs Racing next season. How this team responds will be key. With the distractions now aside, do they come together to finish out the year strong with a main focus on winning races or do they find themselves in a lame duck situation for the rest of the season? My guess is they stay focused based on the way this group performed two seasons ago when Matt Kenseth ended his Roush tenure. Edwards should be one to watch Saturday night.
Jamie McMurray
JW: Probably not a driver you are thinking of, Jamie McMurray was doing well at Bristol until Kevin Harvick blew up and McMurray was collateral damage. McMurry had led earlier and was climbing back into the top five when the incident happened. Needing a win at this point to make the Chase, McMurray is another one of those drivers that can go for it at Bristol. In 23 runs at Bristol, McMurray has only six top ten and two top five finishes, but this year is different. It is go for broke time with three races left and there is no better track than Bristol for a surprise winner to burst from the pack.
Marcos Ambrose
DM: I’m making Marcos Ambrose my long shot pick this week at 100-1 odds (although Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the same odds is tempting). Ambrose has an aggressive driving style that usually gets him in trouble at most ovals as he tends to overdrive the corners. At Bristol however, that attacking style works quite well and this is the one oval circuit Ambrose seems to excel at. He was fifth in the March race and has 6 career top ten finishes at Bristol. This is a make or break event for Ambrose and the #9 team as at the end of the day, they could find themselves in the Chase or Ambrose could be on his way back to Australia for next season.
Kasey Kahne
JW: I have said all year that you just never know what you are going to see from Kasey Kahne. Well, now it is about “put up or shut up” time for Kahne. There are only three races left and he is not on the list of invitees for the Chase. Kahne has wins at the next three tracks on the schedule, one at Bristol, two at Atlanta and one at Richmond. The most recent was the 2013 spring race at Bristol which is included in a streak of four top tens in the last four races at the short track. So, one would have to say, this is the weekend for Kahne to go out and win and put himself in the Chase. From past predictions of how Kahne will run at a race, I’m now saying it could go either way. Kahne could win and I wouldn’t be shocked and he could finish last and that wouldn’t be much of a surprise either. We’ll just have to see.