Ice Picks – Bristol RP=M
Mar 14, 2014; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch during practice for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
After two exhausting rounds of knock out qualifying, Deny Hamlin TKOed the last challenger in Brad Keselowski to take the Coors Light Pole.
It took a track record to fend off the Penske teams who had a stranglehold on the pole the last two weeks.
This is Bristol, exciting and rigorous in what should be a heavyweight fight to the end. After all its held at the coliseum of short track racing.
This is a half mile oval with good banking at both ends with basically the top groove as the preferential racing line makes back markers a difficult challenge.
With all that said there are some drivers with exceptional skills to win more than once on this track and at Bristol its bragging rights.
Enter Kyle Busch, since the track was reconfigured in 2007 no other driver has conquered Bristol like Mr Kyle Busch with 15 victories across all three divisions in NASCAR.
Even though his been more like “Where’s Waldo” this early in the season, Kyle Busch has five wins, eight top five’s and twelve top ten’s in 18 Sprint Cup starts.
Kyle’s brother Kurt also has five wins but those came before the tracks new configuration when he ripped five in a row. Like Kurt, Jeff Gordon has five wins but most of those came when he had a rainbow on his hood.
Active manufacturer with the most victories all time is Chevrolet with 43 followed by Ford 22 and Toyota with six victories
In 106 races at Bristol 85 have come from inside the top ten which equals to 80% and that is staggering. 35 drivers have won from the front row and 22 have won from the pole position since they began racing at Bristol.
Track position is all that and a bag of chips at Bristol and there’s a good chance we can have a shorten or rained out race on Sunday so figure that in when you set your lineup.
I see this race going mostly green until someone losses their patience and that will spread like wild fire but the last 200 laps should be green, green, green.
Top speeds during practice:
#41-Busch 129.789
#24-Gordon 129.421
#11-Hamlin 129.351
#99-Edwards 129.317
#9-Ambrose 129.238
Here’s Ice Picks for Bristol, Racing Points = Money:
A List
Kyle Busch- is flat-out good here and with a top ten starting spot makes him dangerous.
Matt Kenseth- won here last year and could do it again, he starts third.
Carl Edwards- has won here before and Jimmy Fenig always seems to make the right call at Bristol.
B List
Denny Hamlin- almost won here last year and with the pole position, should be a threat.
Brad Keselowski- driving Chassis #PRS-839 built last year and never seen action but Brad is very good here so he gets my nod.
Joey Logano- driving Chassis #PRS-845, last raced to 17th position at Richmond last year. Joey has been knocking on the door and could very well take the checkers on Sunday.
Brian Vickers– races well at Bristol and should get a top 15 by the time the race been settled.
C List
David Regan- is my bottom pick and should give you good points starting from the 19th spot.
My groupings are based on last years final Sprint Cup standings. Good Luck!