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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Bristol Could Be Pointers Vs. Winners
The Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway has a history of being a “can’t miss” event for NASCAR fans...
Rick Minter  | http://www.RacinToday.com  |  Posted August 21, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Juan Pablo Montoya and others have all but admitted they’ve been points racing for some time. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

* The Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway has a history of being a “can’t miss” event for NASCAR fans. But there are worries in some quarters that the emphasis on the making the Chase will have some of the top drivers points racing and trying to avoid confrontation instead of banging fenders at Bristol as they did in years gone by.

Juan Pablo Montoya and others have all but admitted they’ve been points racing for some time.

But that also creates opportunities for drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., who are hopelessly out of the Chase hunt and can afford to do some old-style racing at Bristol. Then there’s the issue of the Car of Tomorrow, which hasn’t proven to produce the kind of excitement that fans have come to expect. (The COT does seem to have some of its better days on short tracks.)

Last week in Atlanta, Earnhardt was asked if fans can expect some old-fashioned fender-banging excitement at Bristol.

His answer: “Probably not.”

www.RacinToday.com

Maybe he’ll be wrong.

* Ron Hornaday Jr. came up short in his bid to win six straight Camping World Truck Series races, and the key moment might have come when truck team owner Billy Ballew decided to reunite his driver Kyle Busch with Richie Wauters, the crew chief who has directed most of his 12 career truck wins.

On Wednesday at Bristol, Busch looked like the truck racer he’s been in the past. He led 82 laps en route to a dominating victory at Bristol.

Afterward, Busch thanked Ballew for making the switch, and said he was confident coming into the race.

“We knew we were going to come here with a fast truck,” Busch said. “We’ve been fast every time we’ve been here. It was exciting to be able to capitalize like that.”

* One of the bigger questions heading into the rest of the weekend at Bristol is whether Busch can use the momentum from his truck victory to get back in the top 12 in Cup points and once again become a Chase contender. Busch, who is 15th, 70 points behind 12th-place Mark Martin, said his answer is “Yes.”


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Rick Minter

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