NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Midweek Notebook - Bristol
NASCAR heads to Bristol for a Saturday night short track shootout with a lot on the line for those drivers trying to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Tom Jensen  |  Posted August 20, 2008   Charlotte, North Carolina
Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick , and Clint Bowyer finished one, two, three in the Bristol Spring race. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett, Getty images)

AIMING HIGH The spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway was the biggest moment of the year for Richard Childress Racing, as Jeff Burton won, followed across the finish line by his RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer. Burton is hoping that history repeats itself in Saturday night’s Sharpie 500.

“Winning at Bristol is big,” said Burton, who enters the race fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings. “It’s an action packed race with so much going on. The way we won the race earlier in the year, with making a pass with a couple laps to go, was really exciting. It certainly is the highlight of year so far. For some reason, we typically run better in the fall race than we do in the spring race. Hopefully, we can put ourselves in position to do that again.”

Burton is in need of a strong finish Saturday night under the lights at BMS. While always one of the most consistent and dependable drivers on the NASCAR circuit, his team’s performance has fallen off in recent weeks, as the Virginia native has just one top-10 finish in the last nine Cup races, a ninth-place run at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

The fast-paced, high-banked Bristol track will be a challenge on Saturday night, just as it always is. “Bristol is a lot of fun to be quite honest,” said Burton. “It’s stressful when you are racing for points — it makes it tough. On the other hand, it’s a lot of fun. It’s very physical and very competitive. It is an emotionally draining race as well as being physically draining. There is never a chance to take a break. It’s challenging and can be very rewarding but it can also break your heart pretty quickly. We always go to Bristol with high hopes. We run well in the night races at Bristol so hopefully we can capitalize on that.”

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