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Sprint Cup
HEMBREE: Bumping And Grinding
Bristol Motor Speedway tries to return to the good ol’ days…
Bumping and wrecking haven't been as prevalent at Bristol Motor Speedway in recent years. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
It is impossible to guarantee a “good” automobile race.
In the first place, one must identify what “good” is. The definition varies from one individual to another, particularly if one of the individuals is a driver.
A “good” race to a driver isn’t necessarily a “good” race to a fan. If a driver can run fast and sweep past the competition with relative ease and win by seven seconds, that’s a good race. The majority of fans might be bored, but the driver just participated in one of the greatest races in his experience.
Generally, a good race for a fan involves putting drivers through seven levels of hell, including, if at all possible, a barrel roll and a fire at the finish line.
The topic is one of some interest this weekend because the folks who run Bristol Motor Speedway have taken moves that have been described as aggressive in an effort to make competition at Bristol closer to “what it used to be,” the description many fans use for the form of racing that existed at BMS pre-2007.
Back in what many look upon as the golden age, passing opportunities were limited, and, frequently, positions were exchanged only when drivers got super-aggressive and forced their way past the opposition, sometimes causing mayhem in the process.
Mayhem sells. The Bristol stands were packed for 55 consecutive races.
The track was widened somewhat in 2007 with the idea of increasing side-by-side racing, and that’s exactly what happened. Drivers almost universally loved it. But the extra space, however limited, made nose-to-nose confrontations and crashes less likely and changed the face of Bristol racing.
Fans voted against the change by staying away in droves, and, after a half-full crowd here in the spring, track owner Bruton Smith pulled the trigger on changes. The top groove of the track was subjected to a grinding process, a move designed to trim the available racing space and, in theory, add a fierce flavor to position battles.
The track has promoted the changes aggressively in its pre-race publicity and advertising, essentially promising a “new” Bristol.
Reactions have been mixed. After Friday practice, Kyle Busch declared the changes "terrible." Others say they don’t know what to expect in the race – and probably won’t know until the event is about half over.
The likelihood is that the race won’t be as good as its publicity might imply or as bad as the biggest doubters expect.
Friday night’s Nationwide Series race, won by Joey Logano, featured more than a few intense battles for position and resulted in some hurt feelings and a couple of uncomfortable pit-road discussions post-race.
Tonight? The race is twice as long, the cars are different, the drivers are mostly more talented.
It’s time to see if the new is old again.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
In the first place, one must identify what “good” is. The definition varies from one individual to another, particularly if one of the individuals is a driver.
A “good” race to a driver isn’t necessarily a “good” race to a fan. If a driver can run fast and sweep past the competition with relative ease and win by seven seconds, that’s a good race. The majority of fans might be bored, but the driver just participated in one of the greatest races in his experience.
Generally, a good race for a fan involves putting drivers through seven levels of hell, including, if at all possible, a barrel roll and a fire at the finish line.
The topic is one of some interest this weekend because the folks who run Bristol Motor Speedway have taken moves that have been described as aggressive in an effort to make competition at Bristol closer to “what it used to be,” the description many fans use for the form of racing that existed at BMS pre-2007.
Back in what many look upon as the golden age, passing opportunities were limited, and, frequently, positions were exchanged only when drivers got super-aggressive and forced their way past the opposition, sometimes causing mayhem in the process.
Mayhem sells. The Bristol stands were packed for 55 consecutive races.
The track was widened somewhat in 2007 with the idea of increasing side-by-side racing, and that’s exactly what happened. Drivers almost universally loved it. But the extra space, however limited, made nose-to-nose confrontations and crashes less likely and changed the face of Bristol racing.
Fans voted against the change by staying away in droves, and, after a half-full crowd here in the spring, track owner Bruton Smith pulled the trigger on changes. The top groove of the track was subjected to a grinding process, a move designed to trim the available racing space and, in theory, add a fierce flavor to position battles.
The track has promoted the changes aggressively in its pre-race publicity and advertising, essentially promising a “new” Bristol.
Reactions have been mixed. After Friday practice, Kyle Busch declared the changes "terrible." Others say they don’t know what to expect in the race – and probably won’t know until the event is about half over.
The likelihood is that the race won’t be as good as its publicity might imply or as bad as the biggest doubters expect.
Friday night’s Nationwide Series race, won by Joey Logano, featured more than a few intense battles for position and resulted in some hurt feelings and a couple of uncomfortable pit-road discussions post-race.
Tonight? The race is twice as long, the cars are different, the drivers are mostly more talented.
It’s time to see if the new is old again.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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