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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: The Old Bristol?
BMS track officials say the recent addition of 160 feet of SAFER barriers has narrowed the racing surface...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted March 17, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
Is Bristol back?

I think the possibility is looking good for a couple of reasons.

Track officials say the recent addition of 160 feet of SAFER barriers at Bristol Motor Speedway has narrowed the racing surface by as much as three feet in places, which hopefully will lead to more contact during the race. Less track, more rubbing, right?

Since they repaved Bristol in 2007, many fans have been unhappy with the type of racing we’ve seen at the half-mile bullring. We’ve watched a lot more calculated, side-by-side competition as opposed to the old bump-and-run that made Bristol so famous. The repaving opened up a second groove that the track didn’t have before, allowing drivers to cleanly pass each other instead of rooting and gouging their way to the front. Competitors loved the new style but fans mourned the loss of their favorite track. I think the repaving ruined Bristol and I’m sure if they knew then what they know now, they never would have done it. The track lost some of its character with the repave.

But with a narrower racing surface, we might be back to some of the old-school Bristol. I’m hoping we see more banging fenders and nonstop contact on the track Sunday. As far as pure racing is concerned, the “new” Bristol provides that but it’s not as exciting to many of the fans. At the end of the day, we need to please the fans and not the drivers, so we’re all hoping to see Thunder Valley back in its old form this weekend.

Bristol couldn’t come at a better time, either, as it’s the first race back since the Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski fiasco at Atlanta. When NASCAR declined to penalize Edwards, they basically said, “Let’s race.” We’re all tired of drivers following each other around single-file and not attempting to pass as often as they should. Everyone had gotten too content on the track.

With NASCAR’s ruling at Atlanta, drivers feel comfortable that they can push each other around and be a little more aggressive without fear of punishment. NASCAR’s message isn’t that drivers can just go out and turn someone because they feel like it, but it’s more of a signal that the sanctioning body doesn’t mind pushing and shoving.

Drivers are hearing a message reminiscent of the days of Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty – that they can lean on each other when they’re being held up. They don’t have to be afraid to mix it up on the track anymore. That type of confident, aggressive racing is what made the sport. NASCAR was built on that type of action

But as far as deliberately spinning someone out, NASCAR won’t put up with that. I think they’ll weigh the situations as they arise. Ideally, NASCAR would like to see more of the Juan Pablo Montoya/Tony Stewart incident at Homestead in 2009 and more of the Jeff Gordon/Rusty Wallace bump-and-run. We’ve lost that type of racing because drivers had gotten to the point where they thought NASCAR wanted them to race without touching.

That’s not the case and I certainly hope it won’t be the case Sunday at Bristol. With a narrower track and less restrictions on the drivers, I think we’ve got the perfect recipe for a great race – maybe even one like Bristol used to produce. The first four races of the year have been fantastic but if Bristol lives up to its billing, those four can’t hold a candle to what’s in store this weekend.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on the new What’s the Deal? on Monday nights on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.

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