It’s back to work after the Easter weekend. Maybe racing at Bristol Motor Speedway after this special holiday is a good idea. Everyone will go in happy and no one will get upset.
Nah, it’s Bristol, baby! Here are your Notes and Quotes for the weekend.
Race Information:
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Food City 500
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, April 23
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 125),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, April 22
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 159.9 miles (300 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)
Battle Of The Busch Brothers At Bristol
Heading in to Bristol, Kurt and Kyle Busch are tied for the active win leads with five trips to victory lane a piece. The Busch Brother’s will certainly be two story lines heading in to Sunday’s race to see if one can break the tie.
Despite their successes, Kyle hasn’t won at Bristol since spring of 2011 and Kurt hasn’t visited Victory Lane there since spring of 2006. Kyle has the edge over older brother Kurt in driver rating at 100.5. (Kurt 93.1)
Going For Two In A Row
Kevin Harvick is looking to kick off the spring stretch with a second straight trip to victory lane at Bristol. The driver of the No. 4 Ford led 128 laps last summer, winning the better late than never Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.
In 32 starts at Bristol, Harvick has two wins and the second-best average running position (12.2) and third-best driver rating (95.7).
No Retirement For Kenseth…Time To Turn It Around
Now that he has sent the basement dwellers back in to hiding, Kenseth can focus on the job at hand and get his No. 20 Toyota team’s season turned around. For the No. 20 team, there is no better place than Bristol. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10 results, and he boasts the best average running position at 11.4.
“The toughest part about Bristol is being able to finish the pass,” Kenseth said. “You can get enough speed to typically get underneath people, but it’s hard to finish, and the top land gets so much faster than the rest of the track, particularly from the middle of the race to the finish where passing can get difficult.”
Xfinity Series
Big Bucks On The Line – Dash For Cash Is Back
A million dollars is still on the line as the second installment of the Dash 4 Cash returns at Bristol. Justin Allgaier won the first Dash For Cash race at Phoenix. It’s time to see if he can win the next three to bank the big bucks.
Dash 4 Cash Eligibility
- The top two finishing NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers who have declared for series points in each of the two stages will make up the four-driver Dash 4 Cash field for the Final Stage. Upon completion of Stage 1, the two drivers who lock into the main field won’t have their position counted against other Dash 4 Cash-eligible drivers following Stage 2 to ensure a four-driver field.
- Ultimately, the field will begin the race with Stage 1, followed by Stage 2 and the Final Stage. At Bristol Motor Speedway: Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)
- The highest finisher in the final stage among the four Dash 4 Cash drivers wins the Dash 4 Cash and a $100,000 prize.
- If a driver earns two Dash 4 Cash bonus wins over the four Dash 4 Cash races, that qualifies them for the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs.
Six For Six–Can We Get Seven?
For the 11th time in NASCAR Xfinity Series history the first six races of the season have seen six different winners. Ryan Reed, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson, and Erik Jones are this season’s six different winners.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series record for largest number of different winners in a single season is 18, which was set back in 1988. Last season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series had 14 different winners.
Bubba Goes For A Legends Record
Darrell Wallace Jr. and crew chief Seth Barbour have finished sixth in the last five consecutive races. If Wallace finishes sixth next weekend at Bristol, he will tie Jack Ingram for the series record lead in consecutive single finishing positions inside the top-10. Ingram finished second a series record six times in 1983.
“This place (Bristol) is a ton of fun to race on,” Wallace said. “Hopefully we can keep our streak going and get a couple spots better than sixth with our Leidos Mustang.”
Additional Milestones & Current Streaks
Elliott Sadler, for the fifth-time in his career, is looking to extend his streak of consecutive top-10 finishes to six straight this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sadler posted a career-record 16 consecutive top-10 finishes last season, tying Brad Keselowski for the fourth-most all-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
William Byron is the only driver left in the 2017 season to complete every single lap (1,037 laps completed; 100%) of his scheduled laps this season.
DRIVER QUOTES:
Aric Almirola – “Bristol Motor Speedway has always been one of my favorite tracks. I’m really excited to be back there this weekend. We’ve been consistent at the short tracks this year, but I’m ready to end a race in Victory Lane.”
Erik Jones – “To make my first Cup start at Bristol will be fun. I filled in for Denny (Hamlin) a couple of years ago, kind of spur of the moment and didn’t really feel like I was that well prepared. It’s nice to come back for an actual weekend where we can adjust on the car and I can experience the track and get some time on it.
Ryan Blaney – “Bristol is one of my favorite places. I remember watching my dad there as a kid and loving the atmosphere around that place.”
Austin Dillon – “In the fall race, we finished fourth, so it was a solid day for us. We fought hard the whole day…we didn’t really have a great car – we just stayed in the game. So, it teaches you a lot about keeping yourself in that position and you never know what can happen.”
Matt Kenseth – “Bristol has changed so much throughout the years. It’s still a place where you walk in and are always amazed looking at the banking. The stands are also just huge and seem to sit on top of the track, so it’s just a really intense place to race.”
Blake Koch – “Short tracks are what I like most and what I feel most comfortable on. I’m excited for Bristol. I like running the bottom. The last time we were here, running the top was what won the race for drivers.
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. – “I love racing at Bristol and in Tennessee. Growing up a huge Vols fan, it’s really cool to be racing in Vol Country.”
Matt Tifft – “This race always provides a great atmosphere from the fans and we want to deliver for them. We were finally able to get our No. 19 Toyota Camry in the top-10 (at Texas). We’re looking to build on that momentum going forward.”
If it races, I'll write about it, talk about it or shoot it with a camera. I began pursuing a career in motorsports journalism immediately after attending college at Kent State University. I have hosted multiple Motorsports talk shows, worked in Country Music radio, and now i spend every day on the air in the morning with 1300 and 100.9 WMVO and in the afternoons watching the roadways around Central Ohio for 93.7 WQIO. The excitement and the fans make everything I put out there worth while, it's been an exciting 15 years having covered everything from the Daytona 500 to the Rolex 24 and you can find me at pretty much any event run at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. What I like to bring is a look behind the scenes, a look at what and who makes the sport grow. From the guy that welds pieces back at the shop to the host in the tv booth. Everyone has a story and I like to tell it. My main focus here at TPF is looking at the men and women behind the microphone and cameras. My life long goal is to become a member of MRN or PRN Radio and bring the races to you. I hope that what I share now is enjoyable and gives you a unique look in to the world of motorsports. See you at a track soon
