Bristol Bullring Exactly What Championship Needs

Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega SuperSpeedway bear no resemblance. The 2.66-mile high-banked Talladega, Ala., speedway is NASCAR's largest track and the half-mile Bristol, Tenn., bullring is the second shortest on the circuit.

What these two historic facilities have in common, however, is an unpredictable nature that makes them two of the most significant venues in the Sprint Cup Series homestretch.

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Their fall races are essentially wild card events with the ability to affect the Chase for the Championship on a number of levels. Many teams and drivers on the verge (Bristol) or in the midst (Talladega) of a playoff run dread the races at these tracks for all the reasons fans anticipate them.

This is one example of NASCAR getting its schedule right.

"A lot can happen at this track,'' Jimmie Johnson said before qualifying for Saturday night's race at Bristol. "It's kind of like Talladega in a way. Things out of your control can take place. And being on the bubble at this time of the year is one of the most stressful things.

Bristol has its own edition of Talladega's "Big One" -- and the chain reaction accidents happen here more quickly and with less room for evasive action. "I'm very lucky that I have not been in that situation and certainly hope that I can avoid it through all my years of driving.''

Ask a driver which race he'd pay to sit in the grandstands and watch, and more times than not it's Bristol's summer Saturday night race.

Fans apparently agree as well -- selling out the massive 160,000-seat facility year after year to catch racing's version of a 100-mph grudge match. It provides a nice break in the summer monotony of big tracks in Indianapolis, Pocono, Pa., and Michigan and it can either derail a championship run or become the great equalizer with only three races remaining before the 12-driver playoff field is set.

Bristol has its own edition of Talladega's "Big One" -- and the chain reaction accidents happen here more quickly and with less room for evasive action.

As Mark Martin put it Friday, "I've been caught up in a lot of other people's wrecks.''

When sizing up their chances here, teams realize luck and timing are as crucial as a good set-up or qualifying position.

And multiple wins are the exception lately.

Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon lead the current crop of drivers with five wins each -- no one else entered Saturday has more than two. But those streaks of Bristol greatness came before the COT. The last time a driver won consecutive races at Bristol was 2003 when Busch won three straight including the 2004 spring race. Carl Edwards is the two-time defending winner of the August night race, which is an impressive feat by today's standards.

But even he told reporters Friday that he's just trying to survive the weekend and guard points.

"There really is a lot of pressure,'' Edwards said, adding. "We're over 200 points inside of 13th, and that's still not far enough.

"This week, I feel like this race is a bottleneck. It's a lot like a Talladega or a Daytona where anything can happen. So, there are a lot of people right now with a lot of stress, and I've got just enough to keep me honest.

"I'm going to be careful here and go out and try to get through this one and gain ground and not lose too much."

But there are no guarantees for any game plan. Being conservative here is no more safer than being aggressive.

And that's the beauty of Bristol in a series whose championship format has now doubled the chance a driver will be points-racing instead of competing for the win.

A lot of drivers and media have lobbied NASCAR against having Bristol and Talladega figure so prominently in the championship. I'd argue that's exactly what keeps the title run honest. And exciting.