Expect Payback at 'Thunder Valley'

One of the questions fans frequently ask me is whether or not NASCAR drivers harbor a grudge against one another from week to week. Well, if they do, Bristol Motor Speedway is the one place they can get away with returning the not-so-friendly favor.

Whether it's payback from a previous race or for something that happened just a few laps before, we usually can expect retaliation on the high banks of Bristol. And that tit-for-tat can be as simple as a complementary spin or as emotive as a post-race fight. One former series champion told me, "Any driver who says they don't have a 'payback' list is a liar." That mental list can be lengthy and likely covers misdeeds from many years back.

In fact, it's the numerous instances of on- and off-track reprisal at Bristol that have helped the track morph into the behemoth it has become. Bristol's popularity is off the charts - the facility enjoys its 55th sellout of 160,000 seats this weekend - and a good portion of that is due to the fireworks fans have come to expect from "Thunder Valley" and its angry drivers.

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Television doesn't do the place justice. The scene from inside Bristol Motor Speedway verges on an assault on the senses. The crowd noise, not to mention the roar of 43 cars, is deafening. With drivers literally out of control all around the track at any given moment, cameras can't physically capture all that intense action at one time.

It's this electric atmosphere combined with the sweltering heat of an August night that ratchets up the emotions and generally leaves someone fuming. But the blatant "dumps" that often occurred when a frustrated driver couldn't pass a fellow competitor have lessened since speedway officials ground the track surface a couple of years ago, creating a second racing groove that allowed for more passing. As a result, we haven't seen as many drivers literally bulldozing each other to make the pass.

However, there still remains the tendency for drivers to intentionally spin each other out on the track and on pit road, throw their helmets at the guilty party (Bobby Labonte comes to mind here) and occasionally break out into an all-out brawl after the race.

There have been innumerable squabbles at Bristol over the years but also remarkable achievements. Bristol truly brings out the best and worst in people. Here are a few of my favorites:

Dale Earnhardt/Sterling Marlin:
One of the first "Bristol-like" incidents I remember occurred in the mid-1980s when Sterling Marlin was driving the No. 44 car. Dale Earnhardt got underneath him late in the race and around Marlin went. Earnhardt told me he wasn't trying to wreck Marlin but just loosen him up a bit. However, for the first time, the media began to paint Earnhardt as out of control and reckless. This didn't evolve into a confrontation or fight but I believe it was pivotal in many people's perception of Earnhardt.

Dale Earnhardt/Rusty Wallace:
In 1995, Dale Earnhardt spun out leader Rusty Wallace early in the race and went on to win. An angry Wallace confronted him afterward but Earnhardt just downplayed the situation and flashed his trademark grin. Earnhardt's levity in the situation enraged Wallace, who hurled a plastic water bottle at his nemesis that bounced off his nose. Wrecks at Bristol often involve the "haves" and "have-nots" but this fiasco featured two heavyweights in the sport, contributing to the tension and buzz on pit road. I was surprised the squabble didn't go further than it did, but in retrospect, that was probably a good thing.

Earnhardt Wins Without Power Steering:
I remember Earnhardt losing power steering early in the spring race in 1985 at Bristol, the one place drivers do not want failures of this sort, but he and Ricky Rudd continued to battle for about half the race. Amazingly, Earnhardt won the event, which I still count as one of the most remarkable feats I've ever seen in NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick/Greg Biffle:
Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle shook things up in an off-track battle in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in March 2002. After the on-track incident that left Harvick out of contention, Harvick vowed to be waiting for Biffle when he emerged from his car after the race. Sure enough, fifth-place finishing Biffle got out of the car, which Harvick leapt over to reach and grab him by the neck and shoulders. They yelled for a while before finally being separated but not before making a huge scene.

With just that small sampling of Bristol incidents, it's easy to understand why the track is the hottest ticket in NASCAR. I won't go so far as to call Bristol recession-proof, but it has to be the best bet in motorsports during these economic times.

Part of the attraction is that it is a throwback to grassroots racing. I remember my first trip to Bristol in the spring of 1985, long before there were bleachers stacked as high as the eye could see. The backstretch resembled a high school football stadium with a large grassy area between turns three and four where fans sprawled out on blankets to watch the action.

I'm not going to lie and say I knew then that the track would become the giant it has, but I certainly saw potential for growth because Bristol has always been racing in its purest and earliest form. Although they now squeeze in 160,000 fans from 50 states, the facility hearkens back to the early days. With as terrific a product as Bristol produces, I am surprised nobody has built another high-banked, half-mile oval with that many seats, because I'd be the first in line to buy a ticket.

Steve Byrnes is the host of Trackside Live, NASCAR Live and This Week in NASCAR on SPEED, in addition to his duties as a pit reporter for FOX Sports. A NASCAR broadcaster for nearly 25 years, Byrnes also hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying broadcasts, as well as the NASCAR Nationwide Series sessions. He broke into NASCAR broadcasting in 1985 as the host of Inside NASCAR on TNN and went on to host Darrell Waltrip's Racers on TNN, among numerous other programs. Byrnes also has served as a play-by-play announcer in the NFL. For more information about Byrnes or to access the NASCAR on SPEED programming schedule, please visit www.speedtv.com.