Bristol Weekend Preview
Aug. 18, 2016
Staff Report
NASCAR Wire Service
Edwards even more prepared for Bristol following April win
Fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers should fear Carl Edwards this weekend.
The
No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman claims he's more prepared to tackle
Bristol Motor Speedway in Saturday's Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (8
p.m. ET on USA) than he was when
he led a race-high 276 laps on his way to victory at the Tennessee
track in April.
"We’re
going back with what we think is a better plan, a better car, and
hopefully we can go qualify well again and put the Stanley Toyota in
Victory Lane," Edwards said.
Showcasing
his racing prowess at Bristol is nothing new for Edwards. His four wins
at "The Last Great Colosseum" are his most at any track. He also has
six top-five and 11 top-10
finishes in 24 career starts there.
"You’ve
really got to plan your passes,” Edwards said. “You’ve got to work
traffic. Hopefully we can start up front, stay up front and play the
game the right way."
Edwards
will attempt to become the first driver to sweep Bristol since his Joe
Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch achieved the feat in 2009. The four
current JGR drivers – Edwards,
Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin – have accounted for 14 wins
in the last 22 Bristol races (though some of those victories came while
they were with different teams). They will try to snap Joey Logano's
streak of two consecutive wins in the August
Bristol night race.
"We’ve
been having a lot of fun," Edwards said. "This race is one of the ones
we look forward to as an opportunity to have a good time and win another
trophy before the Chase
starts.”
Jones Goes For Bristol Sweep
No driver in the NASCAR XFINITY Series has completed a track sweep yet this season.
Erik
Jones will attempt to become the first in Friday's Food City 300 at
Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on USA). The No. 20 Joe Gibbs
Racing driver shot by his mentor Kyle
Busch and Kyle Larson on a late-race pass to win at "The Last Great
Colosseum" in April.
If
Jones wins Friday, he'll join Steve Grissom (1995) and Kyle Busch
(2011, 2013) as the only drivers to win both Bristol NASCAR XFINITY
Series races in the same season.
“After
two road courses, I’m really excited to get back to Bristol this
weekend," said Jones, who leads the NASCAR XFINITY Series with three
victories this season. "I love the
short track races and night races always seem to work out better for
me. Having won the race early this year at Bristol, I know we’ll have a
fast Camry and know what we need to do to get around the track and be in
contention for the win."
Race Weekend Guide
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Race:
Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Place:
Bristol Motor Speedway
Date and Time:
Saturday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. ET
Tune-in:
NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance:
266.5 miles (500 laps)
What to Watch For:
Four
races remain until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, leaving winless
drivers just four more chances to secure an automatic berth to the
playoffs with a victory. ... Joey Logano
looks for his third straight win in the August Bristol night race. ...
Kyle and Kurt Busch can break their tie for the active wins lead at
Bristol (five victories). ... Joe Gibbs Racing goes for its 21st win in
42 races dating back to last season's contest
at Kentucky. ... The current four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers – Kyle
Busch, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth – have accounted for
14 wins in the last 22 races at Bristol.
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race:
Food City 300
Place:
Bristol Motor Speedway
Date and Time:
Friday, Aug. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Tune-in:
USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance:
159.9 miles (300 laps)
What to Watch:
Only
five races are left before the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. ... Ty
Dillon will try to notch his first win of the season in his 100th career
series start. The No. 3 Richard Childress
Racing driver is currently third in the points standings. ... Blake
Koch currently holds the 12th – and final – Chase spot. He will attempt
to hold off 13th-place Ross Chastain, who he leads by three points, as
well as 14th-place Dakoda Armstrong (-18 points).
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