Bristol Weekend Preview

Bristol Weekend Preview

April 21, 2017

Staff Report

NASCAR Wire Service

Bowyer hopes to continue bounce-back season at Bristol

Clint Bowyer's NASCAR career hit a crossroad last season. Racing for HScott Motorsports, the 2012 championship runner-up finished 27th in the points standings and only logged three top-10 finishes – both career lows.

Heading into this year as the replacement for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing, there was optimism Bowyer could get his career back on track. So far, he's experiencing a bounce-back season. He's already matched his 2016 total with three top-10 finishes and his third-place showing at Auto Club Speedway was his best performance since finishing third at Sonoma Raceway in June of 2015.

Bowyer will attempt to continue his strong start to his 12th full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FOX) – a track where he's been successful, but has never won.

In 22 starts at the .533-mile high-banked oval, Bowyer claims six top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 15.7.

“You’re really wheeling that thing, trying to keep the grip under your tires, forward bite," said Bowyer, describing his love of short-track racing. “Trying to keep the thing turning. Fighting the balance of the cars. Fighting your crew chief all race long because you’re whining in the car, and he is tired of hearing you whine. But all those things come together to win that race and be successful.”

Through seven races, Bowyer ranks ninth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, 111 points behind leader Kyle Larson. The 37-year-old Kansas native hasn't finished a season ninth or better since 2013 when he placed seventh in the final standings.

“This is an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often, whether it was my first opportunity in this sport or my last, to drive for this manufacturer, Ford, and the support they are giving us – everyone at Stewart-Haas, the management and sponsors and my teammates," Bowyer said. "You don’t put enough emphasis on the impact a good teammate can have on you. Drivers capable of winning races and championships. I have two championship-winning drivers (Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch) as teammates. Danica (Patrick), everything she brings for our entire sport, let alone the company. This is the opportunity you are giddy about no matter where you are at in your career.”

Allgaier goes for second straight XFINITY Dash 4 Cash win

Justin Allgaier took home a $100,000 bonus by winning the first NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash race at Phoenix Raceway last month.

He'll try to earn another $100,000 when the Dash 4 Cash competition returns in Saturday's Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FS1).

To take home the bonus, Allgaier doesn't even need to win the race. He simply needs to beat the four Dash 4 Cash-eligible drivers to the finish line at the end of the race. The two top-finishing NASCAR XFINITY Series points earning drivers in each of the first two stages make up the four-driver Dash 4 Cash field for the final stage.

Allgaier has run well at Bristol throughout his career. In 12 starts at the Tennessee short track, he boasts one win (2010), five top fives and seven top 10s. He has finished in the top five in his last three Bristol races.

“Bristol has just been one of those places where the very first time I turned laps around the race track I felt comfortable," Allgaier said. "Last year we he had great finishes, so I’m ready to head back there and hopefully pick back up where we left off with our Cheney Brothers Chevrolet. Plus it’s a Dash 4 Cash race. How great would it be to get another $100,000 for JR Motorsports? We’ve won one already this year, so I’d like nothing more than to go out there and grab another one for this team.”

Bristol Weekend Guide

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Race: Food City 500

Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

Date and Time: Sunday, April 23 at 2 p.m. ET

Tune-in: FOX, 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)

What To Watch For: Kyle and Kurt Busch attempt to seize the active Bristol wins lead. Both have five victories at The Last Great Colosseum. ... Last summer's Bristol winner, Kevin Harvick, goes for his second straight win at the Tennessee track. ... Matt Kenseth can vie for victory at Bristol where he boasts four career wins. ... Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson looks to extend his 17-point advantage over Chase Elliott.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Race: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300

Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

Date and Time: Saturday, April 22 at 1 p.m. ET

Tune-in: FS1, 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)

What To Watch For: Six different drivers have won the first six NASCAR XFINITY Series races this season. ... Darrell Wallace Jr. has finished sixth in his last five races. If Wallace finishes sixth next weekend at Bristol, he will tie Jack Ingram for the series record in consecutive single finishing positions inside the top-10. ... William Byron is the only driver left in the 2017 season to complete every single lap (1,037 laps completed; 100%) of his scheduled go-arounds this season.

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series BRISTOL

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Busch Bros At Bristol

The Busch brothers will battle at Bristol Motor Speedway for sole possession of the active track wins lead in Sunday’s Food City 500 (2 p.m. ET on FOX). Kyle and Kurt pace active drivers with five victories each at “The Last Great Colosseum.”

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. In 23 starts at the .533-mile short track, Kyle claims eight top fives, 13 top 10s and a 14.3 average finish. Kurt has nine top fives and 16 top 10s in 32 Bristol starts.

Kyle has the second-best Bristol driver rating (100.5), while Kurt’s is fifth-best (93.1).

Harvick Hopes For Second Straight Bristol Win

Last August’s Bristol winner Kevin Harvick will go for his second consecutive victory at the Tennessee track Sunday. The No. 4 Ford driver led 128 laps last summer to beat Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the finish line by 1.933 seconds. Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

In 32 starts at Bristol, Harvick owns two wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s and a 15.4 average finish. He boasts the second-best average running position (12.2) and third-best driver rating (95.7) at the .533-mile track.

Harvick ranks first in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 419 laps led (19.6%) this season.

He is currently 10th in the points standings (117 markers behind leader Kyle Larson) and holds three playoff points as a result of his three stage wins.

Logano Looks To Continue Bristol Success

Joey Logano will attempt to continue his recent Bristol success. He has logged four top-10 finishes, including two wins, in his last five starts at the Tennessee short track.

Although he’s done well at Bristol lately, his only career top-10 finish in the spring race there was his 10th-place showing last year.

The 26-year-old Connecticut native has quietly wheeled his No. 22 Ford to a hot start this season. He has finished sixth or better in every race except for Phoenix, where he crashed after leading 82 laps and winning the first stage.

Logano is coming off a season-best third-place showing at Texas. He sits fifth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings – 72 points behind leader Kyle Larson.

Kenseth Can Build Momentum At Bristol

Although, Matt Kenseth has three top-10 finishes, he’s dug himself into a hole to start the season with three finishes of 36 or worse. He currently sits 22nd in the points standings, 189 markers behind first-place Kyle Larson.

Sunday’s Food City 500 could be a panacea for Kenseth. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s and a 14.2 average finish at Bristol.

Kenseth boasts the best average running position (11.4) and driver rating (100.9) at The Last Great Colosseum. He won the Bristol spring race in 2015.

Larson Heads To Bristol As Series Points Leader

Kyle Larson continued his breakout season at Texas with his fourth runner-up showing. The result marked his fifth top-two finish in the last six races.

Only four other drivers have logged as many top-two finishes as Larson’s five through the first seven races of a season: Kevin Harvick (6 top fives; 2015), Dale Earnhardt (5; 1987), Bobby Allison (5; 1972, 1979), Cale Yarborough (5, 1974).

The No. 42 Chevrolet driver has the top average finish (5.4) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but more importantly, he leads the points standings by 17 markers over second-place Chase Elliott. Martin Truex Jr. (-40) sits third, followed by Brad Keselowski (-41) and Joey Logano (-72). Ryan Blaney (-91), Kyle Busch (-104), Jamie McMurray (-106), Clint Bowyer (-111) and Kevin Harvick (-117) round out the top 10.

Larson will attempt to extend his points lead at Bristol, a track where he’s logged only two top 10s in six starts and has an average finish of 21.5.

Remember, the regular season points leader earns 15 playoff points.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Food City Celebrates 25th Year With Bristol Motor Speedway

Food City celebrates its 25th year of partnership for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The company claims the second longest race entitlement sponsorship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and is Bristol Motor Speedway’s longest serving partner.

Bayne Returns To Home State

Knoxville, Tennessee native Trevor Bayne returns to his home state to race in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. In five starts at Bristol, Bayne has an average finish of 18.8 and a high showing of fifth.

XFINITY & CAMPINGWORLD

NASCAR XFINITY Series

XFINITY Dash 4 Cash: Allgaier Has An Extra Weekend To Think About His Chances At Million Dollars

Next week at Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash returns for its second installment of the 2017 program in the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (April 22 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Once again, $100,000 is up for grabs for contending drivers.

Justin Allgaier took home the first Dash 4 Cash win and monster payload ($100K) earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway. What’s even more exciting is if Allgaier can win the NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash at the next three scheduled events (Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Dover International Speedway) he will not only bring home a total of $400,000 in winnings, but XFINITY will also tack on an additional $600,000 to make Allgaier’s Dash 4 Cash win total a cool million dollars.

But, before Allgaier becomes a millionaire, he will need to win the next Dash 4 Cash at Bristol. Allgaier has made 12 starts at Bristol, posting his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win (2010), five top fives, seven top 10s an average finish of 12.7. In his last four starts at Bristol he has finished in the top-10; including finishing runner-up last fall.

Quick Reminder of The Dash 4 Cash Race Format

·         Coors Light Pole Qualifying will determine the starting positions for the race. 


·         The field will then begin the race with Stage 1, followed by Stage 2 and the Final Stage.

·         Based on the participation guidelines announced last year, drivers with more than five years of full-time Monster Energy NASCAAR Cup Series experience are restricted from the four races in the Dash 4 Cash program.

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. Once Stage 1 is complete, 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.

·         Bristol Motor Speedway Stages: 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.

·         Plus, don’t forget 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. 

Sunoco Rookie William Byron Closing On Points Leader Elliott Sadler  

JR Motorsports driver and current NASCAR XFINITY Series standings leader Elliott Sadler’s points lead took a hit last weekend when his teammate and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate William Byron closed the 17-point difference to just six points following Texas. 

The 19-year old from Charlotte, North Carolina, is having a 2017 season worth paying attention to. In six starts, Byron has accumulated two top fives, five top 10s and a pole. He also leads the series in average finishing position with a 7.7.

Byron also holds the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead over second-place, Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric (-24).

But that’s not all, Byron’s rookie season is already drawing comparisons to former NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott’s (2014). Elliott became the first Sunoco Rookie to win the series title. While that is a long way out for Byron, his first six races are comparable to Elliott’s – who in his first six races also posted two top fives and five top 10s. Elliott did post a win and Byron is still looking for his first in the series, but even Elliott’s average finish (7.5) is close to Byron’s (7.7).

This will be Byron’s series track debut at Bristol next weekend; though he did make one start at BMS in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, finishing in the top five.  

Roush Fenway Racing’s Stable Is Full Of Contenders