Drivers think Bristol track groovier now

BRISTOL, Tenn. — “Racin’ the way it oughta be.” The slogan for Bristol Motor Speedway isn’t new, but its meaning is.

Before the half-mile concrete track was repaved last year, the slogan stood for 500 laps of beating and banging, of tearing up cars and the fittest surving. The post-paving slogan, if you listen to drivers, puts the emphasis on racing.

Before last fall’s Sharpie 500, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to see 15 to 20 caution periods per race here as a weathered old track made drivers run around the bottom and push each other out of the way to pass. There were just nine cautions in the fall race as drivers found not one but three grooves of racing to use at their discretion.

Fans, and several media members, described the racing as boring, very un-Bristol-like. And while drivers admit it was different, few detractors of the new surface can be found in the garage.

“To me, I’m a race car driver and I want to see a race,” Ryan Newman said. “I want to see us go door handle to door handle and rub sides. I don’t want to see us bumping and banging and getting mad because one guy spun another guy out.

“I like the race track the way it is. The way it was, it was OK. It’s not like it was a bad race track. I just think it’s a racier track now, and if fans are here to see a race, then those fans should be happy. Those fans that don’t like it much, they’re not here to see a race, they’re probably here to see us crashing. Go visit your demolition derby.”

Even drivers who prospered on the old surface prefer the new situation.

“I know there are people who didn’t think that the racing was as good of a race last year, but on the race track it was probably the most fun race that I’ve ever had at Bristol,” Tony Stewart said. “We now have a track that’s smoother and has multiple grooves. You can race on it and go from the wall all the way down to the white line, and you can race anywhere in between. It’s nice to be able to race guys and not have to run over them to pass them.”

Drivers also admit they were caught off guard with how versatile the track was last fall, and with time to plan for a multi-groove track, the racing will be better.

“Before, when you came here, you knew exactly what you needed to do,” Kevin Harvick said. “Now you have a lot more options. I think our cars are better than they were the last time, and we know more about the place.”

As a result, strategies have changed dramatically heading into Sunday’s Food City 500. The bottom line for most teams is this: If you struggle with handling, you will get lapped. Quickly.

“You’ve got to have your stuff right,” Jimmie Johnson said. “You can’t count on a caution coming out every 10 or 15 laps to let you come in and pit and work on your car. You’ve got to be prepared for the longer runs.”