Picks/Bristol/SaturdayNight
#1
08-19-2012, 03:41 PM
Picks/Bristol/SaturdayNight
Points and Congratulatory Remarks
First off, another congrats to SupplySgt for pulling a victory off at Michigan. It was his first win in MCF NASCAR Fantasy. That moves him to fourth overall and third in the Segment. Congrats to Carl Martin for continuing to maintain a massive lead in the overall points, and congrats to Mike 03JGMonte for leading the Segment.
Overall:
1) carlm54stl 2445 Leader
2) Cowboy6622 2356 -89
3) JuniorCar 2350 -95
4) SupplySgt 2348 -97
5) Leprechaun93 2344 -101
6) 03JGMonte 2323 -122
7) bblackstone 2305 -140
8) zjerry 2280 -165
9) 02 Earnhardt 2263 -182
10) montecarlo3831 2232 -213
11) lougreen03 2216 -229
12) butch049 2203 -242
13) 77GP 2084 -361
14) STUMPMI 2007
15) adgm2005 1832
16) silverfish33 1804
17) RocknSS04 1142
18) SuperSportSteve 928
19) 01 Monte SS 908
20) Ricks 2006 SS 714
21) MnteCrloSS47 544
22) nichols2k 480
23) 06 Mistre SS 428
24) Teacher 306
25) yutzybrian 211
26) monte06ltz 92
27) Racebound2 83
28) Possum 77
29) 04chevyboy 76
30) Emily666 61
31) SS Means Super Sexy 60
32) mousehousemoparman 54
Segment 3
1) 03JGMonte 576 Leader
2) MnteCrloSS47 544 -32
3) SupplySgt 539 -37
4) Cowboy6622 522 -54
5) Leprechaun93 513 -63
6) carlm54stl 513 -63
7) zjerry 117 511 -65
8) adgm2005 506 -70
9) butch049 502 -74
10) 02 Earnhardt 501 -75
11) montecarlo3831 499 -77
12) bblackstone 95 495 -81
13) JuniorCar 487 -89
14) STUMPMI 462 -114
15) lougreen03 461 -115
16) 77GP 444 -132
17) nichols2k 418
18) Ricks 2006 SS 311
19) silverfish33 184
For a complete look at stats for this year, visit https://montecarloforum.com/forum/na...tistics-33871/
Defending Winner 03JGMonte
Interesting Fact: Both Brad Keselowski and 03JGMonte are going for their third straight win at Bristol.
Bristol History
I've got a few pictures here of Bristol from the 1968-1969 year. It was this era that saw teh end of the old, flat Bristol and the newer, more high banked Bristol. In the spring and early summer of 1969, the track was repaved from 12? degrees of banking to the more modern 36* of banking. Much like when it was repaved in 2007, drivers and fans all said the track was ruined. But the race went on.
Here are couple of shots of the "old" Bristol for comparison sake.
Lee Roy Yarborugh....
Pearson in the early 1969 race.
The "old" Bristol produced an exciting finish between Pearson, Petty, and Lee Roy Yarbrough in 1968.
But then the owners wanted something bigger, something more spectacular, something to grab your eye.
And the first race at the repaved surface: July 20, 1969.
Space historians know this as the day we landed on the moon. And everyone wanted to see this race over quickly. The landing was scheduled for that afternoon, and everyone wanted to get somewhere to see it.
Plus, record heat was in the area. Close to 100 degrees! Back then, that kind of heat would actually cause the the attrition rate to go up through the roof. Only 10 cars would finish that race. Crashes and engine failures would litter the race.
And on even another note, David Pearson came into this race as the points leader and battling a flu.
So into the race... there was this big crash, like lap 70 of 500.
And here are a couple of shots taken that day by a guy in the stands, he is now a member of the Randy Ayers modeling forum.
And maybe one of the more interesting incidents in all of racing history occured that day. With PEarson battling the flu, he needed a reflief driver. On lap 60 or so, Richard Petty had blown his engine and Petty was standing by in the pit area, still in his fire suit with a helmet in his hand. PEarson needed relief.
These two guys were battling for the points lead.
But Dick Hutcherson (crew chief) and Ralph Moody (one of the owners) asked Richard Petty if he would be willing to give them a hand and take over for Pearson. With just over 100 laps to go, Pearson pulled in the pit, and a driver change was made.
Petty would go on to win the race, giving Pearson credit for the win, and PEarson the points. But I think ti shows what people thought of points back then. No one really cared. They just wanted to win races. And in Pettys mind, he knows to this day who finished the job. He was just happy to be in the race car turning laps.
Rick Manley got Pettys autograph after that race....
And photographed him.
Pearson made it to victory lane. His fever was over 104 degrees wehn they pulled him out of the race car.
That story is cool for the 60s. But what would the Bristol night race history be without this old bump and run move. Dale Earnhardt making that move in 1999 to infamously bring about the tag line "The Intimidator is back."
Video:
Earnhardt was tough as nails at Bristol.
There were actually two of these finishes... that finish was 1999.
The 1995 finish had Earnhardt nailing Labonte off turn 4, not turn 2, and Labonte won the race crashing....
[IMG]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYTEufFC09U/Tk22732B4VI/AAAAAAAAArg/wtpOH5eMYNg/s1600/terry-bristol.jpgp/IMG]
Video:
This track is prone to streaks. In the early 80s, Darrell Waltrip won like 7 straight here.
Alan Kulwicki was the man here for a time.... and for a guy who was as conservative behind the wheel as Kulwicki, that was pretty strange.
Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt had some big show downs here....
I feel like we have kind of come out of the Kyle Busch era of Bristol, and we're entering the Brad Keselowski era. However, Keselowski has to prove with a new paving job he hasn't raced on, that he is worthy of having an era at Bristol named after him.
This Week at Bristol
We're getting rid of the old progressive banking. Bristol is going back to the old way and more of 1, maybe 2 grove race track!! Prior to the changes at Bristol, it was my favorite race track. I'm hoping with the track being redone, it will be my favorite again before too long. Right now my favorite track is a toss up between Daytona, Darlington, and Charlotte. Well, Martinsville too.... Richmond is up there ,but not my favorite.
With the track changing, there will be a new tire compound, a new way around the track, and I think we may see a different set of a people dominating the race. The guys who used to race there way through on the different groves won't work out anymore. I think some of htose drivers who used to do well on the "old" Bristol will be dominating this race. With that being said.... a lot of those guys are having bad years. So lets get down to the nitty-gritty....
The Favorites
I think the hands on favorite has to be Brad Keselowski. He won last year with the pit road thing, he won this year by driving hard, and now ith the new track, we have ot see if Brad Keselowski can win with a new track layout. can the the BK train be stopped?
I think another favorite has to be Carl Edwards. Edwards was good here before the repave, and even better afterword. Edwards is going to be driving aggressive for a win, and this may be one of his last shots at a victory.
Greg Biffle was good before the repave, so I have to think with the Roush momentum, Biffle will be back on top.
And despite a bad run last year (10th, if tha'ts a bad run) and a crash earlier this year, I think Kyle Busch has to be a favorite. When Busch gets a fire lit under him, he goes. However, I don't think he needs wins absolutely. He just needs to keep his points up or win, because if none of those other guys win, he stays up there pretty high.
One of hte better drivers back in the day here was Dale Earnhardt Jr. He didn't like the repave, so I have to look for Junior to do a little bit better. He ran top 5 earlier. I was worried his season might be about to fall apar,t but a fourth at Michigan is something to build off of.
He won in '04...
The Ones to Watch
A lot of guys I'd like to list as favorite,s they're just not...
Jeff Gordon is one of these guys. Gordon was one of the best on the old Bristol, but with his luck this year, Ijust can't see it happening.
Kasey Kahne has run alright at Bristol, so I see him as one to watch.
I want to list Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex as ones to watch. However, they were both really good on the progressive banking configuration. I have to relegate them to ones to watch with the old configuration back.
Matt Kenseth won a night race on the old configuration, but he has had several bad weeks in a row. A crash at Indy, a crash at Indy, an okay run at the Glen, but then a flat tire at Michigan....
Kevin Harvick was good on the old configuration, but quite frankly, it's a miracle he is a top 10 in the points irght now. He's hard nosed enough to win, but I just don't see it happening. Sorry.
Denny Hamlin is okay at Bristol, but he just isn't really getting it together right now. I don't see him as being hard nosed enough to succeed on the new Bristol.
The ones to avoid
A shocker is oging in this category. Jimmie Johnson.
Jimmie Johnson was bad on the old Brisotl. He was bad on the new Bristol. And I think he will be bad again now. He won here once ,but it was more of a fluke. It's not that he isn't aggressive enough, it's just a bad luck track. I don't think he and Chad Knaus put a lot of stock in Bristol because it isn't in the chase, and he has checked this one off his bucket list.
I think Joey Logano has to go in this category. Along with Montoya, McMurray, whoever drives the 55 car....
Ambrose and Almirola might run okay, but I just don't see them as being consistent enough to get it done.
Kurt Busch used to be so good here... but seriously, with that new team and his attitude these days, how can he banything but a dud?
My Picks
I feel like we have ot take the hot hand and the hard chargers right now. Plus, an extra that I think will be good at Bristol....
1) Brad Keselowski
2) Greg Biffle
3) Matt Kenseth
First off, another congrats to SupplySgt for pulling a victory off at Michigan. It was his first win in MCF NASCAR Fantasy. That moves him to fourth overall and third in the Segment. Congrats to Carl Martin for continuing to maintain a massive lead in the overall points, and congrats to Mike 03JGMonte for leading the Segment.
Overall:
1) carlm54stl 2445 Leader
2) Cowboy6622 2356 -89
3) JuniorCar 2350 -95
4) SupplySgt 2348 -97
5) Leprechaun93 2344 -101
6) 03JGMonte 2323 -122
7) bblackstone 2305 -140
8) zjerry 2280 -165
9) 02 Earnhardt 2263 -182
10) montecarlo3831 2232 -213
11) lougreen03 2216 -229
12) butch049 2203 -242
13) 77GP 2084 -361
14) STUMPMI 2007
15) adgm2005 1832
16) silverfish33 1804
17) RocknSS04 1142
18) SuperSportSteve 928
19) 01 Monte SS 908
20) Ricks 2006 SS 714
21) MnteCrloSS47 544
22) nichols2k 480
23) 06 Mistre SS 428
24) Teacher 306
25) yutzybrian 211
26) monte06ltz 92
27) Racebound2 83
28) Possum 77
29) 04chevyboy 76
30) Emily666 61
31) SS Means Super Sexy 60
32) mousehousemoparman 54
Segment 3
1) 03JGMonte 576 Leader
2) MnteCrloSS47 544 -32
3) SupplySgt 539 -37
4) Cowboy6622 522 -54
5) Leprechaun93 513 -63
6) carlm54stl 513 -63
7) zjerry 117 511 -65
8) adgm2005 506 -70
9) butch049 502 -74
10) 02 Earnhardt 501 -75
11) montecarlo3831 499 -77
12) bblackstone 95 495 -81
13) JuniorCar 487 -89
14) STUMPMI 462 -114
15) lougreen03 461 -115
16) 77GP 444 -132
17) nichols2k 418
18) Ricks 2006 SS 311
19) silverfish33 184
For a complete look at stats for this year, visit https://montecarloforum.com/forum/na...tistics-33871/
Defending Winner 03JGMonte
Interesting Fact: Both Brad Keselowski and 03JGMonte are going for their third straight win at Bristol.
Bristol History
I've got a few pictures here of Bristol from the 1968-1969 year. It was this era that saw teh end of the old, flat Bristol and the newer, more high banked Bristol. In the spring and early summer of 1969, the track was repaved from 12? degrees of banking to the more modern 36* of banking. Much like when it was repaved in 2007, drivers and fans all said the track was ruined. But the race went on.
Here are couple of shots of the "old" Bristol for comparison sake.
Lee Roy Yarborugh....
Pearson in the early 1969 race.
The "old" Bristol produced an exciting finish between Pearson, Petty, and Lee Roy Yarbrough in 1968.
But then the owners wanted something bigger, something more spectacular, something to grab your eye.
And the first race at the repaved surface: July 20, 1969.
Space historians know this as the day we landed on the moon. And everyone wanted to see this race over quickly. The landing was scheduled for that afternoon, and everyone wanted to get somewhere to see it.
Plus, record heat was in the area. Close to 100 degrees! Back then, that kind of heat would actually cause the the attrition rate to go up through the roof. Only 10 cars would finish that race. Crashes and engine failures would litter the race.
And on even another note, David Pearson came into this race as the points leader and battling a flu.
So into the race... there was this big crash, like lap 70 of 500.
And here are a couple of shots taken that day by a guy in the stands, he is now a member of the Randy Ayers modeling forum.
And maybe one of the more interesting incidents in all of racing history occured that day. With PEarson battling the flu, he needed a reflief driver. On lap 60 or so, Richard Petty had blown his engine and Petty was standing by in the pit area, still in his fire suit with a helmet in his hand. PEarson needed relief.
These two guys were battling for the points lead.
But Dick Hutcherson (crew chief) and Ralph Moody (one of the owners) asked Richard Petty if he would be willing to give them a hand and take over for Pearson. With just over 100 laps to go, Pearson pulled in the pit, and a driver change was made.
Petty would go on to win the race, giving Pearson credit for the win, and PEarson the points. But I think ti shows what people thought of points back then. No one really cared. They just wanted to win races. And in Pettys mind, he knows to this day who finished the job. He was just happy to be in the race car turning laps.
Rick Manley got Pettys autograph after that race....
And photographed him.
Pearson made it to victory lane. His fever was over 104 degrees wehn they pulled him out of the race car.
That story is cool for the 60s. But what would the Bristol night race history be without this old bump and run move. Dale Earnhardt making that move in 1999 to infamously bring about the tag line "The Intimidator is back."
Video:
Earnhardt was tough as nails at Bristol.
There were actually two of these finishes... that finish was 1999.
The 1995 finish had Earnhardt nailing Labonte off turn 4, not turn 2, and Labonte won the race crashing....
[IMG]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYTEufFC09U/Tk22732B4VI/AAAAAAAAArg/wtpOH5eMYNg/s1600/terry-bristol.jpgp/IMG]
Video:
This track is prone to streaks. In the early 80s, Darrell Waltrip won like 7 straight here.
Alan Kulwicki was the man here for a time.... and for a guy who was as conservative behind the wheel as Kulwicki, that was pretty strange.
Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt had some big show downs here....
I feel like we have kind of come out of the Kyle Busch era of Bristol, and we're entering the Brad Keselowski era. However, Keselowski has to prove with a new paving job he hasn't raced on, that he is worthy of having an era at Bristol named after him.
This Week at Bristol
We're getting rid of the old progressive banking. Bristol is going back to the old way and more of 1, maybe 2 grove race track!! Prior to the changes at Bristol, it was my favorite race track. I'm hoping with the track being redone, it will be my favorite again before too long. Right now my favorite track is a toss up between Daytona, Darlington, and Charlotte. Well, Martinsville too.... Richmond is up there ,but not my favorite.
With the track changing, there will be a new tire compound, a new way around the track, and I think we may see a different set of a people dominating the race. The guys who used to race there way through on the different groves won't work out anymore. I think some of htose drivers who used to do well on the "old" Bristol will be dominating this race. With that being said.... a lot of those guys are having bad years. So lets get down to the nitty-gritty....
The Favorites
I think the hands on favorite has to be Brad Keselowski. He won last year with the pit road thing, he won this year by driving hard, and now ith the new track, we have ot see if Brad Keselowski can win with a new track layout. can the the BK train be stopped?
I think another favorite has to be Carl Edwards. Edwards was good here before the repave, and even better afterword. Edwards is going to be driving aggressive for a win, and this may be one of his last shots at a victory.
Greg Biffle was good before the repave, so I have to think with the Roush momentum, Biffle will be back on top.
And despite a bad run last year (10th, if tha'ts a bad run) and a crash earlier this year, I think Kyle Busch has to be a favorite. When Busch gets a fire lit under him, he goes. However, I don't think he needs wins absolutely. He just needs to keep his points up or win, because if none of those other guys win, he stays up there pretty high.
One of hte better drivers back in the day here was Dale Earnhardt Jr. He didn't like the repave, so I have to look for Junior to do a little bit better. He ran top 5 earlier. I was worried his season might be about to fall apar,t but a fourth at Michigan is something to build off of.
He won in '04...
The Ones to Watch
A lot of guys I'd like to list as favorite,s they're just not...
Jeff Gordon is one of these guys. Gordon was one of the best on the old Bristol, but with his luck this year, Ijust can't see it happening.
Kasey Kahne has run alright at Bristol, so I see him as one to watch.
I want to list Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex as ones to watch. However, they were both really good on the progressive banking configuration. I have to relegate them to ones to watch with the old configuration back.
Matt Kenseth won a night race on the old configuration, but he has had several bad weeks in a row. A crash at Indy, a crash at Indy, an okay run at the Glen, but then a flat tire at Michigan....
Kevin Harvick was good on the old configuration, but quite frankly, it's a miracle he is a top 10 in the points irght now. He's hard nosed enough to win, but I just don't see it happening. Sorry.
Denny Hamlin is okay at Bristol, but he just isn't really getting it together right now. I don't see him as being hard nosed enough to succeed on the new Bristol.
The ones to avoid
A shocker is oging in this category. Jimmie Johnson.
Jimmie Johnson was bad on the old Brisotl. He was bad on the new Bristol. And I think he will be bad again now. He won here once ,but it was more of a fluke. It's not that he isn't aggressive enough, it's just a bad luck track. I don't think he and Chad Knaus put a lot of stock in Bristol because it isn't in the chase, and he has checked this one off his bucket list.
I think Joey Logano has to go in this category. Along with Montoya, McMurray, whoever drives the 55 car....
Ambrose and Almirola might run okay, but I just don't see them as being consistent enough to get it done.
Kurt Busch used to be so good here... but seriously, with that new team and his attitude these days, how can he banything but a dud?
My Picks
I feel like we have ot take the hot hand and the hard chargers right now. Plus, an extra that I think will be good at Bristol....
1) Brad Keselowski
2) Greg Biffle
3) Matt Kenseth
Last edited by Cowboy6622; 08-24-2012 at 06:53 PM.
#4
08-19-2012, 05:49 PM
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 5,611
That moon landing stuff is awesome history stuff. I'll be sure to share that story around the campfire when I'm there this year! Tommorow afternoon we head out. It'll take half a day to get there, then I will be camping in Bristol trackside for the week. So no Internet. But I'll return with a story or 2 and try to make history of my own. This will be my 3rd time camping up to the Bristol night race. I took last year off cuz I was getting sick of "the Kyle Busch Show". This will be Juniors show now! But I'll still make an uncustomary pick:
1. Dale Jr
2. Clint Bowyer
3. Pyle Buschit
1. Dale Jr
2. Clint Bowyer
3. Pyle Buschit
#6
08-19-2012, 06:28 PM
What is Bristol history without some Earnhardt/Labonte stuff? Especially the night race! I edited it some of that great Bristol history... with the new surface, maybe we can see this kind of racing again! I hope so!
#7
08-19-2012, 10:56 PM
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 11,978
I know most of us heard it during the race but I thought it was kinda funny.......
NASCAR star goes off on teammate
NASCAR star goes off on teammate
