Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough and Rusty Wallace combined to win 39 Sprint Cup races at Bristol Motor Speedway with Waltrip netting 12 and the others all winning nine apiece.
Three active drivers – Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch — currently are tied with Hall of Famer David Pearson with five wins each at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile and all are definite contenders to break the tie at the IRWIN Tools Night Race Aug. 27.
Each also is having a banner season and currently is qualified for The Chase. Kyle Busch comes into the IRWIN Tools Night Race with three wins in 2011, while Gordon has a pair of victories and Kurt Busch has one.
Kyle Busch, who swept the weekend races at BMS in March and completed the history-making sweep on the .533-mile oval last August when he won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 Truck Series race, the Food City 250 Nationwide event and the IRWIN Tools Night Race, says he’s not sure what makes him so good at Bristol.
“Ever since I got through my rookie year, I’ve just taken a liking to the place,” he said. “Of course, I’ve been able to get some help from my brother. He’s always been really, really good there.
“It’s just a fun track no matter what series I’m running there. You really have to be on your game because you make one mistake or someone else makes one mistake – like what happened in the fall Nationwide race in 2009 with a car with a flat tire coming down the track and essentially ending our day – and that’s it.”
While Kyle Busch’s five BMS wins have come in the past four years, his brother Kurt reeled in his first Bristol – and Sprint Cup — victory in the spring of 2002, then won three consecutive races in 2003 and ’04. His last win came in the spring of 2006.
Gordon’s success on the concrete oval began early in his Sprint Cup career with his initial win in the spring of 1995. He won four consecutive spring events through 1998 and also won the 2002 Night Race.
Snagging a sixth Bristol win at the upcoming IRWIN Tools Night Race definitely would put a smile on the four-time Sprint Cup champion’s face, particularly since the Speedway is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“To have racing there for 50 years is quite an accomplishment,” said Gordon. “To me, it’s not just about 50 years of racing, though, it’s about putting on a great event and having some of the best racing we’ve ever had for such a long period of time.
“… Bristol is still definitely the ultimate fan experience. And, the ultimate driver experience, too.”
Bristol Motor Speedway PR
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