Bristol: GM Racing preview
TEAM CHEVY SILVERADO ON THE TRACK: Dayne Pierantoni, GM Racing Silverado Program Manager, NCTS: "Bristol is short track racing at its best. Since the new banking configuration last year the racing is somewhat different than in the past. Today ...
TEAM CHEVY SILVERADO ON THE TRACK: Dayne Pierantoni, GM Racing Silverado Program Manager, NCTS: "Bristol is short track racing at its best. Since the new banking configuration last year the racing is somewhat different than in the past. Today there are multiple lines and grooves and not a single preferred line. It makes for an exciting race with trucks running high and low and constant side by side racing throughout the field. The difficult part is completing a pass. The trucks are able to run side by side lap after lap without a distinct advantage to either line. In the end the cream will rise to the top and I am expecting to see several of our Chevy Silverados in that group. Also for the first time, we will have Team Chevy's two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson making a guest appearance in the Moss Motorsports Chevrolet. This will be Jimmie's first Craftsman truck race and I am sure that he would like to make it a memorable one with a trip to victory lane."
FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT:
RON HORNADAY, NO. 33 CAMPING WORLD SILVERADO:
"Bristol is different with the new surface. It's
slower and has more aggressive banking than before. On the old surface,
you could run on the bottom of the track through the turns. With the new
surface, it opens the track up a little more. We'll be on a new
tire this year, one that we have never used in the NASCAR Truck Series.
Rick Ren (crew chief), the No. 33 Camping World crew and everybody at KHI
give me great trucks and they are really fun to drive. We are taking a
really good truck to Bristol, a truck that we have won with earlier this
year, and I know that we will be one the teams to beat when we
unload."
JACK SPRAGUE, NO. 2 AMERICAN COMMERCIAL LINES SILVERADO:
"To be honest there really isn't much of a difference to the
feel between racing on asphalt and concrete. The only thing is that
"bumps" on concrete are a little bit more frequent, with
asphalt if there are any bumps in the track they are usually in distinct
locations. The frequency of the bumps on concrete makes it a little more
difficult to get the truck to stick to the track. But I don't
approach the track any differently with it being concrete vs. asphalt.
With the way our season has gone thus far, anything could happen at any
track, not just Bristol. I have never been one to be too concerned about
the point standings until the race is over. Right now the No. 2 ACL team
is just going to each track to try and win the race. Once we get that
accomplished then we can look at the points and where we would ultimately
like to be.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 81 KOBALT TOOLS SILVERADO:
"I'm
excited. I got my start racing off-road trucks, so it's going to be
cool to be back in a truck. I've never driven one before.
I've always wondered how they drive and what they're about.
I've spent so much time with (Ron) Hornaday and he's been
such a big part of my career, to be able to go out and race against him
is going to be blast. When I look at the guys that run in the truck
series - a lot of guys I've looked up to and respected throughout
my career - I'm looking forward to getting out and having some fun
with them.
"We're running the truck race, so that I can get some more seat time on that track. The trucks are closer to a Cup car than the Nationwide cars are and Chad (Knaus) will be up there and involved. It gives us an opportunity to learn some things without the pressure of being in the points race. Everybody learns a lot more when the pressure's not on, so it's a good way to give me a little more experience and for Chad to adjust on the vehicle and learn a bit more about the track."
MATT CRAFTON, NO. 88 MENARD'S SILVERADO:
"I love Bristol...it is
my favorite track on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. The
high banks and the speed make for an awesome race, lots of action for us
in the trucks and all the fans. It's always an exciting race. The key
is to stay out of trouble so you can put yourself in position to win.
It's easy to get caught up in someone else's mess at Bristol because
things happen in a split second. Our Menard's Silverado team has been so
consistent this season, and we'll keep doing what we're doing, looking
for ways to get better. Bristol is one of those places where every
driver wants to have a "w" on their resume. It is full of so much
history and tradition. The best in our sport have won there."
CHAD MCCUMBEE, NO. 8 MALCOLMSON CONSTRUCTION SILVERADO:
"I think
every driver enjoys Bristol. Bristol isn't like any other short track
and one important thing is going to be staying out of trouble. Coming
off of another concrete track in Nashville I feel confident in our
performance Wednesday night. Hopefully our bad luck is behind us and we
can pick some points back up this week. Nashville was a solid weekend
for MRD but we need quite a few more of those to get some points back
that we lost over the last month or so."
SHELBY HOWARD, NO. 13 BOBCAT SILVERADO:
"Bristol is just one of
those really special places that we all look forward to...it's good, hard
old-school racing, and things happen real quickly there. I think
everybody just gets a little extra pumped up to race at Bristol, and it's
usually a heck of a show for the fans. Hopefully, we can run strong and
stay out of trouble and come out of there with a top-10 finish."
BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 16 ALBERTSON'S SILVERADO:
"Bristol
is a legendary short track with a larger than life reputation. A lot of
things make it unique, the high banks, all the grandstands surrounding
the track, it sounds different than any other track. It is just a very
special place. You realize it as soon as you step foot in the place. You
definitely know that you are at Bristol. Some tracks you go to and it is
just another intermediate track with no real character to it. Many of
them have so many similarities to them. At Bristol you always know where
you are, it won't let you forget you are at Bristol. Now with the
changes they have made to the track it is even more fun. You can run high
and you can run low, you have more room to maneuver. You can run three
wide if you need to. Running three wide hauling the mail, I don't
know how much more fun you can have than that."
-credit: gm racing
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