NASCAR Cup

Bristol II: Bill Elliott preview

RACING AT BRISTOL "Bristol is just one of those tracks that you never know what's going to happen. There's so much going on, and you can get caught up in it before you know it. Most of the time it's not even your fault. You're just a victim of ...

Published: Aug 20, 2003, 11:26 PM

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RACING AT BRISTOL

"Bristol is just one of those tracks that you never know what's going to happen. There's so much going on, and you can get caught up in it before you know it. Most of the time it's not even your fault. You're just a victim of circumstance. It definitely helps to start up front and stay up front at a place like Bristol just because it's a difficult place to pass. Of course, that's easier said than done."

SATURDAY NIGHT RACING

"It's like Saturday night at your local short track except on a much bigger scale. I'd say this is one of the most popular races from a fan's perspective. I can understand why. It's a fun atmosphere with all of the lights and the noise. It's a nice change of pace for the drivers too in that regard."

RACE NOTES

Bill Elliott is scheduled to drive chassis No. 52, which he drove for the first time at Pocono in July. He started 11th and finished 17th.

STATS & FACTS

CAREER AT BRISTOL

This weekend will mark Elliott's 41st career start at Bristol. He has one win, one pole, six top-fives and 14 top-10 finishes at the track. Elliott has led nine races for a total of 464 laps at Bristol.

BRISTOL BESTS

Elliott won at Bristol in the racetrack's 55th race when he moved from 13th place to victory lane in spring of 1988. Elliott's pole position at Bristol came in the fall race three years later as he started from the front in the 1991 Bud 500. Elliott's most recent top-10 finish at the track came in the spring race of 1997 when he finished seventh.

WINSTON CUP POINTS RACE

Following his 15th place run last weekend at Michigan Int'l Speedway, Elliott remains 17th in the points standings, just 14 points from the next position and 103 points out of 15th place.

MOST RECENT RUN AT BRISTOL

Elliott used a top-five qualifying spot to his advantage at Bristol this spring. Staying up front for much of the race, Elliott was able to stay out of trouble that caused more than a dozen cautions throughout the race. Track position was extremely important throughout the day and Elliott stayed out several times in order to maintain his top-10 position. A miscue on a green flag stop on lap 362 caused Elliott to enter pit road incorrectly. He lost three laps and was caught with most of the field after a caution flag came for an on-track mishap, leaving only a handful of cars on the lead lap. Elliott was able to pick his way through lapped traffic to bring home his No. 9 Dodge in 18th position.

LAST WEEKEND AT MICHIGAN

Elliott started 32nd in last weekend's GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan Int'l Speedway, but the Dawsonville, Ga., native didn't stay there for long. Elliott made up 10 spots within the first 11 laps of the race, and reported good driving conditions in his Dodge. After a pit stop for the first caution of the day Elliott was closing in on the leaders and posting some of the fastest laps on the two-mile oval.

By lap 45 Elliott had cracked the top-10, where he would fluctuate through the halfway point of the race. Elliott restarted 21st after a caution was called for debris on lap 135. Crew chief Mike Ford called to keep Elliott out on the racetrack through what would be the final caution of the day at lap 142. The No. 9 Dodge ran as high as fourth place as competitors made their ensuing pit stops. As the remainder of the race was run under a green flag, Elliott was forced to come in for two-tires and a splash of gas with about 15 laps to go. He resumed the race in 25th place and knocked off 10 spots in the final laps to bring home his No. 9 Dodge in 15th place.

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