NASCAR Truck

Bristol: Brian Scott preview

SCOTT SET FOR BRISTOL BULLRING; NCTS ROOKIE READY FOR VOLUNTEER STATE SHOOTOUT Mooresville, NC (August 18, 2008) -- Bristol Motor Speedway is a track unlike any other on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. A modern dayroman coliseum ...

Published: Aug 20, 2008, 7:18 PM

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SCOTT SET FOR BRISTOL BULLRING; NCTS ROOKIE READY FOR VOLUNTEER STATE SHOOTOUT

Mooresville, NC (August 18, 2008) -- Bristol Motor Speedway is a track unlike any other on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule. A modern dayroman coliseum complete with 36 metal warriors, it produces action once compared to "jet fighters in a gymnasium." With its high banked turns and short straight-aways it is known as the world's fastest half mile speedway. NCTS rookie Brian Scott will make his Bristol truck series debut in Wednesday night's O'Reilly 200. Having run one previous H ooter Pro Cup race at Bristol he is well aware of the speedway's renowned past.

"Bristol is a legendary short track with a larger than life reputation," Scott said from his team's Mooresville NC shop. "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 highand 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."

Survival is and will always be the biggest factor in having success at Bristol. Accidents can happen quickly and with little or no warning. When it comes to diviningessential elements of survival for 200 laps at the diminutive .533 mile oval Scott says he looks to a higher power.

"You need religion," Scott says. "You need the almighty on your side because a lot of things can happen there and they happen in a hurry so you need all the help you can get. Luck plays a big part, as in where you are on the track relative to where someone else makes a mistake. It is an educated guess on where to go to miss the wrecks at Bristol. The spotter definitely needs to be on his toes there but sometimes the trucks will go where you would never expect them to go. You have to dodge the wrecks and be there at the end. That is what it takes to be successful at Bristol more than anything, being there at the end of the race and in position to get a good finish."

While the track may be small, its reputation is greater than most. Bristol has a deep tradition. Built in 1960 and hosting events since 1961, the venue is tucked among the rolling hills of East Tennessee. Mixed in with its picturesque backdrop is a virtual who's who of stock car racing. Petty, Pearson, Allison, Yarborough, Waltrip and Earnhardt have all graced its victory lane with their presence. It also has a history of the spectacular with several bone-grinding crashes, the kind that tend to get the attention of its participants.

"Bristol is just one of those kind of tracks," Scott said. "There are a lot of tracks that have a certain reputation and history, and those throughout time have become tracks where people or drivers you know really have a heightened sense of awareness of themselves and their safety. Bristol is certainly one of them. Every driver remembers Michael Waltrip's wreck at Bristol or Mike Harmon's. They were visually spectacular. Drivers might be concerned about a specific track because of the speed or oth er factorsthat make the track seem treacherous, but I've always loved those tracks, every single one like Bristol, Dover, Salem, Winchester, Atlanta and Daytona. Every one of those type tracks that people go to and they're a little hesitant like - god you go fast here and it has significant consequences if you mess up. For some reason, and I don't even know why, those tracks have always liked me and I've liked them. We've adapted and run good at every one of those tracks."

-credit: eb/xm

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