What Have They Done to Bristol?

NASCAR fans recognize the Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) as one of the most exciting tracks on the circuit. Forty-three cars on a high banked concrete track has been compared to flying fighter jets in a basketball arena. The races, and especially the August night race, have long been known for lots of cautions, bumping, beating and tempers. Even with 160,000 seats, it is the hardest ticket to get in NASCAR.

Unfortunately, I think they've ruined it.

The old concrete was torn up after the spring race and a new graduated banking surface installed. The track is 3' wider and with the graduated banking, instead of it being a one groove track at the bottom, two and sometimes three lanes opened up. I watched the race last night and the result - long boring green flag stretches, easy passing, and only occasional bumps from car-to-car. You don't normally see green flag pit stops at Bristol, but last night there were lots of them. In fact, if the 6 car hadn't spun out three times about every 25 laps or so at one point, there might not have been any cautions in the second half of the race.

Just about the only interesting racing occurred when Michael Waltrip, running 2 laps down, held off the top three or four cars lap after lap in order to avoid going 3 laps down. Even then, in the old days somebody would just bump him out of the way, but last night nobody seemed to want to scratch their fenders.

David Newton at ESPN agrees:

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Dale Jarrett raised his hand and thanked the men responsible for resurfacing and restructuring Bristol Motor Speedway as the driver's meeting before Saturday night's Nextel Cup race came to an end.

He said they made the circuit's most exciting track even more exciting for the fans.

Others nodded in approval.

Those watching from the stands or on television were lucky they didn't nod off during the ensuing 500 laps.

The new and improved Bristol received rave reviews after the Truck and Busch Series events offered none of the typical pushing and banging that sends tempers flaring and keeps fans on the edge of their seats as the old one-groove track did.

Sure there was more passing as two and sometimes three grooves opened up.

But Carl Edwards' victory, which he called the "coolest win of my life," was anything but exciting.

Some might call it boring.

The drivers may have loved the new track, but I doubt the fans did.

This week the series comes to California, one of my least favorite tracks on the circuit. Why? It's wide, multiple racing grooves, and makes for long, boring green flag stretches. In other words, just like Bristol was last night though with more room between cars.