Full of stress and anxiety

Racing at Bristol not for the faint of heart

If I were a fan, I'd love to watch racing at Bristol.

You have 43 cars jam-packed on a half-mile. You're right on top of the action and virtually guaranteed to see some bent sheet metal and tempers flare from drivers and crew chiefs. From my standpoint, it's a great event for the fans, but a hard event on the drivers and teams.

When you go to Bristol, you can count on one thing. You will not be bringing back your race car in the same condition as it started the weekend. Bristol is a weekend full of stress and anxiety. There is never a moment to slow down and gather your thoughts. The guys work their tails off all week to prepare the car, and when they get to the track, they're excited and everyone feeds off it. Then the madness starts.

The drivers feed off that energy and carry that excitement to the track. A driver will bump someone early in the race attempting a pass. Then the driver who was bumped feels he owes the other driver one, so next time they are together, it's pay back time. Then the vicious cycle begins, and it starts trouble.

There really is a lack of respect in the series when it comes to racing at Bristol. Seriously, there are probably only 20 drivers in the Winston Cup series who really know how to get around there. I would rather points-race at Darlington or Lowe's Motor Speedway four times a year then to go to Bristol twice.

However, the Lowe's team did have some success there last season. In the spring race, Jimmie Johnson lost control on the first lap of the first practice session, and we were forced to go to a backup Chevy. The guys thrashed on the backup car and put Jimmie in an equally fine car that he was able to drive from 37th to seventh. So, we know that if we can stay away from the trouble, we have the capability for a strong finish.

The keys to success at Bristol Motor Speedway:

1. Driver

You have to have a driver that is going to be up on the wheel all day and get into a rhythm that will allow him to turn quick lap times, but more importantly, stay out of bad situations.

2. Pit stops

You need solid stops, especially if you pit under green. You can't afford to lose track position here.

3. Crew chief

There is so much going on at Bristol that the crew chief really needs to be on his game to make the right calls. They need to know what other teams have done and factor it into making the right calls for your team. Do you take four tires or two tires? Do you pit now or try to hold for a caution? Do you sacrifice track position to make more adjustments, or do you make slight adjustments along the way and hold the valuable track position? There are just so many things to consider when racing at Bristol.

Chad Knaus is the crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports. His column will appear weekly on SI.com.

 

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