BRISTOL, Tenn. – A cool scene unfolded at Bristol Motor Speedway the past two days and we’re not talking about the snow and sleet storms.
With teams struggling to find grip on the ultra-fast half mile, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fans got a taste of the old BMS in the Food City 500.
Just call it the Bristol Boogie.
Due to a lack of traction on the outside lanes and the application of the sticky Bristol Track Bite traction compound on the inside of the turns, the BMS drama featured a return of the bump-and-run.
While only a hearty crew of fans braved the miserable weather conditions Monday, the reaction to Monday’s show was positive.
Even one driver who found himself wedged behind slower cars before getting smashed in an accordion type accident seemed to enjoy the urgency of the single-groove show.
Consider the comments of Chris Buescher, who was involved in a multi-car accident created by the No. 6 car of Trevor Bayne on lap 118.
“We had three or four of us trying to stay on the lead lap and we were all being held up by the No. 6,” Buescher said. “I got a good run on the outside of the slower cars and came off the corner and I thought we were good.
“All three or four of us were trying to get clear of one car for a long time and it got very frustrating.”
Ah yes, frustration and anger were once associated with all Bristol races as drivers were either slammed from behind, caught in traffic or simply wrecked by a faster car. It was that sort of drama that led to spectacular crashes, frayed nerves and temper outbursts.
Surely, you’ve seen some of the highlights and lowlights of past Bristol races and longed for more memorable moments.
Let’s take a quick trip in the wayback machine for some background.
In 2007, the old and deteriorating BMS track surface was altered with progressive banking in hopes that drivers would select multiple lanes instead of clinging to the bottom and creating freight-train effects that led to costly demolition derbies.
Five years later in response to fan anger over the lack of action, BMS owner Bruton Smith ordered up a track reconfiguration to bring back the days when drivers were forced to root and gouge to gain position.
“More and more fans kept asking us to do something. So I put it out there,” said Smith at the time. “They spoke, and we listened. I want them to be happy. I want them to love their experience in Bristol. This will accomplish that, and I know they will be pleased with the result.”
Since that day, the BMS theatre has tended to be more of a high-speed ballet with the focus on technical driving and precise passes instead of brute force.
Judging by the positive reaction on social media and the campgrounds Sunday and Monday evening, BMS fans enjoyed the return to the old Bristol during the rather bizarre Food City 500.
The race was even decided by a textbook bump-and-run or dump-and-run move when winner Kyle Busch slammed the back of the Kyle Larson car with five laps to go.
Throughout the day, drivers could be seen playing bumper tag with slower cars in hopes of forcing a pass and establishing the bottom line.
To a lesser degree, Saturday’s Xfinity race at BMS produced the same sort of “go-or-get-out-of-the-way” brand of competition.
“There was a lot of battling going on, front to back. I thought it was a great race,” Xfinity veteran Elliott Sadler said.
Like it or not, little BMS became a national phenomenon because of its throwback brand of smash-em-up action that made for must-see highlights on the nightly news.
It’s hard to make a commercial when drivers are racing in multiple lanes and avoiding contact.
If the multi-millionaire drivers and pretty boys had their way, every race track would be like Michigan International Speedway with wide, sweeping corners and long straightaways. Can you say boring?
Basically, it’s the difference between Saturday night short-track racing and Sunday afternoon sports car racing.
Race fans work hard for their tickets and, dang it, they want to see some kind of wild scene that they can discuss long into the night in the campgrounds and then rehash for years.
One race does not signal a trend, but at least the 2018 Food City 500 offered fans a sample of the way Bristol used to be.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it best earlier when he said that Bristol Motor Speedway is the “Dale Earnhardt of race tracks.”
“He appreciated it for how challenging it was and how hard it is,” Earnhardt said of his late father who won nine times at BMS. “You can run fast, man, but finishing a race, putting one together and winning, is hard to do.”
Amen to that. A win at Bristol Speedway is supposed to be hard.
Enough of the ballets, please. Let’s get back to the Bristol Boogie of old.