New Bristol vs Old Bristol

[muggle not]

I thought this deserved a topic of its own.

Analysis: Good racin' gone bad?
By Dustin Long
Staff Writer
Monday, Aug. 27, 2007 3:00 am

DUSTIN LONG'S ANALYSIS
Bristol's new two-lane speedway rewarded the best cars. Instead of being stuck behind cars in the one-groove track of the past, the best cars could move through the field. This time, the best cars finished at the front with Carl Edwards winning and Kasey Kahne placing second.

What makes a good race? Was Saturday night's Bristol race a good one?

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Is this NASCAR's future?

Should you be scared?

Drivers praised Bristol's new dual-lane speedway, but not all fans were thrilled with one of the sport's crown jewels losing its luster.

Tony Stewart, who finished fourth, called Saturday night's race "the most fun I have had at Bristol in my career."

Hmmm. How often is Stewart happy after a race he doesn't win?

"I don't believe him," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "When's he ever said anything like that?"

Racers were as thrilled as commuters after a new lane opens.

Stuck in traffic? No problem. Drivers went high or low.

No longer were they stuck in a one-groove alley where they had to knock a rival out of the way to pass.

This sport, though, needs more than its competitors to be happy.

Internet message boards criticized the race. Many called it boring. Some wondered if the Bristol night race is dull, what hope is there for the sport?

There are five races that stand above most to many fans: the Daytona 500, The Coca-Cola 600, both Talladega races and the Bristol night race.

Make any of those events bad and fan backlash can be severe. They'll complain, or worse, they'll stop watching.

Bristol's new concrete surface changed Saturday night's race, which was won by Carl Edwards.

Fans saw two- and three-wide racing -- scenes as rare as empty seats at this coliseum that lures 160,000 fans.

There was more passing, but fans saw less beating and banging. The trade-off was unacceptable for some.

"Wow, this is easily the most boring Bristol night race ever," wrote one person on a NASCAR.com message board. "This may be the end of NASCAR for me. *yawn*."

Bristol represents the sport's raw edge. Nearly 100,000 seats have been added to this bowl-shaped track in the last decade -- and not because fans want to visit the Tri-Cities.

Conflict built those seats.

This track is about Dale Earnhardt Sr. punting Terry Labonte out of the lead on the final lap.

It's Jeff Gordon shoving Matt Kenseth on pit road.

It's Dale Jarrett wrecking Ryan Newman in retaliation.

Saturday night's biggest firestorm? Robby Gordon said he wasn't happy because Kevin Harvick "wrecked me."

Actions mean much more than words at this venue.

People want to see Jimmie Johnson give Robby Gordon a one-finger salute after a wreck as he once did. They want to see Ward Burton throwing his heel guards at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car.

These are scenes rarely seen at many other tracks. These are scenes that give Bristol its brutish feel.

Yes, this is the track that makes NASCAR resemble pro wrestling. Is that so wrong? One of the NASCAR's most storied moments was a fight.

Some will say that such fans are not the sport's true fans. Wrecking is not racing, they'll say.

"I like the 'new' Bristol," one person wrote at NASCAR.com. "More than one racing lane, some passing, etc. Not the old Bristol: circle around, crash, re-start, circle around, crash, re-start, etc. ..."

This new track also did something not always seen -- it rewarded the best cars.

Edwards and runner-up Kasey Kahne combined to lead all but 13 of the 500 laps.

It's not often that the two best cars finish 1-2. But isn't that what racing should be?

Then again, any other race where two drivers led almost the whole way would generate complaints about the quality of the racing.

What Saturday night represented is change. Drivers blamed Goodyear's tires and offered hope the racing would be better with different tires.

But the reality is, this could be a sign of the past fading away.

The Southern 500 is gone.

The Car of Tomorrow is here.

Maybe Bristol's image is in the midst of a makeover.

Bristol bills itself as "racin' the way it ought'a be!"

Now the question is: Was Saturday night racing the way it should be?