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Date: Sunday, March 17
Start Time: 1 p.m. ET
Site: Bristol Motor Speedway (1960) -- Bristol, Tenn.
Track: 0.533-mile oval - 650 feet (Frontstretch); 650 feet (Backstretch)
Laps: 500
Miles: 266.5
Capacity: 160,000
Total purse:
Payouts:
Year: 53rd
On TV: FOX
Announcers:
On Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio
Race record: Charlie Glotzbach, 1971 (101.074 mph)
Qualifying record: Ryan Newman, 2003 (128.709 mph)
2012 Finish
Defending champion: Brad Keselowski
Runner up: Matt Kenseth
Pole winner: Greg Biffle (125.215 mph)
Top 10:
1. Brad Keselowski (Start: 5)
2. Matt Kenseth (21)
3. Martin Truex Jr. (15)
4. Clint Bowyer (16)
5. Brian Vickers (25)
6. Jeff Burton (33)
7. Jamie McMurray (17)
8. Juan Pablo Montoya (30)
9. Jimmie Johnson (22)
10. Paul Menard (11)
Average speed: 93.037 mph
Time of race: 2 hrs., 51 mins., 52 secs.
Margin of victory: 0.714 secs.
Caution flags: 5 for 49 laps
Lead changes: 13 among 7 drivers
Past winners
2012 Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 93.037 mph
2011 Kyle Busch, Toyota, 91.941 mph
2010 Jimmie Johnson, , 79.618 mph
2009 Kyle Busch, Toyota, 92.139 mph
2008 Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 89.775 mph
2007 Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 81.969 mph
2006 Kurt Busch, Dodge, 79.427 mph
2005 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 77.496 mph
2004 Kurt Busch, Ford, 82.607 mph
2003 Kurt Busch, Ford, 76.185 mph
2002 Kurt Busch, Ford, 82.281 mph
2001 Elliott Sadler, Ford, 86.949 mph
2000 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 88.018 mph
1999 Rusty Wallace, Ford, 93.363 mph
1998 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 82.850 mph
1997 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 75.035 mph
1996 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 91.308 mph
1995 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 92.011 mph
1994 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 89.674 mph
1993 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 84.730 mph
1992 Alan Kulwicki, Ford, 86.316 mph
1991 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 72.809 mph
1990 Davey Allison, Ford, 87.258 mph
1989 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 76.034 mph
1988 Bill Elliott, Ford, 83.115 mph
1987 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 75.621 mph
1986 Rusty Wallace, Pontiac, 89.747 mph
1985 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 81.790 mph
1984 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 93.967 mph
1983 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 93.445 mph
1982 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 94.025 mph
1981 Darrell Waltrip, Buick, 89.530 mph
1980 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 96.977 mph
1979 Dale Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 91.033 mph
1978 Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet, 92.401 mph
1977 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 100.989 mph
1976 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 87.377 mph
1975 Richard Petty, Dodge, 97.053 mph
1974 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 64.533 mph
1973 Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet, 88.952 mph
1972 Bobby Allison, Chevrolet, 92.826 mph
1971 David Pearson, Ford, 91.704 mph
1970 Donnie Allison, Ford, 87.543 mph
1969 Bobby Allison, Dodge, 81.455 mph
1968 David Pearson, Ford, 77.247 mph
1967 David Pearson, Dodge, 75.930 mph
1966 Dick Hutcherson, Ford, 69.952 mph
1965 Junior Johnson, Ford, 74.938 mph
1964 Fred Lorenzen, Ford, 72.196 mph
1963 Fireball Roberts, Ford, 76.910 mph
1962 Bobby Johns, Pontiac, 75.280 mph
1961 Jack Smith, Pontiac, 72.450 mph
Last race
Race: Kobalt Tools 400 (March 10)
Site: Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- Las Vegas, Nev.
Miles: 400.5
Laps: 267
Finish line order: Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards
Time of Race: 2 hrs., 44 mins., 16 secs.
Average speed: 146.287 mph
Margin of victory: 0.594 secs.
Caution flags: 5 for 25 laps
Lead changes: 22 among 8 drivers
Lap leaders: B. Keselowski 1-9; K. Kahne 10-43; B. Keselowski 44; Kyle Busch B. Keselowski 1-9; K. Kahne 10-43; B. Keselowski 44; Kyle Busch 45; M. Kenseth 46; J. McMurray 47-48; K. Kahne 49-66; B. Keselowski 67; K. Kahne 68-74; J. Johnson 75-117; R. Stenhouse Jr. 118; J. Johnson 119-137; K. Kahne 138-160; B. Keselowski 161; J. Johnson 162-165; Kyle Busch 166-180; K. Kahne 181-195; Kyle Busch 196; D. Hamlin 197-199; Kyle Busch 200-208; K. Kahne 209-225; Kyle Busch 226; M. Kenseth 227-267.
Entry list
#1 Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) Chevrolet/Cessna
#2 * Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) Ford/Miller Lite
#5 Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) Chevrolet/Great Clips
#7 Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) Chevrolet/Sany
#9 Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) Ford/DeWalt
#10 Danica Patrick (Roscoe, IL) Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com
#11 Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) Toyota/FedEx Freight
#13 Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) Ford/GEICO
#14 Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1
#15 Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) Toyota/NAPA Filters
#16 Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) Ford/3M
#17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Olive Branch, MS) Ford/Best Buy
#18 Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Toyota/M&M's
#19 Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) Toyota/Plinker Tactical
#20 Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) Toyota/Home Depot
#22 Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) Ford/Shell/Pennzoil
#24 Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) Chevrolet/Drive to End Hunger
#27 Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) Chevrolet/Menards/Sylvania
#29 Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) Chevrolet/Budweiser
#30 David Stremme (South Bend, IN) Toyota/Swan Racing
#31 Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) Chevrolet/Cheerios
#32 Terry Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Ford/TBA
#33 Landon Cassill (Fairfax, IA) Chevrolet/Little Joe's Autos
#34 David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) Ford/Dockside Logistics
#35 Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) Ford/MDS Transport
#36 J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) Chevrolet/United Mining Equip.
#38 David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) Ford/A&W All American Food
#39 Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) Chevrolet/Haas Automation
#42 Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) Chevrolet/Target/Mountain Dew
#43 Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) Ford/Smithfield
#44 Scott Riggs (Bahama, NC) Ford/No Label Watches
#47 Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) Toyota/Bush's Beans
#48 Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) Chevrolet/Lowe's/Kobalt Tools
#51 A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction
#55 Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) Toyota/RK Motors
#56 Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts
#78 Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) Chevrolet/Furniture Row
#83 David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) Toyota/Burger King/Dr. Pepper
#87 Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) Toyota/AM/FM Energy Wood Pellet
#88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) Chevrolet/National Guard
#93 Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) Toyota/Burger King/Dr. Pepper
#95 Scott Speed (Manteca, CA) Ford/Leavine Family Racing
#98 Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) Ford/Phil Parsons Racing
#99 Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) Ford/Kellogg's
Leading contenders
| Name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 13 | 18 | Won | ||||||
| Matt Kenseth | 5 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 38 | 37 | 13 | 26 | 12 | 17 | 3 | ||
| Clint Bowyer | 29 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 40 | 35 | 4 | ||
| Brian Vickers | 35 | 12 | 37 | 15 | 39 | 29 | 15 | 36 | 5 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 16 | 6 | 30 | 16 | 18 | 3 | Won | 3 | 9 |
| Kevin Harvick | 3 | Won | 2 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 11 |
| Ryan Newman | 7 | 30 | 9 | 39 | 33 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 12 |
| Greg Biffle | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 39 | 4 | 8 | 13 |
| Tony Stewart | 24 | 3 | 12 | 35 | 14 | 17 | 2 | 19 | 14 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 11 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| Joey Logano | 38 | 27 | 23 | 16 | |||||
| Denny Hamlin | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 33 | 20 | ||
| Kyle Busch | 28 | 8 | Won | 17 | Won | 9 | Won | 32 | |
| Jeff Gordon | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 35 |
| Kasey Kahne | 40 | 14 | 10 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 34 | 9 | 37 |
| Carl Edwards | 26 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 39 |
Notes
Groundbreaking for Bristol Motor Speedway took place in 1960, with the racetrack measuring an exact half-mile. The track was reshaped and remeasured to 0.533 miles in the fall of 1969. The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
Immediately following its spring race in 2007, Bristol was resurfaced as well as reconfigured with the addition of variable banking. It produced more side- by-side racing and therefore lowered the amount of beating and banging among competitors. Fan response to the modified banking at Bristol was not favorable since the number of cautions in races there was significantly reduced.
The concrete surface at Bristol underwent a modification after the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series competed there in March 2012. The top groove of the surface was grinded, with the intention of bringing back traditional racing at this short track.
This track has 24-28 degrees of banking in all four of its turns as well as 4-8 degrees of banking on both the frontstretch and the backstretch.
The Cup Series has competed at Bristol twice each year since 1961, for a total of 104 races. Jack Smith won the inaugural race at this track, the Volunteer 500, on July 30, 1961. Smith had relief from Johnny Allen.
Darrell Waltrip holds the record for most victories at Bristol with 12. Waltrip won seven consecutive races there from 1981-84. Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon lead all active drivers with five victories each at Bristol.
Terry Labonte has 57 Cup starts at Bristol, which is the most among active drivers. Labonte is scheduled to drive the No. 32 Ford for FAS Lane Racing this weekend.
Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough share the record for most pole wins at Bristol with nine each. Martin, who won his 56th career pole in the series earlier this month at Phoenix, is not scheduled to drive the No. 55 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing at Bristol. Brian Vickers will be behind the wheel of that car.
The race winner at Bristol has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole there was Carl Edwards in August 2008.
One year ago, Brad Keselowski won his second straight race at Bristol. Keselowski, who took the checkered flag for the night event there in August 2011, grabbed the lead from Matt Kenseth with 111 laps remaining. Kenseth challenged him for the top spot several times within the final 100 laps but came up 0.7 seconds short at the finish. Denny Hamlin won the most recent race at this track last August.
Since NASCAR began using electronic timing and scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in a Cup race at Bristol occurred on March 25, 2007 when Kyle Busch beat Jeff Burton to the finish line by just 0.064 seconds. That race marked the competition debut of NASCAR's previous race car, the Gen-5 or Car of Tomorrow (COT).
Seven of the last eight races at Bristol have ended with a margin of victory that was less than one second.
A.J. Allmendinger is the only driver on the entry list for this weekend's race that made his first career Cup start at Bristol (March 2007). Joey Logano is the lone driver entered that claimed his first pole in the series at this track (March 2010).
Kurt Busch scored his first career Cup victory at Bristol on March 24, 2002. Elliott Sadler's first win in the series came there in March 2001. Sadler is now a full-time competitor in the Nationwide Series.
Kyle Busch is the youngest driver to win a Cup race at Bristol. His 2007 win there came when he was 21 years, 10 months and 23 days old. When Dale Earnhardt was 48 years, 3 months and 30 days old, he became the oldest driver to win there on Aug. 28, 1999.
The next Sprint Cup race is the March 24 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Tony Stewart won last year's event there.
