Marlin Hopes to Build on Strong History at Bristol

On the heels of his Busch Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last March, BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson driver Sterling Marlin heads back to "Thunder Valley" this weekend for Friday’s Food City 250 NASCAR Busch Series race.

The 250-lap event at Bristol marks Marlin’s debut behind the wheel of the No. 01 BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevrolet. Marlin has consistently proven himself a strong contender on the .533-mile, high-banked speedway in both the Winston Cup and Busch Series. Most recently, he drove the No. 82 Channellock/Team SABCO Chevrolet to victory in the March 25 Cheez-It 250.

"Bristol’s always been my favorite track and it’s so close to home, so it was really special for me to win there last March, not to mention a huge load off my shoulders," Marlin said. "I’d wanted to visit Victory Lane there so bad but we could never quite clinch it. Now, I want to win the second Busch race at Bristol in the BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevy. I can’t think of a better way to honor Kenny’s memory than a victory for his team."

Marlin is no stranger to success at the speedway. He qualified fourth and finished eighth in the April 1999 Busch Series event. The 43-year-old later improved on that finish in the August race with a fourth-place showing. On the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, Marlin collected a top-10 finish in the Food City 500 last March. He also scored a seventh-place finish from the 10th-starting position in the Aug. 1999 Goody’s Headache Powder 500. With all his experience on the track dubbed the "big cereal bowl," Marlin knows Bristol is one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.

"Running well at Bristol takes everything you’ve got – and everything you don’t even think you’ve got," Marlin explained. "It tries the driver’s patience more than the other tracks and absolutely wears him out. There’s nothing but beating and banging lap-after-lap and no one’s car comes out clean at the end. You’re on your own the whole 250 laps."

While Bristol is physically draining, Marlin adds that it can also be heartbreaking for a driver.

"One minute you’re running up front and thinking you’ve got a shot at winning or at least a top-five," he continued. "Then the next minute someone puts you in the wall and your day is done. I’ve seen it happen so many times and it’s happened to me. Our goal this week is to put the BellSouth Mobility/Ericsson Chevrolet up front and hopefully keep it away from all the other cars. There’s only room for one team in Victory Lane and we want it to be us."

The Franklin, Tenn.-native has visited Victory Lane twice in 48 NASCAR Busch Series starts. In that time, he has posted one pole position, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Marlin’s victory at Bristol was the second mark in his Busch Series win column -- the first came at Lowe’s (Charlotte, N.C.) Motor Speedway in 1990.

Marlin will pull double duty this weekend at Bristol, as he continues his duties behind the wheel of the No. 40 Coors Light/Team SABCO Chevrolet in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.