Food City 250 - Stacy Compton Notes

Compton's Kingsford Sure Fire/Bush's Baked Beans Ford And Bristol Motor Speedway a Perfect Fit

BRISTOL, Tenn. - The Bristol Motor Speedway has been described in several ways.

Some say it's like flying a fighter jet in a gymnasium.

Others say it's like being in a clothes dryer for three hours - and everyone seems to lose a sock.

The speedway staff simply calls it "Thunder Valley."

Stacy Compton, driver of the Kingsford Sure Fire/Bush's Baked Beans Ford, has a simple description of the .533-mile short track.

"Perfect," he said.

The 36-degree banking at Bristol makes it a short track on steroids, Compton said. With average speeds reaching 120 mph and 43 cars in Friday's Food City 250, everything happens in a flash. Every car will finish the race with some damage. The ones in the Top 10 will have tire marks and crumpled front bumpers. The cars in the back of the pack will have dented - or missing - fenders.

"The key at Bristol is to be the one doing the bumping, not the one getting it," Compton said. "The track is so fast, there's really only one racing groove. You have to keep your car on the bottom. Since everyone fights to get to the bottom, the only way to pass is to knock them out of the way. You may not make a lot of friends there, but it's they only way to move to the front."

Compton loves short-track racing. It reminds him of his racing roots on the short track near his Hurt, Va., home. But racing at Bristol is different than any other short track.

"So much of what happens there is out of your hands," he said. "If one guy makes a mistake, even a small one, it can wipe out a lot of cars. I'd say the ratio there is 50-50. Half of your success is in your own hands; the other half is in everyone else's hands."

The Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team is hoping to rebound following a 41st-place finish at the Michigan International Speedway. Their Ford Fusion blew a tire and crashed, sending it behind the wall for repairs.

"We've had two races in a row with cut tires," Compton said. "That's set us back a little bit. Now we're going to one of the most-treacherous tracks in all of racing. Hopefully we have our bad luck out of the way.

"If we can get through Bristol with all our fenders in one piece, that would be a good step. And if we're in one piece, we'll probably be a Top-10 car. That would be perfect."

Stacy Compton Fast Facts