Food City 500 - John Andretti Notes

John Andretti Notes, Quotes: Food City 500
‘Say what you want . . . anything can happen at Bristol’’

This weekend John Andretti and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head into the concrete surfaced, high-banked .533-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Food City 500. Andretti knows success at Bristol, and has achieved it recently at one of the most demanding tracks on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. He was the runner-up in this race in 2001, and finished fourth in March of 1999.

Andretti is in his sixth consecutive season with Petty Enterprises with over half of his NASCAR Winston Cup starts coming for the legendary organization. Andretti’s vast racing experience ranks him as one of the most versatile and talented drivers on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit. He is one of only two drivers to win in two different major racing series and also win two or more major NASCAR Winston Cup oval races. Winner of the 1991 Gold Coast Grand Prix in Australia, one of CART’s premier events, Andretti was also a winning driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1989 in the series then known as IMSA.

The thoughts of Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driver John Andretti heading into Bristol:

“Say what you want to about parity, there are just some races and tracks where, no matter who you are, anyone can win. With everything that happens at Bristol – and anything can happen at Bristol – just about anybody can win there.

“This is a grinding race track known for its grinding races. It’s more a game of survival than a race. I don’t know how many guys in the garage are big fans, but for the fans in the grandstands this race just screams excitement.

“I love being a fan watching the Busch race. The Busch race may be the highlight of my week. I can climb onto the top of the hauler and watch the race, knowing it’s not going to cost me a thing. I used to be a car owner in the Busch Series, and I hated going to Bristol as a car owner. In fact, I dreaded every lap as an owner because I knew I was probably going to lose a car. It is tough when you’re watching and you are a fan of someone on the track.

“The excitement at Bristol starts Friday during qualifying. It takes center stage because Bristol is a very difficult track to start in the back. The straights are short and the corners are so highly banked and tight that you almost have to ‘dive’ down on someone to pass them. This happens, and sometimes the driver doesn’t give you the room to get low on them, and you get pushed up high. You get pushed up high at Bristol, and you will get freight trained to the rear of the field. Typically nobody gives anyone any room- and that’s when you see the guys play ‘bumper tag.’

“Your car has to be really good to pass on the high groove. If you have a good car, and one that can run good up on the high groove, you’re probably going to win. Well, you are going to be in a really good position to win. Still, anything can happen there. But it is really hard to get grip up there. The car just seems to slide up into the wall. So if you can run that high groove, you are in pretty good shape.

“The track is challenging from different aspects. Some are obvious, but another is the concrete surface. It doesn’t bother me as a racing surface, but from a shock standpoint it’s hard for the crew to keep the car on the ground. The track is just really rough. Sure, sitting high above in the grandstands it looks as smooth as glass, but believe me it’s a rough surface - it will knock your teeth out while driving.

“Driving down any highway you can tell that driving on blacktop is smoother than it is driving on concrete. It is hard to lay down smooth concrete and the concrete at Bristol you can feel through your entire body. The corners at Martinsville (Va.) are just as rough as they are at Bristol, and in the past we tested our shocks at Martinsville and used that to help set up the car for Bristol. That helped keep the car down on track. Bristol is about surviving and keeping the tires on the track If we can do that this Cheerios/Betty Crocker team will have a good weekend.”

©Copyright 2003 Race 2 Win