It’s Just About Bristol at Bristol
Does The ‘Chase’ Take a Back Seat?

This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon/American Spirit Oil Dodge team will head to the .533-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Sharpie 500. Petty will be again driving the Marathon/American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge. It’s the second time Petty will be sporting the company colors. Marathon is the newest partner to Petty Enterprises. The scheme will also race at Richmond and Atlanta.

Petty will be making his 47th start at Bristol. He has the most starts at the track of any full-time driver in Nextel Cup. Petty has seen it all at the track. He has two top-five and nine top-10 finishes at the high-banked concrete bullring. Petty’s best qualifying effort at the track is third.

Comments from Petty as he prepares for this weekend’s Sharpie 500:

Is this race more about the race and less about the championship chase?
“This is one race where it seems we get to put more emphasis on the action on the track and the race. It’s more about being the ‘Bristol night race’ than it is talking about the ‘chase’ every lap. It’s just the way this race is. But, and we need to think about this, we still need to think about the guys trying to make the ‘chase’ and what this race means to them.

“It’s weird, but right now, we care more about what the guys fifth through 12th are doing in points than what Jimmie (Johnson) and Matt (Kenseth) are doing up front. That’s not what is ‘normal’ for us, but that’s what this new format has made us think about for the last year or so. This is still an exciting race for the fans, but there are a lot of drivers that are thinking about this race a little differently.”

Is it hard to control tempers at Bristol?
“The emotions are pretty high for everyone right now. We’ve got a lot of things going on in this sport. Guys are having good seasons, guys are having bad seasons, and we’re getting ready to figure out who’s ‘in’ and ‘out’ of this championship chase. You just can’t let the emotions get the best of you on Saturday night. You can’t assume everything is intentional and nobody is innocent. It’s a tough track and things can happen.

The easy answer might be to go after a guy if he bumps you on the next lap. That’s tough not to do when you’re angry, but you can’t allow anger to control your emotions. You have to do what’s best for everyone involved. It might not be easy, but you have to do what’s best for everyone.”

Does being mad help you or hurt you?
“There are some deals when being mad can help, but never really behind the wheel. It can be a motivating factor, but if you get too mad you will be out of control. You just have to stay in control. A ‘controlled’ anger is probably good, but fuses are usually short at Bristol. It depends on the situation, but usually you want to keep control of yourself and actions.

“The problem is when you get hit you think it’s on purpose. You never think that it was an accident when you got hit. That’s what happens at a place like Bristol. You are racing so closely that everything must be for a reason. Sometimes it’s just racing at close quarters. It’s just funny. It gets dark, the lights are turned on and everyone is guilty if you get hit. It’s just always the case at Bristol.”