COLUMN: How about a clean break for Bristol?

            BRISTOL, Tenn. – Lots of fans complain that the racing at Bristol Motor Speedway isn’t as good as it used to be.

            I think what they’re really saying is that the wrecking isn’t as good as it used to be. That’s true.

            Bristol was … reconfigured … or repaved … some used more coarse terms … it’s a bit complicated to explain what was done, but it happened in 2007, and many fans didn’t like it. Banking that had been listed as 36 degrees was tapered to what is now listed as 26-30 degrees. The shape and length remained the same. Another effect was that insiders intimated privately as how the banking had never actually been 36 degrees. Apparently, from 1969 to 2007, a myth had been perpetuated.

            Ah. C’est la vie in NASCAR.

            At faux 36 (degrees), Bristol had been the ultimate one-groove track. The bottom of the track was the only place to go fast in the turns. For one driver, roaring around the little pinball machine slightly faster than the driver in the car in front of him, passing required contact. A bump or a nudge usually did the trick, but lots of times, the bump or nudge was just a wee bit too hard, and mayhem ensued.

            Prior to the latter race of 2007, Bristol Motor Speedway had more dumping than the recent crisis in the Gulf. It’s a racer’s cliché that means wrecking someone.

            “Hey!” Crunch. Screech. Whoomp. “He dumped me!”

            The crowd went nuts, and few crowds are nuttier than one consisting of 160,000 revved-up partisans stacked and double-decked around a tiny arena.

            Imagine Roman chariot races at six times the speed. (Remember the Acme Toga XCIX, won by Marcus Ambrosius at a record speed of XLII sundials?)

            The goal of the changes was to make passing more … surgical. Because the banking is lower at the bottom than at the top, it’s possible for cars on the outside to go through the turns a little faster, while taking a longer route.

            It’s now possible to race cleanly at Bristol. What a concept. Mission accomplished.

            As it turns out, clean was boring to many fans.

            For gosh sakes, let’s not lose all perspective. (If you insist on losing all perspective – since it’s a free country and all -- at least promise never to use the phrase “good, clean racing” again.)

            When I write about a race, I try not to take any preconceived notions to the fray. I try to just write what I see.

            This time, though, I’d really like to see a classic. I’m hoping Irwin tools – the name is Irwin Tools Night Race – fix the problem. A bad race at Bristol is better than most tracks’ good races. Call that a rationalization if you will; it’s a good one.

            Maybe a rousing race will put “they messed up Bristol” to rest.

You may contact Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.