In spring of 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR held the first race for the brand new Gen-5 or “COT” race car as it was known as then. Jeff Gordon sat on the pole that day with a speed of 125.453 mph. Kyle Busch won that first “COT” race and has went on to win four more races at the famed half mile. When Busch got out of the car that day in victory lane, he said in genuine Kyle Busch fashion, that the car “sucked!”
Earlier this season at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR began using the Gen-6 race car; this weekend’s race at Bristol marks the first race with the new car on a short track. The new Gen-6 car is obviously more to Busch’s liking. After his qualifying run today, Busch said “I like driving it.”
In 2007, he qualified 20th, today he not only sat on his first pole at Bristol, he did so in dramatic fashion breaking the track qualifying record of 128.709 mph previously held by Ryan Newman. Newman’s record had been in place since 2003. Three drivers, Busch, Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin, broke the old record, with a total of nine breaking the 15 second barrier.
It should also be noted that three of the top four cars were Toyota. Positive results as these are a welcome sign of relief for TRD.
Most drivers were pleased with how the car drove today, with Busch saying they could probably go into the low 14’s with the right tire. Though there have been a few hurdles to overcome in the first few weeks, it seems as if the teams are starting to get this new car figured out.
Last week at Las Vegas the number of quality passes had increased by approximately 40%. If today’s qualifying results and last week’s success at Vegas are any indicator, this weekend’s Food City 500 could be a fantastic race.
