FORD PERFORMANCE: NASCAR BRISTOL 2 NOTES
This week marks the return of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to Bristol Motor Speedway, where last year Ford won all three events. Brad Keselowski won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race while Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano captured the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, respectively. Here’s a closer look at Ford’s history at BMS.
FORD ON TOP…Ford holds the points lead in two of NASCAR’s top three touring series going into this week’s action at Bristol Motor Speedway. Tyler Reddick has an eight-point advantage over Matt Crafton going into tonight’s UNOH 200 while Chris Buescher is 24 points ahead of second-place Ty Dillon in the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings. In addition, Ford holds the top two spots in the NXS owner standings as the No. 22 Mustang from Team Penske leads the No. 60 Mustang of Roush Fenway Racing by 92 points. Ford holds down second-place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings as Joey Logano trails leader Kevin Harvick by 48 points.
THE FIRST TIME…Ford won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was on March 31, 1963 when Fireball Roberts won the Southeastern 500. What made the win so noteworthy is that it marked the debut of Roberts with Ford as a teammate of Fred Lorenzen’s at Holman-Moody. The duo put on a dominant show that day as they combined to lead 329 of 500 laps with Roberts leading 165 and Lorenzen 164. Roberts passed his new teammate with eight laps to go and won by five seconds as the race saw only one caution for nine laps. Roberts went on to win four races in 1963 while Lorenzen won six times.
THE LAST TIME…Ford went to victory lane was in August when the manufacturer swept all three NASCAR series races – Camping World Truck, XFINITY and Sprint Cup. Brad Keselowski captured his first NCWTS victory while Ryan Blaney took the XFINITY event. Joey Logano capped the weekend sweep when he passed Matt Kenseth with 45 laps to go and then had to hold off Keselowski to post his third win of the 2014 season. Logano was in control until caution came out with 69 laps to go. While he pitted for four tires, Kenseth and others stayed out which put Logano sixth on the ensuing restart with 63 to go. With fresh tires, however, he was able to move to the front in less than 20 laps and then hold off his Penske teammate down the stretch. It marked the first time Ford swept all three divisions in the same weekend since 2006 when Mark Martin (NCWTS) and Kenseth (NNS and NSCS) did it, ironically, at Bristol.
IN BETWEEN…Ford has won 635 all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and of the active tracks currently on the schedule, Bristol Motor Speedway ranks tied for first with Michigan as the manufacturer’s most successful track with 35 victories. Rusty Wallace leads the way with five career Ford wins at BMS from 1994-2000 while Fred Lorenzen and Kurt Busch each won three consecutive races at the half-mile oval. In addition, Alan Kulwicki won five races during his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career and two of those came at Bristol Motor Speedway (1991-92). Ford has swept both Bristol races seven times, including last year when Carl Edwards won the first event in March and Logano followed with his Night Race triumph in August.
FORD MULTIPLE RACE WINNERS AT BRISTOL
5 – Rusty Wallace (1994, ’96, ’99, 2000*)
4 – David Pearson (1968*, ’69, ’71)
3 – Carl Edwards (2007, ’08, ‘14)
3 – Fred Lorenzen (1963, ‘64*)
3 – Kurt Busch (2003*, ‘04)
2 – Alan Kulwicki (1991, ’92)
2 – Mark Martin (1993, ’98)
2 – Matt Kenseth (2005, ’06)
* Denotes season sweep
