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 The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion racing in his final
full-time campaign will attempt to drive his colorful car to Victory
Lane for the first time this season in the IRWIN Tools Night Race at
Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).
"I have a lot of great memories with this rainbow paint scheme,"
Gordon said. "What I love is this paint scheme is for the fans. The
fans wanted us to run this scheme again during my final season, and
this Axalta Chevy SS definitely stands out. You're not going to miss
it."
Gordon would qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
playoffs if the season ended today, holding the second-to-last
points spot in the standings. He is a comfortable 55 points in front
of the cutoff line, but a win would clinch him an automatic berth so
he wouldn't have to sweat out the points in the final two races
before the Chase.
Bristol has hosted Gordon in Victory Lane five times, tying the
44-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver with Kyle and Kurt Busch for
the most wins among active drivers at Bristol. He is also the active
leader in top-five finishes (17), top-10s (25), laps led (2,730) and
average starting position (7.7) at the track dubbed "The World's
Fastest Half-Mile."
When his No. 24 Chevrolet sported the rainbow look from 1992 to
2000, Gordon captured three NSCS championships, won 52 races and
took the checkered flag at 17 tracks.
Win or lose, Gordon is prepared to put on one final show for the
Bristol fans.
"When you have high-banked, very fast short track in this stadium --
in this 'colosseum' -- surrounded by the most avid NASCAR fans, the
energy in the stands and on the track is electrifying," he said. "It
just makes for a great event."
REGAN SMITH GOES FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN
Regan Smith defined what it meant to pull a 180 at Mid-Ohio last
Saturday.
One week after nearly coming to blows with Ty Dillon on pit road at
Watkins Glen, Smith found himself smiling and pumping his fist
triumphantly in Victory Lane.
"This is an incredible feeling, just an awesome feeling!" Smith
exclaimed after winning for the first time in 52 starts.
On Friday, Smith will try to celebrate for the second consecutive
week by winning the Food City 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at
Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).
"Once you do it (win a race) once, you want to do that every week,"
Smith said. "That moment when you pull up to the pit wall and do a
burnout with your guys standing there -- (guys) who put so much time
and effort into everything that you get to go out there and showcase
-- there's no moment like that, nothing that compares to that, no
feeling or sensation."
Fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, Smith trails JR
Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher for
the lead. Bristol is a prime place for Smith to gain ground on his
young adversaries. He has made as many starts (11) at the .533-mile
track as Elliott, Dillon and Buescher combined.
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Also on the line for Smith is the $100,000 NASCAR XFINITY Series
Dash 4 Cash bonus. To earn the extra money, Smith must finish ahead
of Daniel Suárez, Ryan Blaney and Elliott Sadler. He grabbed the
first two Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonuses at Dover and Indianapolis, so
if Smith earns the bonus this weekend, he can win $1 million through
the Dash 4 Cash program by winning the XFINITY race at Darlington on
Labor Day weekend.
"We want to win this weekend, for sure, with the XFINITY Dash 4 Cash
on the line, and there's no better place for it than Bristol," Smith
said. "We're looking forward to it."
NASCAR RACE WEEKEND GUIDE
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Race: IRWIN Tools Night Race
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Date and Time: Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET
On Air: NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps)
What to Watch For: Matt Kenseth is going for his third victory in
four races. ... Ryan Newman is making his 500th start, while Ricky
Stenhouse Jr. is making his 100th. ... Joey Logano is trying to win
at Bristol in August for the second straight season. ... Brothers
Kyle and Kurt Busch, along with Jeff Gordon, lead active drivers
with five wins each at Bristol. ... Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart,
who have previously won at Bristol, need to win to one of the last
three races of the season to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR
Sprint Cup.
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Race: Food City 300
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Date and Time: Friday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. (ET)
On Air: NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90
Distance: 159.9 miles (300 laps)
What to Watch For: Ryan Blaney will attempt to defend his 2014
August Bristol XFINITY Series victory. He can earn Team Penske its
third straight win at "The Last Great Colosseum." ... Six of the
last eight Bristol winners have started from the top two positions.
... Standings leader Chris Buescher will attempt to extend his lead
over Ty Dillon (24 points behind) and Chase Elliott (25). ... The
highest finisher among Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Blaney and
Daniel Suárez will win a $100,000 bonus as part of the NASCAR
XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash Program. ... Longtime veteran Hermie
Sadler III will attempt to qualify for the Food City 300 this
weekend, his first race since last season at Richmond.
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