We're not pleading for demolition-derby type racing at Bristol's boxing ring-sized track. But fans want to see some battle scars on the race cars, some dents and scrapes.
The new concrete surface created additional racing grooves, which is good. What isn't good is Kasey Kahne's dominating the middle of the race, leading 265 consecutive laps, and the winner, Carl Edwards, pacing the final 129 laps. Where were the challenges for the lead?
Since the race featured the Cars of Tomorrow, maybe the drivers were more cautious.
Maybe we need to give Bristol a few more races before really getting our overalls twisted. Edwards, for one, urges patience.
"I think, in the big picture, this is a transition race," Edwards said.
"[The track] looks the same, but it sure isn't the same, so you've got a new racetrack and new cars."
No. 900 for Rudd
Ricky Rudd's first Cup series start was in March 1975 at Rockingham, N.C., when he was 18. Rudd finished 11th in the Carolina 500 and collected $2,000.
On Sunday, at California Speedway, Rudd is scheduled to make his 900th start. Only Richard Petty (1,185) has started more Cup races than Rudd. The Virginian's career earnings top $40 million.
One highlight among Rudd's 23 career Cup wins (no championships) is the 1997 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. His last Cup win was at Sonoma, Calif., in 2002.
Rudd, 51, announced this month that this will be his final full-time racing season.
"To run this schedule week in and week out [is] more demanding than it used to be," he said. "I think it's really a young guy's sport."
Rudd holds the NASCAR record for most consecutive races (788) from 1981 through 2005. He sat out the '06 season.
