Jimmie Johnson:

ON GOING TO BRISTOL: “I’m ready for it. I’m ready to have it behind me. That race is a great a time. I love going there and I love watching races. I even enjoy being in the race but you never know what is going to happen. It’s a lot like a plate race. I look forward to being in the helicopter leaving that race hopefully with a lot of points and heading back to Charlotte.”

Tony Stewart:

“It’s one of my favorites, but Bristol is a track that’s feast or famine. If you have a really good day, it’s a lot of fun. But if you have one little problem, it normally makes for a very long day. We’ve had more long days than good days. But last year we finished third in the spring race to finally get a good finish there, and we backed it up in the night race with a top-10. And then this year we led a bunch of laps before the handling went away there at the end. Hopefully, it’s a sign of better things to come.”

Dale Earnhardt, Jr:

“Depends if it’s the last 10 laps or not (laughing). You try your best to be patient and keep the fenders clean during the race, because 500 laps is a long time at that place. But it’s hard, man. It doesn’t take much to lose your cool. I’ve lost it many times there. I’ve been the wrecker, the wreckee, and the innocent victim in other people’s wrecks at Bristol, and your tolerance gets tapped out in all those situations. I think the only person that leaves Bristol happy is the winner. But then I think back to when Daddy wrecked Terry Labonte as Terry crossed the finish line to win the race, and he probably wasn’t too happy either.”

Kevin Harvick:

“We finished second in both races there last time and won a race there last year. Bristol is my favorite place to go. I enjoy the short track stuff and we’ve always been fortunate to run really well there. We go there with high expectations but you never know what’s going to happen there. You can get caught up in a wreck in a hurry and have your day ended; so I mean you have to go there and enjoy it but know that the outcome could be the opposite of what you want it to be.”

Kasey Kahne:

“Bristol is unpredictable. It’s so fast, there’s no margin for error. Bumping is part of racing at Bristol, but a bump in the wrong place can put you in the wall or into a big wreck. If you have a little luck, stay clean and keep it on the track for 500 laps, you can have a good finish. Having a car that handles well is certainly a good start. We raced this car at Bristol earlier this year and finished 10th. That’s what we need, a solid run up front.”

Kurt Busch:

“It’s my favorite track of them all, there’s no doubt about that,” Busch said. “I’m asked that question several times a week, especially when we’re doing autograph signings and sponsor appearances. I know how much Rusty loved Bristol. I can identify with that. There’s no other place like it. There’s a level of electricity in the air, particularly in the night race there, which is second to none. It’s like a homecoming every time we go there.”

Jeff Gordon:

“Sixty percent of it you’re in control, and 40 percent you’re not. Even if you have a good race car, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay out of trouble. “You need a car that’s capable of running the speeds needed to stay up front, but things happen everywhere here - whether you’re the leader in lapped traffic or racing for position in the middle or back of the pack. “There’s no place that’s necessarily safe here. The chances of leaving Bristol with a victory or a good finish are a whole lot better if you have a good race car, though.”

Matt Kenseth:

“All along we’ve looked at this stretch, starting at Michigan, as having the potential to gain a lot of momentum entering the Chase. Michigan was obviously a great win for this team and now we’re going back to another one of our stronger tracks. It’s a one-race-at-a-time approach that we have right now. We’re not focusing on where we’re at in the standings we’re focusing on going out and trying to win races. Every time I look, they pay more points to the winner than anyone else. Bristol is a great track, a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to getting back there and hopefully having a chance of picking up one I let slip away earlier this year.”

Jamie McMurray:

“I definitely enjoy racing at Bristol, especially the fall night race. It’s one of those races that all the fans and the drivers certainly look forward to. This weekend will be really cool for the 26 team with us running the Sharpie paint scheme. I know in the past, the Sharpie paint scheme has brought some good luck to drivers at this track. Hopefully, for our Sharpie team this weekend, the same will hold true. We had a decent run last weekend at Michigan, although I wish we had run better. Hopefully this weekend, we will be able to prove how strong this team really is and how ready we are for our first win of the season.”

Mark Martin:

“I’ve had some of the most memorable races I can remember there and some pretty tough times there as well. We’ve had a lot of trouble staying out of the wrecks lately there, but we were able to avoid them to finish top-10 there in the spring, and we are really optimistic going back this weekend. Bristol can be crazy. I’ve always said it is like flying a jet fighter around the inside of a basketball arena, and try that with 42 other jets doing it at the same time. It can get really intense and it takes a great deal of patience by everyone. You just have to hope that you run well and that you can stay out of all the trouble, which isn’t always easy to do. Over the years Bristol has been the source of some real highs and lows for me.”

Greg Biffle:

“Bristol under the lights is incredible. It’s a great race for the fans and it’s a fun race as a driver. We can come out of there with a good finish if we don’t get caught up in any accidents. If we can stay out of the mess, I think we can get a top-five finish and be a contender for the win. In these next three races we just need to get the best finishes we can and see what happens with the guys in front of us.”

Casey Mears:

“I keep waiting to have a good finish at Bristol. It started out as a tough track for me, but now I just seem to find trouble during the race. Donnie and I both know that in order for me to finish in the top 10, I need to start up front. The speed has been there to run well and we’ve never had a problem of running competitive lap times in race trim. My problem has been qualifying. There’s obviously a fast way of getting around Bristol during qualifying that I’ve struggled a little bit with in the past. It gets me back in the pack and we get caught up in things that really aren’t our fault. We are going to focus on qualifying a little more this weekend so we can try and get that top-10 starting spot and avoid some of those incidents.

Michael Waltrip:

“I won a Busch race there a couple of years ago, but Bristol has been a bit of a challenge for us here lately. We had a wheel come loose and got some damage in one of the wrecks there in 2005 and still finished 19th. We have run well there and the NAPA AUTO PARTS team is definitely gaining confidence down the stretch. Bristol has a lot of wrecks, everyone knows that. To avoid it, you’ve got to have a car that handles well. If you handle well, you are fast. If you are fast, you don’t usually get wrecked. If you are slow and holding people up, then you’ll get your car torn up. Spotters are probably more important at Bristol than any other place. The track is so quick that if there is a wreck in turn two, you need to know it. The high banks can really blind you, so I depend on my spotter to be quick on the draw to let me know when and where to go.”

Dale Jarrett:

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that it is at the top of the list for fans and competitors. Maybe the restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega are close as far as the fans are concerned but there isn’t anything quite like a race at Bristol and I think most people will agree with that. As a driver, it’s a hard 500 laps around here, but at the end of the day you look back and say most of the time that you had a lot of fun. Everybody that you talk to no matter where you go — from the east coast to the west coast — they talk about wanting to go to Bristol to watch a race. That’s why I own six tickets of my very own. You can’t get tickets to Bristol and everybody wants them, but a number of years ago Wayne Estes called and said, ‘Look, I know you’re always looking for tickets here. I’ve got six that have come open. Do you want them?’ and I grabbed them up. We own those and we have a lot more requests than that, but this is just a phenomenal place. You can’t explain what it used to be here, but you don’t even have to do that because it’s such a great place to race on and for people to watch. I don’t know, when I retire in a few years what races I’ll go watch, but this will probably be one of them. It’s the most exciting show anywhere.”

Robby Gordon:

“Bristol is definitely one of my favorite tracks. I’ve qualified on the front row there before and had some solid runs. Bristol is pretty much anyone’s race to win. The idea is that if you can stay clear of the wrecks and keep your nose clean then you can come home with a great finish.”

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