Sheldon Creed has grabbed the points lead in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and he’s enjoying the view from the top as the circuit heads to challenging Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 300 Friday night.
His top rival, JR Motorsports elder statesman Justin Allgaier, just happens to love the cozy confines of racing at the .533-mile bullring that has been called the “Holy Grail of Short Tracks.”
Both will be looking to set the pace and earn as many points as they can in the NASCAR Chase round three of nine when the green flag drops at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday.
“It certainly feels good to be the points leader,” Creed said. “Our team made big changes all night (at St. Louis) to get the balance where we wanted it and that’s now two solid races to begin the Chase. I’ll take the second place, and we’ll move on to Bristol. A huge thank you to everyone at Haas Factory Team, Road Ranger, Ollie’s and Chevrolet for their support all season long.”
Veteran driver Creed, who drives the No. 00 for Haas Factory Team, says the team seems to be clicking at the right moment.
“The guys are just doing a really good job and bringing the best stuff we have in the shop right now,” Creed said. “It’s a fun time to be driving the 00. When we show up and can be fast, even when it’s not driving great, we’re still up there towards the front. That makes it really enjoyable.”
Meanwhile, Allgaier has two victories on his resume from Bristol and 13 top fives. He knows his way around the high-banked iconic track. He’s ready to grab the points lead back with a strong run at his familiar Bristol.
“I can’t think of a better place to head to than Bristol this weekend,” Allgaier said. “This has always been one of my favorite tracks. We’ve always been really strong here, and I know that we will have that same capability again on Friday. (The team) has been locked in all week, and we know what we need to do when we hit the track. We’ve had this race circled on the calendar, and we’re ready to get out there and see what we can do.”
Allgaier led the points throughout the O’Reilly regular season and many are calling him the favorite for the championship. Of the seven venues in the nine-race stretch that the series has already competed at this year, the No. 7 team won three of them. He locked up the No. 1 seed for The Chase with three races remaining on the schedule.
To say Allgaier’s confidence is high right now would be an understatement.
“There’s not a race track in The Chase that doesn’t fit our wheelhouse,” Allgaier stated. “There’s not a track that I don’t think we can’t go dominate at. I know that sounds a little bit egotistical, but I feel like with the cars, the team that we have this year, I have not shown up to a track this year other than the road courses that I haven’t felt like we could go out and be the dominant car.”
If Creed and Allgaier get tangled up, Travis Kvapil in the No. 1 machine for JR Motorsports will be ready to take advantage.
“Bristol is one of my favorite tracks,” Kvapil said. “We just need to go out there and execute the way I know this team can. If we do that, we’ll put ourselves in position to get this No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team into Victory Lane on Friday evening.”
Others to watch include Jesse Love and Austin Hill from the Richard Childress Racing camp. Corey Day of Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 17 machine and multi-time Bristol ARCA and Truck winner Sam Mayer.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Sept. 19 will feature a star-studded entertainment lineup, including Academy Award-winning actor and producer Brad Pitt as a Grand Marshal and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time INDYCAR Series champion Josef Newgarden as the honorary pace car driver leading the NASCAR Cup Series field to green. Saturday’s festivities also will include appearances by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, a pre-race concert by Brian Kelley, Bristol’s signature driver introductions featuring music personally selected by the competitors, a children’s choir performing the national anthem, and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA” as a bald eagle soars above the stadium, followed by a dramatic flyover featuring two U.S. Air Force C-130s. Fans also will receive yellow “Rowdy Towels” and unite for an emotional Lap 18 tribute honoring Kyle Busch and his unmatched success at Bristol—another powerful, only-at-Bristol moment before the NASCAR Cup Series’ biggest stars battle under the lights in one of America’s most iconic sporting events.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend, Sept. 17–19, will transform Bristol Motor Speedway and the surrounding Northeast Tennessee region into a three-day celebration of racing, music and unforgettable entertainment. Championship competition in all three of NASCAR’s national series begins Thursday with the Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA Menards Series race and the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics, which opens the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase, followed by Bristol’s popular Foam Party. Friday features Nobody Trashes Tennessee Qualifying, the Food City 300 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase race and a post-race concert featuring Tim Dugger. The weekend culminates Saturday night with the 500-lap, post-season Bass Pro Shops Night Race for the NASCAR Cup Series.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit BristolMotorSpeedway.com or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.
