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HARD KNOCKS UNDER THE LIGHTS AT BRISTOL
 What
looked to be a promising night for Larry Foyt and the No. 50
Harrah's Racing team ended up in a pile of scrap metal and
frustration in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
After qualifying 33rd, making the race on speed for the
second-straight weekend and having strong and consistent practice
runs, the team felt optimistic about pulling out a strong finish
Saturday night.
"Final practice went really well for us," said Larry Foyt, driver of
the No. 50 Harrah's Dodge. "Our fastest time wasn't tops on the
speed chart, but we were really consistent. I was able to keep the
car glued to the bottom of the track, which is key at Bristol."
 Bristol Motor Speedway, a half-mile, concrete, oval banked 33
degrees, is known for many accidents. In fact, the race saw a
record-tying 20 caution flags. However, after the first caution on
lap six, the second caution didn't come until lap 63.
"The Harrah's car didn't really come in until I got about 50 laps on
my tires," said Foyt. "After that we were really able to make up
some time and make a few moves on the track."
After the spin on lap 63, the team pitted for tires and gas.
Unfortunately, some lug nuts on the left front tire didn't get
tightened and the team was forced to pit again to correct the
problem. That left the team in 35th position and one lap down on the
restart.
On lap 102, Foyt was spun out coming off of turn four, but managed
to save the car from hitting the wall. However, it wouldn't be the
last accident for Foyt on Saturday night. On lap 285, Foyt was spun
coming off turn two and ended up smacking the inside retaining wall,
causing significant damage to the Harrah's Dodge and ending the
team's night prematurely. The team finished in 39th position.
"It was a tough night all around for our team - in the pits and on
the track," said Foyt. "I hate it that we tore the car up, but that
is just a part of racing at Bristol.
"It was all night just fighting the car and fighting the traffic. It
seems like we've got to be on the record for cautions because there
were quite a bit out there tonight. There are so many cars that are
so even that it just come down to track position and who's going to
be patient and you see a lot of guys that aren't patient. "
The Winston Cup Series will shift its focus to Darlington Raceway
for the last Southern 500 to be held on Labor Day weekend. The
action kicks off at 1:00 p.m. EDT on NBC and MRN Radio.
Notes & Quotes: Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor
Speedway
 Broadcast
Information
• Qualifying: Friday, August 22, 3:00 p.m. EDT, TNT
• Race: Saturday, August 23, 7:00 p.m. EDT, TNT
Race Length
• 266.5 miles (500 laps)
Track Records:
• Qualifying: Ryan Newman, March 2003, 128.709 mph
• Race: Charlie Glotzbach, July 1971, 101.074 mph
Notes:
• When Bristol held its first race in 1961, it had a seating
capacity of 18,000. Currently, it seats 160,000 and has over 100
skyboxes.
• Larry competed at Bristol four times in the NASCAR Busch Series.
His best finish was 20th in this event last year.
• A.J. Foyt Racing has experienced mixed results at Bristol the last
three seasons. Their best start was third (08/1) with driver Ron
Hornaday and their best finish was 10th (08/02) with driver Mike
Wallace.
• The team qualified 14th at Michigan last week, their best starting
position of the season.
Larry Foyt on Bristol:
"Racing under the lights at Bristol is one of the most exhilarating
experiences for a race car driver. It's so exciting because there is
so much side-by-side racing, which also means the race has more than
it's share of accidents.
"We didn't make the race there in the spring, so the Harrah's team
is anxious for a second shot. We had our best qualifying effort of
the year (14th) at Michigan last week, so we're carrying a bit of
momentum and confidence."
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