With Sunday's planned short track race in Bristol postponed until Monday, many of NASCAR's top drivers were interviewed about the upcoming event. The 0.53-mile oval Bristol track is known for wild races. Now, weather is playing a factor in event timing as the rain has fallen several times leading up to Monday's race, which will make for a green race track.
Danica Patrick spoke to Fox Sports to weigh in on how her race would be managed. “It’s a little bit exhausting, because you always feel like you have to be somewhat ready – and NASCAR doesn’t always do the best job of giving us a lot of notice,” Patrick said. “Like there have been many times when I’ve been on the bus in my pajamas and they’re like, ‘Green flag in 15 minutes.’ And I’m like, ‘What?! Did you not have any indication that this was coming 15 minutes ago? So that’s kind of the exhausting part, because you have to remain ready. Hopefully NASCAR can do a better job of giving us a little bit more notice than 15 minutes to green.”
Furniture Row racer Martin Truex, Jr. had a lot to say in a pre-race interview about his expected performance this year. Truex is currently holding third place in driver standings with an average finish of 8.7. Fans are concerned, however, as he has not had a top-10 finish in Bristol since he took third in April of 2012. “Our recent record might not show it, but we do have a car that can compete and contend at the Bristol short track. We just need to be patient and stay out of the wrecks.” His team hopes to improve their short-track record after placing 16th at Martinsville 3 weeks ago. “We started off strong at Martinsville, winning the first stage, but didn’t finish strong. The next two weeks (Bristol and Richmond) will give us a good gauge on where we stand with our short track program,” said Truex
Forecasters are predicting a slight chance that the race scheduled for Monday will see any rain delays. As of now it looks like the morning will be the most affected by the weather with the afternoon predicted to shape up nicely. To quote D.W., "Let's Go Racing Boys... and Danika."
