Y! picks: Irwin Tools Night Race

STAT OF THE WEEK

Two-man race? Six of the last seven races at Bristol have been won by either Brad Keselowski or Kyle Busch.

MARCH RACE

RECENT WINNERS

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Check your team | Expert picks
Bristol preview (PDF)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for Saturday's Irwin Tools Night Race.

Brad Keselowski is the defending race winner.

Kyle Busch: The king of Bristol (between 2009 and 2011, anyway) has rescinded his throne to one Brad Keselowski as of late. Considering the two don't like each other much, that can't sit well with the rowdy one. Toss in the fact that Rowdy is in dire need of a victory to secure a Chase spot and you've got one desperate driver. In Busch's case, that usually means a trip to victory lane or an ambulance ride to the infield care center. I'm going with the former. – Jay Hart

Brad Keselowski: Picking a winner at a reconfigured Bristol is darn near impossible. With that caveat/excuse, I'm taking Keselowski. Nobody's running better right now, and nobody was better at Bristol in recent years. – Jay Busbee

Brad Keselowski: What better way for Brad to make a statement than to tell Jimmie Johnson that he'll need to win at Atlanta or Richmond to guarantee himself a share of the points lead when the Chase resets? Keselowski has won the last two Bristol races, making the "King of Bristol" title a shared throne between himself and Kyle Busch. And given their history and Watkins Glen, how great would it be if Keselowski and Busch went head to head for the win? – Nick Bromberg

• What if nothing changes? What if, after the repave, we still have multiple grooves or, worse, one dominant leader like the trucks race? We're all hoping Bruton Smith's repave gamble pays off … if it doesn't, NASCAR will have even harder questions to answer about the quality of racing. – Jay Busbee

• Will the added horsepower of the Cup cars mean we'll see a different race than we did on Wednesday night in the Truck Series? The Truck race looked like any other Bristol race has looked since the 2007 repave – great news for those who love the "new" Bristol and bad news for the ones who want the return of the bottom-line dominated racing. – Nick Bromberg

• Isn't it obvious? Will the repaving make Bristol like the old bumping-and-banging Bristol or will it be status quo? Even more fun will be driver reaction if it's like the old Bristol. With the Chase just three races away, there will be a lot on the line Saturday night, so an old-Bristol race will give drivers plenty to shout about. – Jay Hart

"I think everyone is kind of anxious to see how the changes will affect the track and how these Sprint Cup cars will respond. You have to applaud the track officials for being proactive and trying to make it a better show for the fans. For so long, Bristol – and the night race at Bristol, in particular – was a must-see event. I think the fans enjoyed the way Bristol used to be and the track is just trying to give the fans what they want." – Kurt Busch