NASCAR Pre-race: NASCAR Countdown - 7:00pm/et

Television Race Coverage: ABC, 7:30pm/et

In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Dr. Jerry Punch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace
ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage: Tim Brewer

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 5:00pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Sunday, August 28 at 5:00am/et on ESPN2
Wednesday, August 31 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

goprn.com

siriusxm.com

Track Specifications:
0.533-mile concrete oval
500 laps, 266.5 miles
Degree of banking in corners: 24 to 30 degrees
Degree of banking in straights: 4 to 9 degrees
Straightaways: 650 feet long.
Concrete racing surface: 43 feet wide.
Seating capacity: 160,000
Bristol has two pits roads: 22 pit stalls on the front stretch and 21 on the back stretch
Pit Stall Size: 25.5 feet long, 15.5 feet wide
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Pace Car Track Speed: 35mph
Track Opened: 1960
First Cup race: 1961

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Mike Polk, CEO of Newell Rubbermaid and 250 professional tradesmen
Command to start engines: Mike Polk, CEO of Newell Rubbermaid and 250 professional tradesmen
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Ace Hardware's Ken Goodgame
Invocation: Joe Gibbs
U.S.A. National Anthem: Motor Racing Outreach Children
Military Flyover: 4 T-38 Talons, Randolph AFB San Antonio, TX

Night Race Attendance:
2011: 156,000
2010: 155,000
2009: 160,000
2008: 160,000
2007: 160,000

Track Websites:
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway's Online Ticketing Center
Speedway Motorsports
Bristol Raceway Ministries
Bristol Motor Speedway - Facebook
BMS Photo Page on Flickr

August 2010: see my Bristol Race Info page

March 2011: see my Bristol Race Info page

2011 March Race Winner: #18-Kyle Busch, 91.941mph, started 12th

2010 August Race Winner: #18-Kyle Busch, 99.071mph, started 19th

Track Race Record 1st Race: Cale Yarborough, Apr 1977, 100.989

Track Race Record 2nd Race: Charlie Glotzbach, July 1971, 101.074

Slowest Race Record: Ned Jarrett, July 1965, 61.826mph

Oldest Race Winner: Dale Earnhardt, 48 years, 3 months, 30 days, 8/28/1999

Youngest Race Winner: Kyle Busch, 21 years, 10 months, 23 days, 3/25/2007

Worst Starting Spot to Win: Elliott Sadler, March 2001, started 38th

2011 March Pole Sitter: #99-Carl Edwards, 124.014, finished 2nd

2010 August Pole Sitter: #48-Jimmie Johnson, 123.475mph, finished 35th

Track Qualifying Record: #12-Ryan Newman, March 2003, 128.709mph, 14.908 secs

Oldest Pole Winner: Harry Gant, 54 years, 7 months, 17 days, 8/27/1994

Youngest Pole Winner: Joey Logano, 19 years, 9 months, 23 days, 3/19/2010

The Numbers for the Irwin Tools Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway:
0 - fewest cautions for a race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7/11/71)
0 - fewest lead changes for a race (3/25/73)
1 - fewest laps led by race winner (7/26/64 - Fred Lorenzen)
4 - number of jet dryers available for track drying during race weekend
7 - number of consecutive wins by Darrell Waltrip at BMS (1981 - 1984)
16 - most wins by a car owner (Junior Johnson)
20 - most cautions for a race at BMS (three times, most recent 8/23/03)
34 - races won from the front row (22 from the pole)
38 - different winners at BMS in 101 Sprint Cup races
40 - most lead changes (4/14/91)
42 - number of cars that started first race at Bristol in 1961
60 - minutes, the minimum amount of time it takes to dry the .533-mile track after a significant rainfall
157,574 - number of fans that established the Guinness World Record for the world's largest audience wave at BMS (August 23, 2008)
2011 Caution Update
4 - fewest cautions this season (Fontana and Pocono1)
6 - number of races extended beyond scheduled distance in 2011
10 - number of cautions in spring race (March 20) at BMS
16 - most cautions this season (Daytona)
167 - number of cautions in the first 23 races of 2011; includes 77 for accidents, 40 for debris and 24 for spins
774 of 6,251 - number of laps under caution in 2011
1,143.611 of 9,166,258 - miles under caution in the first 23 races.(Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports)(8-24-2011)

At Bristol Motor Speedway, stats & facts:
· Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960. The track was an exact half-mile.
· First NASCAR Sprint Cup race was July 30, 1961.
· In the fall of 1969, the track was reshaped and re-measured to .533-miles.
· The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
· The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
· The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992.
· The name changed to Bristol Motor Speedway in May 1996.
· The track was resurfaced between races in 2007.
· There have been 101 NASCAR Sprint Cup races since the first race there in 1961, two races each season.
· All races have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400 laps.
· Fred Lorenzen won the first pole.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was won by Jack Smith (with relief from Johnny Allen).
· There have been 44 different pole winners, led by Cale Yarborough and Mark Martin (nine). Martin swept both poles at Bristol in 2009.
· 38 different drivers have won, led by Darrell Waltrip (12).
· Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon each have five wins, most among active drivers.
· The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole was Carl Edwards, in the night race of 2008.
· 80 of 101 races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 52 from the first four spots.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 38th, by Elliott Sadler in 2001.
· The 2009 night race had a margin of victory of .098 seconds, the second-closest MOV at Bristol since the advent of electronic scoring in May of 1993.
· The last five Bristol races had a margin of victory under one second.
· There have been 162 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Tennessee.
· 101 drivers all-time in NASCAR's three national series have their home state recorded as Tennessee.
· There have been 13 race winners from Tennessee in NASCAR's three national series.(NASCAR)(8-23-2011)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Bristol Motor Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Practices:
Friday, August 26, 12:00 - 2:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, August 26, 2:45 - 3:30pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, August 26 at 5:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, no re-air scheduled.

Keselowski wins at Bristol: #2-Brad Keselowski won the IRWIN Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway for his 4th career win and 3rd win of 2011. He has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 1st in his last 4 races. #56-Truex, Jr. finished 2nd followed by #24-Gordon, #48-Johnson, #1-McMurray, #17-Kenseth, #11-Hamlin, #39-Newman (the pole sitter), #99-Edwards, and #9-Ambrose.
#18-Busch, #48-Johnson, #17-Kenseth, and #99-Edwards have now clinched spots in the chase.
Points leader going in to the race, #18-Busch, finished 14th. He is now tied with #48-Johnson with 830 points, but he has the top position because of his 4 wins.
There were 22 lead changes among 10 drivers and 6 cautions for 42 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 156,000, up from 155,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Air:
ESPN2, Sunday, August 28 at 5:00am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, August 31 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Bristol Race Results/Awards page.(8-27-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Bristol, race 24 of 36]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 830
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 830, -0
3) #17-Matt Kenseth [2 wins], 798, -32
4) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 795, -35
5) #29-Kevin Harvick [3 wins], 782, -48
6) #24-Jeff Gordon [2 wins], 782, -48
7) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 762, -68
8) #22-Kurt Busch [1 win], 749, -81
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 728, -102BR> 10) #14-Tony Stewart, 710, -105
out of top 10, no wins, less then a race out of 10th
12) #33-Clint Bowyer, 688, -142
current wild cards
WC1) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 689, -141 [11th in points, 3 wins]
WC2) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 672, -158 [13th in points, 1 win]
others in the top 20 with wins, possible for the wild card
20) #27-Paul Menard [1 win], 631, -199 [18th in points, 1 win]
Three race winners are not inside the top-20: #6-Ragan is 21st, 3 points out of 20th,m#9-Ambrose is 22nd, 4 points out of 20th; #78-Smith is 25th, 79 pts out of 20th
NOTE: wild cards are drivers not in the chase with a win as long as they are in the top-20 in points, then if no wins by drivers points.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(8-27-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Atlanta:
#71 increases it's lead to 49 over 36th in owners pts, the #38 team.
33) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 337, +64
34) #32-Labonte/FAS Lane, 330, +57
35) #71-Lally/TRG, 322, 49 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 273, 49 points out of top 35
37) #7-Gordon/RGM, 269, -53
38) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers, 238,-84
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(8-27-2011)

Race Fast Facts - Bristol:
Brad Keselowski won the 51st Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race, his fourth victory in 77 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in four races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Martin Truex Jr. (second) posted his first top-10 finish in 12 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his eighth top-10 finish in 2011.
Jeff Gordon (third) posted his 21st top-10 finish in 38 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The following drivers have clinched a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. Kyle Busch, who clinched at least a Wild Card spot last week, has now clinched a top-10 spot.
The drivers eligible for next week's Sprint Summer Showdown Presented by HTC EVO 3D $3 million bonus: Brad Keselowski (Pocono and Bristol), Paul Menard (Indianapolis), Marcos Ambrose (Watkins Glen) and Kyle Busch (Michigan).(NASCAR Statistics)(8-27-2011)

Bristol Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Brad Keselowski scored his fourth career Cup victory in his 77th race; his previous best Bristol finish was 13th.
" Brad Keselowski climbed from 12th to 11th in points; he has posted top-three finishes in the past four races, including two wins (climbed from 21st to 11th in those four races, gaining 74 points on 10th).
" Brad Keselowski led seven times for 89 laps, including the final 80.
" Penske Racing scored its 70th Cup victory , ninth at Bristol and fourth in 2011 (three by Brad Keselowski, one by Kurt Busch).
" Dodge posted its seventh victory at Bristol and fourth in 2011.
" Martin Truex Jr (second) posted his first top-five finish in his 12th race at Bristol; his previous best was 12th.
" Jeff Gordon (third) scored his first top-five at Bristol since spring 2009 (four races) and best finish since March 2007, the last race on the old surface.
" Jimmie Johnson (fourth) posted his fourth top-five in the past six races at Bristol and 10th top-five in 2011; he has finished in the top five in five of the past seven races.
" Jimmie Johnson has led at least one lap in the past six Bristol races, the longest current streak.
" Jamie McMurray (fifth) posted his third top-five finish at Bristol and third top-10 in the past four races there; it's his second top-five finish in 2011.
" Matt Kenseth (sixth) has posted top-10 finishes in his past five Bristol races.
" Ryan Newman (eighth) scored his sixth top-10 in the past seven Bristol races.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr. (16th) has been running at the finish in his past 23 Bristol races, the longest current streak.
" With his lead at Bristol, Kyle Busch has led in 18 of the 24 races this season, most by any driver.
" Kevin Harvick (fifth in points) and Jeff Gordon (sixth) need just four points at Atlanta or Richmond, which is 40th-place points, to clinch a spot in the Chase.
" If Ryan Newman finishes 20th or better at Atlanta he will clinch a Chase spot.
" If Kurt Busch finishes seventh or better at Atlanta he will clinch a Chase spot.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart can clinch Chase spots if they have a 49-point lead over 11th after Atlanta.
" Any driver 97 points behind 10th after Bristol cannot get into the top 10 in points; he needs a win in order to have a chance to make the 2011 Chase.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(8-28-2011)

Penalty Report - Bristol:
Car#, Lap, Reason, Penalty
#27, 34, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
#36, 34, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
#38, 35, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
#22, 106, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
#16, 132, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
#00, 298, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
#27, 299, Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
#38, 299, Disobeying a NASCAR request [failure to go to proper position under yellow], 2 Laps
#22, 306, Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
#32, 416, Commitment Line Violation, tail end
#47, 487, Safety violation [below minimum speed], pit
(NASCAR Statistics)(8-27-2011)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Bristol: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #71-Lally, 25th
Caution 2: #95-Starr, 27th
Caution 3: #51-Bliss, 29th
Caution 4: #88-Earnhardt, Jr., 16th
Caution 5: #4-Kahne, 11th
Caution 6: #47-Labonte, 34th
(8-27-2011)

Race Coverage of the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, August 27, 2011.
Television (TV): ABC at 7:30 pm/et; NSCS Countdown pre-race show at 7:00 pm/et; green flag approx 7:43pm/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Sunday, August 28 at 5:00am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, August 31 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #39-Newman chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #99-Edwards took pit stall 23, which is the first pitstall on the backstretch.
#17-Kenseth, who starts 3rd took the 22nd pit stall, the last stall on the frontstretch.
The final pit stall on the backstretch was taken by #24-Gordon, who starts 4th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(8-26-2011)

Bristol Pit Rules: Bristol Motor Speedway operates under a plan where one-pit road will be used during pit stops under caution. Currently, Bristol remains the only track in the Sprint Cup Series that utilizes two pit roads with 22 pit stalls on the frontstrect and 21 on the backstretch. Teams that pit on the backstretch used to be at a competitive disadvantage. Since the spring 2002 race at Bristol, teams will enter pit road in Turn 2 (the current backstretch pit entrance) drive around down the backstretch and around Turns 3 and 4 and exit in Turn 1. Under green-flag conditions teams will enter and exit pit road under the current two-pit-road scheme.

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.(2-11-2010)

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.(10-11-2009)

See Jayski's - 2011 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Newman wins Bristol pole: #39-Ryan Newman won the Coors Light pole for the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with a speed of 122.811mph. It is his 2nd pole of the season and the 48th of his career. #99-Edwards starts 2nd followed by #17-Kenseth, #24-Gordon, #5-Martin, #1-McMurray. #27-Menard, #2-Keselowski, #20-Logano, and #22-Busch.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #87-Nemechek, #30-Stremme, #66-McDowell, #38-Kvapil, #46-Speed, #95-Starr, #7-Gordon, and #60-Skinner.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (3): #50-Bell, #55-Yelye, and #37-Green.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Bristol Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(8-26-2011)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Bristol:
Ryan Newman won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 51st Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race with a lap of 15.624 seconds, 122.811 mph.
This is his 48th pole in 356 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Newman ranks 10th on the all-time pole-winners list.
This is his second pole and 10th top-10 start in 2011. His first pole this season came at New Hampshire, a race he won.
This is his third pole in 20 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Carl Edwards (second) posted his 14th top-10 start of 2011 and his eighth in 15 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Matt Kenseth (third) posted his 10th top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his seventh in 24 races this season.(NASCAR Statistics)(8-26-2011)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, August 26, 2011 at 5:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 5:00pm/et
Qualifying Re-Air: none scheduled

Qualifying Order for the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is posted. 46 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers are now mixed in with the top-35 drivers, slowest by fastest in first practice.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #32-Labonte, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #99-Edward, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Bristol Qualifying Page.(8-26-2011)

Another new twist to the qualifying format: Starting at Kentucky Speedway, there will be a rain-out qualifying procedure change for all three NASCAR national series. If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.(NASCAR)(7-7-2011)

Final practice for the IRWIN Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over after 45 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#99-Edwards 120.354
#30-Stremme 120.331
#42-Montoya 119.977
#33-Bowyer 119.925
#31-Burton 119.895
slowest: ##32-Labonte 115.884 & #71-Lally 115.105.
notes: Midway through the session, #16-Biffle spun off turn two but did not hit anything.
See fastest speeds, best average speeds, most laps run on the Bristol Practice Speeds Page.(8-26-2011)

Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#30-David Stremme, 2nd
#95-David Starr, 11th
#87-Joe Nemechek, 13th
#38-Travis Kvapil, 15th
#66-Michael McDowell, 16th
#60-Mike Skinner, 17th
#7-Robby Gordon, 20th
#55-J.J. Yeley, 24th
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#46-Scott Speed, 26th
#37-Jeff Green, 28th
#50-T.J. Bell, 42nd

Friday's first practice for the IRWIN Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over after 120 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#99-Edwards 121.528
#5-Martin 121.412
#17-Kenseth 120.885
#2-Keselowski 120.535
#4-Kahne 120.505
slowest: #71-Lally 117.129 & #32-Labonte 115.898.
See fastest speeds, best average speeds, most laps run on the Bristol Practice Speeds Page.(8-26-2011)

Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#30-David Stremme, 23rd
#37-Jeff Green, 25th
#46-Scott Speed, 27th
#66-Michael McDowell, 28th
#7-Robby Gordon, 32nd
#38-Travis Kvapil, 33rd
#60-Mike Skinner, 34th
#50-T.J. Bell 37th
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#55-J.J. Yeley, 41st
#87-Joe Nemechek, 42nd
#95-David Starr, 44th

The Entry List for the Irwin Tools Night Race Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is posted, 46 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
#77-Wimmer has withdrawn.
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#7-Robby Gordon (36/23)
#30-David Stremme (44/11)
#37-Jeff Green (39/23)
#38-Travis Kvapil (37/23)
#46-Scott Speed (40/23)
#55-J.J. Yeley (52/5)
#50-T.J. Bell (49/9)
#60-Mike Skinner (43/23)
#66-Michael McDowell (41/23)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/23)
#95-David Starr (48/3)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 7,38,37,46,66,87,60,30
missing the race would be [4]: #'s 50,55,95,77
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Bristol Entry List.(8-22/26-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Bristol:
#71 increases it's lead to 19 over 36th in owners pts, the #7 team.
33) #13-Mears/Germain, 323, +55
34) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane, 319, +51
35) #71-Lally/TRG, 303, 35 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #7-Gordon/RGM, 268, 35 points out of top 35
37) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 265, -38
38) #21-Bayne/Wood Brothers, 238,-65
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(8-21-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Michigan, race 23 of 36]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 799
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 789, -10
3) #29-Kevin Harvick [3 wins], 760, -39
4) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 760, -39
5) #17-Matt Kenseth [2 wins], 759, -40
6) #24-Jeff Gordon [2 wins], 739, -60
7) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 725, -74
8) #22-Kurt Busch [1 win], 722, -77
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 700, -99
10) #14-Tony Stewart, 694, -105
out of top 10, no wins, less then a race out of 10th
11) #33-Clint Bowyer, 670, -129
current wild cards
WC1) #2-Brad Keselowski [2 wins], 642, -157 [12th in points, 2 wins]
WC2) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 635, -164 [14th in points, 1 win]
others in the top 20 with wins, possible for the wild card
18) #27-Paul Menard [1 win], 617, -182 [18th in points, 1 win]
20) #6-David Ragan [1 win], 604, -195 [20th in points, 1 win]
Two race winners are not inside the top-20: #9-Ambrose is 23rd, 11 points out of 20th; #78-Smith is 25th, 78 pts out of 20th
NOTE: wild cards are drivers not in the chase with a win as long as they are in the top-20 in points, then if no wins by drivers points.
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(8-21-2011)

Chassis selections for Bristol: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series Race:
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion has elected to bring chassis #1004 to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. This will be the second race of 2011 for this car, after running the inaugural race at Kentucky. The chassis also ran at Texas Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway in 2010.
#2-Brad Keselowski: will race chassis PRS-736 during Saturday's Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Speedway (BMS). Keselowski last drove this chassis to a 23rd-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June.
#5-Mark Martin: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-625 for Saturday's race at Bristol. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to a 12th-place finish at Bristol in March and to a runner-up finish at Dover in May.
#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-744 Last ran Michigan - finished 20th; Backup: RK-711 Last ran Darlington - finished 21st
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 653 for the 500-lap race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This Stanley Ford Fusion was previously run this season at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-583: This car debuted last March at Las Vegas, where it qualified ninth and led twice for seven laps before finishing seventh. Prior to Las Vegas, it spent time in the wind tunnel. It returned to the track for a NASCAR-sanctioned test at Charlotte March 23-24 before coming back to Charlotte for the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, where it started 11th and finished a solid fifth. It revisited the wind tunnel in preparation for its third career start in July at Chicagoland Speedway. The time in the tunnel paid off, as it qualified a strong third and finished ninth. It served as a backup at Kansas and at Auto Club Speedway, before returning for the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In that race, Stewart used Chassis No. 14-583 to rally from his 31st-place starting spot and overcome two instances where he was a lap down to finish eighth. During the offseason, the car was fitted with a new body and tested extensively in the wind tunnel. The Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas marked Chassis No. 14-583's fifth career start and first of 2011. It proved to be an interesting one, as Stewart rallied from his 26th-place starting spot, a pit road collision on lap 11 and a late-race pit road speeding infraction to still lead twice for a total of 12 laps before finishing 12th - its only finish outside the top-10. Chassis No.14-583's next start came at Kansas in June for its second start of 2011 and first at Kansas. It qualified 13th and wound up leading twice for 20 laps before a late-race pit stop for fuel jettisoned it to an eighth-place finish. The car returns to action this weekend at Bristol for its seventh career start but first on a short track.
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-751 (last raced at Pocono in June)
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 277: This chassis will make its sixth-ever start in Saturday's Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol. No. 277 made its debut at Pocono Raceway in August 2010, when Busch started 21st and finished 23rd in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. Its next start came in the Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway in September 2010, when Busch qualified a distant 32nd but rallied to bring home a second-place finish behind teammate Denny Hamlin. In its next start, in the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway last October, Busch started 26th but brought home a solid fourth-place finish. In March at Bristol, Busch started 12th and scored his first win on the season in the Jeff Byrd 500. In No. 277's most recent start, Busch started 14th, led 78 laps and finished 11th after late-race contact with another car at Darlington Raceway in May.
#20-Joey Logano: The #20 Home Depot Team is taking chassis #297 to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. Logano drove this chassis at Dover International Speedway where an early-race spin and a late-race wheel issue left him in the 27th position when the checkered flag waved. He also piloted this car at Texas in April and at Las Vegas in March. The back-up chassis is #290 that Logano drove at Kansas earlier this season.
#22-Kurt Busch: and his Steve Addington-led Penske Racing "Double-Deuce" team will be racing their "PRS-738" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. This chassis has been raced three times&in last October's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte, where Busch started 15th and finished 30th&in the April Phoenix race, where Busch started second and finished eighth&and in the June Pocono race where Busch won the pole and finished second.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 356 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Chevy was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition on track at Kentucky Speedway in July where Menard qualified 10th. An untimely caution during green-flag pit stops and front-end damage during a late restart resulted in a 24th-place finish. This car was also raced this year at Charlotte Motor Speedway where the Eau Claire, Wis., native started 16th and finished 29th in the Coca-Cola 600.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 346 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. The #29 team started 14th and finished 19th in this car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in May.
#31-Jeff Burton: will pilot chassis No. 329 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's IRWIN Tools Night Race. Built new for the 2010 season, Burton drove this Caterpillar Chevy to a 36th-place finish after starting 16th at Texas Motor Speedway in November.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 340 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #33 Chevy, built new in 2011, has made three appearances at the race track this season. The first was at Phoenix in February, where Bowyer finished 27th after being collected in a multi-car accident on lap 68. Bowyer also drove this chassis at Martinsville in April, leading 91 laps en route to a ninth-place finish and Richmond in May where Bowyer finished sixth after a third-place qualifying effort.
#36-Dave Blaney: will pilot chassis No. 802, which he drove at Bristol, Phoenix and Vegas. The team also ran this chassis in the 2010 NSCS season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-506: The #39 team will use chassis 39-506 for the second time this season but for the first time at Bristol. The #39 team had used chassis 39-516 for the previous five Bristol races dating back to the team's first outing at the .533-mile bullring in March 2009, but that car has now mileaged out, thus the move to chassis 39-506. This chassis has been a solid performer for Newman & Company as it has earned four top-10 finishes in just five starts since the team joined forces in 2009. The No. 39 team ran this chassis at both races at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in 2009, scoring two top-15 finishes. In the June race, Newman started fifth and finished fifth. He started seventh and finished 14th in the car at Pocono in August. During the 2010 season, the car saw action at both Darlington and Atlanta. In its first outing at Darlington, Newman started sixth and finished ninth. Newman followed that up with another top-10 finish at Atlanta. Newman started on the outside pole and led nine laps en route to an eighth-place finish. During the offseason, the chassis was updated for 2011. After being tested at Darlington as part of a Goodyear tire test in March, the car saw its first action at the track in May with Newman qualifying second and leading 28 laps before settling for a top-five finish. This car was also tested at Kentucky in July.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: The #42 team has selected chassis #1003 for the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol. This will be the third race of 2011 for this chassis, after it was used in the spring races at both Bristol and Dover. This car also ran five times last year (Charlotte-May, Chicago-July, Atlanta-September, Fontana-October and Texas-November).
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 710 for this weekend's event at Bristol Motor Speedway. This Best Buy Ford has been run previously this season at Bristol in March and Dover and Michigan in June.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: will pilot chassis No. 592 in Saturday night's event. He last drove that car to a third-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Johnson finished 16th in backup chassis No. 623 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-657. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis at Kentucky Speedway in July. He also has raced this chassis to a runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in June and a 14th-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-739 - This car ran Michigan in June, finished 5th
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(8-25-2011)