A dark cloud has hovered over the sport since the tragic accident on Aug. 9 when
Tony Stewart’s sprint car struck and killed 20-year-old driver Kevin Ward Jr.
Ward’s death, the investigation and Stewart’s absence from NASCAR has dominated the news.
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Wins by AJ Allmendinger at Watkins Glen and Jeff Gordon at Michigan have been overshadowed by coverage of the accident and talk and speculation about Stewart’s mental and emotional health and when he might return to racing.
Even the long-awaited announcement this week that Joe Gibbs Racing has signed Carl Edwards for 2015 seemed like an afterthought as the NASCAR world waited to see if Stewart would race this weekend.
It seems like a perfect time for a race at Bristol, where drama, controversy and exciting racing often puts NASCAR back in the spotlight for all the right reasons. Few events can put the buzz back into the sport more than the Night Race at Bristol, one of the most anticipated races of the year.
So while the Stewart story won’t go away for a while, Bristol could provide a brief and much-needed respite from the tragic accident and the Stewart investigation.
And this year’s race has even more on the line than usual with the Chase for the Sprint Cup just three weeks away.
Though Stewart will miss the race — and the Chase — some of the sport’s top drivers still need wins to secure a playoff spot, and some of them are consistent contenders at Bristol.
