The first time Kelly Bires went to the Bristol Motor Speedway, he was a spectator. As he watched from the spotter’s stand, he vowed to return someday as a driver.

That dream will come true in this Friday’s Food City 250.

Bires will drive the No. 47 Armor All Ford in one of the most-popular Busch Series races of the year. He brings a wealth of experience on short tracks, but he admits that may not matter much on the 36-degree banking.

Bires said the keys to success are the same on Bristol’s .533-mile oval as any of the bigger speedways. Track position, traction in the turns and some racing luck all are paramount in a team’s success. The Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team will have four hours of practice on Thursday and another session early Friday, followed by pole qualifying at 4:30 p.m.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY
Kelly Bires, Driver of the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion:
“As a rookie, I haven’t seen a lot of the tracks in the Busch Series,” he said. “I can say I’ve seen Bristol – but not as driver. I watched a race from the spotter’s stand once. It’s an incredible racetrack, and I can’t wait to see what it’s like now that they’ve re-done the racing surface.

“It’s a real advantage for us to get four hours of practice on Thursday. Since they’ve added variable-degree banking, it’s new for everyone. That puts us a little closer to even with the other teams. If you give Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and the guys on this Armor All team four hours, they’re going to get things figured out.”

Scott Zipadelli, Crew Chief of the No. 47 Armor All Ford Fusion:
“We can get a lot done in four hours on Thursday,” he said. “We’re starting with a solid baseline that will give us the opportunity to go in a couple directions. The new pavement is supposed to create two racing grooves since the outside groove has more banking. That’s going to be a big change. It’s something everyone will have to work on.”