After experiencing the race weekend that wouldn’t end, the No. 21 Air Force Ford team and driver Bill Elliott are preparing for one of the most anticipated showdowns of the year—an event simply called “…the Bristol Night Race.”

Not only is it the hardest ticket on the circuit to obtain, but the sellout crowd of over 170,000 will be watching from the coliseum that rises out of the mountains on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. For even seasoned and jaded team and crew members, the excitement prior to this event is palpable. And the racing action is tight, fast and furious. Fellow driver Tony Stewart once likened the event to flying a jet fighter in a high school gymnasium. Well, here’s hoping that this No. 21 Air Force Ford will take flight on the newly resurfaced and banked ½ mile bullring—and make its mark as the traditional end of a long, hot summer comes to a close.

This being a COT race for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup teams, the No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG team has selected chassis No. C-4 from their arsenal in the shop. It has one previous start this year, coming at the New Hampshire International Speedway back in July.

Bill Elliott has a solid and successful record at the Bristol Motor Speedway. In 41 starts at the ½-mile track, he’s managed one victory (1988), six top-fives and 14 top-10 finishes. He’s also led 464 laps of competition and holds down one Bud Pole Position, coming in 1991.

With the precarious points position that the team finds itself in once again, points will again be a premium. Elliott has been nothing if not completely solid when it comes to returning a car in one piece with all of the fenders one the car—yet this weekend’s event will challenge even the smoothest of the smooth. The Official Tagline of the United States Air Force is “Do Something Amazing”. If the Wood Brothers/JTG team can follow through with these instructions, it just might make for a successful night.

WHAT THE TEAM HAS TO SAY:
Bill Elliott, driver of the No. 21 Air Force Ford:
“Oh man, Bristol—where to do you start? One part luck and the other part survival, it seems. I think this new surface and banking is going to put on some kind of a different show from what we’re used to. If the top groove isn’t a disadvantage, you may see less and less of moving people out of the way. You have to race Smart here every lap and concentration is at a premium when you’re sitting behind the wheel lap after lap. But I like this place as much as anywhere we go on the circuit. I’ll be ready and fired up.”

Michael McSwain, Crew Chief of the No. 21 Air Force Ford:
“Well, the COT program has produced a challenge for us so far, but we’re making some strides. It looks like the schedule Friday morning should give us plenty of time to get the car setup and ready for practice. This is going to be a phase by phase approach. We don’t need to get ahead of ourselves. Fundamentals and execution are the two factors that could have us leaving this place with a smile on our face.”