LOOKING IN ON: MOTOR SPORTS

Brian Hilderbrand, Las Vegas Sun

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.

Busch confronts a new Bristol

Kyle Busch might have been the last person who wanted to see Bristol Motor Speedway undergo a track resurfacing.

Busch, a Las Vegas native, has taken to the half-mile bullring since the first time he saw the track in 2004. He posted a pair of third-place finishes there as a NASCAR Busch Series rookie in 2004 and has won on the Tennessee track in both the Busch and Nextel Cup series.

In 13 career starts at Bristol in Cup, Busch and the Craftsman Truck Series races, Busch has accumulated an impressive 10 top-10 finishes.

But Bristol Motor Speedway officials decided to resurface the concrete track after the Nextel Cup race in March, in which Busch held off Jeff Burton and became the youngest driver (at 21 years, 10 months and 23 days) to win a Cup race there since the track began hosting NASCAR's top series in 1961.

In addition to the track resurfacing, variable banking was added in the corners to help smooth the transition to the straightaways and the track was widened by three feet.

"It's completely different now," Busch said of the track. "There's no aspect to that place that's the same. It's definitely going to be a different race, that's for sure."

Nevertheless, he added, "I'm looking forward to it.

"I don't know what all it's going to entail , but we'll just have to see how it plays out," he said of Saturday night's race. "I've heard the Late Model races there have been really, really good , so it should be fun."

Busch is coming off a 13th-place finish in Tuesday's rain-delayed Cup race at Michigan International Speedway and remains eighth in points.

Gaughan gets hitched

Brendan Gaughan, driver of the Las Vegas-based No. 77 South Point Chevrolet in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, married fellow Las Vegas native Tatum Hayes on Saturday in a small ceremony in Vail, Colo.

Gaughan, 32, said he surprised himself when he finally decided to settle down.

"The funny part to me is the word 'marriage' and the action of a wedding have always been a very frightening experience to me," he said. "We definitely know that I was never the guy who was meant for marriage.

"Everybody asked where my bachelor party was and I said: 'No thanks, my life has been a bachelor party for the last 32 years.' I didn't really think I needed one."

On the move

One of the more impressive championship chases by a local driver is being waged by Jace Meier, an 18-year-old Las Vegas native who is competing in the Late Models division at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California.

Despite competing on a race-by-race basis because of limited sponsorship, Meier has posted 10 top-10 finishes in 12 races and is tied with Tim Huddleston - Meier's team owner - for the lead in the Auto Club Late Models points standings with three races remaining in the season. Among Meier's six top-five showings are three runner-up finishes.

Career NASCAR Cup victories for Kurt Busch , Kyle's older brother, who won Tuesday's race at Michigan International Speedway.

Career NASCAR Cup victories for Kurt Busch at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, site of Saturday night's Sharpie 500.

" There's no aspect to that place that's the same. It's definitely going to be a different race, that's for sure."

Kyle Bush,

on the resurfaced track at Bristol Motor Speedway