This weekend will be the ultimate NASCAR “Wild Card” race when the Cup Series goes “Dirt Trackin'” for the first time in more than 50 years!
Bristol Motor Speedway covered the racing surface with dirt. This weekend the drivers will race on that dirt surface. It is a track surface that NASCAR’s top division has not raced on since 1970.
We usually get excited about NASCAR going “Short Trackin'” at Bristol as a nod to the sport’s roots. “Dirt Trackin'” is getting back to those roots in an even deeper way!
This weekend will be traditional in another way. The line-up for Sunday’s race will be set with heat races. That’s right, Saturday night (3/27) there will be four heat races to determine the starting order for the feature race Sunday (3/28). Which heat race each driver races in will be determined by an “old school” random draw.
Here is the basic data for the track and this weekend’s race.
Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Track Size: 0.533-miles
Track Surface: Dirt
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 4-8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 650 feet
Backstretch Length: 650 feet
Food City Dirt Race
Season Race #: 7 of 36 (03-28-21)
Race Length: 250 laps / 133.25 miles
Stage 1 & 2: 75 Laps (each)
Final Stage: 100 Laps
There are no driver statistics to share with you this week. Not a single driver has raced on dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway in a NASCAR Cup Series car. Below is a clip from NASCAR RaceHub with Adam Alexander (announcer), Brad Keselowski (active driver) and Jeff Gordon (Hall of Fame Driver and announcer) talking about what we might be able to expect from this weekend’s race.
Who will win this weekend? Will it be a former “Dirt Tracker”? Will it be a driver that raced at Bristol last weekend in a different kind of dirt race? Will it be a driver that is racing for the first time ever on dirt?
I know one thing for sure. I personally cannot wait to watch the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday, March 28th starting at 1 p.m. central time (2 p.m. eastern time)!
By: Buck Stevens
