Joey Logano leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt – Food City Dirt Race
NASCAR Cup Series takes the Next Gen car dirt racing at Bristol
For the first time in its existence the NASCAR Cup Series will compete with the Next Gen car on the dirt surface of Bristol Motor Speedway for an Easter Weekend spectacular, the Food City Dirt Race, this Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Last season’s race at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track was the first-time the NASCAR Cup Series had competed on dirt in over 50 years. Not since the checkered flag flew on NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty for winning the race on September 30, 1970 at North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina had the NASCAR Cup Series competed on a dirt track.
With more than 23,000 cubic yards of dirt hauled in to create the temporary dirt track surface at Bristol, it was a sight to be seen when all 39 cars took the green flag last season. The event saw five lead changes among five different leaders, but it was Team Penske’s Joey Logano who took the checkered flag over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by a scant 0.554-second.
Schedule (all times eastern):
This weekend’s Cup Series action at Bristol will kick off on Friday, April 15 with first practice from 4:05 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. ET and then followed by final practice from 6:35 p.m. – 7:25 p.m. ET. Both practices will be televised on FS1. Then on Saturday, April 17 Busch Light Pole Qualifying will be from 6 – 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
Raceday – Sunday, April 17 7:00pm on FOX (coverage starts at 6pm ET), PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Track:
Season Race: 9 of 36 (04-17-22)
Track Size: 0.5-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5-9 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 650 feet
Backstretch Length: 650 feet
Race Length: 250 laps / 125 miles
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 75 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 100 laps
Race Records & Results
Track Qualifying Record: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 130.599 mph, 20.674 secs., September 4, 2013
2021 Pole Winner: The April 18, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway decided the starting lineups by Metric Qualifying. Martin Truex Jr. started on the pole.
2021 Playoff Race Pole Winner: The September 11, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway decided the starting lineups by Metric Qualifying. Kyle Larson started on the pole.
Track Race Record: Dale Jarrett, Ford, 109.047 mph, (02:45:04), September 6, 1997
2021 Race Winner: Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 96.282 mph, (03:06:57), April 18, 2021
2021 Playoff Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 98.307 mph, (03:03:06), September 11, 2021
Top 5 In Points:
1 Chase Elliott 288
2 Ryan Blaney 285
3 William Byron 276
4 Joey Logano 261
5 Ross Chastain 246
Top Driver Stats:
BRISTOL DIRT-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)
· One top 10
· Average Finish of 8.000, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 10.980, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 95.7, seventh-best
· 6 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· 188 Laps in the Top 15 (74.3%), 11th-most
· 28 Quality Passes, third-most
Chris Buescher (No. 17 RFK Racing Ford)
· One top 15
· Average Finish of 14.000, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.708, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 82.6, 12th-best
· 1 Fastest Laps Run, 18th-best
· 221 Laps in the Top 15 (87.4%), seventh-most
· 28 Quality Passes, fourth-most
William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One top 10
· Average Finish of 6.000, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 4.921, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 110.3, fifth-best
· 21 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· 253 Laps in the Top 15 (100.0%), fourth-most
· 26 Quality Passes, sixth-most
Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One top 10
· Average Finish of 10.000, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 9.727, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 90.6, eighth-best
· 1 Fastest Laps Run, 16th-best
· 247 Laps in the Top 15 (97.6%), sixth-most
· 33 Quality Passes, second-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One top five, one top 10
· Average Finish of 3.000, third-best
· Average Running Position of 4.059, second-best
· Driver Rating of 120.0, third-best
· 29 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· 253 Laps in the Top 15 (100.0%), second-most
· 20 Quality Passes, 12th-most
Erik Jones (No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet)
· One top 10
· Average Finish of 9.000, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.004, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.6, 10th-best
· 5 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· 199 Laps in the Top 15 (78.7%), 10th-most
· 14 Quality Passes, 15th-most
Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)
· One win, one top five, one top 10
· Average Finish of 1.000, series-best
· Average Running Position of 4.111, third-best
· Driver Rating of 128.5, series-best
· 20 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· 253 Laps in the Top 15 (100.0%), series-most
· 26 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Tyler Reddick (No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
· One top 10
· Average Finish of 7.000, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.190, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 89.8, ninth-best
· 1 Fastest Laps Run, 17th-best
· 201 Laps in the Top 15 (79.4%), ninth-most
· 25 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Ricky Stenhouse Jr (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet)
· One top five, one top 10
· Average Finish of 2.000, second-best
· Average Running Position of 10.791, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 98.4, sixth-best
· 11 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· 216 Laps in the Top 15 (85.4%), eighth-most
· 39 Quality Passes, series-most
Daniel Suarez (No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)
· One top five, one top 10
· Average Finish of 4.000, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 4.292, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 114.4, fourth-best
· 21 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
· 253 Laps in the Top 15 (100.0%), third-most
· 19 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Martin Truex Jr (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· One top 20
· Average Finish of 19.000, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 2.292, series-best
· Driver Rating of 126.1, second-best
· 39 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· 251 Laps in the Top 15 (99.2%), fifth-most
· 10 Quality Passes, 18th-most
Bubba Wallace (No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota)
· One top 30
· Average Finish of 27.000, 24th-best
· Average Running Position of 12.403, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.2, 11th-best
· 2 Fastest Laps Run, 15th-best
· 181 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5%), 12th-most
· 21 Quality Passes, 10th-most
