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The heats are on, literally. When the NASCAR XFINITY Series descends upon Bristol Motor Speedway for its first short-track race of 2016, it will also mark the first race under the revamped Dash 4 Cash format.
This year, the four drivers eligible for the Dash 4 Cash prize will be determined by two heat races ahead of the main race. The top two XFINITY Series points-earning drivers in each heat will make up the Dash 4 Cash field in the main race. The highest finisher in the main among the four eligible drivers wins the Dash 4 Cash prize of $100,000.
RELATED: Explaining the new Dash 4 Cash format
"(This is) a great opportunity for me to look at what happens, what do the fans think of this concept and really looking at it going forward and how does it change some of the race strategies as well," Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's "The Morning Drive" earlier this week.
XFINITY Series managing director Wayne Auton indicated that the new format gave an equal chance to the whole garage.
"This is a great opportunity for the back half of the garage as much as it is the front half," Auton said. "This gives them an opportunity to really go for some good money and they feel like they got a shot at it."
There are some rules wrinkles with the new format as well.
"You have to start the heat on the tires you qualified on and you have to start the heat on the fuel (from qualifying)," Auton said. "No one should run out of fuel with the amount of laps we're running."
The heat races will go their scheduled distance and there will be no overtimes. Following the heat races, teams can change tires and add fuel with the normal final adjustments ahead of the main race. In addition, if a driver wrecks in a heat, teams can only work on the car until the checkered flag flies in their particular heat. That suggestion in particular, Auton said, came from the garage area. A team's tire count starts with the heat race.
The possibility of a driver wrecking in a heat race and missing the main is not lost on JR Motorsports' Elliott Sadler.
"It's kind of nerve-racking knowing that you can wreck your car in the heat race and can't even race in the Feature, so that’s kind of a tough concept," Sadler told NASCAR.com at Texas Motor Speedway.
"Of all the places to put it at, to put it at Bristol was a good idea on XFINITY's and NASCAR's part."
NASCAR wanted to keep the heat races and main event the same distance as the previous year's races. Only Richmond will be a slightly shorter distance. Last year's race there was 250 laps; this year's heats and main will total 210 laps.
With the new format comes uncertainty, excitement and an air of suspense before it is run. But drivers are intrigued to see how it plays out.
"I'm most curious about how people are going to race, knowing that you can’t go to a backup car before the feature or the main," Joe Gibbs Racing's Erik Jones said. "So I'm interested to see how people kind of handle that fact."
Richard Childress Racing's Brendan Gaughan thinks that the move is a litmus test that could lead to something more.
"To me, I think this is NASCAR's volley," Gaughan said. "They want to see if this will stick. Why not? You've got the XFINITY Series. You've got a sponsor. You've got people that want to see something exciting. Maybe try something different because fans are always clamoring about something different. Throw something on the wall and see what sticks."
Gaughan added that his opinion of the format will be based on one main factor: whether he takes home the prize.
"I'm excited to try it," he said. "I don't know if it will be good or bad. I don't care if it's good or bad. Let's get there and see what it does. If I win $100,000 at Bristol, I'm going to say 'I love it.' If I don't, I'm going to say, 'Eh, let’s go to next week and see how it goes.' I think that’s a very cool thing."