Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR will use an LED drone marker to signify the choose area ahead of restarts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Cup Series races on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.

This weekend marks the first time drivers will be able to choose their preferred lane on an impending restart on dirt, darting to the left of the marker to choose the inside lane or right for the outside lane. The drone will fly to the frontstretch just past the start/finish line, with the box lighting up to signify the choose zone.

MORE: Bristol schedule | At-track photos

With an ever-changing racing surface, an alternative way to mark the location of the choose section was necessary, noted Jesse Little, NASCAR’s senior coordinator of competition operations.

“The project I think was spearheaded by Tim Bermann (senior director, competition operations) and the folks in broadcasting, productions and then competition operations,” Little told NASCAR.com Saturday. “And the question that was thrown to the group was, hey, we’re choosing everywhere now, that includes dirt. Can’t paint on the track. We don’t want anybody running out there. We don’t want anyone on pit road that would in the event, retrieve something from the racetrack. So what do we do?

“And Tim immediately started brainstorming and coming up with some thoughts and questions and what can we implement? What can be seen during the day? What can be seen at night? What is visible to drivers? What will be visible to spotters, fans and TV? And you know, I think so far it’s been received very well.”

Two-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano was one of the competitors spectating an early demonstration of the orange LED drone marker from pit road on Saturday afternoon. His first impressions?

“Cool!” he told NASCAR.com. “I don’t know, I think it’s neat. It’s a unique way of doing it, right? You look at other Saturday night short-track stuff on dirt and they do the cone and they pull the cone across afterwards and we’ve one-upped it. I think it’s cool.”

At paved facilities, a choose “V” is painted on the track to designate the choose area. If competitors drive over the orange square centered in the “V,” a penalty is issued to the driver. Officials will be closely monitoring drivers’ decisions this weekend to determine whether a driver will be subjected to penalty.

“We’ve communicated it to the competitors as don’t put us in a situation that might even resemble a questionable look,” Little said. “And they understand, and we’ve given them a good outline of how that will look. And it’ll be discussed thoroughly and vetted extensively up in the tower, and we’ll make sure that it’s fair and consistent and at the end of the day the right call will be made.”

Logano will be competing in both the Truck Series and Cup Series events this weekend. Having the ability to choose a preferred lane on dirt is a new wrinkle — and yet a familiar one.

“It’s just like everywhere else, right? What’s the preferred lane?” Logano said. “It’s going to probably change, the preferred lane. Are you willing to give up rows for that preferred lane? It’s risk vs. reward on all of it.”

With the drone sitting above the track surface, visibility won’t be a concern, he added.

“It’ll be more visible than what you see on the track,” Logano said. “You can never see it on the track, so that’s much better. Might want to do it everywhere.”

Little said there are no current plans to implement the choose drone elsewhere, but NASCAR will welcome feedback regarding the process.

“It’s pretty fun to know that we, as NASCAR, I think, are going to be one of the first (motorsports sanctioning bodies) around the nation to fully officiate with the drone,” he said. “So we’ll certainly take what we learned from this week in a way and see what happens.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series, will step away from racing this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway to focus on a personal matter, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

Ware, 27,  was set to compete in Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR). The team will hand over driving duties to three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and veteran Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Ford. Crafton will also compete in Saturday’s Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR).

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Cup Series drivers take to the dirt this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway for an Easter race that is unlike any other on the Cup Series schedule — but also one in which the qualifying process is similar to thousands of dirt tracks across the country.

The 37 drivers on the entry list locked in their starting position at Bristol via a series of heat races Saturday before the green flag for the main event on Sunday night (7 ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson claimed the Busch Light Pole once the dust settled. He won Heat 3, and his drive from sixth place to first place netted him five additional passing points.

Passing points? Read on below to see how the field was set.

RELATED: Photos from Bristol Dirt weekend

Saturday’s qualifying consisted of four heat races, each being 15 laps. During the heat races, drivers accumulated points for both finishing and passing. First place earned 10 points, second gets nine and so on down to one point for 10th — it’s the same way stage points are determined during a regulation race.

In addition to finishing points, drivers gained one point for each car passed from their original starting position. For example, Larson started sixth and finished first and received five points, in addition to the 10 points he received for finishing first place.

Drivers who finished where they started or ultimately lose spots on the grid got zero passing points. There are no deductions for drivers who finish below where they started.

Point totals from all four heat races determined the field’s starting lineup for the main event.

Joining Larson on the front row is Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon in the No. 3 Chevrolet. Like Larson, Dillon charged through Heat 1 to win — he started fifth.

J.J. Yeley is starting third for Rick Ware Racing, with Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch making up the remainder of the top five.

Qualifying Heat Race No. 1: Results

Finishing spot Driver Finishing points Passing points
1 Austin Dillon 10 4
2 Tyler Reddick 9 4
3 Christopher Bell 8 5
4 Alex Bowman 7  
5 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 6  
6 Justin Haley 5  
7 Ross Chastain 4 3
8 Josh Berry 3  
9 Brad Keselowski 2  
10 B.J. McLeod 1  

Qualifying Heat Race No. 2: Results

Finishing spot Driver Finishing points Passing points
1 Ryan Blaney 10  
2 Chase Briscoe 9  
3 William Byron 8 2
4 Harrison Burton 7  
5 Aric Almirola 6 1
6 Todd Gilliland 5 3
7 AJ Allmendinger 4  
8 Denny Hamlin 3  
9 Noah Gragson 2  

Qualifying Heat Race No. 3: Results

Finishing Spot Driver Finishing points Passing points
1 Kyle Larson 10 5
2 Ryan Preece 9 3
3 J.J. Yeley 8 6
4 Erik Jones 7  
5 Michael McDowell 6 3
6 Matt Crafton 5  
7 Chris Buescher 4  
8 Ty Dillon 3  
9 Corey LaJoie 2  

Qualifying Heat Race No. 4: Results

Finishing Spot Driver Finishing points Passing points
1 Bubba Wallace 10  
2 Kyle Busch 9 4
3 Austin Cindric 8 4
4 Jonathan Davenport 7  
5 Joey Logano 6 3
6 Ty Gibbs 5  
7 Martin Truex Jr. 4  
8 Kevin Harvick 3 1
9 Daniel Suárez 2  

 

OFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP FOR FOOD CITY DIRT 500 (Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX)

Starting Spot Driver Qualifying points
1. Kyle Larson 15
2. Austin Dillon 14
3. J.J. Yeley 14
4. Christopher Bell 13
5. Kyle Busch 13
6. Tyler Reddick 13
7. Austin Cindric 12
8. Ryan Preece 12
9. Ryan Blaney 10
10. William Byron 10
11. Bubba Wallace 10
12. Joey Logano 9
13. Michael McDowell 9
14. Chase Briscoe 9
15. Todd Gilliland 8
16. Ross Chastain 7
17. Alex Bowman 7
18. Erik Jones 7
19. Aric Almirola 7
20 Harrison Burton 7
21. Jonathan Davenport 7
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 6
23. Ty Gibbs 5
24. Matt Crafton 5
25. Justin Haley 5
26. Kevin Harvick 4
27. Martin Truex Jr. 4
28. Chris Buescher 4
29. AJ Allmendinger 4
30. Denny Hamlin 3
31. Josh Berry 3
32. Ty Dillon 3
33. Brad Keselowski 2
34. Daniel Suárez 2
35. Corey LaJoie 2
36. Noah Gragson 2
37. B.J. McLeod 1

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

The feeling of disbelief from Dale Earnhardt Jr. about North Wilkesboro Speedway’s comeback story can now be measured in months.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer had that feeling when the historic .625-mile track was reborn with racing at the regional and touring level there last August. He was an active participant on the Late Model side, and the facility – while still wanting for creature comforts and basic amenities – responded with a warm embrace from those in attendance.

That feeling has kept going, from Earnhardt getting the official word last September that North Wilkesboro would host the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2023, bringing the Cup Series back to the foothills track for the first time in nearly 27 years. He received another shot of reality Thursday, when officials shed light on a fittingly old-school All-Star Race format for the May 21 event.

RELATED: All-Star Race format revealed | Cup Series schedule

Earnhardt wistfully flashed back to his appearance there last summer, thanking the fans for their grace in bearing with the track’s rough edges from early in the reconstruction process. Once the engines roared back to life there, not many folks there seemed to mind.

“Everybody was just so happy to be there, and as soon as the cars started rolling, everybody was like, you know, sort of this surreal moment where you’re thinking, ‘Man, I can’t believe that this is happening,’ ” Earnhardt said.  And I was thinking that in the car and after the race, and I’m like, ‘I just can’t believe that we actually raced here, and that we had such a great turnout, and we had such great energy.’ And everybody, even all the drivers, competitors are just so happy to be part of it.

“And I think that it’s just going to multiply when we go there for the All-Star week, and when we’re all standing there, all of us here, when we’re standing there, for that race to begin, that moment is going to happen for all of us. We’re going to be like, ‘I never thought this would happen. I can’t believe this is actually about to happen.’ ”

Earnhardt was on the early edge of trying to preserve the speedway, getting his hands dirty in helping a crew prepare the track for iRacing simulator scans way back in 2019. The progress has advanced well beyond that weed-whacking, shoveling and sweeping in recent months, with a North Carolina government grant helping the track’s leadership group breathe new life into the place.

Renovations continue to take shape, with new concrete being poured, a new LED scoring pylon, and salvage efforts for the existing structures that ring the Wilkes County oval. Marcus Smith, Speedway Motorsports president and CEO, has called the rejuvenation a “resto-mod” with efforts made to retain the track’s vintage character while adding modern underpinnings. He also has a longer-term vision for what the track could be, even beyond racing.

“From the beginning, I have been interested in seeing the speedway be a venue for entertainment and a kind of a destination for festivals and music events, car show events, Christmas shows and of course, races,” Smith said. “So we’re already fielding calls for special events that can happen there and working on the future calendar. I think that those are things that we definitely intend for the speedway to be a spot that people go to for many, many years ahead.”

The steps that have already been made at North Wilkesboro, plus that vision for permanence, have also resonated with NASCAR competition officials, who have watched the track’s rebirth with interest. The 2024 racing calendar hasn’t come to light yet, but Steve O’Donnell — NASCAR Chief Operating Officer – said Thursday that the support for the rebuilding efforts has made an impression.

“I think still too early to talk about even ’24 but it’s something that certainly has us intrigued in terms of the fan feedback, the fact that it’s already sold out is really neat, and the industry getting behind it,” O’Donnell said. “So that’ll be important once we get through there — how’s the track hold up, what do the drivers think, how’s the Next Gen car perform. All that’s certainly something we want to look at and wouldn’t rule out going back there as well.”

MORE: Photos from Goodyear tire tests

In the meantime, what’s old is gradually becoming new again. The former ghostlike, crumbling vestiges of North Wilkesboro Speedway now beam with fresh paint. The All-Star Race was for decades a Charlotte Motor Speedway mainstay that only recently rotated among other Speedway Motorsports tracks; it’s now breathing anew, and without throwing any major gadgetry at the race format.

Smith had jokingly – or perhaps not so jokingly – tapped Earnhardt on Thursday as the track’s de facto chairman of the board. The 48-year-old racer turned NBC Sports analyst plans to return there next month, competing in a CARS Tour event during the weeklong run-up to the main event. Whether his seat at the head of the table on the North Wilkesboro board is imaginary or not, Earnhardt said that he’s hopeful for the future of both track and event.

“It’s perfect, right? I mean, that race needs a reboot. And here we go,” Earnhardt said. “I mean, it’s great for the track, it’s great for the All-Star Race as well because, this talk about ‘Do we need the All-Star Race?’ Come on. We need the All-Star Race. You know, there’s been a little talk about man, maybe we shouldn’t have it. Maybe we don’t need the Clash. … I don’t like that conversation. We need the Clash. We need the All-Star Race. We need these non-points, low-pressure, winner-takes-all moments that happen throughout, once or twice a year, and this race needs to matter, right? And maybe this will steer it back in that direction.”

Posted on by Marcus DiNitto

Tyler Reddick isn’t sneaking up on anyone in this year’s edition of the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (Sun., 7 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Reddick, then in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, went into last year’s race at a modestly-priced +1400 odds to win. Jim Sannes, a quantitative NASCAR betting and fantasy analyst at numberFire, told NASCAR.com a year ago that he had Reddick circled as a potential play. He went on to lead 99 laps, including the 249th of the 250-lap event. Under the white flag and on his way to victory, he was spun out by Chase Briscoe, allowing Kyle Busch to pass them both and steal the checkers.

RELATED; Updated weekend schedule | Briscoe reflects on last year’s wild finish

As any gambler knows, not all good bets turn out to be winners, and anyone holding a Reddick ticket that day suffered a classic bad beat. But for bettors expecting a repeat performance on the short dirt track this year, Reddick’s price is far more expensive.

At the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, oddsmaker Ed Salmons opened Reddick at +600 in the outright market, and even that price — while far shorter than the driver’s number last year — proved too cheap for the betting market’s tastes.

A respected bettor placed a $2,000 wager on Reddick at +600 odds, prompting a move to +450 at the SuperBook. That price makes Reddick — now piloting the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota — the betting favorite, surpassing Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

Here are odds from three prominent sportsbooks on Sunday’s top contenders:

SuperBook BetMGM Barstool
Tyler Reddick +450 +600 +600
Kyle Larson +500 +500 +550
Christopher Bell +600 +600 +650
Chase Briscoe +1000 +1000 +900
William Byron +1200 +1200 +1300
Kyle Busch +1600 +1400 +1200
Joey Logano +1600 +1200 +1400
Daniel Suárez +2000 +2000 +2000
Martin Truex +2000 +2200 +2000
Ricky Stenhouse +2000 +2200 +2000
Alex Bowman +2500 +2200 +2000
Ryan Blaney +2500 +1800 +1800
Ross Chastain  +2500 +2000 +2200
Denny Hamlin +2500 +2000 +2000
Brad Keselowski +3000 +2800 +3300

New Ride, Same Driver

While Reddick has changed teams since last year’s dominant run on the Bristol dirt, the combination of driver skill, solid equipment, and a track that suits his style have him at the top of the oddsboard.

“The high side was the preferred groove (in last year’s race), and that obviously fits certain guys,” Salmons said earlier this week after hanging his opening numbers. “When you think of the high line, you think of Larson, you think of Redick — they’re the first two that come to mind.”

Salmons also has high expectations for the 23XI team, thanks to its alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Bell was plenty fast last year in the Gibbs car at the dirt race,” he said, “so I would be shocked if Reddick isn’t fast.”

Usual Suspects

This marks the third straight Bristol dirt race for which Larson and Bell have opened as the first and second betting favorites, respectively.

Last year, Larson led 27 laps and won Stage 1, before finishing fourth. Bell, while never leading the field, ran near the front all race, coming in third in Stage 1, second in Stage 2, and finishing seventh.

A strategic tweak should benefit the favorites this time around.

“The pit strategy confused a lot of the better guys (last year),” Salmons observed. “The right strategy last year was to pit after the first stage, and that was it for the race. A lot of guys waited till after the second stage, so they lost a ton of track position. …

“(Bell) and Larson had the bad strategy. They both pitted after the second stage, so they entered the Final Stage in the twenties. It’s hard to make up that much ground, especially with all the cautions.”

Salmons also maintains that performance on the Bristol pavement translates to performance on the Bristol dirt, another plus for Bell.

“Bristol’s one of his better tracks on the pavement,” Salmons said.

BETMGM ODDS: See full list of odds for Bristol Dirt

Looking for Long shots

Similar to last year, Sannes was planning to take a wait-and-see approach before investing too heavily in the Dirt Race. There was plenty of information to be gleaned from Friday night’s practice — until it was called due to weather. His model shows value in the outright market on Ross Chastain at +2000 and Martin Truex Jr. at +2500, but with no practice to confirm, Sannes is inclined to stay away.

The SuperBook saw early money come in on a few long shots, causing Salmons to move Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from a +3000 opener to +2000, and Truex from +2500 to +2000.

Ryan Preece has also been on some bettors’ radar.

“The guy they bet every week on these short tracks is Ryan Preece,” Salmons revealed, “100-to-1 to 80-to-1 (this week). It’s like they feel obliged to bet him every time.”

Sannes, meanwhile, is eyeing some long shots to finish in the top 10 — Ty Gibbs and Erik Jones, specifically.

Sannes’ simulations give Gibbs a 29.8% chance for a top-10 finish, and while the +430 odds available earlier in the week are long gone, 29.8% translates into +236 — FanDuel is dealing +380 as of this Friday writing.

“It’s concerning that he hasn’t run on dirt in Cup, but he did have a pair of dirt-track runner-up finishes in ARCA in 2021,” Sannes said of Gibbs in a direct message. “I do think his good run at Richmond matters because Bristol has raced more like a slick track with tire degradation than a dirt track.”

As for Jones, the 9.1% chance for a top 10 that Sannes’ model suggests is on the cusp of the +1000 odds offered at FanDuel. Still, it’s a bet that may be worth a couple of dollars.

“He scored stage points in 2021 and finished eighth,” Sannes recalls. “We’ve also seen him run well in Darlington, and I view that as a positive due to how slick it can be. His top-10 odds for me are just a smidge above his implied odds of 9.1%, but I think the model may be a smidge too low on him.”

Marcus DiNitto is Managing Editor at Gaming Today. He’s been covering sports business for 25 years and sports betting for 12. NASCAR is among the many sports Marcus enjoys betting but often loses on. Follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway
(⏰ 7 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX, FOX Sports App | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Tennessee, the eighth regular-season race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Bristol Dirt 101

🚨 Alert: Friday’s on-track sessions canceled due to weather

📍 Location: Bristol, Tennessee
📐 Track length: 0.533 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Find seats for Sunday
💰 Cup Series race purse: $7,808,640
📏 Race distance: 250 laps | 125.5 miles
🔢 Stages: 75 | 150 | 250
—
🚪 Entry list: Dirt maven Jonathan Davenport among regular stars
📋 Starting lineup: Where drivers will start on Sunday | Heat race recaps
🚗 Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
📦 Rules package: New rules for short tracks, road courses
🏆 Most recent winner: Kyle Busch

Key things to watch 🔑

Top story line

Once again, it’s the dirt-track aces vs. the field. Kyle Larson heads into the weekend as Racing Insights’ projected winner of the race, and it’s unsurprising given his storied dirt-racing background. Along with Larson, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and a handful of others, including professional dirt racer Jonathan Davenport, catch the initial eye of the public when talking about who should win this race. But as you’ll see below, this race has a history of unpredictable finishes and drivers with almost zero dirt-track experience prevailing for historic wins.  Sunday night’s showdown will be a battle between experience and earnest effort.

🎥  YOUTUBE EXCLUSIVE: Learn how Bristol transformed from asphalt to dirt

History tells us…

Sunday’s race is anybody’s to win. Racing on dirt for the first and only time this season, Sunday’s competition under the lights presents drivers with a unique opportunity to will their way into a win. Last season, Kyle Busch never led a single lap until Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe went spinning on the final lap of the race. In 2021, no one predicted Joey Logano beating the stacked field’s dirt-track aces — but he did. Both races on Bristol Dirt have had unprecedented finishes, and the trend suggests we will see that again this weekend. Getting off to a fast start and maintaining track position throughout the race should be the difference in who has a chance to fight for the trophy in the closing laps.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Daniel Suárez. Opening at 18-1 odds, Suárez sits around Tier 3 when discussing the opening favorites to win the race. So, while not entirely a long shot, he is positioned perfectly to soar into the race as an underdog. But Suárez has had more success on the Bristol Dirt than most, leading 122 laps across both starts (over 58 laps led in each) and has a fourth-place finish and 12th-place result to boast. So even then, his finishes are not indicative of how strong he’s usually been working his way around the daunting dirt track. If he can put together a complete race, he could be first on the board in the win column for Trackhouse Racing this season.

Saturday’s sessions

Heat races. Four heat races at 15 laps each wasn’t enough to tell which drivers could be falling down the board before Sunday’s race, but it was enough to tell who had the early handle on the daunting Bristol dirt track. To no one’s surprise, Kyle Larson showed his prowess with a stellar move in Heat 3 and set the tone for Sunday’s showdown, landing on the Busch Light Pole. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the afternoon was Austin Dillon, who controlled his heat race from start to finish and will roll off alongside Larson from the outside row. More on the heat races and passing points.

Inside the Race 🔍

Dirt on the track isn’t the only thing changing at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, and Steve Letarte and Todd Gordon are here to bring you up to speed.

Familiar favorites ⭐️

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. 

• Paint Scheme Preview: Clean slate of schemes set to race on dirt | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Ross Chastain is here to stay as elite Cup talent | Latest driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Start drivers with dirt backgrounds | Best plays, lineup advice | Fantasy Update
• Betting odds: See where dirt-ace Kyle Larson sits on the board | Top bets, underdog picks
• Stacking Pennies: Dirt-track superstar Jonathan Davenport joins | Listen to the podcast

💎 NASCAR 75: Honoring NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers … then revealing 25 more | Check out the list

Hot off the press 📰

Key stories and breaking news from the week leading up to the race.

• Penalty: Nos. 24 and 48 issues L-1 level after Richmond | Read more | Rule-book update
• Denny Hamlin: Appeals Panel upholds penalty issued | Read more
• Kaulig Racing: Appeals Panel upholds penalty issued to team, amends point deduction | Read more
• Kyle Busch: Last year’s victory at Bristol kept now-record streak alive | Read more
• All-Star Race: Format revealed for North Wilkesboro return | Read more
• NASCAR Legends: Story behind Richard Petty’s intricate autograph | Read more
• Official Partners: RTIC becomes official cooler and drinkware partner | Sugarland releases limited-edition moonshine
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.: New partnership with Sun Drop, set to race at North Wilkesboro | Read more
• Chase Briscoe: Stewart-Haas Racing driver recounts last year’s Bristol finish | Read more
• Daytona 500: Austin Cindric’s winning car joins ‘Glory Road’ at Hall of Fame | Read more
• Kyle Petty: Former driver comments on Truex-Small issues at Richmond | Listen to what he said

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy and Fan Rewards.

• Fan Rewards: New in 2023, get rewarded for your participation | Learn more
• Fantasy Live: Still time to get on the leaderboard and win big this season | Tips for 2023
• NASCAR BetCenter: Don’t miss your chance to make picks each week | Visit the BetCenter
• Going the distance: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Dirt-track transformation 🚜

See how the historic track was adjusted and revisit some memorable history from Bristol. 

• Winner, winner: All-time winners of Bristol’s spring race | See who has the most
• Do you remember?: Memorable moments at Bristol | Relive them here
• Prepping the track: See images from track transformation | Asphalt to dirt
• @nascarcasm: Top 10 lost-temper moments at Bristol | Jog your memory
• Bristol breakdown: Keith Roddon breaks down Next Gen’s dirt changes | Watch the video

Take some notes 📝

Four hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Hendrick Motorsports has led 46% of all laps raced in 2023 (798 of 1735).
• The last six night races were won by six different drivers.
• In the 2022 Bristol Dirt Race, Joey Logano led the entire Final Stage.
• Daniel Suárez and Kyle Busch are the only drivers to lead a lap in both Bristol Dirt races.

🔮 Predicting the winner: Using data to set a projected finishing order

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials have canceled Friday’s on-track activity at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track because of excessive rain.

Two practice sessions were scheduled for each the NASCAR Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series, starting at 5:35 p.m. ET. But showers at the .533-mile track and the forecast for more precipitation through the day forced the full cancellation.

RELATED: Bristol Dirt 101 | Weekend schedule

A revised schedule for the weekend was released later Friday, with Saturday’s schedule of qualifying heats for both series left intact. The Cup Series garage is set to open at noon ET Saturday, and the draw for qualifying heat lineups was moved to early Saturday afternoon.

The Cup Series is scheduled for its only event of the season on a dirt track in Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM). The Craftsman Trucks are scheduled for a Saturday show with the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM).

Posted on by Jerry Bonkowski

Editor’s note: This story is part of our monthlong celebration of NASCAR Legends presented by GEICO. For more great legends content, visit our hub page.

Most of us have heard it numerous times: When someone needs your signature on a piece of paper, they invariably will say to give them your “John Hancock” on it.

But some NASCAR fans might object to that and say, instead, to give them your “Richard Petty.” The reason is simple: Petty has one of the most recognizable — as well as one of the most in-demand — autographs not just in NASCAR, but throughout the world of sports and entertainment.

RELATED: NASCAR 75 hub page | Bristol schedule

According to Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell, Petty’s celebrated autograph is so unique that he doesn’t know if anyone out there can duplicate his close friend’s iconic signature.

The 85-year-old Petty has been signing with a flourishing imprimatur for almost 70 years. As the story goes, before his racing career took off, Petty was attending a business college in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from high school, there was a professor who took young Richard to task for what he called poor penmanship, particularly his signature.

Petty took the criticism and advice to heart. It motivated him to begin practicing his signature for hours on end, trying to come up with something that would be his own version of John Hancock, unique and one of a kind.

In hindsight, it’s a wonderful coincidence that Petty did that. Once he became a racing star, his autograph grew more in demand than any of his peers. If you were a NASCAR fan and you went to tracks from North Wilkesboro to Rockingham, from Darlington to Daytona and all points in between, if you were going to get an autograph — any autograph — it had to be that of “The King.”

Former NASCAR President Mike Helton remembers when he got his first Petty autograph roughly 60 years ago — which he still has, by the way, one of his most prized possessions of a lifetime spent in the sport.

“I guess the influences I had on me as a young fan probably were more from David Pearson and Richard Petty,” Helton said. “And then the first time I went to the Bristol track, I got to get Richard’s autograph, and that put him at the top of my list, I guess.”

An autographed jacket bearing Richard Petty's famous signature on it.
David J. Becker | Getty Images

What makes Petty’s imprint so unique is it starts with a swoosh at the top of the first “R” in Richard, followed by another swoosh swirl for “P” in Petty. Plus, he adds a line through the double Ts and essentially connects everything.

Legendary broadcaster and fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame member Ken Squier said, “The reason that (having such a unique autograph is) important is that he felt anytime anyone asked him for an autograph, it was a contract, that they appreciated him enough. He developed a scroll in it, so it took him an extra moment or two. It gave him a chance to look you in the eye and say, ‘Thank you.”

Helton literally grew up both personally and professionally with Petty, first as a fan and then as a colleague in the sport. If anyone knows the significance of Petty and his autograph, it’s Helton.

“(Petty is) notoriously known for never stopping until everybody that wanted his autograph at a race track got it,” Helton said. “But each one that he gave was a personal connection. … Every time Richard did it touched and felt very personal to the sport at that moment.

“That’s why I think the evolution of drivers and autographs, and it’s the same in other stick and ball sports, or even in Hollywood, but I think our drivers led by the standard that Richard Petty set, (and) understand that the connection with the fan is personal to them, and then it makes it personal to the fans.”

As much of a prize as it was to get Petty’s autograph, and to further extrapolate what Helton said, there was one other element of the experience of meeting The King in-person that was equally as valuable, if not more so:

Petty not only took his time to give those that stood in line for sometimes an hour or more a flourishing autograph, but also felt it was important and his personal responsibility to talk with virtually every person he signed for. It was an incredibly personal connection, making fans think they were now close, personal friends with The King.

“I mean he wrote the book, and everybody needs to read that book,” Campbell said of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and the importance of autographs and personal interaction with fans to him.

“He knew what it took and I saw him time and time again after a race. I saw him sign every autograph. Everybody that came up to him that wanted it, he signed it. Yeah, he (speaks) to everybody that he signed. He didn’t just write his name down and move on to the next person.”

That’s just the kind of individual Petty is.

Petty sold his controlling interest in Richard Petty Motorsports to GMS Racing in November 2021, which then morphed into Legacy Motor Club in 2023 with primary ownership of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and GMS owner Maury Gallagher.

Even though he’s technically now semi-retired, Petty doesn’t act retired, still attending virtually every Cup race, whether it’s in Bristol or all the way in California. Free from some of his past day-to-day responsibilities of team ownership, Petty is now more of an ambassador for NASCAR, free to devote all his time to signing autographs and interacting with fans.

And he’s still one of the most valuable autographs there is to “get.”

He said it more than 30 years ago, during his final season as a race car driver in 1992, and it’s a philosophy that remains intact to this very day.

“I enjoy doing it, getting to meet the people,” Petty said back then. “The fans are responsible for where racing is today and we (drivers) owe them a lot. I figure giving them an autograph is the least we can do.”

There’s another interesting story behind why Petty’s autograph remains so in demand. While numerous athletes have earned countless sums of money signing their autographs at events such as baseball card and sports memorabilia shows, Petty has never charged even the smallest amount of money for his autograph, a personal policy he’s adhered to for over 60 years. This has made him one of NASCAR’s most popular celebrities and a must-have autograph.

“I consider it a compliment when somebody wants my autograph,” Petty once said. “I always try to be as accommodating as possible.”

While Petty has remained consistent in how he signs his flourishing autograph, there has been one slight alteration: he used to add “43” at the end of his name, most notably during his driving career, to reflect his famous race car number. But today, he only inscribes “43” on occasion, or when someone specifically asks him to sign that way — which he willingly does with pleasure.

“I actually had a driver once tell me that I signed autographs too long, that I need to limit the number of times I pick my pen up, because you sign faster when you keep your pen in contact with paper,” former NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan said. … “The next day I’m driving for Richard Petty Driving Experience, I’m teaching for them. I looked at the Richard Petty autograph (on the car). OK, it’s a fancy autograph. I mean, yeah, you can do a fancy one.

“I’m doing an autograph session with Richard Petty two weeks later, the autograph that’s on that car is the autograph he’s putting on that piece of paper for that fan that waited two hours to get his autograph. He did every single one that way and picked his pen up 15 times to draw Richard Petty. I go, ‘that’s the man!.’ That’s what you need, to treat people like right there.”

MORE: NASCAR’s greatest drivers

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials updated the guidelines for the penalty appeals process Thursday.

The updated language in Section 10.5.2 of the NASCAR Rule Book now states that the National Motorsports Appeals Panel and final appeal officer may not completely strike any element of an originally assessed penalty. Those parties can adjust the original penalties, but modifications are limited to the minimum and maximum ranges in the rule book.

For example, a penalty that includes points reductions, fines and suspensions must keep all three of those elements if the appeals panel or final appeal officer rule that the offending party violated the rules. Reductions in those areas are possible, but not a complete elimination of any category in the original penalty.

All of those elements can be removed if a penalty is overturned.

RELATED: L1-level penalties handed to Nos. 24, 48

The move comes after a March 29 ruling by the three-member that amended L2-level penalties against Hendrick Motorsports’ four Cup Series teams stemming from an infraction found during inspection at Phoenix Raceway earlier this season. In their decision statement, the panel determined that the organization violated the rules as outlined in the penalty report, but the panel also adjusted the penalty by removing the deduction of Cup Series points (the fines and suspensions were kept intact).

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, said Thursday that the rule book updates will be observed moving forward and that teams and drivers that have ongoing or recent appeals will not be affected. He reiterated that the strict rules are intended to discourage modifying the single-source parts and pieces that are part of the Next Gen race car that competes in the Cup Series.

“I think we always have put the rules in place to be transparent and consistent across the board,” O’Donnell said. “So our penalties have been consistent, we’ve issued consistent penalties. We were surprised, as I think a lot of the fans, were in the ruling, particularly on the Hendrick (appeal) taking away all points. So we recognize that our system had a flaw. And if someone was found to have violated the rule, we’ve stated that we were all about a culture change in the garage with this new car, and points need to be part of any penalty going forward.”

MORE: Panel upholds Hamlin penalty

The rule book update also specifies that NASCAR has the right to publish the reasoning from the appeals panel or final appeal officer for modifying or rescinding a penalty. “We felt it was prudent for the appeals panel to have to explain why and sign off on that going forward, again, for the transparency in the industry and the fans as well,” O’Donnell said.

Another move in the interest of transparency: NASCAR officials plan to renew the practice of displaying unapproved parts and pieces in the garage for other teams to inspect and see.

“You go back, and it’s something NASCAR used to do, and we went away from that, because we didn’t want it to be something that was an embarrassment to the industry or a particular race team,” O’Donnell said. “But as we’ve looked at this new car, as we’ve looked at what we need to do to really change the culture in the garage, you know, we hear from the media, we hear from the fans, is NASCAR hiding the ball? No. And we can easily display them. There’s nothing for us to hide — if we lose the appeal, we lose the appeal. Not sure exactly how we’ll do this yet, but going forward, at (Bristol) we’ll have some format.”

The appeals panel for each hearing comes from a rotation of three members, chosen from a pool of industry figures. O’Donnell said that the process for selecting panel members may also be evaluated moving forward.

“We’ve had this appeals commission for a long, long time, and for the most part, it’s been really good for the sport,” O’Donnell said. “But certainly we’re going to look at it and see if there’s some things we can clean up in terms of anybody who’s on that panel. Do we go completely independent? There’s always been a work within the sport and an understanding in the garage that someone needed to understand racing. Not sure that’s the case anymore, and maybe it’s independent and we look at that, but you know, all that’s on the table.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Officials unveiled the format Thursday for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, which will use a pit-crew challenge to set the starting lineups for qualifying heats, all ahead of a purposely no-frills main event to highlight the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The invitational winner will be determined by 200 laps, with just a competition break at or around Lap 100. Both green-flag and caution laps will count, and overtime rules will be in effect.

Each team will start on new tires for the All-Star Race, and have three additional sets to use. After the competition break, only one additional set of new “sticker” tires can be used.

The more traditional feel of the race meshes with the rebirth of the historic 0.625-mile track, which will mark its first appearance on the NASCAR schedule since 1996 with the All-Star Race on May 21 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Preliminary events include the return of the Craftsman Truck Series (May 20, 1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM), plus Late Model contests for the CARS Tour (May 17) and the ASA Stars National Tour (May 16).

ALL-STAR RACE: Buy tickets | Read about Cup Series testing

“We wanted it to be simple. We wanted the speedway to be part of the star factor of this event,” said Marcus Smith, Speedway Motorsports president and CEO. “… Being there, if you were there this past summer, and you saw the way that the fans kind of interacted with the race track, and the time they could see the old building and the old signs and just the way everything worked together. The fans are woven into the fabric of this race track, and the drivers appreciate that. And so it’s all going to work together. We didn’t want the format to be the story. We wanted the race to be the story, and the race track, and it’s going to really provide I think a great platform for the NASCAR All-Star race.”

A graphic depicting the All-Star Race format

The starting lineup for Sunday’s main event will be set by a pair of 60-lap qualifying heats, held Saturday night after the Craftsman Truck race. The starting order for those races and the 100-lap All-Star Open qualifier will be set by a Friday night pit-stop competition for each team. Each team’s qualifying time will be based on the speed of a four-tire pit stop, with timing lines marked one pit stall behind and one pit stall forward of the designated pit box.

The pit-stop element is partly a revival of the annual pit-crew competition, which was held each year until 2012. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has been instrumental in preserving North Wilkesboro’s history, said plans were in place for a trophy that would stay with the winning team each year.

Drivers not already eligible for Sunday’s feature will attempt to race their way into the field through the All-Star Open. That qualifying race is scheduled for 100 laps, with a competition break set for Lap 40 and overtime rules in place. The top two Open finishers and the top remaining vote-getter in fan balloting will be added to the All-Star Race field.

Drivers already eligible for the All-Star main event will be divided into two 60-lap heats that will set the All-Star starting lineup. The finishing order of Heat 1 will make up the inside row in the feature; Heat 2 finishers will occupy the outside row in that order. All those drivers will be followed by the three transferring through the Open and the fan vote.

“When we throw the green flag, we should just give them 100 straight laps of green-flag racing,” said Earnhardt. “You know, if there’s a natural yellow (flag) in there, fine. but let’s take all the gimmicks out. Let’s just see these cars go around the race track. Let’s just watch these drivers struggle with the grip and the challenge of that surface and just watch and see who’s trying to save some tire, who’s maybe trying to take advantage of getting some track position early and let the race sort of play out.”

MORE: Photos from Goodyear tire test

Eligibility standards for the invitational event are similar to rules used in previous runnings. Drivers who won a points-paying race since the start of the 2022 season are in. Also eligible are current full-time drivers who are previous All-Star Race winners or past Cup Series champions.

Twenty-two drivers have already clinched an All-Star Race spot: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suárez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace.

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