Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials added Kasey Kahne to its list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers on Monday, a selection that coincides with his 43rd birthday.

Kahne was an 18-time winner in NASCAR Cup Series competition, prevailing in the Coca-Cola 600 three times (2006, 2008, 2012). He also won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, clinching the last victory in his 15-year career in NASCAR’s top division.

RELATED: How the 75 Greatest Drivers works | More NASCAR 75 coverage

Kahne is the second driver added to the list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in recognition of the sport’s diamond anniversary. Tony Stewart joined the elite roster Sunday, and the rest of the 25 new honorees will join the previous 50 Greatest in the days leading up to NASCAR’s official throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway on May 12-14.

The Enumclaw, Washington, native won multiple races in all three NASCAR national series, adding eight Xfinity Series wins and five victories in just six Craftsman Truck Series starts. Kahne’s tenure in NASCAR ended in 2018; he currently competes full-time in the World of Outlaws sprint car series.

Kahne drove for three NASCAR Hall of Famers in his career, winning races for Ray Evernham, Richard Petty and Rick Hendrick.

MORE: All of Kasey Kahne’s Cup Series victories

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials issued an indefinite suspension of Cup Series driver Cody Ware on Monday.

The Iredell County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office listed Ware in its jail records Monday, indicating he was held on a felony charge of “assault by strangulation — inflict serious injury” and a misdemeanor charge of “assault on female.” The sheriff’s records also indicated Ware’s bond was set at $3,000 after his arrest.

Ware sat out this weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track, with Rick Ware Racing — the Cup Series’ team owned by his father — releasing a statement Saturday morning that the 27-year-old driver had stepped away “to focus on a personal matter.” Craftsman Truck Series regular Matt Crafton substituted for Ware in the No. 51 Ford, finishing 34th after an engine failure.

An update to the entry list Wednesday morning showed that Truck Series champion Zane Smith will drive the No. 51 car in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. It will mark Smith’s fourth Cup Series start.

Rick Ware Racing published a statement Monday afternoon confirming the news and suspension.

Ware has raced in the Cup Series since 2017. His best finish in 97 career starts is sixth place last August at Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the penalties.

NASCAR handed out L1-level penalties on Thursday to the Nos. 24 and 48 Hendrick Motorsports teams in the Cup Series after last weekend’s races at Richmond Raceway.

As a result, William Byron (No. 24) and Alex Bowman (No. 48) each lost 60 driver points and five playoff points. The teams also lost 60 owner points and five playoff owner points. In addition, the team’s respective crew chiefs (Brian Campe and Greg Ives) were fined $75,000 and suspended for two points events starting April 13.

RELATED: Cup Series standings

On Monday, Hendrick Motorsports issued a statement indicating that the organization would not appeal the penalties, saying “we will be best served by devoting our time and resources to competing each weekend.”

The section referenced in the NASCAR Rule Book was 14.1.D Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules, 14.1.2.B Engineering Change Log and 14.5.6.B: Greenhouse. A NASCAR spokesperson confirmed that the penalty was for a modification to the greenhouse area on each car that was discovered during post-race inspection.

Here is the specific rule Hendrick was found to have violated: “The greenhouse may be modified to accommodate a windshield wiper motor where required; these modifications will be permitted for all race tracks. The greenhouse modification must conform to the following drawing:”

The greenhouse is the top portion of the Cup Series car, including the roof, plus the front and rear glass — everything from the top of the doors upward. Modifications to this area would be made by teams in an attempt to gain an aerodynamic edge.

Before the penalties, Bowman was atop the Cup Series standings while Byron was in fourth place, 35 points behind but with two race wins to his credit this season. Bowman’s drop to a seventh-place ranking elevates Ross Chastain to the series’ points lead. Byron fell to 14th in Cup Series points.

The two cars were selected for further inspection at the NASCAR Research & Development Center after last Sunday’s Cup Series event at Richmond Raceway. It’s the second significant penalty against Hendrick Motorsports in roughly three weeks’ time. All four of the organization’s teams were docked with L2-level penalties on March 15 for unapproved hood louvers during the Phoenix Raceway weekend. That punishment was reduced under appeal.

OTHER PENALTIES

In the Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR levied L1-level penalties against the Nos. 4 and 51 teams of Chase Purdy and Jack Wood for Kyle Busch Motorsports and the No. 2 team of Nick Sanchez for Rev Racing for unapproved engine oil reserve tanks found in opening day inspection at Texas Motor Speedway. Each team will incur a loss of 10 driver points and 10 owner points.

RELATED: Truck Series standings

In addition, NASCAR suspended Jeff Shoaf and Ronnell Wilson indefinitely for behavioral violations. Jordan Anderson Racing listed Shoaf as a tire carrier on the No. 31 team’s roster for the Richmond Xfinity Series race, while the No. 20 team of Joe Gibbs Racing had Wilson on its roster as a fueler for the same race.

Posted on by John Crane

A strategic move following Stage 2’s conclusion during the Food City Dirt Race on April 9 might have initially gone unnoticed. That was, perhaps, by design for Christopher Bell.

After Tyler Reddick’s Stage 2 victory at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt, the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver decided to forgo a stop on pit road and instead opted to stay out with a handful of other drivers, including JGR teammate Denny Hamlin. Such a tactic proved to be the money maneuver for Bell as he led each of the final 100 laps en route to his first win of 2023 and his fifth overall in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“For me, it was (the winning call),” Bell said when talking about his strategic move. “We clearly were not the best car, but Adam (Stevens, crew chief) kept asking me what I needed, and I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if you’re going to be able to help me enough on a pit stop adjustment to get me where I need to be.’ I just said, let’s stay out, and he believed in me and we were able to make it work.”

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Bristol

Such late-race dominance was not mutually exclusive to only the Easter Sunday contest. If anything, the victory only cemented how much of a force the No. 20 has shown to be so far in 2023.

Starting with the basics, statistics-wise, could help illustrate how strong Bell has been through the opening portion of the season. Including his Bristol Dirt Race win, Bell has amassed six top-10 finishes through the year’s first eight races, with his only two non-top-10 finishes resulting from crashes (Auto Club Speedway, Circuit of The Americas). And to make matters even better, five of those six top-10 finishes have also been top-five finishes.

The early-season success stands out even more when comparing his marks up against his JGR teammates. Not only does a victory set a precedent — no other JGR driver holds a win so far this season — but his top-five finishes do, too, as none of Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. or Ty Gibbs hold even one top-five finish so far this season, combined. Bell’s 10.6 average finish and 154 laps led additionally lead the quartet, with Truex (13.0 average finish, 72 laps led), Hamlin (15.1, 112 laps led) and Gibbs (16.0 average finish, zero laps led) all trailing the 28-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native.

MORE: Watch Bell slide to victory in Bristol Dirt Race 

Bell has made an early-season statement among the Cup Series field, too, with his six top-10 finishes tying the No. 20 JGR with the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Alex Bowman for the most in the Cup Series. And just for good measure, Bell’s average finish and laps led totals currently rank second and fourth, respectively, in the entire full-time field, trailing the Hendrick Motorsports trio in Bowman (9.9 average finish), Kyle Larson (438 laps led) and William Byron (385 laps led), plus the reigning Cup Series champion in Joey Logano (181 laps led).

While the season is not even 25% complete, Bell’s 2023 success compared to his teammates and the rest of the field cannot be understated. And if last season’s postseason success — winning the Round of 12 and Round of 8 cutoff races at the Charlotte Roval and Martinsville Speedway, respectively, en route to a Championship 4 appearance — is any indicator, perhaps Bell’s clutch factor this year is making an early title case. After all, Bell fell just short of the crown last year — finishing the 2022 season in third — and perhaps there is fuel for even more motivation this season, too.

Whatever the case, a keen sense of strategy goes a long way, and for Bell, 2023 has been all by design to showcase it.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Tyler Reddick was a dirt-racing runner-up for the second consecutive year at Bristol Motor Speedway after the yellow and checkered flags waved Sunday night.

This year, the 23XI Racing driver was hunting Christopher Bell’s back bumper in the closing laps rather than trying to defend the lead as he did in 2022. He didn’t spin in the final corner this time around, avoiding a replay from when Chase Briscoe sent the duo sliding sideways and ultimately costing Reddick the win a season ago. But the disappointment was evident Sunday as he stood on pit road, the dust quite literally settling while Bell celebrated his triumph.

“I’ve really wanted to win a NASCAR dirt race for a very long time,” Reddick said. “So second is not a bad day, but I hope we get another shot at this because I really want to win here or anywhere that we put NASCAR stock cars on dirt.”

MORE: Full Bristol results | Best photos from Bristol Dirt Race

Reddick was left to wonder what could have been had he and his No. 45 team opted for a different play. He and teammate Bubba Wallace stayed out during the Stage 1 break, placing the two at the front of the field along with Spire Motorsports’ Ty Dillon.

That meant Reddick had to pit during the Stage 2 break at Lap 151 after winning the segment. While most competitors followed suit, nine others – including Bell – stayed out.

“I just wish we would’ve stayed more on strategy with the cars that were like … Bell and those guys,” Reddick said. “We kind of put ourselves in a little bit of a box. I really thought the track was gonna age, so I made the decision to stay out and then take the tires later.

“I think it could’ve worked, but I didn’t do a good job on the restart to start Stage 3, lost some spots, got behind some of the other cars that were on those newer tires.”

The ultimate result was Reddick’s fourth top-five finish in the past five NASCAR Cup Series races, a stretch that includes a victory at Circuit of The Americas. A late spin resulted in a 16th-place result at Richmond, but the team has found momentum since finishes of 39th (Daytona) and 34th (Fontana) to open the season.

“We’re learning a lot,” Reddick said. “Richmond was a bump in the road. We just missed it a little bit and continue fighting some little things detail-wise on the car, but that’s part of it. That’s part of the process.

“As long as we continue to learn from these things, I’d rather be fighting them now than in the playoffs.”

Still, the sting of coming so close on the dirt yet again lingers. Count him among those in favor of returning to the soil in 2024 as part of the yet-to-be-announced schedule.

“Until I win it, yeah,” Reddick laughed. “I really want to win it.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Before Sunday night’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Christopher Bell lamented that a “dirt guy” hadn’t won the NASCAR Cup Series’ only race on the red clay in Thunder Valley.

Bell fixed the problem—in a race that also saw hard feelings between pole winner Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece boil over.

Holding off charging Tyler Reddick in the final stage of the 250-lap race, Bell held a slim lead over Reddick when NASCAR called the 14th  caution with 200 yards left in the final circuit.

A dirt-track aficionado who won three straight Chili Bowl Midget Nationals from 2017-2019, Bell collected his first victory of the season and the fifth of his career.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Bristol

“Man, let me tell you, these are some of the longest laps of my entire life,” Bell said of the late stages of the race. “This place is so much fun, whether it’s dirt or concrete. Whenever the cushion got up there on the top, it was very tough, because you couldn’t drive it super hard. Otherwise, you’d get sucked in.

“If you got your right front into it, you’d push a little bit. If you got your right rear into it, you’d slide. It was a lot of fun.”

Bell used his experience on dirt to negotiate the two ends of the half-mile track, which featured markedly different racing characteristics.

“(Turns) 3 and 4, that was the scary corner for me, because if you got into it too far, you lost all your momentum,” the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota explained. (Turns) 1 and 2, I think I kept hitting the wall a couple times.

“Seems like there was a little bit more moisture up there—it would hold me better. I’m like, ‘OK, I can really attack 1 and 2.’ But 3 and 4, I had to be careful… Definitely the track tonight favored experience.”

Staying out on old tires after the end of Stage 2, Bell led the last 100 laps. Reddick, on the other hand, forewent a pit stop after Stage 1 and won Stage 2, but paid the price with a pit stop at the second break and restarted 12th on Lap 151.

It wasn’t until Lap 223 that Reddick passed eventual fifth-place finisher Chase Briscoe for the second position, as Briscoe scraped the outside wall in Turn 4. Reddick began his pursuit of Bell, but the final caution foiled any opportunity he might have had.

“Yeah, towards the end there definitely feel like I had a little bit more,” Reddick said. “I thought I had the edge, but I wasn’t quite there in the last couple laps. Definitely found it.

“Just hate it for everybody on this (No. 45 23XI Racing) Toyota. Just needed to be a little bit closer than I was. I think with two (laps) to go, it would have been really bold to try to make that move work. Obviously, on the white flag coming into (Turns) 3 and 4, I was going to see. We’ll never know if it (would have) worked.”

Larson won 75-lap Stage 1 wire-to-wire, but he angered Preece with a move that forced the Stewart-Haas Racing driver into the outside wall. On Lap 175, 20 circuits after Larson spun and fell to the rear of the field, Preece returned the favor in Turn 4. Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet then shot to the inside into the door of Preece’s No. 41 Ford before spinning into the outside wall.

“Yeah, I’m guessing he was paying me back for whatever I did earlier,” said Larson, who exited the race with suspension damage to his car. “He ran me straight into the fence, and my car was broke and we crashed.

“It sucks, but I should just be mad at myself for spinning out earlier and putting myself back there. Just sucks.”

MORE: Preece, Larson tangle in Final Stage | See more key moments in the race

Austin Dillon ran third, followed by 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Briscoe and Justin Haley, as drivers with dirt-track backgrounds claimed the top six finishing positions. Martin Truex Jr., Todd Gilliland, Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs completed the top 10.

“I just have to thank (Speedway Motorsports Inc.) for all of the hard work they’ve done with this dirt racing,” Dillon said. “I don’t care what anybody says, that was an amazing show throughout the field. I felt like it was some great racing.”

The Cup Series will next trek to Martinsville Speedway on April 16 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Inspection is complete in the Cup Series garage with no issues, confirming Bell as the winner. No cars will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection. 

Posted on by Staff Report

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Contact between Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece during Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway left Larson ousted and Preece insistent his final hip check was accidental.

Larson’s night came to an end after a side-swipe by Preece entering Turn 3 sent Larson spinning driver-side into the wall, ultimately ending his day. That incident followed an earlier collision on the frontstretch, when Larson slid Preece into the outside wall with both running inside the top five.

RELATED: Full race results | At-track photos

Preece didn’t take kindly to the contact, relaying on his radio he was sick of “excuses.” Larson, on the other hand, didn’t see an issue.

“I mean I haven’t seen the contact from earlier in the race. It was a tight, tight clear off of four,” Larson said. “Obviously I’m looking at my mirror and it didn’t seem that he was to my outside yet, and I don’t know if he got into the wall but he had a pretty short temper obviously. He was trying to crash me I think after that then was swerving at me under yellow.”

By the Lap 176 spin that sent Larson home early, both Preece and Larson had gone for respectively separate solo spins. The final contact came as both were working their way through the field.

“I think something happened to him off at two earlier and he ran in the back of somebody and spun out,” Larson said. “Like I said, it’d been probably an hour and a half, I would have to guess, since then. So I figured we could just be grownups and get the (expletive) over it, but I guess not.”

After the race, Preece denied any intent to wreck Larson as the two banged doors entering Turn 3.

“I was just trying to run the top. It was real slick,” Preece said. “Just got loose and we both ended up in the fence.

“I don’t know. I don’t race dirt. I tried running the top. I’m a guy that runs the bottom, and I know he was making speed up top. I tried to move up there and we were just too loose.”

The frustration was evident through his radio communications though, noting it was “game over” for other competitors as grievances grew following additional incidents at Circuit of The Americas on March 26.

“I think you just get mad getting run in the fence, right?” Preece said. “There was no meaning. It’s just from inside that race car, you’re like, well, I’m not gonna lift when it comes to being run into the fence.

“Every time you lift, if guys see you lifting when you’re at their right-rear corner, they’re just going to keep running you up into the fence. So I think when I (said) ‘game over,’ I meant I’m just not gonna keep lifting and giving that respect of, ‘hey, I’ll give you this room.’ It just comes down to that.”

MORE: Full weekend results from Bristol

Larson said he doesn’t believe he and Preece have had prior issues, noting he hasn’t raced much around him.

“I’m not gonna carry it forward, but really, I’m just mad at a lot of stuff,” Larson said. “I’m mostly mad at myself. You know, I shouldn’t have been back there. I spun out, so I shouldn’t be in (the infield care center) right now, but just racing.”

And Larson, at least initially, explained that he doesn’t plan to seek further discussion on the matter.

“I mean, what’s there to talk about?” he said. “Like, he’s mad at me. I guess I’m mad at him. What’s there to talk about?”

Preece finished 24th while Larson was relegated to a 35th-place result.

Both drivers are in for more door-to-door racing when the Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway on April 16 for the NOCO 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), race three of a difficult short-track stretch.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR Martinsville TV programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR Martinsville TV schedule.

Note: All NASCAR Martinsville TV times are ET.

MORE: How to find USA Network | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing | How to watch NASCAR International

Monday, April 10
1:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Best of Radioactive: Bristol (re-air), FS1
2 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1

Tuesday, April 11
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Martinsville (re-air), FS1
3 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
Noon, NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Special: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville (re-air), FS1

Wednesday, April 12
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Martinsville (re-air), FS2
3 a.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR Cup Series 2010 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
1 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Martinsville (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville (re-air), FS2
3 p.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR Cup Series 2007 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock

Thursday, April 13
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 75 Years of Racing (re-air), FS2

Friday, April 14
Midnight, NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville (re-air), FS2
1 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Paula Murphy: Undaunted (re-air), FS2
10 a.m., Greatest Races: NASCAR Cup Series 2010 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
Noon, NASCAR Pace Lap, MavTV
3 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Pace Lap (re-air), MavTV
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition: Martinsville, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Craftsman Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
8:15 p.m., IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship: Long Beach qualifying, Peacock

On MRN:
7 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway

Saturday, April 15
2 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS1
11 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive: Martinsville (re-air), FS2
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville (re-air), FS2
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
2 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS2
5 p.m., IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship: Long Beach Race, USA
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
7:20 p.m., IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup: Long Beach Race 1, Peacock
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call811.com Before You Dig. 250 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
8 p.m., IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup: Long Beach Race 2, Peacock
11 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS1

On MRN:
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call811.com Before You Dig. 250 at Martinsville Speedway

Sunday, April 16
6 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call811.com Before You Dig. 250 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
8 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice, qualifying at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
10 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call811.com Before You Dig. 250 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1

On MRN:
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver/owner Tony Stewart is one of the 25 new additions to NASCAR’s Greatest Drivers list in celebration of the sport’s 75th anniversary, the sanctioning body announced on Sunday evening.

Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, was surprised with the news during the pre-race broadcast for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR).

RELATED: How the 75 Greatest Drivers works | More NASCAR 75 coverage

“It’s a huge honor,” Stewart said after receiving the news from Bristol native and NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton. “I mean, can you think of all the drivers in 75 years that have competed in the NASCAR Cup Series? It’s truly an honor just to be a part of that category in that group of people. There’s a lot of drivers in there that I’ve looked up to for a long time and still look up to.”

Naming the 75 Greatest Drivers is a continuation of the popular program established in 1998 recognizing the 50 Greatest Drivers for NASCAR’s golden anniversary. The 50 Greatest Drivers form the foundation of the 75 Greatest Drivers — there will be 25 new names added to the list first established 25 years ago.

The 2020 Hall of Fame inductee was a fan favorite during his time driving the No. 20 for Joe Gibbs Racing and later when he branched out as a driver/owner for his co-owned operation with Gene Haas in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing entry.

From his three-win, Rookie of the Year campaign in 1999 all the way to his final season in 2016, Stewart was a winner. The Indiana native amassed 49 Cup Series victories, including winning the prestigious Brickyard 400 at his home track of Indianapolis Motor Speedway twice.

MORE: Tony Stewart NASCAR Hall of Fame profile | Stewart through the years

Stewart won his first Cup championship in 2002 driving for JGR, quickly following that up with another one in 2005. He tacked on a third one for good measure in 2011 driving for SHR, winning five of the 10 playoff races to claim the title via tiebreaker over Carl Edwards in one of the most memorable championship pursuits in history.

As an owner, Stewart-Haas Racing has 69 wins to date, including the 2017 Daytona 500, and Kevin Harvick added the team’s second championship in 2014.

MORE: Stewart’s paint schemes through the years | All of his Cup wins

Posted on by Staff Report

With only two Bristol Dirt races in the books for the NASCAR Cup Series, there isn’t much data to dissect for making a prediction. Nonetheless, our fearless prognosticators at Racing Insights march forward.

FANTASY LIVE: Set your roster | See weekend schedule

Showing up at the top of this week’s projections is last week’s winner, Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports. Larson checks off a few boxes for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway.

First, Larson has a dirt background and is famous for squeezing in grassroots events between his Cup Series races, so his experience level on dirt is more than your average Cup driver. Larson is also on a hot streak, winning last week at Richmond and finishing in the top five three times in the past five races.

With Friday’s practice rained out and only Saturday’s qualifying to examine, Larson remained the top call. He will roll off first in Sunday’s race.

OTHERS TO WATCH

TYLER REDDICK: He led 99 laps last year before being wrecked while leading on the final lap. Reddick has finished in the top 10 in both Bristol Dirt races and comes from a dirt background. His 16th-place finish last week at Richmond snapped a streak of three straight top-five finishes this season. Starting lineup position: Sixth.

JOEY LOGANO: Logano won the inaugural Bristol Dirt Race in 2021 and finished third last season. He led 61 laps en route to his victory in 2021. Logano finished seventh at Richmond and won recently at Atlanta. Starting lineup position: 12th.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: He does not come from a dirt background, but his 126 laps led on the Bristol dirt are the most among all drivers. Truex Jr. is coming off an 11th-place finish at Richmond, where he was running third before having to put on scuff tires during the race’s last pit stop. Starting lineup position: 27th.

KYLE BUSCH: The defending race winner has nine career Cup victories at Bristol. He was running third on the final lap last year when Briscoe spun Reddick and opened the door for Busch to steal the win. Busch had three straight top-10 finishes this season before finishing 14th last week at Richmond. Starting lineup position: Fifth.

CHASE BRISCOE: He led 59 laps in last year’s Bristol Dirt Race, but the aforementioned spin on the final lap relegated him to a 22nd-place finish. He comes to Bristol looking to break a cold spell with six finishes of 12th or worse to start the season. Starting lineup position: 14th.

Projections as of Sunday, April 9.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE FOOD CITY DIRT RACE

Finish Car No. Driver
1 5 Kyle Larson
2 22 Joey Logano
3 8 Kyle Busch
4 24 William Byron
5 12 Ryan Blaney
6 4 Kevin Harvick
7 11 Denny Hamlin
8 48 Alex Bowman
9 99 Daniel Suárez
10 19 Martin Truex Jr.
11 14 Chase Briscoe
12 6 Brad Keselowski
13 20 Christopher Bell
14 1 Ross Chastain
15 45 Tyler Reddick
16 17 Chris Buescher
17 7 Corey LaJoie
18 43 Erik Jones
19 34 Michael McDowell
20 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
21 2 Austin Cindric
22 9 Josh Berry
23 54 Ty Gibbs
24 38 Todd Gilliland
25 3 Austin Dillon
26 31 Justin Haley
27 41 Ryan Preece
28 23 Bubba Wallace
29 10 Aric Almirola
30 21 Harrison Burton
31 77 Ty Dillon
32 42 Noah Gragson
33 16 A.J. Allmendinger
34 15 J.J. Yeley
35 51 Cody Ware
36 13 Jonathan Davenport
37 78 BJ McLeod