Unlike last year’s inaugural Bristol Dirt Race, having a background in dirt racing has paid dividends thus far this season. The four qualifying races on Saturday were all won by drivers with dirt experience, and a couple were done in dominating fashion. The favorite for the weekend, Kyle Larson, passed three drivers to finish third in the final qualifying heat.
Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup: Starter 1: Kyle Larson Starter 2: Christopher Bell Starter 3: Chase Briscoe Starter 4: Tyler Reddick Starter 5: Justin Haley Garage pick: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
NEXT IN LINE: Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, Ty Dillon.
RISING: When it comes to current Cup drivers with dirt racing experience, Justin Haley’s name might not stand compared to some others. But the No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet won the third qualifying heat and was sporty in practice. Over the last couple of weeks, Haley has taken to the Bristol dirt track, running a modified. He makes my lineup.
It might have been nearly nine years ago, but Austin Dillon won NASCAR’s return to dirt racing in 2013 at Eldora Speedway. This weekend, the No. 3 Chevrolet started eighth in the third heat, making his way up to fifth in a solid battle with Bubba Wallace. He will come from 12th and is on a streak of three straight top-10 results. Don’t overlook the elder Dillon brother.
Speaking of Dillons, Ty Dillon wasn’t too shabby in the fourth qualifying heat on Saturday, putting his bright No. 42 Chevrolet out front. Like his brother Austin, Ty grew up racing dirt late models. This weekend could be the swing in momentum for his Petty GMS Motorsports team.
FALLING: Earlier in the week, Denny Hamlin was on my list of drivers to avoid. Through Friday and Saturday, nothing has changed my mind, despite his sitting atop the scoring pylon in final practice. The No. 11 team followed that quick lap by finishing last in the third qualifying race. Hamlin will start in 34th.
Last year, surprisingly, Martin Truex Jr. led a race-high 126 laps on the dirt. This year, though, the No. 19 car has been off, and will take the green flag from 30th. It’s hard to see a repeat performance at the Bristol dirt track this time around.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Kyle Larson vs. Christopher Bell: What a matchup! Arguably, two of the best dirt racers in the country are up against one another. And while this is a tossup, Bell has seemingly had the better car thus far this weekend. It is, however, fun to see Larson sling his car around the top, and it shouldn’t be surprising to see the race come down to these two drivers, you know, like many recent Chili Bowls.
William Byron vs. Alex Bowman: Based off Bowman’s dirt experience, the No. 48 car is the pick here. Bowman will start eighth to Byron’s 19th-place starting position. And while this is based around where a driver finishes, Bowman has been more impressive thus far this weekend.
Joey Logano vs. Martin Truex Jr.: This is a layup. As noted above, Truex’s prowess on dirt doesn’t look as good this year. Meanwhile, Logano finished second in his qualifying heat and ran the Truck Series race on Saturday evening. No. 22 all the way.
Daniel Suarez vs. Chase Briscoe: No doubt, Suarez was the surprise last year in the Bristol Dirt Race. Briscoe, though, is a superb dirt racer. Don’t overthink this one, the No. 14 Ford could potentially win the race.
Editor’s note: Bozi Tatarevic is a professional racing mechanic and pit-crew member. He will provide technical analysis for NASCAR.com throughout the 2022 season.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Track conditions were optimal for the heat races Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, with overnight rain and some clouds during the day leaving the track surface with just the right amount of moisture.
The first heat race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series saw some soft dirt flying around, but once that session was complete, the track ended up in a condition that allowed for some speed. The surface was optimal by the time that the Cup cars took to the track for their heat races, which resulted in close racing and even some contact as drivers battled side by side.
One of the more notable battles of the day happened between Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace, as they exchanged spots during their heat race and made contact multiple times. But both cars were able to make it across the finish line without significant issues.
Bozi Tatarevic | For NASCAR.com
Most of the damage to the cars consisted of scrapes on the vinyl, although the No. 3 of Dillon did have some slight damage to the corner of its rear bumper. That was the product of another impact where the No. 3 slid as the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin was moving forward, which resulted in the grille extension of the No. 11 hitting that corner of the No. 3. The damage to both appears to mostly be cosmetic and shouldn’t produce any issues in the race.
Things were a bit more hectic in the truck race as the rear of Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 25 Chevrolet was impacted by the front of the No. 22 of Austin Wayne Self late in the race, resulting in the trucks becoming stuck together. This very rare occurrence was the result of an impact where the rear bumper reinforcement bar of the No. 25 was perfectly aligned to punch through the front end of the No. 22 and stick behind a piece of the front clip structure.
Crews unsuccessfully tried to pry the vehicles apart, but because the portion of the bumper reinforcement was stuck parallel to the rear of the car, it would not budge. Lifting the cars did not allow them to come apart either, but a lateral pull did allow the piece to slide out.
Both cars eventually made it back to pit road at which point the crew of the No. 25 cut off the edge of that bumper reinforcement bar which was now pointing backward from the attempts to pull it apart. The trucks returned to the track after some quick repairs and finished the race but probably not in the position where those drivers expected to be. DiBenedetto wound up 35th while Self finished 36th.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Two miles and change separated Carson Hocevar from his first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
“I could have cried,” Hocevar said. “I knew I was gonna cry whether I won or lost. It’s a pansy thing to do, but this sport is hard and you don’t have those close moments too often.”
The No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet led all but four laps in the final stage of the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. Those four, unfortunately for Hocevar, were the final four. His 55 laps out front — a career best by 38 at any track — weren’t enough. He finished second.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
After a late-race caution, the field saw the green flag return on Lap 145 of 150. Hocevar held his P1 position through the first live lap back. But then Rhodes, who restarted right behind Hocevar in third, darted below Hocevar as he drove high during the next lap to steal the lead on the inside.
“When he threw the slide job, I tried to like slide with him and get him off, and he hit my left-front and walked me up the race track,” Hocevar said. “I just had nothing. I just had to rip top and hope I either crossed him over or beat him.”
Neither happened. Rhodes won by 0.824 seconds.
Though he wishes for that deciding moment back, Hocevar admitted the only thing he could have done differently was crash Rhodes.
“I thought something was gonna happen,” said Rhodes, the reigning Truck Series champion. “I’d rather finish second than get wrecked. I’m all for contact, whatever you got to do to try to win the race, but wrecking somebody I don’t think is necessarily cool to win. But it’s racing. It’s truck racing, too. Everybody here drives pretty crazy, and me, too. I was probably the craziest tonight, so I can’t complain about anybody.”
Hocevar is in just his second full-time Truck Series season. This was his first top-five and third top-10 finish in 2022.
The 19-year-old has four top fives and 11 top 10s in 37 career starts now. His previous best result was also runner-up — 2021 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, falling short to John Hunter Nemechek, who placed third Saturday.
This is Hocevar’s second year with Niece Motorsports, whose last win came in 2019 with current Cup Series driver Ross Chastain.
“I think it’s more important Niece Motorsports wins,” Hocevar said. “I mean, it’s been a while, a long while. And more importantly, I’m more focused on me winning. I’ll crash every week if I can just win one week. I’m gonna do everything I can and work everything, work it out. So, you know, that risk versus reward? I’m just here for the reward.”
Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway
(⏰ 7 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for NASCAR’s second-ever Cup Series dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the ninth regular-season event of the 2022 campaign.
Big story line: How will the Cup Series’ second-ever Bristol Dirt Race pan out? Will we see a strong showing from the drivers with tons of dirt experience? Or will the underdogs, essentially the rest of the field, come out on top … again? Entering the 2021 dirt race, all eyes were on the usual aces who were expected to show the other drivers how it was done. Though they had a few strong runs throughout the race, most of the top dirt dogs faded (though Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished runner-up) and Joey Logano rose to the occasion. With a more durable car, better weather and a year’s worth of extra preparation, it will be interesting to see which drivers can master the rhythm early. If we’ve learned anything about the Next Gen era to this point, it’s that we know how unpredictable every race can be. Expect to see the same on Sunday. Don’t sleep on the sleepers. | Larson, Byron prepare for Bristol with local-track run | Stenhouse positive about momentum this month
Who’s hot? Who’s not? It seems like every week we are waiting on Ryan Blaney to come across the finish line first, earning his first win of 2022. Blaney has led laps in all eight races this season, has three straight finishes of seventh or better and is only three points away from the top spot in the Cup Series standings. And on top of the in-race success, he’s already matched his career-best tally of three poles in a single season. Despite being winless, he is on pace to shatter many of his other personal records. The No. 12 team has things figured out early, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it up front again at the wild-card Bristol Dirt Race. Looking across the aisle, reigning champion Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team have struggled since his home-state win at Auto Club Speedway. They uncharacteristically have finished outside of the top 28 in half the races so far. No better time for Larson and company to get back in rhythm on the surface where the dirt ace is arguably most comfortable. After a disappointing run a season ago, expect him to crank it up a level and turn his title-defense season around on Sunday.
Driving under the radar: A common theme, still very underrated, is Austin Dillon’s impressive form so far. Entering Bristol, he has three consecutive finishes inside the top 10 and seems to be peaking after a slight rollercoaster start to the season. He nearly came out with a win at Martinsville Speedway and is quietly emerging as a serious playoff contender after narrowly missing out a season ago. It’s hard to think that the iconic No. 3 machine could ever fly under the radar, so keep an eye out for Dillon in the coming weeks. And don’t be surprised if you continue to see him near the front of the field. | Dillon climbing the series standings
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Race-day staples ✅
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Paint Scheme Preview: Shiny schemes set to get covered in dirt | See the schemes • Power Rankings: Will a rising Joey Logano double down on Bristol? |Updated driver rankings
• Fantasy Fastlane: Leaning on dirt-track veterans for Sunday’s race | Top plays, sleepers
• NASCAR betting: Odds for second-ever Bristol Dirt Race | BetMGM odds
Catch the pack 💨
Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
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• Learn a lot: Day-by-day format for Bristol Dirt Race weekend | Read more
• Penalties: Ty Gibbs fined; Scott Miller goes in-depth on RFK Racing’s fine, suspensions | $15K fine for Gibbs | Miller explains
• New car, new changes: Digging into what’s new for the Next Gen car at Bristol | Technical analysis
• Focused forward: Stenhouse hopes this is his month ahead of Bristol Dirt Race | Read more
• Seat time: Chase Elliott to run Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol | See who he’s driving for
• Diving into dirt: Byron steps out of comfort zone, enjoys Larson’s late model event | Full story
• In this together: NASCAR and Sportradar announce multi-year integrity partnership | More details
• Honoring the military: Hamlin, Charlotte Motor Speedway kick off 2022 Mission 600 | Read more
• Nod to boss: Josh Berry reveals Dale Jr.-themed throwback for Darlington |See Berry’s scheme | Other Darlington schemes • Growing the sport: Jennerstown Speedway becomes NASCAR-sanctioned track | Read more
• Have a seat: NASCAR partners with racing and gaming seat innovator Playseat® | Partnership details
• Diversity: Japanese driver Akinori Ogata fulfills dream of winning in United States, keeps eye on NASCAR Cup Series | Full story
Get in on the action 💰
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• BetMGM: Larson, Bell top oddsmakers boards after 2021 disappointment | Betting analysis
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Backseat Bets: Can Bowman beat Byron in Bristol head-to-head? | Listen to the debate
• The Action Network: Best top-1o bet for Bristol | See who the experts chose
• Weekly props: Will the dirt-track regulars reign supreme on Sunday? | Make your picks
• Going all the way: NASCAR betting: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
Bristol Dirt Race, Part 2 ✌️
We’re back at Bristol Motor Speedway, the famed “Last Great Colosseum,” so check out some relevant history and results from last year’s inaugural race.
NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images
• The return: Cup Series ready for return to Bristol Motor Speedway | Read more
• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders at Bristol Motor Speedway | Who has led the most?
• Hoppin’ into history: Record of NASCAR races held on Easter | View the gallery
• All-time wins: Bristol Motor Speedway spring race | See the full list
• Do you remember?: Memorable moments at Bristol | Pick a favorite
• Built on dirt: Photographic memories of NASCAR’s history on dirt | Scroll through the gallery
• Dare to be different: History of Cup Series racing at unique tracks | Learn more
• Last year: Joey Logano rallies to inaugural Bristol Dirt Race win | 2021 recap, highlights
Fast facts ⏩
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• There have been 490 Cup races held on dirt, but a 50-year break between dirt events in the Cup series from 1970 to 2021. • Through eight races in 2022, there have been seven different winners. William Byron is the only repeat winner. • Lee Petty holds the record for the most dirt wins — 42 of his 54 series wins came on the surface type. • Hendrick Motorsports is just one top-10 finish away from 2,000 in Cup history. • Ryan Blaney is the first driver since Tony Stewart in 2006 to lead in each of the first eight races of a season.
Say what? 🎙
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
• “I’m looking forward to trying it out again. With a little better weather conditions from what we faced last year and changing from day to night for the race, I think it’s going to be a better event overall. It will be good to get those two practice sessions on Friday and be able to work on the car a little bit. Between the new car and the changes they made to the track, it’s going to be completely different than what we saw last year.” — Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
• “I don’t think it’s a dirt experiment anymore. We already did it once. That was an experiment last year and I think most people liked it. I say this about our sport all the time, there are people that love short-track racing. There are people that love superspeedways and hate short-track racing. There are people that love mile-and-a-half racing. We get to do it all and some weeks you’re gonna see your favorite track and some weeks you’re gonna see something completely different. The fact that NASCAR is going to different things. We just ran the Clash. I thought that was crazy, but it was actually pretty good and really big for our sport. What’s next? We can race anywhere. We’ve proven we can put on a great race and an entertaining race for the fans, and a competitive race for the competitors out there. I don’t care where we go. Let’s do it.” — Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
• “We weren’t the fastest in practice at the dirt race at Bristol last year, but I was really happy with our No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. I felt like it did everything it needed to do to be fast in the race and it showed when it came down to crunch time. We had a shot at winning. We were running down the No. 22 (Joey Logano) for the lead when the checkered came out. I feel really good about my guys and our team. We know what we need in our race car and I’m looking forward to getting to Bristol and getting back on the dirt. I don’t race as much dirt as (Kyle) Larson or (Christopher) Bell do on a weekly basis, but I did grow up doing just as much as they did. I enjoy racing dirt. It’s a challenge and it’s something different. It kind of shakes things up for the Cup Series.” — Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Overcoming a mistake in communication, Ben Rhodes charged to the front in the closing laps of Saturday’s Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt and snatched the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory from runner-up Carson Hocevar.
One circuit after the final restart on Lap 146 of 150, Rhodes, the defending series champion, buried his No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota into Turn 1, slid to the outside of third-place finisher John Hunter Nemechek and dived to the inside of Hocevar to take the lead.
The dramatic charge to victory atoned for Rhodes’ failure to bring his truck to the pits at the end of the first stage on Lap 40 after missing his entrance to pit road. Forced to pit after winning Stage 2, Rhodes restarted 13th on Lap 91 and worked his way forward with the aid of four cautions in the final 60-lap stage.
“My crew gave me such an awesome Tundra this weekend that I wasn’t going to let them down,” said Rhodes, who led 95 laps and won the first two stages on the way to his first victory of the year and the sixth of his career. “I had to go back up there and earn the spot back. I’m really proud of all their effort.”
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media
Rhodes and Hocevar were the only two drivers credited with leading laps. The driver of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet grabbed the top spot after restarting fourth on Lap 91 and held it until Rhodes passed him for the win.
In hindsight, Hocevar said he could have done a better job defending against the decisive pass.
“Either ripped the top or crashed him,” Hocevar said of his alternatives. “I hate saying that, but it’s part of this racing, right? I just couldn’t compete with him. He just had better (fresher) tires, and he was the fastest truck all day. I was just trying to hold on. …
“He slide-jobbed me, and I should have prepared for it, crossed him over and raced him really hard. Second just sucks. It’s terrible, especially being that close.”
The race marked the NASCAR national series debut of reigning USAC National Midget champion Buddy Kofoid, who started 32nd after his No. 51 Toyota overheated during the first qualifying heat earlier in the afternoon.
Methodically working his way forward, Kofoid ran as high as third before spinning in Turn 2 as he tried to cross over to the inside of Rhodes’ truck in a battle for fourth place on Lap 139, after Rhodes drove deep into the corner and slid toward the top of the track.
Isaiah Robinson | NASCAR Digital Media
Collected in the ensuing wreck were Ty Majeski, who saw a probable top-five effort go awry, and Derek Kraus.
The race also had a taste of the bizarre. On Lap 96, Austin Wayne Self nudged the Chevrolet of hard-luck Matt DiBenedetto after the latter had passed Self. The front bumper of Self’s Silverado locked with the rear bumper of DiBenedetto’s Chevy, and the two drivers could not power them apart.
It took a red flag and a handful of track workers to separate the trucks. That incident ruined the race for both drivers, but the subsequent restart on Lap 106 put Rhodes on his path to the eventual victory. By the time caution flew again on Lap 112, he had climbed to fifth and was well on his way to the front.
The Camping World Truck Series’ next race is scheduled for Friday, May 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) at Darlington Raceway.
Notes: Post-race inspection was completed in the Bristol Motor Speedway garage with no issues, confirming Rhodes as the winner. … Cup Series regular Joey Logano started from the pole position and finished sixth in his first Camping World Trucks start since 2015.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — It’s on brand to be off brand this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
There’s currently dirt on top of Bristol’s normal concrete surface. That’s already abnormal for NASCAR. Then, to go along with the plot twist, heat races determined the starting lineup rather than the regular one-lap sprints.
“It puts different guys that you may not race around on a regular basis kind of in the middle, and I think it’s good,” Justin Allgaier said. “I think it somewhat teaches you how to navigate and teaches you race craft. And it definitely is a lot different skill than what I would say we normally have by the typical practice, qualifier, race. Now, that also being said, there’s risk in it. I mean, anything can happen and you can get torn up just as easily in heat races as you can in the feature. But I’m excited for it.
“I think to really capitalize on having dirt on this race track you have to kind of go full-in, right?”
Four 15-lap shootouts with nine drivers apiece were held Saturday. The mini fields were determined in advance by a random draw. Friday’s practice had no impact.
During the heats, drivers accumulated points for finishing and passing. Finishing points came the same way stage points are earned in regulation – first receives 10, second gets nine, etc. Passing points were then earned for every position gained during the mini race – start ninth, finish sixth, gain three points. There was no way to lose points.
Isaiah Robinson | NASCAR Digital Media
“We’re starting dead last in our heat race just off of pill draw,” Custer said before his heat. “I have to pass five cars to get my points to where I’m gonna be decent. So it makes it a little bit tougher on the guys who get a bad pill draw, but we’ll see.”
Custer started ninth and finished second in Heat 1. He got nine finishing points and seven passing points. That’s 16 points total — which ultimately awarded him the Busch Light Pole Award, his first ever. He’ll lead the field to green Sunday in the Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX).
“Yeah,” he said during his post-qualifying presser when reminded of his previous concerns, “I was actually thinking about that when I walked in. That kind of backfired on me.”
Christopher Bell checked in second with 14 points. Tyler Reddick was third with 13.
On the opposite end of the grid, the lowest point total ended up being two from Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Cody Ware and Josh Williams. Team owner points broke all ties, so the order their names are listed fill out 33rd through 36th.
“It’s cool,” Bell said. “The only thing I dislike about heat races is you can draw a stacked heat race, right, where you have a bunch of good cars in it. … The dirt kind of levels the field because the heavy hitters aren’t the normal heavy hitters. But yeah, it’s fun to do something different.”
Cole Custer gathered up the Busch Light Pole Award on Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track, collecting the most points in Saturday evening’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying heats.
Custer drove from ninth to second place in the first 15-lap heat, accumulating one point in the starting-lineup formula for each position gained. The points for his finishing spot and the passing points put his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the first starting spot for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM), icing his first Cup Series pole.
“I wouldn’t call myself a dirt racing expert whatsoever,” Custer said. “I did it when I was younger. I raced some Ford Focus midgets when I was in my early teens and I always loved dirt, but I wouldn’t say that I’m an expert. I’m nowhere near Kyle Larson, so getting my first pole at a dirt race is pretty crazy.”
Avid dirt racer Christopher Bell is set to start second in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota in Sunday’s 250-lap main event. Tyler Reddick earned the third starting spot, with Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson finishing out the top five in order.
Reddick slipped by Ross Chastain on Lap 5 and led the rest of the first heat. A Turn 2 spin by Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford was the qualifying race’s only caution period, flying with nine of the 15 laps complete.
Bell drove past Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch with five laps remaining to win Heat 2. Bell went from fifth to first in the qualifying race. Daniel Suárez’s solo spin with four laps complete forced the only caution flag.
Justin Haley’s No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet sped to a wire-to-wire win in Heat 3. Ty Dillon withstood the challenges of Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Larson to take Heat 4.
Logano, a Cup Series regular, emerged from Saturday afternoon’s four 15-lap qualifying heats with the best points tally — a combination of heat results and points earned by passing. His No. 54 Team DGR Ford will start first in Saturday night’s main event, the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). He’ll make his first Truck Series start since 2015.
Series points leader Ben Rhodes will start second in the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota. Stewart Friesen, Parker Kligerman and Chandler Smith completed the top five in the 36-truck starting lineup.
Cup Series regular Austin Dillon led all the way in the opening heat, driving a No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet that was repaired after a bump-up in Friday’s practice. Trucks regular Ty Majeski went wire-to-wire in Heat 2, holding off Carson Hocevar’s late surge.
Heat 3 was slowed eight laps in after Hailie Deegan spun the No. 1 Ford in Turn 2. That was the only thing that slowed Logano, who vaulted from fifth to first to rack up passing points, bypassing Grant Enfinger on the lone restart for the heat win.
Smith led all 15 laps in the fourth and final heat, warding off persistent pressure from Chase Elliott.
Jessica Friesen and Norm Benning failed to qualify for the 150-lap feature.
In the midst of revitalizing historic North Wilkesboro Speedway, Speedway Motorsports will bring grassroots racing back to the famed 0.625-mile short track in August and October of 2022, officials announced today at a press conference at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Produced by XR Events, Racetrack Revival will be a multi-week grassroots racing event featuring multiple series on the current North Wilkesboro asphalt in August. Then, following removal of the pavement, Racetrack Revival will return for several weeks in October on dirt before a repave takes place in 2023.
“As we begin the process of bringing North Wilkesboro Speedway back to life, this is a great opportunity for the historic short track to host grassroots racing and allow our team to learn more about what needs be done before a grand re-opening in the future,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “Our vision is to revive this venue into a multi-use entertainment facility, but racing will always be the core product. We know fans and competitors will enjoy ‘kicking the tires’ alongside us with some live competition this year as we begin renovations.”
Speedway Motorsports is working with Wilkes County and North Carolina state officials to utilize an $18 million American Rescue Plan budget allocation earmarked for infrastructure improvements at the nearly 75-year-old facility.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for competitors and short track race fans to experience North Wilkesboro Speedway one more time on the old asphalt and then on dirt as it first began,” said XR Events CEO Barry Braun. “We have a lot of work to do with sanctioning bodies and competitors to get ready for August, but we’re committed to producing an event that both fans and racers will remember for a lifetime.”
Racetrack Revival is expected to include Super Late Models, Street Stocks, Pro Late Models, Limited Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds, Late Model Stocks and Hornets in August on pavement. Series expected to compete on dirt in October include Super Late Models, 410 Sprint Cars, Big Block Modifieds, Street Stocks, Open Wheel Modifieds, 602 Crate Late Models, 604 Crate Late Models, Stock Cars and Hornets. Competitors can register at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Complete schedules and final participating series as determined will be listed on the website.
XR Events has produced grassroots race events at several Speedway Motorsports venues, including Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The company will also produce the upcoming May 10-14 Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
