Posted on by Cara Cooper

When Jennerstown Speedway Complex general manager Bill Hribar was in Florida visiting New Smyrna Speedway in February for the track’s annual Speedweeks, he ran into some old friends who now work in NASCAR. They all started talking about the possibility of adding Jennerstown to the list of NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks, and, he said, “Next thing you know, we started talking at the table with a NASCAR sanctioning agreement.”

It was about two or three weeks after Hribar returned from Florida that Jennerstown came to an agreement with NASCAR. The Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, half-mile oval became the 45th NASCAR-sanctioned short track in the United States and Canada.

“It’s been an incredible experience,” Hribar said in a phone interview this week. “There hasn’t been one person in NASCAR that hasn’t been amazing to work with so far.”

RELATED: Jennerstown officially returns to Weekly Series

Jennerstown Speedway
Jennerstown Speedway (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR)

It’s been about 15 years since Jennerstown was a part of NASCAR. The track closed in 2008 and was not NASCAR-sanctioned at that time. Back then, Jennerstown had a sister track, Motordrome Speedway, about an hour away in West Newton, Pennsylvania.

Hribar grew up a mile from Motordrome, and he eventually started racing there himself.

“That was my entire childhood. I spent every Friday night there,” he said. “When I got my first teaching job in 2007, the very first purchase I made was for a race car to race at Motordrome Speedway.”

His knowledge of racing and his involvement in the fire department and other local organizations in the community helped Hribar move from behind the wheel to the management side of the sport.

“You meet some of the greatest people of your life in racing, and I met one of the current owners there,” he said. “The owner asked if I would help out at Motordrome and kind of give it a breath of fresh air.”

Hribar and others had an agreement to purchase Motordrome in 2013, but the deal didn’t work out. A year later, he got a call saying, “We’re going to Jennerstown.”

“I thought he was kind of crazy,” Hribar said. “It’s an hour away, and I didn’t really know many people.

“Long story short, I went in front of six individuals, spoke for about two-and-a-half hours about what I wanted to do and how to make it work, and here we are eight years later, and I’m running the place.”

Hribar has been at Jennerstown since it reopened in 2014. He started as basically a volunteer, got a little more involved in 2015, and was named general manager before the 2016 season.

The track has been through several different owners in that time, but it has continued to grow.

It was that growth that convinced Hribar and others it was time to go NASCAR-sanctioned.

“I believe timing is everything in this sport,” he said. “We feel we’ve got a pretty good foundation underneath us.”

Jennerstown Speedway
Jennerstown Speedway (Nate Smallwood/NASCAR)

Hribar said the response has been “remarkable” since Jennerstown made the NASCAR announcement, from the drivers to the sponsors to the fans. When they made the announcement, they were on a Facebook live stream, and almost immediately, he said, their phones were “just going ballistic.”

“And it was from some of the people you would never expect to hear from in regards to that,” he said. ” Even if they were in favor, you wouldn’t expect them to reach out. It has been nothing but positive support from everyone involved. It’s opened up numerous opportunities for the speedway, for drivers, sponsors. It has been a win-win the whole way around, and NASCAR has been amazing to work with.”

Jennerstown hopes to continue to grow in 2022. Hribar said the track recently completed a $350,000 LED lighting project. They redid the VIP area and press box, and they’re currently redoing all the bleachers and some spots in the pit area.

Completing these projects and bringing Jennerstown back to prominence has, most importantly, revived the excitement for short track racing in Southwest Pennsylvania. Before the track re-opened, Hribar said what the sport was missing in the area was consistency.

“You had individuals opening and running the racetracks, and you wouldn’t know until March of the following year if the racetrack was even going to be there,” he said. “So people weren’t willing to invest in their cars, the equipment or the facility not knowing, that uncertainty.

“So we made it quite clear the gentlemen involved, and still are involved, we’re the real deal. They’re investing their time, energy and money into making the speedway successful.”

The biggest reflection of Jennerstown’s success has been in the car count and the fans in the stands. Last year, the track had 34 cars in their top Late Model division collect points, something Hribar said “this region and part of the country hasn’t seen in decades.”

The track is also averaging between 4,000-4,500 fans a week, he added.

“Low and behold, when you pay your bills and treat people with respect, they want to come to your facility,” Hribar added. “And we actually saw people. A gentleman here who hadn’t raced in 20-something years came back. Other people who hadn’t raced in 15, 16 years. Everybody wants to be part of Jennerstown Speedway, and it’s just like a revitalization, and it’s been great.”

Hribar still teaches high school manufacturing full time, and he doesn’t race any more himself. While he said he can’t compare racing to being the general manager of a track, and can’t say which role he likes more, he couldn’t imagine being in any other position at this time. To him, he’s doing a lot more good on that side of the track, and being the GM “scratches the itch where I’m still involved in racing and doing a lot more good on this side of things.”

What he’s most excited about this season is seeing everyone again — from his drivers to the fans to everyone else involved with Jennerstown’s growth.

The track held a registration party last weekend, and Hribar said people came out in droves to support the track and get excited for the 2022 season.

“We’re really excited,” he said. “The 2021 season was probably the most remarkable for Jennerstown, not just in our years but any other years combined.

“In every other year it seems like there’s always, I don’t want to say down time, but you don’t have that adrenaline rush. I live off adrenaline, and all offseason you wait for that to kick back in. Well, I can confidently tell you the adrenaline rush hasn’t stopped since September of last year, and ever since we’ve made the NASCAR deal … It is full speed ahead for everyone involved.”

Jennerstown will hold its first practice day on April 23 and a second practice on April 30. The track will open the season on May 7.

Jennerstown is also one of 21 tracks currently competing for the Advance Auto Parts Advance My Track Challenge for a $50,000 prize. To learn more or vote for your favorite track, go to https://www.advancemytrack.com/.

Posted on by Press Release

When the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Lee USA Speedway for the first time in more than two decades next month, race fans are going to be in for quite the treat in the inaugural Granite State Derby, promoted by JDV Productions.

Headlined by the 175-lap Whelen Modified Tour race, which will have various tire strategies to keep track of at one of the most abrasive tracks in the region, the Granite State Derby will have multiple different types of race cars battling throughout the day. There will be a little bit of something for everyone on Saturday, May 21, at New Hampshire’s Center of Speed, as the Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and winged Midgets will all be in action.

RELATED: Buy tickets to JDV’s Modified Tour events

Fans will get a taste of high-powered Modified thunder in two separate divisions — the Whelen Modified Tour and the Pro 4 Modifieds — both standout divisions in New England for many years. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s most recent visit to Lee was in 1998, and although some of the drivers have competed in other races at the track in the last decade alone, many of them will have their first experience at the track with the element of pit stops in play. When will teams elect to take their fresh tires? Will they take them earlier in the race and hope for a long green flag run to the finish? Will they wait until the final few laps and hope for a late caution to blast them on and make a dash through the field? It’s all a guessing game that will keep fans engaged for the whole distance.

The 175-lap Tour race will also serve as the first of three events in the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, a three-race series that will begin at Lee, continue at Monadnock Speedway on June 18 and conclude at Claremont Motorsports Park on Friday, July 29, when a champion will be crowned. Driver point totals will be kept, and the champion will be the driver who totals the most points over the three races. The incentive bonus program for the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup is now more than $15,000 in extra bonus awards.

“The inaugural Granite State Derby at Lee is going to be a perfect kick-off to a busy JDV Productions schedule for the 2022 season,” said Josh Vanada, owner of JDV Productions. “We’re looking forward to watching so many different divisions on the same day at Lee. You have the Modifieds, which need no introduction with their ground pounding excitement, along with Pro Stocks, Mini Stocks and Midgets, all on the same day. On top of everything else we will have going on at the track, this is a can’t miss race day for race fans.”

The Pro 4 Modifieds, one of the longest standing New England touring divisions, will roar into Lee looking to showcase both the veterans and rising stars of the region. Their 25-lap feature is sure to be a tightly-contested battle that will go down to the wire.

On the fendered side, the Granite State Pro Stock Series will join the JDV Productions events for the first of two times during the 2022 season at Lee. In what will be the third race of the series for the New Hampshire-based touring division, similar to the Modifieds, tire conservation will be a hot topic in their 100-lap race. The only difference: Teams will have to run the entire race on the same four tires, meaning those drivers who save the best will have the most at the end of the race to chase for the trophy.

The GSPSS entry list, to be released closer to the day of the race, is expected to be strong, as teams will be looking to grab as many laps as possible ahead of their $10,000-to-win race at the track in July.

On the winged side, another one of New England’s longest running divisions, the NEMA Lites, will rocket around the track at fast speeds for 25 laps of their own. The NEMA Lites, a division tied to the NEMA Midgets, is used as a more affordable class, but also one that showcases both veterans and rising stars. Many of the drivers who compete in the NEMA Lites eventually become NEMA Midget winners, while names like Randy Cabral, a multiple-time NEMA Midget champion, also dip down into the NEMA Lites to race. The division is familiar with the .375-oval and will have another exciting race in the cards.

And finally, the NHSTRA Mini Stocks will race in a special Battle For The Belt event, set for 50 laps. As one of the more affordable divisions in racing, the Mini Stocks are one of many divisions part of the Battle for the Belt Series in New Hampshire, where the division competes across multiple tracks for glory. The rules are the same across all tracks in the NHSTRA banner, which includes Lee, Claremont Motorsports Park, Monadnock Speedway and Hudson Speedway.

The Mini Stock drivers are no strangers to the long straightaways at Lee and will be excited to race for the checkered flag in a bit of a longer race. Don’t let the laps fool you, though. Racing will be hot and heavy right from the drop of the first green flag through the entire distance.

Tickets for the inaugural Granite State Derby are available today at JDVProductions.com. Tickets for all four JDV events during the 2022 season are also available.. Tickets also include the opportunity to purchase an exclusive pass in the JDV Experience, where fans will get select marquee seating, a private autograph session, concession stand vouchers and more.

For more information on JDV Productions, visit JDVProductions.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Posted on by Staff Report

The hype for Darlington Raceway’s annual throwback weekend is continuing to build.

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is the latest to reveal his scheme for the Mahindra ROXOR 200 on May 7 — and it’s a good one.

Berry’s brightly-colored tribute is a nod to team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2002 Xfinity Series (then-Busch Series) win at Richmond Raceway, featuring the mischievous monster Gossamer from Looney Tunes on the hood and family-favorite Bugs Bunny on the decklid.

RELATED: 2022 Xfinity Series season schedule | Alex Bowman pays tribute to Mark Martin

Twitter 222x8 Tire Pros Throwback 1

Wednesday evening, the JR Motorsports Twitter handle teased the reveal, hinting at inspiration from Dale Jr.’s notable car graveyard.

Earnhardt gathered two series championships and 24 races en route to his NASCAR Hall of Fame career. Berry’s first series victory (and second) came in 2021 when he earned a part-time ride with the Earnhardt-owned team. His prowess in the limited stint earned him a full-time opportunity this season and has been a key member of the organization’s success, with four top 10s in eight races.

Graphic credits: JR Motorsports

Posted on by Staff Report

Christopher Bell was five weeks removed from his first career NASCAR Cup Series win — the 2021 O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 — when he arrived in March 2021 at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first Cup Series dirt race since 1970. 

He was a three-time Chili Bowl Nationals champion who won at Eldora Speedway in his third career Camping World Truck Series race and was one of the most experienced dirt-track drivers in the 39-car lineup for the Food City Dirt Race.

That was enough for BetMGM oddsmakers to place Bell in front of 37 of the other drivers in NASCAR odds. 

RELATED: Weekend schedule for Bristol dirt | Who has the best odds on Sunday?

At +800 to win — his best odds ever entering a Cup Series race — Bell was well below the favorite, Kyle Larson (+280). But it was still a resounding vote of confidence for the then-26-year-old with only 42 career Cup Series starts. Those starts were less than 10% of several others beneath him on the odds board, including Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick.

And for 52 laps at the “World’s Dirtiest Half-Mile,” Bell delivered on the hype; he was running second behind Truex midway through Stage 1 before spinning out, leading to a 34th-place finish.

Despite the result, oddsmakers and the public evidently saw enough to deliver another vote of confidence this year. 

Once again, Bell sits behind Larson at +800, the second-best odds on the board as of Wednesday, though the gap is narrower; Larson is +450 one year after his No. 5 Chevrolet was damaged in Bell’s wreck and finished 29th.

“I passed Joey Logano early in the race last year before I spun out,” Bell told the Johnson City Press, referring to an early pass of Logano, the eventual winner. “That’s good to have that confidence in my head. All the dirt racers, we got a lot of them in the Cup Series now. So it’s not going to be an easy race by any means.”

Bell, Larson, and Logano are included in BetMGM’s featured matchups this weekend in the Food City Dirt Race:

Kyle Larson (-130) vs. Christopher Bell (+100)

Kyle Larson dropped four spots to a season-low sixth in this week’s NASCAR Power Rankings after a 19th-place finish at Martinsville, his fifth finish outside the top 15 in the last six races. 

He did not, however, drop in Cup Series championship odds, still sitting atop the board at +550, narrowly ahead of Chase Elliott (+700) and William Byron (+700) and far ahead of Bell (+2200) and others.

Larson, a two-time Chili Bowl Nationals champion, gets another crack at the Bristol dirt this weekend and must, at minimum, finish ahead of Bell to earn his second win of the season. 

And many BetMGM bettors believe that’ll happen; as of Wednesday, Larson had the highest ticket (11%) and handle shares (22.4%) to win the race and 97% of tickets and 96% of the handle in the head-to-head against Bell.

Joey Logano (-145) vs. Martin Truex Jr., (+115)

Joey Logano won Stage 2 last year en route to his lone win of 2021 and just his second win since early 2020. And after relishing the uniqueness and nostalgia of winning the first Cup Series dirt race at Bristol — his third career Cup Series win at Bristol — he returns with hopes of becoming the ninth different driver to win the 62-year-old race in back-to-back years.

For what it’s worth, Logano ranks sixth in top-five finishes, seventh in laps led, and fifth in wins at Bristol among active drivers. He’s had significantly more success at the iconic track than his head-to-head opponent this week, Martin Truex Jr., who was in position for his first Bristol win (in 31 career starts) at last year’s race before a late flat tire.

The public is buying Logano in race-winner betting — fourth-highest shares in both tickets and handle — but Truex has 89% of the handle in the featured matchup.

William Byron (-125) vs. Alex Bowman (-105)

William Byron became the year’s first multi-win driver with last weekend’s triumph at Martinsville and now sits a career-high third in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, just nine points behind Ryan Blaney and 12 points behind Chase Elliot. And his bid for a second straight win will include a dirt warmup on Thursday in Kyle Larson’s Late Model Challenge at Volunteer Speedway.

Alex Bowman, meanwhile, is seeking a seventh straight top-15 finish since opening the season 24th at Daytona and 25th at Fontana. And with a win, he’d join Byron as the only drivers with multiple wins this season.

The public isn’t convinced of that happening, though; Bowman has only 1.5% of tickets and 1.4% of the handle in race-winner betting and barely any action against Byron in this featured matchup. Byron is dominating both tickets (98%) and handle (99%).

Chase Briscoe (-155) vs. Daniel Suárez (+120)

Pulling double dirt duty last year, Chase Briscoe finished 20th in the Food City Dirt Race and fifth in the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt. The former teenage dirt-track superstar won’t be behind the wheel of Roper Racing’s No. 4 Ford truck this year, but he will be behind the wheel of his No. 14 Ford on Sunday in search of his second win this season.

Only Larson, Bell, and Chase Elliott have a higher share of the race-winner handle than Briscoe (5.6%). Daniel Suárez, however, has 72% of the handle (on a 50/50 ticket split) in their head-to-head.

You can view updated Food City Dirt Race odds and more NASCAR betting odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook.

Posted on by Staff Report

Bristol is back, baby. Before Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), try your hand at some props on the race.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup

Featured Matchups of the week

Race-specific data props

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The NASCAR Cup Series is getting dirty.

Cup cars will race on the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway for the second year in a row on Sunday night (7 ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). But perhaps more special is that NASCAR will race on Easter Sunday for the first time since 1989, when a February race at Richmond was postponed to the holiday.

Hop into the racing spirit and get all you need to know about the Food City Dirt Race:

DEEP IN THE DIRT

The first step to the weekend is getting acquainted with the red clay coating the 0.533-mile track this weekend, which is the same as was used in last year’s inaugural event.

Beneath the surface lies about two inches of sawdust to protect the concrete racing surface typically used by NASCAR. That is topped by 5,330 cubic yards of dirt saved from Bristol’s first foray into dirt racing back in 2000-01, followed by 4,008 cubic yards of dirt from the campground as well as lime-treated clay.

The top layer features Bluff City Red Tennessee Clay, which will be what the Next Gen car’s tires contact all weekend long.

RELATED: Next Gen changes for dirt | Bristol schedule | Cup Series standings 

DIFFERENT SURFACE, DIFFERENT FORMAT

Teams will be allotted two 50-minute practice sessions on Friday afternoon (4:05 p.m. ET, FS1) to familiarize themselves and the new vehicle to the surface.

Unlike typical race weekends, there will be no single-car or group qualifying. Instead, teams will line up for four 15-lap heats Saturday evening (6 ET, FS2), with starting positions for each heat selected by crew members via random draw in order of owner’s points. With all 36 chartered teams on the entry list, nine cars will compete in each heat.

At the conclusion of each heat, drivers will be awarded both finishing points and passing points. Finishing points will be awarded just like stage points — 10 points for first place down to two points for ninth place. Drivers will also accumulate passing points, gaining one point per position gained from their initial starting position. No points will be deducted for lost positions. Combined point totals will then determine the starting lineup for Sunday night’s 250-lap feature event.

RELATED: Dive deeper into how the Bristol format works

NASCAR’S HISTORY OFF-ROADING

— The last Cup Series race on dirt before last year’s Bristol spring race was held on Sept. 30, 1970 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

— In all, there have been 490 Cup races held on dirt, including the series’ inaugural race at the 0.75-mile Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, an event won by Jim Roper.

— Lee Petty holds the all-time record for dirt wins, claiming 42 of his 54 career wins on dirt.

— Richard Petty’s first of 200 career wins came on the dirt-surfaced Southern State Fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Feb. 28, 1960. Thirty of his 200 wins came on dirt.

— Darlington Raceway became the first asphalt track to host a race in Cup history back in September 1950. The first 20 Cup races were held on dirt, clay or sand, including the 4.15-mile Daytona Beach & Road Course that featured both sand and asphalt.

— The Camping World Truck Series began racing on dirt in 2013 at Eldora Speedway and continued through 2019. Last year, the series joined Cup at Bristol before heading to the iconic Knoxville Speedway in Iowa for another dirt race.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

2022april14 Goodyear Dirt Tire
Credit: Goodyear Tire

After developing a tire for last year’s inaugural Bristol dirt race, Goodyear had to go back to work in preparation for the Next Gen’s dirt debut, going from the 15-inch bead diameter for the Gen-6 tire to the 18-inch tire this year.

Additionally, this year’s tire is a radial tire as opposed to the bias ply tire that was used in 2021.

“We had to develop a new package for the 18-inch dirt tire this season, so it gave us the opportunity to totally re-imagine this Cup tire set-up,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We felt the right move was for a radial tire, which provides a greater degree of size consistency. However, a radial tire incorporates a much stiffer tread surface, so we made adjustments to the tire construction to achieve a more compliant feel, similar to that of a bias ply, and able to handle the irregularities of a dirt surface. The 18-inch package also includes a new tread pattern, which incorporates a lot of dirt tire technology we’ve developed over the years, and tread compounds adjusted to be more resistant to heat and wear.”

BRISTOL DIRT STORY LINES 

— Sunday marks the first scheduled Cup race on Easter since 1970, when Bobby Allison won a March 29 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This will be the 12th such race in Cup history.

— William Byron became the only repeat winner of 2022 with his win a week ago at Martinsville Speedway. It was Byron’s second win in four weeks and marks the first multi-win season of his career.

— Joey Logano is on a 37-race winless streak, with his last win coming in this race last year, his only win in the last 47 races aside from his victory in the exhibition Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February. This is his longest points-paying winless streak since joining Team Penske.

— Ryan Blaney is the first driver since Tony Stewart in 2006 to lead in each of the first eight races of a season.

— Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps in this race a year ago (126) and also won last year’s Truck race at Bristol.

— Including Logano, Truex is one of seven drivers to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race on dirt, joining Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, who all won the Eldora Dirt Derby.

— Logano, Dillon, Chase Elliott and Harrison Burton will compete in Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race to get extra track time at Bristol.

— Denny Hamlin’s average finish through eight races is 17 spots worse than it was at this time a year ago, but the No. 11 Toyota was the only car to run inside the top 10 for all 253 laps on Bristol dirt a year ago, eventually finishing third.

Source: Racing Insights

FEELING LUCKY?

When dirt comes into the picture, so does Kyle Larson.

Las Vegas is keen on Larson’s dirt supremacy as the defending Cup champion continues to dominate dirt circuits, winning the Chili Bowl Nationals, King’s Royal, Prairie Dirt Classic and Knoxville Nationals all in the same year in 2021. The driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet is listed as the 9-2 favorite courtesy of BetMGM — but beware. Larson has not shown near the consistency he and crew chief Cliff Daniels did in 2021 and has posted just three finishes better than 19th all year (of course, those three finishes were all top fives and include an Auto Club Speedway victory).

Christopher Bell is listed as BetMGM’s second-best bet this week at 8-1 odds. However, Bell spun from second place a year ago in this event at Lap 53, falling right into the path of Larson and Ross Chastain. If Bell can avoid getting turned around this week, he should be an excellent pick: The Oklahoman was the 2013 USAC National Midget champion and is a three-time winner of the Chili Bowl Nationals.

RELATED: Odds for Bristol dirt | @nascarcasm: Friendly tips for Bell and Larson

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.

The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (282), Ryan Blaney (277) and William Byron (276).

How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to its second-ever Bristol Dirt Race weekend, starting Friday and concluding Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. There will be on-track action each day due to practice, qualifying and the main event. And because dirt deviates from the norm, the race format does the same.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds | Entry list

Below is a day-by-day breakdown of the weekend format:

FRIDAY

  • 4:05 p.m. ET — First practice (FS1) | Results
  • 6:35 p.m. ET — Final practice (FS1) | Results

There are two practices, each 50 minutes in length. This is the only track in 2022 where two practices are scheduled. There are no abnormal rules or regulations in place for practice, despite the dirt aspect. Drivers and teams simply have designated time on the 0.533-mile circuit to prepare for qualifying and the main event.

ANALYSIS: Digging into Next Gen car changes for dirt race

SATURDAY

  • 6 p.m. ET — Qualifying (FS2) | Results

Qualifying consists of four heat races. Each is a quick 15 laps. The first starts at 6 p.m. ET, the second at 6:15 p.m. ET, the third at 6:30 p.m. ET and the final at 6:45 p.m. ET, according to the at-track schedule.

Heat assignments and lineups were determined by a random draw, conducted in order of team owner points. The drawing took place at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, and the results are as follows:

HEAT 1 HEAT 2 HEAT 3 HEAT 4
Todd Gilliland Kevin Harvick Joey Logano Chase Elliott
Ross Chastain Kyle Busch Justin Haley Ty Dillon
Brad Keselowski Michael McDowell JJ Yeley Aric Almirola
Tyler Reddick Justin Allgaier Chris Buescher William Byron
Alex Bowman Christopher Bell Denny Hamlin Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ryan Blaney Josh Williams Kurt Busch Kyle Larson
Martin Truex Jr. Chase Briscoe Bubba Wallace Austin Cindric
Corey LaJoie Erik Jones Austin Dillon Cody Ware
Cole Custer Daniel Suárez Noah Gragson Harrison Burton

DEBATE: Best driver without dirt-racing resume for Bristol Dirt Race?

During the heat races, drivers accumulate points for finishing and passing. First place earns 10 points, second gets nine and so on down to two points for ninth — it’s the same way stage points are determined during a regulation race.

In addition to their finishing points, drivers gain one point for each car passed from their original starting position. For example, a driver who starts fourth and finishes second will receive two points. Drivers who finish where they started or ultimately lose spots on the grid get zero passing points. There are no deductions.

Only green-flag laps count. Free-pass and wave-around procedures operate as normal. NASCAR Overtime is not an option.

Once all four heat races are complete, point totals determine the field’s starting lineup for the main event, a max of 40 entries. Therefore, the driver with the most points wins the Busch Light Pole Award. All ties are broken by team owner points.

 

STARTING SPOT DRIVER, CAR HEAT POINTS
1 Cole Custer 16
2 Christopher Bell 14
3 Tyler Reddick 13
4 Chase Briscoe 12
5 Kyle Larson 11
6 Justin Haley 11
7 Ty Dillon 11
8 Alex Bowman 10
9 Chase Elliott 9
10 Joey Logano 9
11 Kyle Busch 9
12 Austin Dillon 9
13 Kurt Busch 9
14 Erik Jones 9
15 Chris Buescher 9
16 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 8
17 Michael McDowell 7
18 Brad Keselowski 7
19 William Byron 6
20 Austin Cindric 6
21 Daniel Suárez 6
22 Bubba Wallace 6
23 Todd Gilliland 6
24 Harrison Burton 6
25 Ryan Blaney 5
26 Corey LaJoie 5
27 Justin Allgaier 5
28 Noah Gragson 4
29 JJ Yeley 4
30 Martin Truex Jr. 3
31 Aric Almirola 3
32 Kevin Harvick 3
33 Ross Chastain 2
34 Denny Hamlin 2
35 Cody Ware 2
36 Josh Williams 2

SUNDAY

  • 7 p.m. ET — Food City Dirt Race (FOX)

The Food City Dirt Race, obviously, is the main event. It’s a 125-mile race broken up into three stages, per usual. The first stage ends on Lap 75. The second stage concludes on Lap 150. And the checkered flag signifies the end on Lap 250, unless there is NASCAR Overtime.

Business as usual, except on pit road.

Outside of stage breaks, teams are not allowed to fuel their cars or change out tires (unless a tire is flat). They can work on their cars under caution but have to restart behind the non-pitting cars as a result.

During the stage breaks, teams are given the option to fully pit. No driver can gain or lose position on pit road at this time. Upon restart, however, cars that did not pit get to start ahead of those that did.

Free-pass and wave-around procedures remain in play, but the choose rule does not apply for restarts.

REWIND: Joey Logano wins inaugural Bristol Dirt Race in 2021

***

In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be in attendance this weekend. Its procedural format is the same but adapted to the truckers’ schedule.

FRIDAY

  • 3:05 p.m. ET: First practice (FS1) | Results
  • 5:35 p.m. ET: Final practice (FS1) | Results

SATURDAY

  • 4:30 p.m. ET: Qualifying, four heat races (FS2) | Results
  • 8 p.m. ET: Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt (FS1) | Results
Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR® and Sportradar Integrity Services, a global supplier of sports integrity solutions and a division of Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD), today announced a multi-year integrity services agreement, which features an expansion of a previous pact. The partnership reinforces Sportradar Integrity Services’ leadership position within the US market, while underscoring NASCAR’s mission to continue growing the sport in a safe and responsible manner.

Sportradar Integrity Services will provide NASCAR bet monitoring and reporting with its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS), covering all races in the NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™. Additionally, Sportradar will supply NASCAR with its Education & Prevention Services to deliver an annual in-person integrity workshop and online eLearning tutorial. Furthermore, NASCAR will leverage Sportradar’s Intelligence & Investigation Services, as well as its Integrity Audit Service.

NASCAR will also be the first North American sports league to receive Sportradar’s Handle Estimation & Reporting Service, which consists of four quarterly race handle reports and one annual American Sports Betting Handle report. These reports will enable NASCAR to better analyze how fans are engaging with the sport through betting, while providing the league with a window into the emerging betting industry trends in the US market.

“NASCAR’s unwavering commitment to upholding the highest levels of competitive integrity has been instrumental to its success, and we look forward to continuing to safeguard their sport through our growing portfolio of industry-leading products and solutions,” said Andy Cunningham, Director, Global Partnerships, Sportradar Integrity Services.

“Our partnership with Sportradar is a foundational component to the success of NASCAR’s involvement with sports betting,” said Joe Solosky, Managing Director of Sports Betting, NASCAR. “When we began our journey into legal sports betting, our first priority was to protect the integrity of our product. Through this renewal, we’ll continue to ensure that our drivers, teams and industry stakeholders are educated on our policies. We are excited for this next step of the relationship between NASCAR and Sportradar to drive interest and engagement with our sport.”

Sportradar Integrity Services features a global team of integrity experts who deliver analysis on irregular betting patterns with any suspicious matches subsequently reported to partners, providing essential visibility into the global match-fixing landscape. During 2021, Sportradar Integrity Services detected more than 900 suspicious matches across global sport, and more than 6,900 suspicious matches have been witnessed during the past 17 years.

To learn more about Sportradar Integrity Services, please visit https://integrity.sportradar.com/

Posted on by Marcus DiNitto

Experience on the dirt is the single biggest factor in how oddsmakers are pricing the NASCAR Cup Series spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, set to be run for the second year in a row on a surface unfamiliar to many drivers. But while the top of the betting board for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race mirrors that for last year’s go-round the half-mile oval, there’s been significant odds adjustments among some of the contenders lurking behind favorites Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell.

Daniel Suárez stands out among the movers. The No. 99 Chevrolet led 58 laps around the Bristol dirt last April, finishing fourth in Stage 1, second in Stage 2, and crossing the finish line fourth. That performance, combined with solid form out of the Trackhouse Racing garage this year, prompted SuperBook USA’s Ed Salmons to open Suarez at 25-to-1 odds for Sunday, a massive leap from the 100-to-1 odds the Mexican driver was offered at last year.

RELATED: Betting odds for Bristol Dirt Race | Bristol weekend schedule

Despite a less-than-impressive practice run in 2021, Suarez earned the betting market’s respect after the green flag dropped.

“There was nothing that I saw in practice that said he’s gonna go up and challenge to win the race. So (the way he ran) was definitely a surprise. And that’s applied to this year’s odds, obviously,” Salmons, VP of risk management at the Las Vegas bet shop, told NASCAR.com this week.

Race luck wasn’t on the side of Ross Chastain, Suarez’s Trackhouse teammate, in last year’s version of this event. He crashed out early driving for Chip Ganassi Racing and finished just 52 laps, not enough for bookmakers or bettors to glean anything meaningful. This season, though, Chastain has been among the best drivers in the Cup Series, tallying a win, two seconds, a third and fifth over the first eight races.

Yes, he’s gained the market’s attention, and Vegas bettors have taken a liking to the No. 1’s opening price for Bristol.

“He’s not a dirt guy, but he’s running so well all year, and with Suárez’s team running good (on the dirt) last year, I assume that their car will be fast,” Salmons said. “He’s actually getting some money at 18-to-1.”

Back to the Top

With dirt-track success bulleted on their resumes, Larson and Bell are priced as the clear first and second betting choices at the SuperBook. It’s a tighter call for second at BetMGM and Barstool, with Joey Logano — winner of last spring’s Food City Dirt Race — listed at 9-to-1 odds at both sportsbooks.

Here are odds from those three books for Sunday’s top contenders:

Driver SuperBook BetMGM Barstool
Kyle Larson +450 +450 +500
Christopher Bell +800 +800 +900
William Byron +1200 +1200 +1200
Joey Logano +1200 +900 +900
Chase Briscoe +1200 +1400 +1400
Tyler Reddick +1200 +1400 +1400
Kyle Busch +1200 +1400 +1400
Chase Elliott +1400 +1200 +1200
Ryan Blaney +1400 +1400 +1300
Denny Hamlin +1400 +1200 +1400
Martin Truex +1400 +1400 +1200
Ricky Stenhouse +1800 +2000 +2200
Alex Bowman +1800 +1600 +1600
Ross Chastain +1800 +2200 +2200
Kevin Harvick +2500 +2500 +2500
Daniel Suárez +2500 +2000 +2500
Kurt Busch +4000 +4000 +5000
Austin Dillon +4000 +4000 +3300

“They’re the starting point, they’ll always be the starting point,” Salmons said of Larson and Bell. “Last year was kind of screwy that they both got taken out in the same thing (a wreck on Lap 51). We’ll never know how that race actually would’ve gone down if those two had run (a complete race).”

Different Approaches to Handicapping the Dirt

With just one dirt race of data to go off, quantitative analysis becomes challenging for Sunday’s Cup event. Some sharp bettors are staying away completely.

Jim Sannes, a NASCAR betting and DFS analyst at numberFire, has trepidation about his simulations this week.

“I do have a model for it, but I’m not sure how much I should trust it,” Sannes said in a direct message. “It is based mostly on performance on slick tracks, or those with heavy tire falloff. Those tracks were more predictive of performance at last year’s race, even if they weren’t short. So, for example, average running position in the Homestead race had high correlation to average running position in the Bristol dirt race. So for this year, tracks like Richmond and Fontana are featured (in his model) even though they’re not similar to Bristol dirt.

“I’m not sure if I’ll use (the model) to bet.”

A more qualitative approach, Salmons suggests, is to look back at overall performance at Bristol, the change to the Next Gen car notwithstanding.

“I think the one thing that we took from last year was if you run good on Bristol pavement, you run good on Bristol dirt,” the oddsmaker said. “And it’s pretty obvious that the good teams are still the good teams on this stuff, whether you have dirt experience or you don’t.”

Around the Field

Here are some more thoughts from Salmons and Sannes on other drivers in Sunday’s field:

— Martin Truex Jr. had an outstanding showing on the Bristol dirt last year, winning the Truck race, shining in Cup practice, and leading 126 laps and winning Stage 1 before cutting a tire and finishing 19th in the main event. “(Winning the Truck race) showed something, and his practice at the Cup level last year was off-the-charts fast,” Salmons said.

— While his model doesn’t necessarily show value in Tyler Reddick, Sannes has the No. 8 circled in pencil. “Still evaluating that,” Sannes said Tuesday. “But either way, I’ll likely be holding off until after practice to truly go deep in on it.”

— Denny Hamlin is priced as a pick ‘em in matchup props at the SuperBook against Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Truex. Some bettors will be looking to fade the No. 11 in these markets, Salmons anticipates. “You may see some things that you’re willing to bet in matchups if you think you’ve got someone that’s bet-against,” Salmons said. “It was pretty obvious last week in practice that Hamlin looked way off the pace. So you’re probably gonna see that this week, and some people would be happy to bet against that.”

Marcus DiNitto is Senior News Editor at Gaming Today. He’s been covering sports business for 24 years and sports betting for 11. 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 Chase Wilhelm

The NASCAR Cup Series is set for the second edition of the Bristol Dirt Race on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Drivers bred on the dirt-racing grassroots scene, including Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, are automatic favorites. What about the non-dirt racing background drivers, like last year’s race winner, Joey Logano?

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and Chase Wilhelm debate which one of those competitors has the best opportunity to snatch a win away from the field under the lights.

RELATED: Full schedule for Bristol

DECOLA: Almost nothing went the way many expected things to go in last year’s inaugural running of dirt at the “Last Great Colosseum” — including the drivers who ran well.

Most foresaw either Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell or Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, two of the dirt-racing scene’s top competitors, stealing the show … which didn’t happen, as they actually wound up having their races derailed in the same wreck and both finished 29th or worse. Joey Logano, a champion of NASCAR but essentially a complete rookie on non-paved surfaces, led 61 laps en route to the win. Daniel Suárez, who joked during a mid-race interview he didn’t know what he was doing out there, landed Trackhouse Racing’s first-ever top five after leading 58 laps of his own.

Now with a Next Gen car that’s showing a proclivity toward parity in the early going, the field is once again wide open for this race. Of course, the dirt guys will likely still play a significant factor — and Bell/Larson are the two top favorites per oddsmakers — but it’s not a slam dunk that it’s their race for the taking. Logano and Suárez both make for good picks once again, but I’m actually going to go with last year’s Truck Series dirt race winner … Martin Truex Jr.

Lest we forget, MTJ went into Bristol, hopped into a truck for the first time since 2006 … and proceeded to lead 105 of 150 laps en route to the victory. On a surface he’s mostly unfamiliar with.

He also looked like he was headed toward his second W of the weekend in the Cup race, leading another race-high 126 laps in that one before fading to 19th.

This season has yet to see Truex land in Victory Lane, but he has been JGR’s best overall and most consistent driver to date. The team as a whole kind of had a big swing-and-a-miss at Martinsville Speedway, and the quartet of All-Stars will be hungry to make their mark on a 2022 campaign that so far has not seen them look like one of the elite teams.

A Truex win would give JGR two in the past three weeks (Denny Hamlin won at Richmond earlier this month), and of the four drivers, the speed in his No. 19 Toyota could give him the best shot.

Truex just needs to get past his teammate first.

WILHELM: Martin Truex Jr. will need to worry about William Byron before his teammates if he wants a victory at Bristol.

Despite his lack of practice on dirt, Byron qualified eighth and finished sixth in last year’s inaugural Bristol Dirt Race, a remarkable finish for a driver bred on asphalt racing. Prior to Sunday’s race, Byron set to compete in his first dirt late-model event on Thursday — FloRacing Late Model Challenge powered by Tezos at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tennessee. It’s perfect timing for Byron to gain valuable dirt-racing experience.

Also, Byron is a hot shoe at the moment. He put the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports back in Victory Lane last Sunday at Martinsville, becoming the first multi-win driver of the season. Byron also leads the field with stage points — 82 with two stage victories — five points ahead of Ryan Blaney.

The Las Vegas betting scene likes Byron’s chances, as well. He’s a 12-1 favorite to win on BetMGM, while Truex comes in at 14-1 odds.

You can’t buy momentum, and it’s hard to come by at the premier level. Right now, Byron has plenty of it. That’s dangerous for the rest of the field and could likely transform into a surprise win Sunday night.