The NASCAR Cup Sequence is getting soiled.
Cup cars will race on the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway for the second calendar year in a row on Sunday night time (7 ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). But potentially more distinctive is that NASCAR will race on Easter Sunday for the 1st time considering the fact that 1989, when a February race at Richmond was postponed to the holiday getaway.
Hop into the racing spirit and get all you require to know about the Meals Metropolis Grime Race:
DEEP IN THE Dirt
The initially step to the weekend is receiving acquainted with the crimson clay coating the .533-mile track this weekend, which is the exact as was used in final year’s inaugural function.
Beneath the surface area lies about two inches of sawdust to safeguard the concrete racing surface area generally applied by NASCAR. That is topped by 5,330 cubic yards of dust saved from Bristol’s initially foray into grime racing back in 2000-01, followed by 4,008 cubic yards of grime from the campground as effectively as lime-treated clay.
The leading layer characteristics Bluff Metropolis Pink Tennessee Clay, which will be what the Upcoming Gen car’s tires call all weekend lengthy.
Connected: Upcoming Gen variations for grime | Bristol schedule | Cup Sequence standings
Distinctive Floor, Different Format
Groups will be allotted two 50-minute follow classes on Friday afternoon (4:05 p.m. ET, FS1) to familiarize themselves and the new car to the floor.
In contrast to regular race weekends, there will be no single-auto or team qualifying. In its place, groups will line up for four 15-lap heats Saturday evening (6 ET, FS2), with starting positions for each and every warmth chosen by crew members by means of random draw in order of owner’s details. With all 36 chartered groups on the entry record, nine automobiles will contend in each heat.
At the conclusion of each heat, drivers will be awarded each finishing details and passing factors. Finishing details will be awarded just like phase details — 10 points for 1st location down to two points for ninth put. Drivers will also accumulate passing details, getting just one level per place attained from their original setting up position. No details will be deducted for lost positions. Combined stage totals will then determine the starting up lineup for Sunday night’s 250-lap attribute celebration.
Connected: Dive deeper into how the Bristol structure will work
NASCAR’S Historical past OFF-ROADING
— The final Cup Series race on dirt in advance of past year’s Bristol spring race was held on Sept. 30, 1970 at the North Carolina Point out Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
— In all, there have been 490 Cup races held on dust, including the series’ inaugural race at the .75-mile Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, an party won by Jim Roper.
— Lee Petty holds the all-time history for dust wins, declaring 42 of his 54 job wins on grime.
— Richard Petty’s 1st of 200 vocation wins came on the dust-surfaced Southern State Fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Feb. 28, 1960. 30 of his 200 wins arrived on dust.
— Darlington Raceway turned the 1st asphalt track to host a race in Cup background again in September 1950. The 1st 20 Cup races were being held on grime, clay or sand, such as the 4.15-mile Daytona Beach & Road Program that highlighted both equally sand and asphalt.
— The Tenting Planet Truck Series began racing on dust in 2013 at Eldora Speedway and ongoing by means of 2019. Past year, the series joined Cup at Bristol ahead of heading to the iconic Knoxville Speedway in Iowa for a further grime race.
Source: Racing Insights
GOODYEAR TIRES
Immediately after producing a tire for final year’s inaugural Bristol filth race, Goodyear experienced to go back to get the job done in planning for the Next Gen’s dust debut, likely from the 15-inch bead diameter for the Gen-6 tire to the 18-inch tire this calendar year.
Also, this year’s tire is a radial tire as opposed to the bias ply tire that was utilised in 2021.
“We had to produce a new bundle for the 18-inch filth tire this time, so it gave us the prospect to completely re-visualize this Cup tire set-up,” claimed Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We felt the suitable go was for a radial tire, which presents a bigger diploma of sizing consistency. Having said that, a radial tire incorporates a a lot stiffer tread surface, so we made changes to the tire development to achieve a much more compliant sense, identical to that of a bias ply, and capable to manage the irregularities of a dust surface area. The 18-inch bundle also involves a new tread sample, which incorporates a ton of grime tire technological know-how we have developed more than the yrs, and tread compounds altered to be additional resistant to warmth and put on.”
BRISTOL Dirt Story LINES
— Sunday marks the initially scheduled Cup race on Easter due to the fact 1970, when Bobby Allison received a March 29 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This will be the 12th these types of race in Cup history.
— William Byron became the only repeat winner of 2022 with his win a 7 days in the past at Martinsville Speedway. It was Byron’s next earn in four weeks and marks the initial multi-acquire period of his occupation.
— Joey Logano is on a 37-race winless streak, with his past get coming in this race final yr, his only acquire in the very last 47 races aside from his victory in the exhibition Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February. This is his longest factors-having to pay winless streak since joining Workforce Penske.
— Ryan Blaney is the first driver given that Tony Stewart in 2006 to guide in each individual of the initially eight races of a period.
— Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps in this race a calendar year ago (126) and also received previous year’s Truck race at Bristol.
— Including Logano, Truex is a single of 7 drivers to get a NASCAR-sanctioned race on dirt, signing up for Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, who all won the Eldora Filth Derby.
— Logano, Dillon, Chase Elliott and Harrison Burton will compete in Saturday’s Camping Planet Truck Collection race to get further track time at Bristol.
— Denny Hamlin’s ordinary end by means of eight races is 17 spots worse than it was at this time a 12 months ago, but the No. 11 Toyota was the only automobile to run inside of the major 10 for all 253 laps on Bristol grime a 12 months in the past, at some point ending 3rd.
Resource: Racing Insights
Experience Fortunate?
When dust will come into the picture, so does Kyle Larson.
Las Vegas is keen on Larson’s grime supremacy as the defending Cup winner proceeds to dominate dust circuits, winning the Chili Bowl Nationals, King’s Royal, Prairie Dirt Typical and Knoxville Nationals all in the exact same calendar year in 2021. The driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet is listed as the 9-2 most loved courtesy of BetMGM — but beware. Larson has not shown near the consistency he and crew main Cliff Daniels did in 2021 and has posted just a few finishes greater than 19th all year (of study course, individuals 3 finishes have been all major fives and contain an Auto Club Speedway victory).
Christopher Bell is listed as BetMGM’s second-greatest guess this 7 days at 8-1 odds. Even so, Bell spun from 2nd location a year in the past in this party at Lap 53, falling suitable into the path of Larson and Ross Chastain. If Bell can stay away from obtaining turned close to this 7 days, he should really be an great choose: The Oklahoman was the 2013 USAC Countrywide Midget winner and is a three-time winner of the Chili Bowl Nationals.
Similar: Odds for Bristol dirt | @nascarcasm: Helpful ideas for Bell and Larson
FANTASY Stay
Want to take care of a group and race your way to the top rated of the leaderboards? Check out out NASCAR Fantasy Reside, which is open now. The no cost-to-play game lets you choose your drivers every single week and clearly 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 Reside details leaders are Chase Elliott (282), Ryan Blaney (277) and William Byron (276).
How to enjoy: Fantasy Stay | Set up a team these days!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM
Get further digicam views by logging on to NASCAR Push, exactly where just about every week a choose variety of in-car or truck cameras will be offered — as perfectly as a battle cam and an overhead appear.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to increase supporter engagement in the NASCAR Cellular App. Log in to the mobile application in the course of the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and far more — and see prompt benefits from NASCAR fans like you.
