As the laps were winding down in Monday’s rain delayed NASCAR Cup race on the Bristol Dirt track, the track announced over the track PA that the dirt race will make its return in the spring of 2022.
Shortly after the crowd’s roar of approval died down, NASCAR made it official.
The dirt race was the first Cup race on dirt since 1970. The .533-mile speedway was turned into a dirt track over the course of the winter, and after a weekend of weather delays, both the truck and Cup series were able to hold races Monday.
A limited amount of tickets for both events this weekend sold out, with capacity capped to allow for social distancing under COVID-19 protocols. Bristol also announced that tickets for the 2022 Food City Dirt Race were on sale now, with an exact date for the race to be announced.
“There has been so much buzz and excitement around the inaugural Food City Dirt Race weekend that with NASCAR’s blessing, we are thrilled to announce that we will be bringing back dirt in 2022 as part of the NASCAR Cup Series spring schedule,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “The dirt experience is unlike any other for NASCAR fans and could become a must-see event every season.”
NASCAR has held two Cup Series races a year at Bristol since the Tennessee track opened in 1961.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.