Later this month when the NASCAR Cup series takes to the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway oval that’s now been covered with dirt, at least three Cup drivers will be able to say they have experience on the dirt track.
Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano have entered the Bristol Dirt Nationals which will be held the week prior to the NASCAR weekend of March 28.
The trio are the first Cup drivers to enter the Bristol Dirt Nationals in one of the eight classes of competition, with more expected to take advantage of the opportunity in the coming days. The NASCAR Cup series has not raced on dirt since 1970. The .533-mile concrete surface of the Bristol oval was covered in dirt in the last few months to allow NASCAR to race on that surface for the first time in its modern era.
The new temporary dirt track features 19-degree banking in the corners and a 50-foot-wide racing surface. More than 20,000 cubic yards of dirt were hauled in to create the dirt track surface.
Larson is an established dirt racer who has tons of experience racing sprint cars and super late models. He will racein the marquee Super Late Model division, as is 2019 Cup Series champ Busch. Logano will compete in the Open Modified class and be joined by three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, who has also entered the Dirt Nationals in the Open Modified category. Other classes include Sport Mods, Stock Cars, 602 and 604 Late Models (crate engine packages), and Hornets (compacts).
Headlined by the powerful dirt Super Late Models, the Karl Kustoms Bristol Dirt Nationals, March 15-20, will give fans, and the NASCAR industry a first look at the BMS dirt track in competition.
There will be heat and feature races on each day early in the week to set the fields for the main feature races in each of the seven support classes during the weekend. On Friday, there will be a 30-lap main for Sport Mods; a 30-lap main for the 602 Late Models and a 30-lap Modified feature. On Saturday, there will be a 16-lap Hornet main, a 30-lap Stock Car feature, a 30-lap 604 Late Model race and a 30-lap Open Modified feature.
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.
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