CONCORD, N.C. — As Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway prepares to host the first NASCAR Cup Series race on dirt in more than 50 years, a number of NASCAR’s top stars are taking the opportunity to gain experience on dirt.
The Food City Dirt Race, scheduled for March 28, will be the first NASCAR Cup Series race on dirt since Richard Petty won a 200-lap race on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds half-mile dirt oval on Sept. 30, 1970.
The majority of drivers set to compete at Bristol on March 28 have little or no dirt experience, making any extra laps they can get extremely valuable.
At least 11 NASCAR Cup Series competitors are getting extra dirt racing experience prior to the Food City Dirt Race. In fact, many of them are competing at Bristol Motor Speedway during this week’s inaugural Bristol Dirt Nationals.
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, 2018 Cup Series champion Joey Logano, Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 winner Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher and Corey LaJoie are scheduled to compete in one of eight classes competing during the Bristol Dirt Nationals.
Elliott will pilot the No. 9 entry owned by Advanced Motorsports and Stacy Boles in the super late model class. He’ll be joined by Busch, who is teaming with Double L Motorsports and veteran Jonathan Davenport, and Kyle Larson, who will return to the Rumley Enterprises No. 6 for the event.
Of the trio, Larson has the most dirt racing experience, having grown up racing sprint cars and midgets on dirt tracks in California before taking his talents on the road. He won more than 40 races on dirt last year and has already won the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals and a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event this year on dirt and won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on dirt at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway in 2016.
Elliott and Busch have considerably less experience on dirt. Busch does have a victory on dirt in a super late model, which came during the 2012 Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway. Elliott, meanwhile, has been dabbling in dirt events, including the Chili Bowl. He also made his USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series debut at Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park in February.
Logano is scheduled to compete in the open-wheel modified class during the Bristol Dirt Nationals after getting his feet wet in the division in February at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park in a car owned by Team Penske crew member Ryan Flores.
Dillon and LaJoie will race as teammates in a pair of crate late model entries fielded by Cory Hedgecock Racing. Dillon spent many of his formative years racing modifieds and late models on dirt and he won the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Eldora Speedway in 2013. LaJoie, on the other hand, has never raced on dirt before.
Buescher is the most recent driver to announce his Bristol Dirt Nationals plans. He’ll compete in the 604 late model class aboard a car owned by Wesley Page.
They’re not the only NASCAR Cup Series drivers preparing for the Food City Dirt Race. Brad Keselowski jumped behind the wheel of a crate late model last Friday at Georgia’s Cochran Motor Speedway, finishing 12th in the feature.
Series rookie Chase Briscoe, who grew up racing on dirt tracks in the Midwest, is preparing for the Food City Dirt Race by getting back to his dirt racing roots. He recently competed at North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway in a 600cc non-winged micro sprint, racing against fellow NASCAR stars like Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt.
In addition to turning laps at Millbridge, Briscoe will join Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick in pulling double duty at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 27-28 by competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on March 27.
Briscoe, who won at Eldora Speedway in Truck Series action in 2018, will drive the No. 04 Ford for Roper Racing during the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt. Harvick, who hasn’t raced in the Truck Series since 2015, will return to the series aboard the No. 17 David Gilliland Racing Ford.
Truex revealed his plans to run the Bristol Motor Speedway Truck Series race after winning at Phoenix Raceway on March 14. He’ll drive a Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota with sponsorship from Auto-Owners Insurance on March 27.