Logano takes the checkered flag in a haze of Bristol dirt
BRISTOL, Tenn. โ Somewhere under the thick red haze floating over Bristol Motor Speedway, Joey Logano took the checkered flag for NASCARโs first Cup Series race at a dirt track in 50 years. The Logano victory closed a weekend of uncertainty and even some hysteria as NASCAR launched this drive through the dirt. โItโs only my fourth dirt race ever, so I had a lot of fun trying to figure it out," Logano said. It was impossible to handicap this first dirt race because the teams had no idea how to prepare and the drivers had wildly varying experience. "In dirt racing you donโt have a windshield in front of you, so you can pull a tearoff.
Truex routs Bristol field on dirt to win his 1st Truck race
An official walks along pit road before a NASCAR Truck Series race on Monday, March 29, 2021, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)BRISTOL, Tenn. โ Martin Truex Jr. entered the Truck Series race for the first time in 15 years just to get extra laps on the dirt surface at Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR's first Cup Series race at a dirt track was delayed a day when torrential rain flooded Bristol's parking lots and campgrounds and turned Monday into a doubleheader. Truex, who ran one Truck Series race in both 2005 and 2006, had almost no dirt experience before Bristol. The tires were fading down to the cords while the weight of the cars seemed to carve deep divots into the dirt track. AdAs soon as Truex took the checkered flag, the Bristol crew went to work prepping the track for the Cup race.
NASCAR Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series races postponed until Monday
The NASCAR Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series races scheduled for Sunday have been postponed until Monday, according to NASCAR. The Food City Dirt Race is rescheduled for Monday at 4 p.m., and the Pintyโs Truck Race on Dirt is rescheduled for Monday at 12 p.m. This follows the trackโs announcement Saturday night that the Pinty Truck Race on Dirt had been postponed to Sunday at 9 p.m. due to weather. NEWS: Todayโs NASCAR Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series races have been postponed at @BMSupdates. Schedule for Monday:4 PM ET: Food City Dirt Race (FOX)12 PM ET: Pintyโs Truck Race on Dirt (FS1) pic.twitter.com/VR5Vu5EVMw โ NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 28, 2021.
Rain swamps Bristol dirt track; NASCAR to try again Monday
NASCAR canceled all Sunday activity because even if Bristol's converted dirt track could eventually be readied for night racing, the entire facility was a swampy mess. The first Cup Series race on dirt since 1970 was rescheduled for 4 p.m. Monday; trucks were set to run at noon. He openly fretted that a bad show at Bristol would damage the future of NASCAR dirt racing โ and NASCAR itself seemed to admit it was a valid concern. Stewart, who has insisted Eldora can successfully host the Cup Series, declined to comment Sunday when reached by The Associated Press. โPeople need to understand this is not how dirt racing is and I think they need to try and appreciate how hard this is to pull off.
Pintyโs Truck Race on Dirt postponed until Sunday night
The Pintyโs Truck Race on Dirt scheduled for Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway has been postponed until 9 p.m. Sunday due to weather, the track announced. The Food City Dirt Race NASCAR Cup Series race remains scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, so ticket holders for the Pintyโs Truck Race on Dirt can enter the speedway 30 minutes after the completion of the NASCAR race. For those who canโt attend the Pintyโs Truck Race on Dirt race on Sunday, click or tap here for information on the weather guarantee.
What a Mess: NASCAR worried about first Bristol dirt race
AdBristol also made a bold change this year by converting its facility into a dirt race as part of radical changes to the 2021 schedule. NASCAR needed a major shakeup and the dirt race joined an influx of road courses and new venues for the most adventurous schedule in sport history. So when NASCAR broadcast partner Fox pushed for a dirt race on the Cup schedule, Speedway Motorsports said Bristol would be the guinea pig. โThat's probably the most uncomfortable I've ever been in a race car,โ said Kevin Harvick, running his first Truck Series race since 2015. The first NASCAR Cup Series points-paying sanctioned race in the inaugural 1949 season was on dirt at Charlotte (Old) Speedway.
Bold Rock partners with Bristol Motor Speedway to offer new drink choices
Race fans at The Last Great Colosseum will soon be able to quench their thirst in a new way. On Wednesday, Bold Rold announced its partnership with Speedway Motorsports to launch the Bold Rock Bold Race Day Experience, offering the hard lemonade and hard tea drinks at races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bold Rock launched the drinks late last year and starting in late March, race fans will be able to buy the โOfficial Hard Tea and Hard Lemonadeโ of each track during races. Fans can look for the new drink choices at the following races:Food City Dirt Race on March 28Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Sept. 18There, race fans will have the chance to win future race tickets, prizes and try out a wide selection of Bold Rock drinks. Fans can also win a VIP race experience by entering the Bold Rock Hard Tea and Hard Lemonade consumer sweepstakes at select grocery and convenience stores in the local race markets.
Two weeks after NASCAR All-Star Race, 0 coronavirus cases linked to event
BRISTOL, Tenn. โ Itโs now been two weeks since thousands of fans were allowed into Bristol Motor Speedway to watch NASCARโs All-Star Race. So far, there havenโt been any cases of the coronavirus directly linked to the event, according to WCYB. Then you have to do the case interview where you ask, โHave you been to any large venue events. We still have a little ways to go to figure out if there were any cases related to the event,โ said Sullivan County Regional Health Director Dr. Stephen May. An estimated 22,000 fans attended the race.
NASCAR welcomes fans back to Bristol Motor Speedway with masks, social distancing required
BRISTOL, TENN. โ On Wednesday night Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the largest gathering of fans at a sporting event in America since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The cars roared under the lights of the track and if you kept your eyes on the cars you might not have noticed a difference. NASCAR and the track required fans to wear masks, stay distant and limited the race to a quarter capacity. โI guess they have to do it because of a lot of pressures from a lot of other people. But Inge Werts brought her family from Atlanta to their first race and she had no worries about coming.
Elliott joins his father as winner of NASCARs All-Star race
BRISTOL, Tenn. Cue the siren at the Dawsonville Pool Room - another Elliott is an All-Star winner. Chase Elliott joined his father, Hall of Famer "Awesome" Bill Elliott, as winner of NASCAR's annual All-Star race, earning the $1 million prize Wednesday in front of limited spectators at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bill Elliott won the race in 1986, the only year it was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Elliott won in his fifth All-Star appearance and is the 25th different driver to win the made-for-TV race. One driver advanced into the All-Star race through a fan vote and Wallace had been leading when results were last updated by NASCAR a week ago.
NASCAR reopens gates at Bristol with more tracks to follow
Tennessee officials permitted Bristol to sell up to 30,000 tickets less than 20% of its capacity of 140,000-plus as NASCAR slowly begins to reopen the gates. The All-Star race debuted at Charlotte in 1985 and this year marked just the second time it was not held at that track. "NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway showed the future of safe, live sporting events with an electric night.The event was not without glitches. Both NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports are private companies and do not release attendance figures, but Bristol appeared to have at least 20,000 spectators. Texas Motor Speedway may not have that many Sunday, but Speedway Motorsports can adjust protocols if needed.
NASCAR hosting largest sporting event crowd since pandemic
BRISTOL, Tenn. Fans are trickling into Bristol Motor Speedway for Wednesday nights All-Star race in NASCARs largest event with spectators since the coronavirus pandemic shut sports down in March. They were greeted by a plane flying over the Tennessee track that was pulling a banner of the Confederate flag, which NASCAR has banned from its races. Crowd estimates for that event have been around 10,000 spectators, but the NASCAR race would likely be the largest sporting event in the United States since March. President Donald Trump has criticized NASCAR for banning the Confederate flag, blaming the decision for the sport's low ratings, although TV ratings for NASCAR have been up since racing resumed. The one flying over Bristol Motor Speedway listed only the group's website address.
Gragson wiggles past Allgaier to win Xfinity race at Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. Noah Gragson squeezed past JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier with four laps remaining, a move that caused Allgaier to crash, and Gragson held on at Bristol Motor Speedway for his second win of the season. His victory Monday night was set up by a caution with 13 laps remaining that wiped away Allgaier's lead. The Chevrolet teammates lined up side-by-side for the restart with seven laps remaining but Allgaier cleared him on the restart. I really apologize to Justin and the (number) 7 team, thats not how I want to race, Gragson said. I was terrible here in trucks and Xfinity, Gragson said.
Another win falls into Keselowskis lap in final moments
Keselowski inherited his second win in a week when the leaders crashed in front of him with a lap remaining Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. I felt like I was in Las Vegas, Keselowski said about the Bristol win. "I went from having a bad hand to a full house real quick.The victory dropped into Keselowski's lap when Chase Elliott and Joey Logano collided as they raced for the win. Logano cleared Elliott for the lead with three to go, but Elliott stalked him while seeking his second win in three days. "Awww, just going for the win," Elliott said.
Stenhouse heads to Bristol buoyed by good run at Charlotte
In three races, Stenhouse plummeted seven spots in the standings to 24th. It was just really good to just have a smooth race with really no issues, Stenhouse said. It was just huge to get a good run in and pass a lot of really good cars.Next up is Sunday's stop at Bristol Motor Speedway the fifth Cup race since NASCAR resumed May 17 and a decent track for Stenhouse. "Im looking forward to getting to Bristol knowing that weve had good runs there. He finished second at Las Vegas in the second race of the season and led 10 laps Thursday night at Charlotte.
M&M glamping campground mixes style with racing at Bristol Motor Speedway
BRISTOL, Va. - For many people, Bristol is more than just a race, it's an entire experience. According to WCYB, one section of the Bristol Motor Speedway aims to provide a camping experience unlike any other. M&M offers a glampground where fans can stay. Glamping is a glamourous way of camping, often a more resort-like experience than traditional camping. M&M officials say the glampground experience may come to more tracks in the future, according to WCYB.
Bimmerworld's James Clay and his racing legacy in the heart of Southwest Virginia
DUBLIN, Va. - Perfectly placed between Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway stands Bimmerworld racing in Dublin, Virginia. "I started racing about 20, 22 years ago and started in BMW and it's always been a BMW since then," CEO James Clay said. "Road racing, and it's called road racing but it's not really roads," Clay explained. The BMW's Clay races typically top out at about 150 mph, but it's not about the straightaway speed, it's about maximizing the overall performance. "We've had years that we poured money down the hole to get no result whatsoever, we've had years with championships with high success, and winning races," Clay said.