NASCAR Bristol Dirt Race Recap
NASCAR just can’t avoid the rain in Bristol, Tennessee. It seems like every race at Bristol Motor Speedway is affected by the elements and this season’s Food City Dirt Race was no different.
Rain caused the race to stop twice and caused the dirt track to change throughout the race. This resulted in three sections of the race feeling unique from one another.
Fox did a great job presenting the race, with a stage located outside the track allowing fans to appear in the shot. Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds made their returns in the booth, adding a bit of nostalgia to the broadcast.
The first stage of the race ran smoothly, a gift for NASCAR after it hosted a disaster of a race last year. The only minor issue was mud caking on the cars’ grills resulting in an early caution to allow pit crews to work on the issue.
The stage went to plan for true dirt racers, with Kyle Larson unsurprisingly working his way to the front of the field, winning the stage. Another former dirt racer, Chase Briscoe, led most of the first stage before needing to pit for a flat tire and falling out of the top ten. Larson was followed by Ty Dillon and fellow dirt-racing veteran Christopher Bell.
The race continued to run clean for the majority of stage two. After most of the field entered the pit boxes, Daniel Suarez took over the lead and Chase Briscoe re-entered the top three. Larson started fourth but quickly worked his way back up to second place.
The rain picked up around lap 90, resulting in the broadcasters focusing on the possibility of ending the race early. The slick dirt resulted in four caution flags over the following 20 laps. Near the end of the stage, Briscoe pushed Suarez in order to take the lead. He would end up winning stage two, immediately followed by Christopher Bell.
After the conclusion of stage two, confusion set in. A red flag was called after many drivers entered the pit. This stopped the race while the rain went past. However, no one knew who would be scored as the leader at restart or in the case of a cancellation. For over half of the hour-plus long stoppage, drivers, broadcasters and fans were debating if Chase Briscoe or Kyle Busch was leading. It was determined Briscoe was the leader when the race continued.
The third stage was a muddy mess throughout. Once they let the cars out to run under caution, Briscoe spun out and sent the field back into the pits. After returning to the track, the drivers spent upwards of 20 minutes driving under caution before the race officially continued.
The low line was almost unusable during the final stage, resulting in Kyle Busch immediately losing his lead to Tyler Reddick.
The first controversy came with 89 laps to go when Chase Elliott bumped Cody Ware, causing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to spin. Ware attempted to retaliate under caution by running into Elliott. Ware has a history of making irrational decisions due to anger and this was another example. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also has a history of causing wrecks. He would be at fault for three caution flags over the final 80 laps.
Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch raced for the lead around five caution flags before NASCAR stopped the race again as rain picked up. This stopppage lasted about 30 minutes until the final 27 laps were able to be run.
Tyler Reddick would take a wide lead on the restart, with only Chase Briscoe gaining on him. Briscoe passed Busch for second and worked his way up to Reddick. With one turn to go, Briscoe attempted to slide Reddick for the win, resulting in both men spinning out. Reddick regained his car quickly, but not in time to hold off Kyle Busch from stealing the win.
Busch lucked his way into his first win of the season. After the race, Reddick and Briscoe remained friendly despite the disappointing finish for both of them.
This year’s Food City Dirt Race ran smoother than last year until the rain took control of the track. However, the future of dirt racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is unknown as, unlike last year, a return for the track was not announced.
Common sentiment among racing fans is to continue hosting a NASCAR dirt race, but not at Bristol. NASCAR will have to make a decision on the future of dirt racing in the Cup Series prior to the announcement of next season’s schedule.
Evan Smith is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ers5828@psu.edu.
