Getty Cup Series drivers race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Two of the three national NASCAR series just completed the third race weekend on the dirt configuration of Bristol Motor Speedway. Will there be a fourth? This answer remains unclear.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s VP of Competition, addressed the lingering questions after Christopher Bell won the Food City Dirt Race. He appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and said that there are several factors that will determine whether the NASCAR Cup Series returns for another dirt event.
🗣️ “Those decisions are not made in a vacuum. They’re made with a lot on input.”
🏁 #NASCAR SVP of Competition Elton Sawyer addressed the future of the Bristol Dirt Race and the factors associated with evaluating the future of the event for 2024 and beyond.
“All of those things we put on the table,” Sawyer said on April 11. “You look at the logistics, you look at the time of year, you look at the facility. Obviously, you look at the results at the end of the day, and if our fans are enjoying that type of racing.
“Do we get a good crowd that shows up? Do we get a good TV audience? All of those things go into the decision-making of whether we go back or if we move forward with another venue or if we do something different there.”
These comments are significantly different than those made in previous seasons. Speedway Motorsports was promoting the 2023 Food City Dirt Race during the 2022 event. There was no doubt that the dirt would return for its third consecutive season. Now, however, the future remains unclear.
There Were Split Opinions Among NASCAR Drivers
GettyTyler Reddick (front) races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The annual dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway has generated conversations among NASCAR drivers, teams, fans, and media members. This event is possibly the most divisive on the schedule due to its location and the day it occurs.
Take the comments after the race, for example. Austin Dillon followed up his third-place finish by saying that the Food City Dirt Race was an “amazing show” with great racing. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said that the race track was “as good as it could be” after he finished fourth.
Dirt model superstar Jonathan Davenport, who joined Kaulig Racing for his first Cup start, provided a different viewpoint after a broken control arm took him out of the race. He said that the track conditions were awesome with the little holes. Though he also classified the Cup Series race as a “novelty” instead of a true dirt race.
Kyle Larson has been vocal in multiple seasons about the dirt race. He has stated the opinion that NASCAR shouldn’t be on dirt and that Bristol should get back to hosting two concrete races each season.
Denny Hamlin Saw Another Reason for Dirt Criticism
Many of the opinions about the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway focused on the spins and other issues that occurred during the race. Others cited the fact that NASCAR covered up a fan-favorite track with dirt. This is something that The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck specifically mentioned on the April 9 episode of “The Teardown” podcast.
Hamlin mentioned the lack of passing as one point of criticism for the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He said that the person who led the first lap at a certain stage led every lap. The only exception that he saw was Kyle Busch staying out on the track and leading for five laps before Tyler Reddick was able to make the pass.
Hamlin also indicated that a bigger factor may have been the fact that NASCAR took the drivers and teams away from their families for a significant portion of Easter Sunday.
“When I kinda looked at a lot of the drivers’ comments in the media pre-race, I think they were as frustrated about racing on Easter as they are about the dirt,” Hamlin said on the April 10 episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast.
“I don’t know that they have a personal vendetta with the dirt; I think it’s just racing on Easter. And when we had our drivers meeting, one of the — I think it was the track president — was like, ‘Happy Easter, everyone!’ And it was dead silent. No one said anything.”
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Bristol Dirt’s Future Remains Undecided After 2023 Event