There will be multiple NASCAR drivers pulling double duty at Bristol Motor Speedway. There is a simple reason for this — they want knowledge about the track itself.
As Chase Briscoe explained on April 4, there isn’t a huge benefit in terms of how the vehicles handle. There are significant differences between the Next Gen Cup Series cars and the Craftsman Truck Series entries. Instead, the focus is on the actual surface of the track itself.
“Just from a track standpoint, you kind of see how the track changes,” Briscoe told media members on April 4. “It can still change totally different from Saturday to Sunday just depending on how they prep it and where guys run, but you still have a general idea of where to be, where the lanes kind of change.
“I just feel like you get a better read on the dirt. As a dirt track guy, you are constantly watching the dirt throughout the night when other cars are on the race track and things like that. Just being actually on the race track, I feel like gives you a slight bit of edge just because you kind of know what the track… how quickly it changes and things like that.”
The Truck Series Entry List Features 41 Drivers
GettyChase Briscoe practices at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021.
The Truck Series race, which will only feature 36 entries, is going to have a unique lineup. There will be Truck Series regulars, part-time drivers, dirt aces, and Cup Series playoff contenders.
Briscoe will join AM Racing for the dirt race while Joey Logano and William Byron will suit up for ThorSport Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports, respectively.
The list continues as dirt ace Jonathan Davenport joins Spire Motorsports while G2G Racing features guest drivers in Andrew Gordon and Jerry Bohlman. Former USAC rookie of the year Tanner Carrick joins On Point Motorsports while attempting to make his national series debut.
How will these guest drivers fare? The answer depends on the equipment that they can control. Though the actual racing surface could play a much larger role.
“If you’re in the Cup Series, you’re a really, really good race car driver,” Briscoe continued. “And really good race car drivers figure things out really quickly. … When it’s really slick and slow and dry, it’s almost like a slick pavement track.
“You saw guys like Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano that have zero dirt experience be really, really good. But when it’s like it was at the end of last year — and even at the beginning of last year’s race — and super heavy, that’s normally when you see the dirt guys go to the front and then the pavement guys struggle.”
The Dirt Races Have Provided Varying Results
GettyKurt Busch (front) races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series has competed on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway two previous times. The first took place during the day while the second was under the lights.
There have been a variety of opinions about these races. Some fans and industry members have expressed optimism about future dirt events featuring the Cup Series cars while others have called for this experiment to end after the 2023 season.
Briscoe has just seen some progress as NASCAR has gained more experience at Bristol Motor Speedway. Though he also acknowledged that the rain delay potentially played a role in improving the quality of the racing surface.
“I would say the first year was maybe, honestly, a D, D-minus,” Briscoe said. “It was really a struggle, and I think NASCAR just truthfully probably didn’t know any better. I mean, there’s a reason that when we go dirt race any day of the year, we race at night. A day show is very rare, and any time you run a day show, it’s always dusty, it’s always a struggle to see, the race track’s not very good.
“…I think last year’s race was about as good as it’s gonna get from a race track standpoint. I mean, we could run the bottom, you could run the middle, you could run the top. Granted, the rain probably helped us quite a bit, so hopefully, we learned something last year from a track preparation standpoint of maybe being able to go water between the stages or something.”
Will the 2023 iteration top the previous Cup Series races on dirt? Briscoe doesn’t expect this to happen, but the drivers will provide an answer on Sunday, April 9 (7 p.m. ET, FOX).
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Chase Briscoe Details Main Reason for Dirt Double Duty