NASCAR: Is a Bristol dirt race a good idea?
Over the past few years, NASCAR drivers and fans have been looking for a shakeup to the schedule. But is adding a dirt race at Bristol what they had in mind?
It has been long rumored that the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will undergo some major changes. From new tracks to midweek races to a shorter schedule, fans and drivers alike have been speculating about change for quite some time.
One thing people probably didn’t expect? An existing track being converted to a dirt track for a race weekend.
According to Sports Business Journal‘s Adam Stern, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports have begun talks about potentially running a dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway in the coming years.
.@NASCAR, Speedway Motorsports and other industry stakeholders are discussing the possibility of running a dirt track race at Bristol in the coming years, per sources, though talks are in the early stages.
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) September 18, 2020
➖ @BMSupdates first did this with @WorldOfOutlaws in 2000 and 2001. pic.twitter.com/oTdNMMUEmr
As Stern noted, Bristol Motor Speedway has previously converted to a dirt track temporarily. The track hosted a World of Outlaws race in 2000 and 2001. Track workers had to lay down almost 1,000 yards of red clay and sawdust to make the surface suitable for racing.
Unfortunately, the issue wasn’t converting the track. It was bringing in and removing all of the equipment that went into the conversion.
In an interview with Wayne Estes, the vice president of events at the time, he stated that the 14,000 truck loads of dirt resulted in a lot of wear and tear on the track, surrounding roads, and the workers themselves.
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Some drivers have heard the news about the potential dirt race and aren’t too thrilled about it.
Xfinity Series driver Ryan Vargas shared that while he would like a dirt race, he doesn’t want it to come at the expense of a short track such as Bristol Motor Speedway. He also stated he would rather NASCAR start at other dirt tracks. Two-time Cup Series winner David Ragan shared a similar sentiment, saying that “Bristol is perfect the way it is.”
Former NASCAR driver Matt Tifft said he would be open to NASCAR doing it for one season, but he doesn’t think it will be a good idea when the Gen-7 cars debut in 2022.
My thinking is that if NASCAR really wants to try out a dirt race for the Cup Series or Xfinity Series, why not try it at a preexisting track like Eldora Speedway? The Truck Series has been racing there since 2013 and all of the races have been among the best of their season.
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I would like to see NASCAR get more input from drivers and fans about potential dirt races in the sport. For instance, would they rather see a dirt race at a current dirt track or at a track such as Bristol Motor Speedway, which would need to be transformed into one? No matter what happens, it’s great to see that NASCAR is open to trying out new ideas to switch things up.