NASCAR: The irony of the Bristol schedule changes

Several drivers planned to compete in the NASCAR Truck Series race on the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt to prepare for the Cup Series race.

Due to the fact that the Saturday afternoon and evening rain turned the Bristol Motor Speedway surface from dirt to mud and made visibility nearly impossible with mud flying on and sticking to the windshields of the trucks, NASCAR made some schedule changes.

The four Truck Series heat races for the 150-lap Pinty’s Dirt Race around the four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked oval in Bristol, Tennessee were canceled after just one lap was completed in the first one, and the four Cup Series heat races for the 250-lap Food City Dirt Race were canceled as well.

The starting lineups for both races were set based on the NASCAR starting lineup formula, which has been used regularly since August of last year.

Because the track was not suitable for a race on Saturday night, the Truck Series race ended up being postponed.

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The Cup Series race is still scheduled to take place this afternoon beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET, but the Truck Series race was moved from 8:00 p.m. ET yesterday evening to this evening at 9:00 p.m. ET. That change, specifically the result of it, is an ironic one, considering what it means for a handful of full-time Cup Series drivers.

Today’s Food City Dirt Race is slated to be the first Cup Series dirt race since September 1970, and many drivers took extra steps to prepare for this event. Among the many ways drivers had planned to do so was by competing in the Truck Series race — beforehand.

Seven full-time drivers had planned to do so: Trackhouse Racing Team’s Daniel Suarez, Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and rookie Chase Briscoe, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman.

Now the Cup Series race is set to “prepare” them for the Truck Series race.

Several of them haven’t competed in the Truck Series in several years, nor are they specifically concerned with their results in that event.

The only driver to whom this does not apply is Newman. Because of the starting lineup formula, he did not qualify for the race, so only six of these full-time Cup Series drivers are slated to “prepare” for the Truck Series event.

Newman, who drives the #6 Ford full-time Roush Fenway Racing in the Cup Series, had been set to drive the #39 Ford for DCC Racing in the Truck Series race.

Two other drivers, Stewart Friesen and Mike Marlar, are set to compete in both events. Neither one has ever competed in a Cup Series race before.

Suarez is set to drive the #02 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports in the Truck Series race while Harvick is set to drive the #17 Ford for David Gilliland Racing, Briscoe is set to drive the #04 Ford for Roper Racing, Wallace is set to drive the #11 Toyota for Spencer Davis Racing, Larson is set to drive the #44 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports and Truex is set to drive the #51 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Friesen drives the #52 Toyota full-time for Halmar Friesen Racing in the Truck Series and is set to drive the #77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in his Cup Series debut. Marlar is set to drive the #56 Chevrolet for Hill Motorsports in the Truck Series race and the #66 Toyota for MBM Motorsports in his Cup Series debut.

Tune in to Fox at 3:30 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Food City Dirt Race from Bristol Motor Speedway, and tune in to Fox Sports 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Pinty’s Dirt Race from the same venue.