Yahoo Sports Bristol Dirt 101: Qualifying format, Choose Rule drone, tire setup
Bristol Motor Speedway trades in asphalt for dirt in its third annual Food City Dirt Race. Cup Series drivers will navigate the Tennessee clay in hopes of securing bragging rights in the specialty event at one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues.
Ahead of the Easter Sunday showdown (7 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), check out the trends to watch, notable moments from Bristol, the on-track schedule for the weekend and rule changes to know.
RELATED: Odds for Sunday | Projected results for Food City Dirt Race
SETTING THE LINEUP
Setting the lineup for the third Bristol Dirt Race follows previous years of using heat races to set the running order.
Saturday’s qualifying consists of four heat races. Each is 15 laps. The first starts at 6 p.m. ET on FS2, the second at 6:15 p.m. ET, the third at 6:30 p.m. ET and the final at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Heat assignments and lineups will be determined by a random draw, conducted in order of team owner points.
During the heat races, drivers accumulate points for finishing and passing. First place earns 10 points, second gets nine and so on down to one point for 10th — it‘s the same way stage points are determined during a regulation race.
In addition to finishing points, drivers gain one point for each car passed from their original starting position. For example, a driver who starts fourth and finishes second will receive two points. Drivers who finish where they started or ultimately lose spots on the grid get zero passing points. There are no deductions for drivers who finish below where they started.
Only green-flag laps count. Free-pass and wave-around procedures operate as normal. NASCAR Overtime is not an option.
Once all four heat races are complete, point totals determine the field‘s starting lineup for the main event. The driver with the most points wins the Busch Light Pole Award. All ties are broken by team owner points.
CHOOSE RULE DRONE
The choose rule remains in place at Bristol, but with an interesting and technologically savvy twist. Drivers will still get to pick which lane they want prior to a restart, but instead of the choose arrow on the track — which would be impossible to see on Bristol‘s dirt — NASCAR will use a drone to display an orange LED marker above the racing surface, which is what drivers will use to make their pics.
Drivers will choose the inside or outside lane as they pass the flag stand and make their final decision no later than the designated “orange LED drone marker,” as NASCAR is calling it.
CELEBRATING DIRT ROOTS
Before the Bristol Dirt Race was instituted in 2021, Cup drivers with backgrounds in dirt racing didn’t have a track on the circuit where they could show off their skills on the disciplines that launched their careers into NASCAR’s premier series. Road-course ringers and local short-track enthusiasts have their chance to shine multiple times throughout the year and with having a dirt track now on the schedule annually, it allows drivers like Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell to flash their talents on this type of track.
“I think it’s super important,” Briscoe said in a Zoom teleconference on Tuesday. “The dirt guys don’t have any opportunity to go back to their roots like those other two disciplines. Everybody says we’re the best drivers right? Well I want to see the best drivers challenged at every discipline. We have superspeedways, mile-and-a-halves, short track, road courses, now street circuits. There’s no reason in my opinion for us not to have at least one dirt race.”
Entered into Sunday’s race from the dirt ranks is Jonathan Davenport. He will pilot the part-time No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— The driver that led the most laps failed to win both Bristol Dirt races.
— Four different drivers and teams have won the first two stages in both Bristol Dirt races.
— Six different drivers have won the first seven Cup races of the year.
NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥
2021: Logano wins inaugural Bristol Dirt Race | WATCH
2022: Reddick, Briscoe spin, Kyle Busch steals win | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Friday, April 7
— 6:35 p.m. ET: Cup practice (FS1)
— 8:32 p.m. ET: Cup final practice (FS1)
Saturday, April 8
— 6 p.m. ET: Qualifying race No. 1 [15 laps], (FS2, PRN)
— 6:15 p.m. ET: Qualifying race No. 2 [15 laps], (FS2, PRN)
— 6:30 p.m. ET: Qualifying race No. 3 [15 laps], (FS2, PRN)
— 6:45 p.m. ET: Qualifying race No. 4 [15 laps], (FS2, PRN)
Sunday, April 9
— 7 p.m. ET: Food City Dirt Race (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Bristol Dirt
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
Cup teams will run the same tire setup as last year’s Bristol Dirt Race. The tire is a block-style pattern to help grab the dirt. For the weekend, teams will be supplied three sets of tires for practice, one for the qualifying races and six sets for Sunday’s race.
The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after it was extended for the first five races of this season.
Cup cars will run the same tire codes that were used last season at Richmond in the first year of the Next Gen car. With Richmond being a track with high tire wear, teams will be issued nine sets of tires for the 400-lap event.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty, plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members‘ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There‘s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
