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In The Know – Bristol Dirt

NASCAR Cup Series Overview:

●  Event:  Food City Dirt Race (Round 8 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 9

●  Location:  Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway

●  Layout:  .533-mile, high-banked, dirt oval

●  Laps/Miles: 250 laps/133.25 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 75 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

SHR Fast FACTS:

Kevin Harvick:

Harvick has made 42 career NASCAR Cup Series starts on Bristol’s traditional, concrete surface. Despite three wins, 14 top-fives, 22 top-10s and 1,209 laps led at the .533-mile oval since 2001, none of it matters this weekend in the series’ return to Bristol. For the third straight spring race, Bristol’s concrete has been covered with dirt, and Harvick’s past accolades have been buried. The Food City Dirt Race is back.

Aric Almirola:

Beginning in 2006, Almirola had seven annual starts in the Prelude to the Dream charity dirt-racing event that Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart hosted from 2005 to 2012 at his Eldora Speedway half-mile oval in Rossburg, Ohio. Almirola scored a best finish of third and earned four top-10 finishes in those seven outings. Almirola also won an exhibition race at the Talladega (Ala.) Short Track

Chase Briscoe:

The lone dirt race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule takes competitors to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this weekend, and for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Chase Briscoe, it’s a chance to revisit his roots and seek redemption. The 28-year-old, third-generation racer from Mitchell, Indiana, grew up turning laps on the bullrings in Southern Indiana in cars owned by his grandfather Richard Briscoe and father Kevin Briscoe. Richard was a legendary Sprint car team owner, crew chief and car builder who over time has fielded entries for 37 different drivers, including such renowned wheelmen as Chuck Amati, Dave Blaney, Dick Gaines, Jack Hewitt, Steve Kinser and Rich Vogler. Kevin raced Sprint cars for more than 20 years and won more than 150 feature events. He claimed track championships at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana, and Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway five times, including one streak of three in a row. Now Chase, the youngest Briscoe looks to continue adding to his resume in the highest level of stock car competition.

Ryan Preece:

Ryan Preece is ready to go dirt racing. The driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will make his second NASCAR Cup Series start on the dirt surface at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Sunday evening. His first dirt race at the track was in the inaugural event in 2021 for JTG Daugherty Racing. He started 22nd and finished 18th. He returns to the track for his first dirt start with SHR.

Our weekly wraps:

What Our Drivers are saying:

Kevin Harvick Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light #Break4Busch Ford Mustang:

We’re back to the dirt at Bristol. Racing on dirt is obviously different, but how different is it when it comes to what you need to do behind the wheel?

“You know, Bristol Dirt was much easier than I anticipated it being because it wasn’t like a normal dirt race. I was expecting a normal dirt race, but when you look at Bristol Dirt and the way the cars drive, it was a lot of the same tendencies that you had with a normal Cup car. Being able to have all my stuff and all of the same tendencies just made it a lot better for me, even with all differences of racing on dirt.”

Aric Almirola Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang:

What do you think of racing on dirt at Bristol? 

“I think it is a really unique race for the fans. I’m a much bigger fan of the original Bristol. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the circuit, so I really enjoyed racing on the concrete twice a year. I know the dirt guys really love it and I just didn’t grow up with a ton of dirt-racing experience. We’ll try to keep it clean and stay out of trouble this weekend in hopes to be up there at the end. This is a wild-card race, so anything can happen.” 

Chase Briscoe Driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang:

We saw you take a big gamble on the last lap of last year’s race in an attempt to bring home the win. Would you be up for doing that again?

“I think it just depends on the situation. Last year, we had won at Phoenix and were in way different position, points-wise. I’ve also got a better understanding of how the car will handle if I try that again. I definitely don’t regret trying it. I hate that it went the way it did for Tyler (Reddick), but I think a lot of the moves we make in races are situational and it really just depends on the moment.”

Ryan Preece Driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang:

Can you compare racing on dirt at Bristol to running at any other track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule?

“Nothing really compares. I don’t think I have anything to compare the dirt at Bristol to. It’s so different than anything else we do and it’s nothing like what I grew up doing, either. I don’t think any asphalt experience is going to translate to Bristol dirt. But I like trying new things and I’m looking forward to it. My team isn’t preparing any differently than how we’ve been preparing all season. We know what we have to do, and we know what’s at stake. Like I said before, we’re on offense right now. Just because we’re at a track that looks different than all the others we go to doesn’t change that. We’ll be as prepared as we can be and use the practice sessions to get a gauge on where our car is at. From there, we’re looking to qualify well and hopefully will be there at the end of the night on Sunday.”

JENSON BUTTON MAKES HIS CUP DEBUT:

Take an inside look at Jenson Button’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at Circuit of the Americas.

Chase Briscoe at Bristol Dirt

Ahead of his return to the Bristol Dirt track, take a look back at Chase Briscoe’s experience in the 2022 event.