NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Could Take Year Three of Bristol Dirt?
For the third-straight year, the NASCAR Cup Series will race on dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. Despite dirt-background drivers being favored, each past Bristol Dirt race has seen a pavement star park it in victory lane. Last year’s Bristol Dirt finish lives on in infamy, with the seas parting for Kyle Busch’s final Toyota win. Can 2023 see similar last-lap drama? Here are a few drivers who should be favored heading into Sunday night.
Joey Logano
2021’s inaugural Bristol Dirt winner, Joey Logano holds a unique distinction here. Thanks to his third-place run last year, the 22 is the only team with two Bristol Dirt top-fives. With the insanely low average finish of 2.0, the double-deuce will try and grab another dirt triumph.
Expect Logano to be a stout contender Sunday, especially after having the Truck race as additional practice.
Kyle Larson
Through two years of Bristol Dirt, Kyle Larson has been the odds-on favorite each time. That does not change for attempt number three, as the 5 leads all with 5-1 winning chances. Larson calls paved Bristol his favorite track in NASCAR, and is gearing up for a possible dirt victory. Coming off a win at Richmond, the 5 team is riding high on confidence.
“I definitely get excited to go to Bristol for the dirt race,” Larson said. “People probably look at me being a favorite, but it’s so different than the dirt racing that I do throughout the week. I don’t really feel like I have an advantage like some people might think. Either way, I know our race cars are fast everywhere we go, so that gives me the most confidence. Hopefully, the track conditions are right, we can put on a good race and I can find my way to the front. Getting a win there would be pretty neat.”
Even with dirt racers being shut out of the first two Bristol Dirt races, Larson has been strong. 2021 saw the 5 wreck out early while moving forward; last season likewise saw him finish fourth. If the 5 can remain clean, expect him to be among the fastest cars in Thunder Valley.
Christopher Bell
If Larson has been the 1a favorite, then Christopher Bell has been a close 1b for the best Bristol Dirt odds. Rivaling Larson’s extensive dirt background, Bell is expected to be one of the top dogs. The 20 was strong last season, finishing seventh. Should Bell be in a similar position Sunday, he could make it two-straight Bristol Dirt wins for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Last year I had moments in the race where I was really fast and it was a lot of fun, then I had moments in the race where I was struggling and it wasn’t very enjoyable,” Bell said. “Hopefully a dirt guy can finally win. It’s been funny, we’ve gone twice now and a dirt guy has not won, hopefully I can change that.”
After being within sight of a win last week in Richmond, Bell hopes to be a few spots better this weekend. The 20 led a ton of laps last fall at the concrete Bristol race, and hopes to continue that momentum onto the dirt.
Daniel Suarez
One of the biggest standout surprises from the inaugural Bristol Dirt race was Daniel Suarez. Two years ago, the Trackhouse 99 led 58 laps and finished fourth. This was the first true breakout performance for the startup team who have not looked back since. After leading even more laps last year, Suarez faded to 12th. Across both years of Bristol Dirt, the 99 has been one of the most consistent.
“I really don’t know (why we’re so good on the dirt) to be honest,” Suarez said. “I can say my team has given me a great car in both races and we have had a really good strategy. I am having fun racing on dirt. We’ll see what happens Sunday but we are going to Bristol with plans to win the race and have a heck of a party afterwards.”
After going four weeks without a top-10 run, Daniel Suarez is hoping to rebuild some consistency. Bristol Dirt should be a great foundation for this team to show race-winning speed again and possibly even end up with a trophy.
Tyler Reddick
Within a few hundred yards of last year’s Bristol Dirt win, Tyler Reddick eyes vengeance this weekend. After leading a race-high 99 laps, Reddick was spun by Chase Briscoe and had to settle for a close second to Kyle Busch. Reddick also ran seventh in 2021’s inaugural race, making him one of only four drivers with two top-10s.
Unlike last year however, Reddick enters Bristol Dirt 2023 as a winner already this season. With no pressure for having to maximize points, the 45 can throw caution to the wind in chasing a checkered flag, much like Briscoe did. Second only to Joey Logano in average finish (4.5), Reddick could very easily end Sunday with his second win in three weeks.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Reigning Daytona 500 champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could play upset as a dirt-background driver. Whether on the concrete or the dirt, Bristol is Stenhouse’s favorite stop on the circuit and has seen a few career highlights. The Mississippi native has a runner-up result on both versions of Bristol. Simply chasing more points ahead of the Playoffs, Stenhouse forecasts a strong night ahead for the 47.
“Now that the Daytona 500 is scratched off my win list, Bristol is definitely the next one on the list to win,” said Stenhouse Jr. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s the dirt race or the night race. I’ll take a win at Bristol. We’ve been so close in both the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series. I’ve been up front a lot at Bristol and it’s by far my favorite track that we go to on the circuit. Hopefully, we can get it done on the dirt this year.”
“I really enjoy the dirt race, but I enjoy the regular Bristol by far the best of any racetrack. Bristol Dirt is fun and it’s unique and has its own characteristics. Last year, it was quite a bit different than the first year we ran it. The first year I thought it was technical and tricky with the holes and taking rubber and how dusty it was. I think the guys got it dialed in, and I’m looking forward to running the dirt race there again.”
“I’d like to think past dirt experience helps me, but these cars are totally different than any sprint cars I’ve raced or really anything I’ve driven growing up. It’s still the dirt aspect. You are looking for the change in the dirt and how the cushion is. Last year, it had a pretty big cushion. So, that was fun. These cars I wouldn’t say are made for a cushion like that. It threw everyone for a loop and it was a bit different from what we were expecting. Just being able to adapt to different racetrack conditions makes me really comfortable going there.”
Stenhouse has been close to pulling off an ultimate upset at Bristol multiple times. In the inaugural dirt race two years ago, the 47 narrowly trailed Joey Logano to the checkers. If Stenhouse is anywhere near the front late, this underdog could win big again.
Even with two years of history, Bristol Dirt remains one of the biggest unknowns of the NASCAR season. One driver has the potential to upset the entire Playoff picture with a walk-off dirt win. Coverage of the Food City Dirt Race begins Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. With this many questions surrounding this race, Bristol Dirt is can’t-miss television Sunday night.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter
Photo Credit to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR
