What a Mess: NASCAR worried about first Bristol dirt race

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — NASCAR feverishly tried to save its ballyhooed first Cup Series dirt race since 1970 from turning into a total disaster, the likes not seen since the 2008 tire debacle at Indianapolis made for one of the worst events in the sport's history.

The Cup Series is slated to race Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, where 2,300 truckloads of red Tennessee clay have filled the famed bullring for an experimental — some might say gimmicky — stab at grassroots racing.

But the dirt, the 28-degree Bristol banking reduced to 19 degrees after the dirt was applied, and the leaden 3,400-pound cars appear to be a terrible fit.

Yes, drivers had a blast playing in the dirt, some for the first time since they were kids. But four Friday practice sessions ultimately showed the tires can't sustain the heavy wear. The three layers of dirt acted as a cheese-grater and the tires in turn dug deep divots into the surface.

NACAR made several procedural changes Saturday in a desperate bid to save the show.

“We didn't want to end up in a situation where we had 20 blown right rears and we're talking about the Bristol dirt show 20 years later like we're talking about the thing that happened at Indy,” said Scott Miller, NASCARs vice president of competition.

That “thing” at Indy in 2008 ruined the fan appetite for NASCAR at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Goodyear tires used on NASCAR's new model car that year couldn't handle the loads and began exploding during the race. To mitigate damage, NASCAR threw competition cautions every 10 or so laps to force teams to pit for new tires.

The race averaged just nine laps of green-flag racing a stretch and Indianapolis fans have still not forgotten.

More than 400,000 turn out for the Indianapolis 500, but attendance for the NASCAR events dipped well below 100,000. This year's Brickyard will be held on the road course after 27 years on the famed oval.

Bristol also made a bold change this year by converting its facility into a dirt race as part of radical changes to the 2021 schedule. NASCAR needed a major shakeup and the dirt race joined an influx of road courses and new venues for the most adventurous schedule in sport history.

Bristol, which dubs itself “The Last Great Colosseum,” wanted in on the action. The track once boasted 55-consecutive sellouts and was one of the toughest tickets in sports. But its spring race has faced a sharp attendance decline as a constantly shifting race date presented annual weather concerns.

So when NASCAR broadcast partner Fox pushed for a dirt race on the Cup schedule, Speedway Motorsports said Bristol would be the guinea pig.

The decision infuriated Tony Stewart, who successfully hosted seven Truck Series races at his Eldora Speedway dirt track in Ohio but was passed over for a coveted Cup Series date.

Out of spite, Stewart dropped the Truck Series from Eldora's schedule this season and openly wondered if Speedway Motorsports was up to managing the challenges of a dirt race.

Bristol had previously converted to dirt for the World of Outlaws in 2000 and 2001, and Speedway Motorsports has hosted dirt events at other facilities with mixed reviews. Conditions at the Dirt Track at Charlotte last November made for a blinding dustbowl, but Bristol seemed to have it figured out last week when it hosted a problem-free week of racing.

The issues slowly started to snowball during roughly four hours of Friday practice time between the Truck and Cup Series. At first, it was just too dusty. Then tires began to wear down to the cords while digging deep divots into the track surface.

"The track is kind of coming up and just crazy big divots. It’s definitely not smooth," said Ryan Blaney, fastest Cup driver on Friday.

NASCAR collected team feedback and guided by Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, both of whom raced all last week at Bristol, issued procedural changes for Sunday's 250-lap race.

NASCAR extended the first stage by 25 laps, the second stage by 50 laps and added two competition cautions. It also allotted teams one extra set of tires.

The added competition cautions create additional opportunities for track prep.

“We need this show to be great," Miller said. “We need to err on the side of caution.”

NASCAR is also facing weather challenges — heavy rain drenched the dirt and delayed the start of Saturday activity before ultimately washing it out entirely. The heat races for both Cup and Trucks were scrapped and the Truck Series will run after the Cup race for a Sunday doubleheader.

Qualifying heat races for the Truck Series barely made a lap before thick mud caked the windshields and reduced visibility to zero.

“I honestly thought they'd go into the corner and never turn,” said Larson, one of seven Cup regulars entered in the Truck Series.

NASCAR stopped the heat race and sent late model cars onto the track to turn laps and pull some of the water out of the dirt.

“That's probably the most uncomfortable I've ever been in a race car,” said Kevin Harvick, running his first Truck Series race since 2015. “Really, really unsafe conditions so far, as far as vision goes. I just had to look left and go off what you know of the race track.”

ODDS AND ENDS

Larson is the 5-2 betting favorite to win Sunday. He's considered one of the best dirt racers in the country, won more than 40 events last season and won the Chili Bowl Nationals to open 2021.... NASCAR ran 501 dirt races prior to the Modern Era, the last a Richard Petty victory at North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh in 1970.... The first NASCAR Cup Series points-paying sanctioned race in the inaugural 1949 season was on dirt at Charlotte (Old) Speedway. It was won by Jim Roper driving a Lincoln.

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