The NASCAR Cup Series tried venturing into dirt racing from 2021 to 2023 at Bristol. The mixed reviews that the event received from drivers and fans alike led to the fixture being removed altogether with no signs of a return. Christopher Bell, arguably the best dirt racer in the sport right now, has shared what the promotion must do to make dirt racing a successful part of the game.
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On a recent episode of the Rubbin is Racing podcast, he was asked about the failed foray in Bristol. He noted that dirt racing depends a lot on the track preparation and that Bristol just didn’t get things right in 2021.“We ended up racing it in the middle of the day it was blowing dust, none of the drivers could see, the fans got filthy and it was a disaster,” he said.
Things got better in 2022, but the weather wasn’t great. It was only in 2023 that the best race of the lot came. Bell admitted that he gets excited whenever a dirt race pops up on the calendar because it presents another skill set that drivers must possess. However, he also stressed that a one-off race like in the past won’t cut it in the future.
He spoke about how road courses were once a novelty in the NASCAR Cup Series, just like how dirt tracks are now, and that it was only when a multitude were added to the calendar that teams began taking them seriously. Bell contends that teams will give up and look forward to the next race if there is just one dirt track on the schedule.
How many dirt races does Christopher Bell want in a Cup Series season?
He continued, “Now, they have added so many road courses that people have to take it seriously. So, I think you have to go either all in and have two or three of them or stay out of it.” He presents good logic. NASCAR could have been more involved with introducing dirt tracks to the Cup Series. But then, the goal was never to make them a permanent stay.
Bristol Motor Speedway‘s President, Jerry Caldwell, told SiriusXM last year, “It created a buzz. It gave fans something to look forward to, our sport something to look forward to, trying something different. It doesn’t have to last for a really long time for you to say that it’s successful.”
From the promotion’s point of view, the experiment was a success and a much-needed break from the ordinary. It doesn’t have many reasons to try it out once again soon.
