This weekend, NASCAR migrates over to Bristol, Tennessee, for the Food City Dirt Race, which is the only dirt track race of the season.
Location
Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track
Track Length
0.533 miles
Track Type
Dirt, dirt, and more dirt: 23,000 cubic yards of red Tennessee clay
Last 10 Track Winners:
Joey Logano won the only dirt race in Bristol in 2021.
Food City Dirt Race Preview
Last year’s Food City Dirt Race took place in the daytime, and fans were treated to amazing driver’s views that looked like shiny dusty glare. The intense combination of sunshine and dust means this year’s race will occur at night to reduce at least one of these variables. But the dirt will be ubiquitous and the primary factor of who wins, who loses, and who crashes.
Some drivers have been quite vocal about their detestation of NASCAR dirt races. (And by “some drivers,” I mean “Kyle Busch.”) No one can predict how the new cars will perform on this track (since it’s taken us seven weeks to get a good feel for them on concrete). In some ways, these unknowns are great for DFS because they even up the regular players with the professional ones, at least the most that phenomenon ever happens.
What is tricky is giving lots of advice on who to pick. We only have one previous track run to draw from, and this year’s race will look significantly different at 7 p.m. On top of that, in 2021, eight cars exited early. Ergo, I will do my best to explain the “whys” of my choices for the Food City Dirt Race.
Here is an overview of drivers I will be looking to roster in DFS and season-long formats this weekend. I’ll be back Sunday morning with a look at whose value shifted following Saturday’s qualifying races. Thoughts? Opinions? Wondering how and why you should play NASCAR fantasy? Hit me up on Twitter at @thewonkypenguin.
Fantasy Drivers: The Dirtiest Dirt Track Drivers
(Author’s note: I am not calling these men “dirty” negatively, in case that was in question.)
Joey Logano (#22 Ford, Team Penske)
Much like with COTA, we have to put the one previous winner at the top of the contenders’ list, even though one race is the NASCAR version of a small sample size. Logano led 61 of 250 laps last year, second to Martin Truex Jr.’s 126 and just ahead of Daniel Suarez’s 58. Joey’s driver rating (again – in one race) is 128.5. Heading into the race in 2021, Logano was not the favorite, but he was fortunate to find himself in clean air at the most crucial time of the race, and he finished just ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The No. 22 car is having a great 2022 season but is still missing a win. Sunday seems like a possibility.
Kyle Larson (#5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports)
Larson heads into Sunday’s race as the 9-2 favorite in Vegas, and his dirt track background is a huge reason. He excelled in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Eldora Speedway, winning in 2016, and the Hendrick Motorsports cars are running well this season. He finished an extremely disappointing 29th last year, and I expect he will improve on that quickly on Sunday.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (#47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing)
This week, Stenhouse sat down with nascar.com to discuss what he expects to see at the Food City Dirt Race. He started with sprint cars on dirt in 2003 and has raced in various leagues and levels since. I find it very difficult to trust the No. 47 car because I feel like he is quick to take risks that leave his car either damaged or knocked out entirely. However, he finished second in the Food City Dirt Race in 2021 and has abundant experience on a complicated surface. Depending on his qualifying position and if I wake up on Easter feeling risk-happy, Stenhouse could be an excellent lineup builder.
Alex Bowman (#48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports)
Bowman owns a Winged Sprint Car team and has been racing them more to improve his skills on a dirt track since last year. He finished 22nd here last year, but he is running fast this season. I will have him in some lineups because he is teammates with Larson, and sometimes, that proves to be an essential factor on short tracks like this half mile. I fear that Bowman may be overpriced this weekend, but if he has a QP of 12 or above, I think he can be a solid contributor to DFS lineups.
Christopher Bell (#20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
Bell, in my opinion, has the most thorough dirt-track resume of the bunch. In 2015, he won 26 dirt races and, in 2019, became the third three-time winner of the Chili Bowl Nationals. He crashed out of the Food City Dirt Race last year after only 54 laps; if he runs the whole race, I predict a Top 10 finish and is a legitimate contender to take home the checkered flag.
Chase Briscoe (#14 Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing)
Briscoe is an accomplished dirt track racer, having driven midget and sprint cars on the surface with great success. He finished 20th last year in Bristol in his rookie year, meaning he also has the most recent experience on dirt. Stewart-Haas Racing has returned well this year with the new cars after an extremely difficult 2021. Briscoe sits in 11th place in the Cup standings, winning his first career race a couple of weeks ago in Phoenix. I like combining a long history on dirt and increased confidence in the NASCAR circuit in general. He could be a great add on Sunday.
Tyler Reddick (#8 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing)
And finally, we have Reddick, who began excelling on dirt tracks at about the same age I learned to ride my bike without training wheels. He finished seventh in last year’s Food City Dirt Race and sits in 12th place in the Cup standings (a spot that would be higher save for his two DNFs). He is beginning to show consistency on regular surfaces, but his knowledge of and comfort with dirt tracks should make him a great play going into Sunday.
The Brakes
Kyle Busch (#18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing)
I’m going to go with the psychological play here and guess that the guy who said dirt tracks are “a step back” for NASCAR isn’t going to put forth his very best tip-top effort.
Make sure to check back Sunday morning for some DFS pick suggestions. And, as always, good luck!