CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports will head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the ninth NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2022 season. For the second straight year, Bristol’s .533-mile track is covered with dirt for the venue's annual spring date but this year will see the race run on Easter Sunday.
Last year's inaugural dirt race at the Tennessee oval saw William Byron and Chase Elliott place in the top 10 of the event that was moved to Monday afternoon due to wet weather.
Here is everything you need to know to tune in this weekend.
RELATED: Paint schemes for this weekend's race at Bristol
WHAT TIME IS PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING?
There will be two 50-minute practice sessions for the Cup Series that are both on Friday, April 15. The first is at 4:05 p.m. ET and the second is at 6:35 p.m. ET. Both practices will be televised on FOX Sports 1.
For this weekend’s, qualifying heat races will be held on Saturday, April 16, to determine the lineup for Sunday’s main event. The first of the four 15-lap qualifying races begins at approximately 6 p.m. ET with the others beginning at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. ET and 6:45 p.m. ET. The qualifying races will be broadcast on FOX Sports 2.
Alex Bowman will run in the first qualifying race and he will start fifth in that event. Elliott, Byron and Kyle Larson are all in the fourth and final qualifying race. Elliott will start first, Byron will line up fourth and Larson will begin the event sixth.
WHAT TIME IS THE RACE?
The 250-lap main event is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17, and will be broadcast on FOX.
CAN I LISTEN ON THE RADIO?
You can tune in on PRN Radio as well as SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90).
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the FOX Sports app for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on Twitter by following @TeamHendrick.
WHAT CHANNEL IS FS1, FS2 AND FOX?
It varies by location, but this link allows viewers to find the channels by entering their zip code and selecting their television provider.
HOW DO THE QUALIFYING RACES SET THE LINEUP?
In the qualifying races, drivers will be awarded race finishing position points and passing points. The total of those will set the lineup for Sunday. The driver with the most combined race finishing position points and passing points will earn the pole position for Sunday's main event.
The race finishing position points are awarded from 10 points for first in each qualifying race to two points for ninth in each qualifying race. Passing points are the difference between assigned starting position and finishing position. If you go forward, you earn passing points. If you go backward or finish where you started, you earn zero passing points.
FIVE FAST FACTS AHEAD OF THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE
Data courtesy of Racing Insights
4: Number of wins Hendrick Motorsports has through eight Cup Series events in 2022 with Byron (two wins), Bowman (one win) and Larson (one win) each visiting victory lane. That mark is tied for second-best in organization history as it was also accomplished in 1995, 1996 and 1997. In 2007, Hendrick Motorsports won five of the first eight races. In the previous four times the organization has won at least four of the first eight events of a season, a Hendrick Motorsports driver has gone on to win the title.
5: Elliott's top-10 finishes in 2022, which are tied with three other drivers for the most in the series. Elliott holds the points lead in the Cup Series entering Bristol.
21: Total number of points-paying wins for Hendrick Motorsports since the start of 2021. All four drivers have won multiple times in that stretch - the only team to do that since the start of last season.
445: Amount of laps Byron has led over the last four Cup events in 2022. That total alone is more than his single-season high of 425 laps led in the 2021 season.
1,999: Top-10 finishes in the history of Hendrick Motorsports. To date, no organization has 2,000 top 10s and Hendrick Motorsports needs one top-10 finish to achieve that.