CONCORD, N.C. – For the second consecutive season, the NASCAR Cup Series will hit the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. This year's 250-lap main event will be run at night at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Easter Sunday.
In last year's inaugural dirt race at the .533-mile track, William Byron nabbed an organization-best sixth-place result while Chase Elliott finished 10th. Alex Bowman had mechanical issues in stage two that led to a 22nd-place finish, while Kyle Larson's involvement in a stage one accident off of turn two led to a 29th-place result.
"Last year, I think we got pretty fortunate to run where we did," Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, said. "We had a lot going on there at the end of the race and were kind of hanging on. This year, I think is just going to be a completely different ball game with this car. Being able to adapt quickly is going to be the key.
"…Whoever hits on that quickly and figures out what it’s going to take to be fast is likely going to be rewarded for it."
RELATED: See the paint schemes for this weekend at Bristol
The 2022 race will mark the first and only time the Next Gen car will race on dirt this season. This event is a bit different from all that are held on the Cup Series schedule. There are no live pit stops – the non-competitive pit stops will take place at stage brakes with crews changing tires and adding fuel as needed. Flat or damaged tires can be changed with approval from NASCAR. The running order will be frozen at the conclusion of each stage but if a driver elects to stay out during a stage break, they will line up ahead of those that pitted on the ensuing restart.
One of the biggest challenges will be the track itself, how teams keep up with changes and if it keeps moisture or dries out. Another challenge will be keeping the car cool and not having mud packed all over the car. On the technical side, the underbody will be a little different than what it usually is to help protect all the components underneath the car and the splitter will also be different for this race.
"The difference with dirt racing is how fast the track conditions change," Rudy Fugle, crew chief for the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, said. "They change just about every lap. How much rain that comes through this week will play a factor and then how the track is prepped plus how they handle all 36 trucks being there before our race. Those are things that simulation can’t predict, you just have to go off of history and experience. It’s a little old school, which I like."
Each of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers has prepared for this race in a different way. Larson, who has an extensive dirt resume, has won the Chili Bowl Nationals twice and is hosting a late model event at Volunteer Speedway in Tennessee on Thursday night. He also ran a Super Late Model at the Bristol Dirt Nationals earlier this month.
"I think running the dirt late model at Bristol a few weeks ago just helps me get eyes on the track to see what’s different," Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, said. "Getting to run some laps to see how the dirt transitioned throughout the night was helpful and hopefully it pays off this weekend."
Byron will be participating in the Larson-sponsored event on Thursday night for his first time racing a Dirt Late Model in competition. Elliott will be running in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Saturday night in the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado and he also competed in the Chili Bowl earlier this year. Bowman has a dirt background from his early racing days. He spent the early parts of his 2022 season refining that skillset with a Chili Bowl effort and in the World of Outlaws series with a handful of starts for his team, Alex Bowman Racing.
"I’m excited about this weekend at Bristol," vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week. "Our four drivers have really been really working hard – I mean Larson doesn’t have to work any harder with his dirt experience. You look at what William’s been doing, you look at what Chase Elliott and some of the stuff he’s been doing on dirt and so is Alex Bowman. I think those guys are geared up to have a great weekend."
RELATED: Viewer's guide for this weekend at Bristol
The weekend starts with two 50-minute practice sessions on Friday. The added wrinkle for the weekend comes in how the field will be set with four qualifying heat races taking place on Saturday night starting at approximately 6 p.m. ET. In the qualifying heats, drivers will be awarded race finishing position points and passing points. The total of those will set the lineup for Sunday's main event. The driver with the most combined points will earn the pole position.
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 in the qualifying heat, you earn passing points. If you go backward or finish where you started, you earn zero passing points.
"With the heat races and all that stuff, you definitely put yourself in a situation where you want to be aggressive to finish these heat races further forward and attack as much as you can," Greg Ives, crew chief for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this week.
"You are not going to put yourself in a situation where you have to make either a car change or a complete body panel change or suspension. You kind of have to be conservatively aggressive or somewhat aggressive but you can’t put yourself in a situation where you are hurting yourself.
"All in all, it does give you a chance, an opportunity to see what your car can do. In practice you have lap times and all that but you don’t know when guys are on different laps on tires. When you get to the heat races, it should be a little more competitive, a little more challenging. See where you stack up and see if you need to make smaller or bigger adjustments for the race."