NASCAR says “had enough of asphalt and concrete?!” We’re off to the Dirt Race at Bristol on this Easter Night (and a Happy Easter to you and yours!), picking back up with “normal” NASCAR racing next week. Just about an hour to go until we get rippin’ around in the soil, fun for the whole family!
Here’s what to look for:
–Kyle Larson had the best cumulative finish / “pass points” in yesterday’s Qualifying Races so he’ll start from Pole today. He won Heat Race 3 after starting 6th (of 9), and he’ll have the cleanest view of the track tonight. Did you know he started 1st for the first Bristol Dirt Race, too? It’s true! He finished 29th in that one though, but followed that up with a 4th place finish in 2022.
–Austin Dillon will start alongside Larson after a great performance himself. He won Heat Race 1 (from 5th) and finds himself on the front row for the “Main.” Unlike Larson who has shown previous success on the Dirt, Dillon has done no better than 21st and crashed out of last year’s race. Do things improve for him tonight? They’ve gotta be better…right?
-Last year’s winner was Kyle Busch. He finished 2nd (from 6th) in Heat Race 4, second to Bubba Wallace (1st from 1st). Kyle Busch has shown that he can pass people in ’23; he passed two in drivers on the final lap for the Win in ’22 (though it was a little more complicated than that..). How rowdy does Rowdy get tonight?
–Joey Logano is our only driver with two Top 5s across both Dirt Races so far, and he pulled double duty this weekend. In Heat Race 4, he finished 5th (from 8th). He was the victor in 2021, and won the Truck race last night; where does the #22 pull in tonight?
–JJ Yeley is not someone we talk about too often. This may, without question, be his best shot at winning a Cup race in the realistic future. He drove in Heat Race 3 and finished 3rd from 9th. He showed great command of his car, and will start 3rd when the green flag falls. A great reward for his Saturday Night prowess. Good luck, JJ!
Coverage of the race starts on FOX at 7:00pm, green flag scheduled for 7:14pm.
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