Following 60 years of on-track, springtime clashes on the high-banked oval, the NASCAR Cup Series will get dirty at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2021. In this case, the 500-lap race goes from the familiar concrete surface to a dirt surface.
For the first time since Sept. 30, 1970, at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, the NASCAR Cup Series will race on dirt. Bristol is not unfamiliar with a dirt surface after it hosted a World of Outlaws sprint car event in June 2000.
While it’s been 20 years since that event, it may be a NASCAR Cup Series race worth watching. Some drivers may feel at home while the race serves as an equalizer for those who’ll seek a playoff berth.
After 26 years of racing on the famous 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, the NASCAR Cup Series will take on the track’s 13-turn road course this season.
Based on last year’s incredible NASCAR Xfinity Series race won by Chase Briscoe, the Cup Series teams have reason to be excited about the Aug. 15 race on the 2.439-mile layout. For starters, the rush into Turn 1, a challenge for any racer in any car, will be exhilarating when drivers must go from anything beyond two-wide to single-file formation entering the infield segment of the track.
While all signs point to Chase Elliott as the odds-on favorite at Indianapolis, he may face staunch challenges from road course aces such as Briscoe, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and William Byron.