Despite most drivers not coming from a dirt-track background or being the biggest fan of dirt-track racing, this week’s first ever NASCAR Cup Series dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway proved to be wildly popular among the majority of the participants, including race winner Joey Logano.
“Man, it’s incredible,” Logano said after scoring his first victory of the 2021 season. “How about Bristol on dirt? This is incredible, an unbelievable racetrack. Great job by everyone that prepped the track. There’s nothing like winning at Bristol, but putting dirt on it and being the first to do it is really special.”
While the race didn’t produce as much passing as some drivers and fans perhaps would have liked to see, most competitors still gave the dirt concept a big thumbs-up. The simple novelty of running the first Cup race on dirt in more than 50 years proved to carry broad appeal, and that was especially true for those who enjoyed a solid day on the clay.
“Man, we had a blast,” second-place finisher Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said. “At the start of the race, I was terrible with the green racetrack and a little bit of moisture in it. But as it blew off, we got back to where we were in practice and felt really good with it. A good way to go into the off week.”
Bristol Motor Speedway announced Monday that following the track’s previously scheduled return to concrete for this fall’s NASCAR weekend, the .533-mile oval will once again be covered in dirt when NASCAR’s premier division comes back to town next spring. Thankfully, a good number of drivers were happy to hear this.