Although this weekend won’t mark the first NASCAR Cup Series race on the dirt at Bristol, Sunday’s Easter night showdown will be the first dirt race in Thunder Valley with the Next Generation Cup Series car that debuted earlier this season and that will compete at every stop on the 2022 calendar. “It feels all new again, with the new car and not knowing what to expect on how the car drives,” said Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “I’m looking forward to it. I think it being a night race is obviously a great call (by NASCAR). We’ll see how it plays out. Hopefully, we’ll eliminate some of the struggles from last year — whether it’s the dust, the mud and just lack of being able to see. I’d like to be able to see where my race car is traveling. But other than that, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Joey Logano, who won last year’s inaugural dirt race at the Tennessee short track, likewise doesn’t have any bold predictions about how the race might play out this time. “I’m excited,” the Team Penske driver said. “I had fun last year. You just kind of have to go with it. There’s still a lot of unknowns. We might know a little bit more than we did last year, but you have a whole new car now and there are areas I still want to be better at. We’ll just kind of get up there and go racing like we do every other week.”