Kyle Busch steals a victory coming to the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race on Saturday.
After great success in 2022, the NASCAR Cup Series refilled Bristol Motor Speedway with dirt for one more go-around. NASCAR worked hard over the past couple of months to pack down the dirt over the original concrete surface. Dirt was hauled in from many different locations including the campgrounds around the speedway as well as reusing last year’s stockpile.
Heat Races Set the Starting Lineup
Four heat races were held on Saturday afternoon to put together the starting lineup for Sunday’s showdown. Cole Custer was victorious and earned the first place starting position. He did not hold on for long as Chase Briscoe gained the early lead.
Chase Briscoe Takes the Lead Early, But Kyle Larson Prevails
Briscoe continued to lead through an early caution used to help teams clean the grills off on the cars. Briscoe was in control early on, however, he blew a tire late in the stage bringing out another caution.
Kyle Larson gathered the lead under caution, and he took off on the restart. Larson led the remaining 24 laps to win the first stage.
Briscoe Rebounds in the Second Stage
Daniel Suarez took the lead coming out of the stage break and the racing became tricky for many teams. There were many spins in the corners bringing out multiple cautions. Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, and Corey Lajoie were among the drivers having problems throughout the second segment. Suarez continued to lead through all the mayhem.
Chase Briscoe had an incredible comeback as he slowly returned to the front of the field. Coming off a restart, he retook the lead over Suarez with eleven laps remaining. Chase Briscoe was able to hold off Suarez to win stage two right as the rain began to come down.
After a Rain Delay Red Flag, Kyle Busch Briefly Leads the Start of the Third Stage
After a red flag stoppage to repack the track, Kyle Busch gained the lead for the first time of the night. With rain in the area, teams were on the move to try and gain the lead. Chase Elliott made the pass on Busch right as the final stage went green. Many teams still had issues keeping it together. Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Erik Jones both spun on separate occasions.
Tyler Reddick versus Chase Briscoe
Through these cautions, Tyler Reddick gained the lead and he had to battle Chase Briscoe for the final twenty laps. Reddick held down the lead, but Briscoe was ready to strike at any moment.
On the final lap, Briscoe made a move on Reddick to try and gain the lead heading into turn four. The two made contact and both drivers spun.
Kyle Busch Steals a Victory Coming to the Checkered Flag at Bristol
Kyle Busch was in the right place at the right time in third place. He slid by both wrecked drivers and brought his car to the checkered flag.
The Food City Dirt Race Results
The second dirt race held by NASCAR was another success. Despite the constant breaks due to the rain, the actual racing on the track was entertaining. Different drivers found the lead and held the lead for multiple laps. There were close battles all over the track, and it seemed as if the leader could not run off with the lead.
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
Whoever was leading at any point in the race always had the second and third place driver within striking distance. The finish as well is what dirt racing is all about. Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe are two guys that grew up on dirt racing and they ended up wrecking at the line because that is what dirt racing brings out in a driver. It was a spectacular event.
NASCAR could continue to refine its dirt racing event setup. Perhaps find a local, small-town dirt track for the next year like Eldora Speedway or Knoxville Speedway for future dirt racing.