Christopher Bell takes control late in the race to win on Bristol Dirt in the NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race on Sunday.
In the middle of the short track stretch, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for a showdown on the dirt. This is NASCAR’s third year of running the spring Bristol race on the dirt surface. The idea has caught plenty of attention as NASCAR has also implemented a racing format similar to other dirt racing series. Four heat races were held on Saturday night to set the lineup for Sunday night’s main event.
Heat Winners Lead the Field to Green
Austin Dillon, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and Bubba Wallace all win their respective heat races claiming the top spots heading into Sunday. Kyle Larson jumped out to an early lead as he was the favorite heading into the weekend.
There were four cautions in the opening segment with drivers trying to keep their cars under control. Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, and Matt Crafton all spun around on separate occasions to bring out the cautions.
Kyle Larson led the whole way through the first stage to pick up the victory.
Tyler Reddick Takes the Lead for the Start of Stage 2
Tyler Reddick moved into the lead coming into the second stage. The action remained steady with Jonathan Davenport spinning around in the early laps.
Reddick continued to lead on the restart, and another caution flag waved six laps later due to Michael McDowell spinning around. The race could not seem to stay green for long as there were two other cautions in the second stage due to drivers losing control.
Coming to the end of the second segment, Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick battled hard for the lead. The two traded slide jobs on each other until Busch was able to find the sole lead.
Kyle Busch made a mistake in the fourth turn and Tyler Reddick was able to pass him on the bottom. Reddick led the remaining nine laps to win the second stage.
Christopher Bell Cycles to the Lead in Stage 3
Christopher Bell cycled into the lead to begin stage three. Kyle Larson spun around three laps into the final stretch. The race continued for another 13 laps before Kyle Larson was involved in another wreck. He and Ryan Preece bumped each other down the backstretch. Larson wrecked due to the contact and had to leave the race.
Christopher Bell Takes Control of the Race to Win on Bristol Dirt
Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell had the two best cars to close out the race and they were in a closely contested battle for the final 25 laps. Reddick could not seem to make a move stick has Bell was running a good line.
On the final lap, Ross Chastain hit the wall on the back stretch which ended the race under caution. Christopher Bell earned his first win on dirt for the NASCAR Cup Series and his first win of the 2023 season.
The Food City on Dirt Race Results
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
Christopher Bell wins his first race of the 2023 season in a caution riddled race. The race went as expected based on history. Kyle Larson led early on as the favorite until he was taken out of the race. Tyler Reddick took over through the second stage before Christopher Bell found himself out front.
Typically, as the night progresses and the track changes, new faces make their way to the front. This time around it was Christopher Bell with the fast car, and he was unstoppable as the race came to a close. Bell is a dirt racing phenom and he was well suited on the dirt environment Sunday night.