NASCAR Bristol Dirt Race 2022: How to watch, schedule, odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The 2022 NASCAR season is just eight weeks old, but drivers have already seen a variety of tracks. From a half-mile short track to a 20-turn road course and a 2.5-mile superspeedway, teams have been tested in multiple areas.
But on Easter Sunday night, the series heads to its most unique challenge: a dirt track.
Bristol Motor Speedway is one of NASCAR’s most historic venues. Since the 1960s, drivers have raced at Thunder Valley’s half-mile, high-banked oval. But in 2021, the track was covered in dirt for the first race on a non-paved track since 1970.
Here’s everything you need to know for the second Bristol Dirt Race:
What is the NASCAR Bristol Dirt Race schedule?
The race weekend at Bristol will feature a unique practice and qualifying schedule due to the unknowns of racing on dirt.
On Friday, there will be two 50-minute practice sessions – one at 4 p.m. ET and one at 6:30 p.m. ET, both on Fox Sports 1.
On Saturday, the lineup for Sunday’s race will be determined with four heat races. The 36 drivers will be randomly split into four groups of nine, and they will run 15-lap heat races to determine the starting order for Sunday’s main event. The heat races begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 2.
The Food City Dirt Race will go green at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 17.
What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?
The race at Bristol is on FOX, Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
Pre-race coverage starts with NASCAR RaceDay at 5:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. The coverage moves to FOX at 6 p.m., with more pre-race festivities before the race at 7 p.m.
All coverage before, during and after the race can be streamed online here and in the Fox Sports app.
NASCAR standings entering the Bristol Dirt Race
Now eight races into the 26-race regular season, the star drivers are starting to rise up the points grid. Only 16 drivers make the playoffs, and drivers secure a berth by winning a race or scoring the most points among non-winners. Here’s a look at the current playoff standings, where wins reign supreme over points:
-
William Byron, 276 points, 2 wins
-
Ross Chastain, 246 points, 1 win
-
Alex Bowman, 237 points, 1 win
-
Chase Briscoe, 220 points, 1 win
-
Kyle Larson, 201 points, 1 win
-
Austin Cindric, 201 points, 1 win
-
Denny Hamlin, 157 points, 1 win
-
Chase Elliott, 288 points
-
Ryan Blaney, 285 points
-
Joey Logano, 261 points
-
Martin Truex Jr., 237 points
-
Aric Almirola, 223 points
-
Kevin Harvick, 222 points
-
Kyle Busch, 221 points
-
Tyler Reddick, 202 points
-
Austin Dillon, 197 points
We already have three new playoff participants for 2022 – Chastain, Briscoe and Cindric – after they won their first career races. With seven winners in eight races, just nine playoff spots are up for grabs based on points, and that number will drop as we get more new victors.
Which active drivers have won at Bristol?
There’s only been one previous Cup race at the Bristol Dirt Track, so there’s only been one previous winner: Joey Logano.
Though there’s only been one Bristol Dirt Race, there have been 121 races on the paved short track dating back to 1961. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with eight Bristol wins, and his brother Kurt Busch is just behind with six. Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick both have three Bristol wins, while Logano and Denny Hamlin have two apiece. Kyle Larson won the most recent paved Bristol race in September.
Who is favored to win NASCAR this weekend?
It’s hard to pick a favorite considering there’s only been one race on the Bristol Dirt. That race was run during the daytime with the old Gen-6 cars. Now, we’re looking at a race under the lights with the brand new Next Gen cars.
Erik Jones has the best average finish at the paved Bristol surface (12.4 in nine starts) and finished ninth on the dirt last spring. Kyle Busch (13.0 in 32 starts), Harvick (13.2 in 41 starts), Elliott (13.3 in 11 starts) and Larson (13.4 in 13 starts) are the other active finish leaders on the concrete surface.
Last year’s dirt race was dominated by Truex (126 laps led), Logano (61 laps led) and Daniel Suarez (58 laps led).
Here are some of the favorites to win at Bristol Dirt, courtesy of our partner, PointsBet:
Editor’s note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.