NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Food City Dirt Race
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt
The Date: Sunday, April 17
The Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Purse: $7,374,089
TV: FOX, 6 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 125 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 75),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Ag-Pro 300
The Place: Talladega Superspeedway
The Date: Saturday, April 23
The Time: 4 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,475,583
TV: FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300.58 miles (113 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 25),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 50), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 113)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt
The Date: Saturday, April 16
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
The Purse: $599,224
TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 75 miles (150 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 150)
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Cup Series takes the Next Gen car dirt racing at Bristol
For the first time in its existence the NASCAR Cup Series will compete with the Next Gen car on the dirt surface of Bristol Motor Speedway for an Easter Weekend spectacular, the Food City Dirt Race, this Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Last season’s race at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track was the first-time the NASCAR Cup Series had competed on dirt in over 50 years. Not since the checkered flag flew on NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty for winning the race on September 30, 1970 at North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina had the NASCAR Cup Series competed on a dirt track.
With more than 23,000 cubic yards of dirt hauled in to create the temporary dirt track surface at Bristol, it was a sight to be seen when all 39 cars took the green flag last season. The event saw five lead changes among five different leaders, but it was Team Penske’s Joey Logano who took the checkered flag over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by a scant 0.554-second.
This weekend’s Cup Series action at Bristol will kick off on Friday, April 15 with first practice from 4:05 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. ET and then followed by final practice from 6:35 p.m. – 7:25 p.m. ET. Both practices will be televised on FS1. Then on Saturday, April 17 Busch Light Pole Qualifying will be from 6 – 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
Looking back at the NASCAR Cup Series on dirt
The NASCAR Cup Series has had a long legacy of racing at dirt tracks prior to the Modern Era (1972-Present), from 1949 to 1970 the series competed in 501 races on dirt. The very first NASCAR Cup Series points-paying sanctioned race in the inaugural season of 1949 was on dirt at Charlotte (Old) Speedway, a 0.75-mile track in Charlotte, North Carolina and the event was won by Jim Roper driving a Lincoln.
Including this past season’s dirt race at Bristol, the 502 all-time dirt Cup races have produced 77 different winners. NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty leads the series in dirt track wins with 46 victories; followed by Buck Baker with 42 and Herb Thomas with 41. Joey Logano is the only active driver with a win on dirt in the NASCAR Cup Series.
| Top 10 NASCAR Cup Series Winners On Dirt | ||
| Rank | Cup Dirt Winners | Wins |
| 1 | Lee Petty | 43 |
| 2 | Buck Baker | 42 |
| 3 | Herb Thomas | 41 |
| 4 | Tim Flock | 36 |
| 5 | Ned Jarrett | 35 |
| 6 | Richard Petty | 31 |
| 7 | David Pearson | 23 |
| 8 | Junior Johnson | 23 |
| 9 | Speedy Thompson | 18 |
| 10 | Fireball Roberts | 15 |
| Fonty Flock | 15 |
This week the competitors will be tasked with wrangling a Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track that has been measured to exactly 0.5-mile, and this weekend’s event will be 125 miles (250 laps) in length. The race will be broken up into three stages. The first two stages are 75 laps each and the final stage is 100 laps.
In addition, NASCAR has instituted a special format for Busch Light Pole Qualifying that includes qualifying races, very similar to what the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series did at Eldora Speedway, to decide the starting lineup. The lineups for the qualifying races will be done by random draw on Friday, April 15 at 3 p.m. ET. There are four qualifying races scheduled with 36 entrants competing and each race will have nine competitors.
Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt – Qualifying & Race Formats
This weekend’s racing will have special formats for both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. Below are details on the 2022 Bristol Dirt qualifying and race formats:
· Qualifying Race Starting Lineup – Random draw determines qualifying race designation and starting position for the qualifying race. The draw will be in order of current owner points.
· Qualifying Races – Four qualifying races held at 15 laps each with only green flag laps counted – no overtime rule. Free pass and wave around procedures will be in effect.
· Points Earned During Qualifying Races – Drivers will accumulate points in the qualifying races based on finishing position and passing points. The points total of a driver’s passing points and race finishing position points determines the starting position for the feature event.
- Passing Points = The difference between assigned starting position and finishing position
§ Go forward – accumulate passing points
§ Go backward or finish where you started – zero passing points
- Race Finishing Position Points = Points received for the driver’s finishing position
| Finish | Points | ||
| 1 | 10 | ||
| 2 | 9 | ||
| 3 | 8 | ||
| 4 | 7 | ||
| 5 | 6 | ||
| 6 | 5 | ||
| 7 | 4 | ||
| 8 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 2 |
§ Tiebreaker – Owner Points
· Feature Main – Lineup based on combined points of Qualifying Race finishing position and passing points. Feature race will be 250 laps (NCWTS: 150 laps) divided into three stages (NCS: 75/150/250) / (NCWTS: 40/90/150). Running order will be frozen at the conclusion of each stage. During the stage breaks, teams can change tires, add fuel, and make adjustments to their cars/trucks. These non-competitive pit stops must be completed in a time designated by NASCAR. No fuel or tires except at stage breaks. Flat or damaged tires may be changed with approval by NASCAR. (Note: Teams will not be required to pit during the stage breaks. Teams that elect not to pit will re-start ahead of teams that pitted. Re-start order determined by the freeze at the conclusion of the preceding stage)
· Additional Event Highlights – Choose rule will not be in effect for the Bristol Dirt race. The overtime rules, free pass and wave around procedures will be in effect.
NASCAR and Easter weekend racing
This weekend’s Food City Dirt Race (Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be the NASCAR Cup Series’ 11th-time racing on Easter Sunday since its inception in 1949.
The last time the series competed on Easter Sunday was March 26, 1989 at Richmond Raceway – the race was rescheduled to the Easter Sunday date after being snowed out from its original date in February. The race was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.
On two other occasions – in 1953 at Charlotte Speedway and 1954 at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro – the race was held on Easter Sunday as a make-up date due to rain.
NASCAR Cup Series Races held on Easter Sunday
| Date | Track – Race Winner | Reason for Scheduling on Easter |
| Sunday, April 5, 1953 | Charlotte Speedway – Dick Passwater | Scheduled for March 22, 1953; Postponed due to rain. |
| Sunday, April 18, 1954 | Hillsboro – Herb Thomas | Scheduled for April 11, 1954; Postponed due to rain. |
| Sunday, April 17, 1960 | Wilson Speedway – Joe Weatherly | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, April 2, 1961 | Hillsboro – Cotton Owens | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, April 22, 1962 | Martinsville – Richard Petty | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, April 14, 1963 | South Boston – Richard Petty | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, April 18, 1965 | North Wilkesboro – Jr. Johnson | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, April 6, 1969 | Hickory – Bobby Isaac | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, March 29, 1970 | Atlanta – Bobby Allison | Scheduled Date |
| Sunday, March 26, 1989 | Richmond – Rusty Wallace | Scheduled for February 27, 1989; Postponed due to snow. |
In addition, 20 NASCAR Cup Series events have been held on Easter Weekend from Good Friday through Easter Monday (Easter Monday was a public holiday in North Carolina from 1935 to 1987).
The first time NASCAR held a Cup race on Easter Weekend was on April 12, 1952, when the event at Columbia Speedway was held on Saturday. NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker was the race winner.
On Easter weekends in 1964, 1966, & 1967 the NASCAR Cup Series held races on Saturday at Greenville Pickens Speedway and on Monday at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The race held on Easter weekend, Saturday, April 11, 1971, was the first in NASCAR Cup Series history to be broadcast live from start to finish on national television on ABC Wide World of Sports.
William Byron snaps 2022 season’s different winner streak
After seven different winners in the first seven races kicked off the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsport’s William Byron snapped the different winners streak by snatching his second victory of the year last weekend at Martinsville Speedway. It was Byron’s first grandfather clock Cup trophy from the historic half-mile at Martinsville, his second of the 2022 season and fourth of his Cup career. Now the 24-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina heads to the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track to keep the early season momentum going.
Following his win last weekend, Byron has jumped to third in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings just 12 points back from his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott as standings lead. In eight starts this season, Byron has put up two wins (Atlanta, Martinsville) and four top fives.
Last season on the Bristol dirt, Byron started eighth and finished sixth.
Joey Logano looks to go back-to-back on the Bristol Dirt, get first win of 2022
The Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt couldn’t have come any sooner for Team Penske’s Joey Logano as the defending winner of last season’s race on dirt is still looking for his first win of this season.
In eight starts this season, Logano has collected two top fives and four top 10s. If Logano gets a win this season, it will be his 11th consecutive season with a victory in the series.
Last year, Logano looked like a natural on the dirt at Bristol. He started 10th and methodically worked his way to the front, taking the lead on Lap 193. He would then hold on to lead the final 61 laps, even fending off a wild overtime restart to get the win. With the victory, Logano became the 77th different driver to win on a dirt surface in the NASCAR Cup Series and the only active driver to accomplish the feat.
Chase Elliott’s consistent pace has him out front in points
There is a reason a winless driver is currently atop the NASCAR Cup Series driver points standings, and it all boils down to consistency. No driver has a better average finish in the first eight races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season than Hendrick Motorsport’s Chase Elliott (11.3) and that early consistency has him holding the points lead heading to Bristol for the Food City Dirt Race this Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The first eight races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season have produced five points standings lead changes among five different drivers. Chase Elliott currently holds just a three point lead over second place Ryan Blaney in the driver standings. Elliott has posted one top five and five top 10s this season.
Looking to the wild card track that is the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt, Elliott started from 26th and impressively raced his way up to a top-10 finish (10th).
Martin Truex Jr. returns to Bristol Dirt looking for redemption
Last season’s Food City Dirt Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track was dominated by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. who led a race-high 126 of the schedule 253 laps (49.8%). The New Jersey native started fifth and won the first stage but ultimately fell to 19th at the finish. Now, still winless in 2022, Truex and the No. 19 team return to Bristol looking for some redemption on the dirt.
Last season, Truex competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt taking the win, his first in the series. With the win, Truex became the 36th of the 39 drivers all-time to win at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s national series.
Truex is still looking for his first win of the season. Through eight races, he has accumulated one top five and four top 10s.
Playoff Bubble: A little over quarter of the way through the regular season
A little over a quarter of the way through the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season and currently half of the Playoff spots are spoken for as the series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt for the Food City Dirt Race (Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Seven different drivers have won this season securing their spots in the Playoffs, but don’t forget the series points leader is also guaranteed a position in the Playoffs even without a win. That leaves just eight postseason spots still up for grabs with 18 races left in the regular season.
The seven drivers with wins this year are William Byron (two wins), Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Austin Cindric (each have one win). A winless Chase Elliott currently holds the series driver standings lead taking the eighth spot.
At the other end of the Playoff outlook are the Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick (+15) in 15th and Austin Dillon (+10) in the 16th and final Playoff transfer position. Both RCR drivers are looking for their first win of 2022. Last season at Bristol Dirt, Reddick started 27th and raced his way up to a seventh-place finish and Dillon started ninth and finished 21st.
Just outside the Playoff cutoff is 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch in 17th with 10 points separating him from Dillon. Also, within striking distance of the Playoffs point cutoff are Petty GMS Motorsport’s driver Erik Jones and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez. Last season both Suárez (fourth) and Jones (ninth) finished inside the top-10 at Bristol Dirt. Kurt Busch started 28th and managed to finish 16th.
| 2022 Driver Playoff Bubble Outlook Following Race No. 8 | ||||||
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins | Stages | Playoff Pts | Pts From Cutoff |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 202 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| 16 | Austin Dillon | 197 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 17 | Kurt Busch | 187 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10 |
| 18 | Erik Jones | 181 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -16 |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | 179 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -18 |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | 173 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -24 |
| 21 | Chris Buescher | 173 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -24 |
| 22 | Bubba Wallace | 154 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -43 |
| 23 | Justin Haley | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -62 |
| 24 | Cole Custer | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -62 |
| 25 | Ty Dillon | 130 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -67 |
| 26 | Michael McDowell | 121 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -76 |
| 27 | Todd Gilliland # | 112 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -85 |
| 28 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 111 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -86 |
| 29 | Harrison Burton # | 110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -87 |
| 30 | Corey LaJoie | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -98 |
NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
Special Easter Sunday Service at BMS Prior to the Food City Dirt Race – Grammy Award-winning worship leader Chris Tomlin and best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado will headline a live Easter celebration service prior to the start of the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 17. Special guest Gary LeVox, most well-known and beloved as the lead singer of Rascal Flatts, also will perform during the much-anticipated event.
The Easter celebration will begin at 4 p.m. (ET) on a stage in the BMS fan midway area outside the stadium near the E Parking lot between the Green and Orange bridges. A variety of speakers from the NASCAR industry will make appearances, highlighted by team owner Joe Gibbs.
LeVox will perform during the Easter celebration and also sing the National Anthem during pre-race ceremonies for the Food City Dirt Race.
“We are honored to provide an amazing late Sunday afternoon Easter service highlighted with appearances by Chris Tomlin, Max Lucado and Gary LeVox,” said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. “Hosting the Food City Dirt Race under the lights that night gives us and our partners the opportunity to recognize the importance of the day, while complementing our tremendous on-track action. Our community is a faithful one and we can’t think of a better place for this mega-celebration to culminate than right here at Bristol Motor Speedway, the ‘Home to Big Events.’”
Justin Allgaier to race #77 Spire Motorsports car at Bristol Dirt – Spire Motorsports announced this week that Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 77 car on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 17.
This weekend will be Allgaier’s first NASCAR Cup Series start of the 2022 season and his third with Spire Motorsports in the series. Allgaier was last in a Cup car in the October Talladega race last season.
This weekend will be Allgaier’s series track debut at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt.
Josh Williams to make NASCAR Cup Series career debut at BMS Dirt – This weekend for the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt, Live Fast Motorsports has tapped Josh Williams to pilot the No. 78 Ford. It will be Williams NASCAR Cup Series career debut.
Williams, from Port Charlotte, Florida, cut his teeth in the ARCA Menard Series and has competed full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2019. He is currently ranked 35th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings after making five starts and posting an average finish of 27.2
Doubling The Duty On Dirt – Four different NASCAR Cup Series drivers will be attempting to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race this weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track – Chase Elliott, Harrison Burton, Austin Dillon and Joey Logano are all entered in the event.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger continues championship march at the front of the pack
Eight races into the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and everyone is chasing Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, who currently has a 20-point lead on the rest of the field in the championship driver standings following Martinsville Speedway last weekend.
Allmendinger, the 2021 Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion, has been the most consistent driver in the series this season posting eight top-10 finishes in as many races. His average finish this season is a stout 4.5. In addition to his eight top 10s, he has also collected one win (COTA) and five top fives.
Allmendinger will get to enjoy the spoils of being the points leader for an extra week as the series has its first off week of the season this weekend.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to action at Talladega Superspeedway for the Ag-Pro 300 on April 23 at 4 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
In the spring race at Talladega last season, Allmendinger started 11th and finished third in the rain shortened event.
Jeffrey Earnhardt Joins Richard Childress Racing at Talladega
Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, will be driving his grandfather’s No. 3 Chevrolet with Richard Childress Racing next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
A fourth-generation driver, Jeffrey Earnhardt fell into the world of racing at a young age. His NASCAR national series career began in 2009 when he ran in two races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Watkins Glen and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve). Since then, he has competed across all three NASCAR national series posting 76 starts in the Cup Series, 135 starts in the Xfinity Series and 10 starts in the Camping World Truck Series.
He has posted four starts in the 2022 season (three with Sam Hunt Racing and one with Emerling-Gase Motorsports).
“What a dream come true,” said Earnhardt. “The chance to be behind the wheel of the No. 3 car for RCR, that my pawpaw made famous, has long been a dream of mine and now it’s finally happening. I can’t thank Forever Lawn enough for making my dreams come to reality and for being such a big part of my career. I also want to thank Mr. Childress for making this possible. The No. 3 car is cherished by a lot of people, and I know how much it means to him. To give me this opportunity is something I’ll never forget.”
In Dale Earnhardt’s 27 years in the NASCAR Cup Series, he started 676 races posting 76 wins, 281 top fives, 428 top 10s and won the Cup Series championship seven times (a record he holds with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson). In the Xfinity Series, he posted 136 starts, 21 wins, 65 top fives and 75 top 10s.
Brandon Jones brings home his first checkered flag of the season
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones found his way past teammate Ty Gibbs (who led 198 laps) in the final lap of Friday night’s Call 811 Before You Dig 250 Powered By Call811.com at Martinsville Speedway.
The win marked his first at Martinsville Speedway, his first of the season and the fifth in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career. (One win in 2019 and three wins in 2020).
Now, the 25-year-old driver has this weekend to relax and regroup for some superspeedway action at Talladega on Saturday, April 23 where he has a good chance to snag his second win of the season.
Jones has been taking his shot at the iconic 2.66-mile track since 2016 and has come extremely close to making his way to Victory Lane. In the 2018 and 2021 seasons, he finished runner-up and in 2020, he posted a top-five finish.
Allmendinger takes home the money in Martinsville; Dash 4 Cash continues at ‘Dega
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash program was designed to add elements of unpredictability and drama leading up to and during four designated races, increase on-track competition, engage fans and reward / recognize NASCAR Xfinity Series regular competitors.
In the first Dash 4 Cash race this season at Richmond Raceway, Sam Mayer beat AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson and Austin Hill with his third-place finish to take home the $100,000 bonus. It was the first time he had won the Dash 4 Cash in his career.
With the Dash 4 Cash win at Richmond, Mayer was once again eligible for the $100,000 at Martinsville Speedway along with Allmendinger, Riley Herbst and Richmond race winner Ty Gibbs. After a wild race that saw 16 cautions at Martinsville, AJ Allmendinger was the highest finishing eligible driver grabbing the $100,000 with his third-place finish.
Going into Talladega, Allmendinger, Landon Cassill, Brandon Jones and Austin Hill will take their shot at the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash.
Allmendinger has had a few Xfinity Series stints in Talladega and while he hasn’t always had the best of luck, he did post a third-place finish last spring and had a runner-up finish in Daytona earlier this year, proving he can handle all the excitement that comes with superspeedways.
Cassill has competed at Talladega in the Xfinity Series a total of six times, posting two top-10 finishes.
Although Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Hill only has one Xfinity Series Talladega race under his belt, his win in Daytona earlier this year and his numerous top-five finishes (Daytona, Atlanta, COTA and Martinsville) are a good indicator of his versatility.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Camping World Truck Series playing in the dirt at Bristol
This weekend’s Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the first of two races on the special surface this season for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The series will also visit Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on June 18.
In total the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has run nine races on dirt at three different tracks – Eldora Speedway (2013-2019, seven races), Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt (2021, one race) and Knoxville Raceway (2021, one race) producing nine different winners – at Eldora Austin Dillon (2013), Bubba Wallace (2014), Christopher Bell (2015), Kyle Larson (2016), Matt Crafton (2017), Chase Briscoe (2018) and Stewart Friesen (2019); at Bristol Dirt (Martin Truex Jr., 2021); at Knoxville Raceway (Austin Hill, 2021).
Of the nine races run on the dirt in the series, two of the former race winners will try to qualify for this weekend’s race at Bristol – Matt Crafton (Eldora Raceway, 2017), and Stewart Friesen (Eldora Raceway, 2019). Last season’s Bristol Dirt winner, Martin Truex Jr. is not entered this season guaranteeing a new winner at the .5-mile track this weekend.
Four NASCAR Cup Series regulars will be taking a turn on the dirt with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend as well – Chase Elliott (No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet), Harrison Burton (No. 17 Team DGR Ford), Austin Dillon (No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet) and last year’s NASCAR Cup Series Bristol Dirt winner Joey Logano (No. 54 Team DGR Ford).
All the action begins on Friday, April 15 with first practice from 3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. ET followed by final practice from 5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m. ET. Both practices will be televised on FS1. Then Cometic Gaskets Pole Qualifying will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 16 on FS2.
Setting the field and race format for the Camping World Trucks at Bristol
A total of 38 trucks are currently entered for Saturday night’s Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to vie for a spot in the field for the 150-lap feature race.
To set the field, Saturday afternoon will feature four qualifying races, starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. A random draw determines a driver’s qualifying race designation and starting position for the qualifying races, and the draw will be done in the order of current owner points. Qualifying random draw is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Friday, April 15.
Each qualifying race will be 15 laps, with only green flag laps counting and the overtime rule will not be in effect. Free pass and wave around procedures will be in use. For positions 32nd – 36th provisionals will be applied.
Drivers will accumulate points in the qualifying races based on finishing position and passing points. Then, the lineup for the feature race will be based on combined points of qualifying race finishing position points and passing points.
Passing points are defined as the difference between the assigned starting position and the finishing position of the trucks. There will only be positive passing points awarded for moving forward – if a driver finishes in the same or a lower position, they will receive zero points.
Finishing points are awarded as such:
| Finish | Points |
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 9 |
| 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 5 | 6 |
| 6 | 5 |
| 7 | 4 |
| 8 | 3 |
| 9 | 2 |
| 10 | 1 |
The feature race will be 150 laps divided into three stages (40/90/150). The running order will be frozen at the conclusion of each stage. During the stage breaks, teams can change tires, add fuel and make adjustments to their trucks. Trucks cannot add fuel or change tires except at stage breaks.
Husband and wife team to tackle Bristol dirt
For the second year-in-a-row, the Friesens – Stewart and Jessica – a married couple, will attempt to compete against each other in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt. Jessica Friesen, a well-known sprint car and modifieds dirt racer, will be making her 2022 season debut in the Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota alongside the familiar No. 52 of Jessica’s husband Stewart Friesen.
The Friesens have competed against each other before, finishing first and second in a race at Utica-Rome Speedway two days after their wedding in 2014. Then last season, Jessica and Stewart competed in the same NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Knoxville Raceway. Jessica ultimately finished one spot better than her husband Stewart in the event taking home 26th and 27th-place finishes respectively.
It was the first time a husband-wife duo competed in the same NASCAR national series race since Elton Sawyer and Patty Moise last did it at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 1998.
This weekend, the Friesens will look to add another race to the list they have both competed in when they attempt to compete in this Saturday’s Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol. Last season, Jessica attempted to qualify for the Bristol event but did not make the race. Stewart started last season’s race in seventh and finished 12th.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.
Buddy Kofoid to make series career debut – Kyle Busch Motorsports has tapped Penngrove, California native Buddy Kofoid to pilot the No. 51 Toyota this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt. It will be Kofoid’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut.
Kofoid has participated in USAC, POWRi, NASCAR ARCA Menards Series West, and Late model races.
The No. 51 KBM Toyota team won last season’s Bristol Dirt Truck race with driver Martin Truex Jr.
Alan opens up Sunoco Rookie points lead – Lawless Alan took the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year points lead following COTA and this past weekend at Martinsville expanded his points lead to 15 points over second place Corey Heim.
In five starts this season, Alan has posted an average finish of 21.6.
All four rookies this season will be making their NASCAR Camping World Truck Series track debuts at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt this weekend.
