The NASCAR Cup Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for that matter, have raced on dirt at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway dirt three times now as of the race weekend that culminated in the running of the Food City Dirt Race by the Cup Series on April 9. Should the dirt racing continue?
I like the idea of one dirt race per season for each of the two aforementioned series, but I’ll focus, primarily, on the Cup Series. These drivers are supposed to be the best racers in the world, especially in the realm of stock-car racing. So I’m all for them being tested on all sorts of race tracks, and that includes dirt.
But should that dirt race be on dirt? That’s something I’m a little more iffy on. For one, I miss two yearly races on the traditional concrete surface. Bristol has always been one of my favorite tracks — old Bristol, new Bristol, whatever. What can you say? I’m a short-track girl. And I’m talking concrete Bristol, here.
Besides, there are so many permanent dirt tracks out there. Why not give one of them a chance? I realize some of them don’t have the infrastructure to handle Cup Series attendance, etc. Okay, most of them probably don’t. But I’m guessing there are a few out there that either could or could with a little bit of elbow grease. And I’m thinking a few would be willing to put forth the effort to attract NASCAR’s top series.
Eldora Speedway in Ohio and Knoxville Raceway in Iowa come to mind. That may be because they both have hosted the Truck Series at some point, Eldora several times. I’m not sure about Knoxville’s willingness, but Eldora owner Tony Stewart openly expressed interest, at least at one point. Maybe he’s still interested. Has he been asked. I’m guessing not.
I get that Bristol is a part of SMI, which has a longtime relationship with NASCAR. But I’m not advocating for Bristol to lose race, just run both on the concrete.
Yes, I know a dirt-race remove would necessitate a current track losing a race. But aren’t NASCAR’s deals with at least some of these tracks one-year deals now? That’s my understanding. Who should lose a race in favor of a date on a permanent dirt track? I don’t know. I guess recent attendance figures should determine that. I’d go with a track that currently has two dates, but not a traditional facility like Daytona, Talladega, Martinsville, Bristol or Darlington.
Besides, is Bristol going to be giving up one of its dates when and if NASCAR returns to the Nashville Fairgrounds? That’s another topic for another day, I guess.
Follow Auto Racing Daily on Twitter @autoracingdaily or like Auto Racing Daily on Facebook (facebook.com/autoracingdailyonline).
