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The dirt track is back for NASCAR. The Cup Series and Truck Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend and the senior circuit will be running the 2023 Food City Dirt Race. It’s a rarity NASCAR hits the dirt track and it offers a unique opportunity for the drivers.
This is the third year the spring Bristol race has run on dirt. It switched over in 2021 and then a year later moved from during the day to under the lights at night. Joey Logano won the 2021 race and Kyle Busch won last year’s race. Both are back this year with solid odds to win the race at DraftKings Sportsbook. Logano is +1000 and Busch is +1200.
Kyle Larson is the favorite due in part to his dirt racing background. It also helps that he won last week and is off to a solid start this season. He is +550 to win Sunday’s race, and is followed by Tyler Reddick (+600), Christopher Bell (+650), and then Logano, William Byron, and Chase Briscoe (all +1000).
The race festivities get started Friday night with practice and then a busy day of qualifying on Saturday. This race uses a heat system to determine the starting lineup. There are four qualifying races with the field randomly assigned to each heat. Drivers accumulate points based on how they finish and how many cars they pass from their original starting position. The points are totaled and that determines the starting lineup.
Here is a look at the entry list for Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
2023 Food City Dirt Race starting lineup
Pos. | Driver | Car # |
---|---|---|
Pos. | Driver | Car # |
1 | Kyle Larson | 5 |
2 | Austin Dillon | 3 |
3 | J.J. Yeley | 15 |
4 | Christopher Bell | 20 |
5 | Kyle Busch | 8 |
6 | Tyler Reddick | 45 |
7 | Austin Cindric | 2 |
8 | Ryan Preece | 41 |
9 | Ryan Blaney | 12 |
10 | William Byron | 24 |
11 | Bubba Wallace | 23 |
12 | Joey Logano | 22 |
13 | Michael McDowell | 34 |
14 | Chase Briscoe | 14 |
15 | Todd Gilliland | 38 |
16 | Ross Chastain | 1 |
17 | Alex Bowman | 48 |
18 | Erik Jones | 43 |
19 | Aric Almirola | 10 |
20 | Harrison Burton | 21 |
21 | Jonathan Davenport | 13 |
22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 47 |
23 | Ty Gibbs | 54 |
24 | Matt Crafton | 51 |
25 | Justin Haley | 31 |
26 | Kevin Harvick | 4 |
27 | Martin Truex Jr | 19 |
28 | Chris Buescher | 17 |
29 | A.J. Allmendinger | 16 |
30 | Denny Hamlin | 11 |
31 | Josh Berry | 9 |
32 | Ty Dillon | 77 |
33 | Brad Keselowski | 6 |
34 | Daniel Suarez | 99 |
35 | Corey Lajoie | 7 |
36 | Noah Gragson | 42 |
37 | B.J. McLeod | 78 |