nascar-bristol-spring-race-may-be-dirt-track-fans-have-questions

NASCAR: Bristol Spring Race May Be on a Dirt Track, Fans Have Questions

Dirt racing could replace the NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway this spring.

It’s been done before, WJHL reported. In 2000 and 2001, track officials brought in about 14,000 truckloads of clay and changed the race track into a dirt racing facility.

NASCAR, others in talks

The talks are still in the early stages, according to Sports Business Journal. The teams would have to create a special package for cars to manage the race. But the Journal’s sources said if NASCAR insists on the event, the teams would likely agree to it.

As news of the potential change broke, reactions poured in across Twitter. And some NASCAR fans were not having it.

Fans react

“This would be a horrible idea,” The Athletic Motorsports writer Jeff Gluck tweeted. “Trading the best short track race for heavy stock cars on dirt? Hope everyone comes to their senses before going down this road. It would be the biggest clown show, circus act joke that is not fitting of the world’s premier pavement series.”

Others agreed. “This is a horrific idea,” chimed in NASCAR podcast @PETMpodcast. “Lots of fantastic ones in 2020, but this is not one of them.”

Some tweeps suggested moving the dirt racing to a real dirt track. “Dirt racing on top of asphalt or in this case concrete is always a sh*tty surface,” Mike Baker tweeted. “Cup cars would crawl around Bristol on dirt. It won’t be like watching sprints or even lates it’s just a bad bad idea. Would rather it be at a real dirt track. Knoxville anyone?”

Twitter user @nascar_opinion suggested NASCAR is letting fans down. “How about we take away one of the best dates on the schedule & run a catastrophe of a dirt race at a non-dirt track covered in dirt?” he quipped.

Still, some racing fans were game for the idea. “As a local dirt racing family,” Karen Guinn tweeted, “back when they did cover Bristol for a one time ‘dirt race’ it was awesome!”

Racing fan @_TheRealDooley_ argued for late models and sprints on the dirt track. “If Bristol goes dirt cup cars shouldn’t be the ones racing on it,” he said.