The NASCAR Cup Series will race on dirt for the first time since 1970 when it makes its first of two yearly trips to Bristol Motor Speedway for a race on March 28. In addition to a different racing surface, qualifying for the race also will be different.
The starting grid for the 250-lap main event will be determined through the running of four 15-lap heat races the preceding Saturday. Only green-flag laps will count in those heat races. Starting grids for the heat races will be set by random draw.
Drivers will earn points in the heat races to determine their starting positions for Sunday’s main. The top-10 drivers in each heat will earn finishing points, with the winners receiving 10 points and 10th-place drivers single points. Drivers also will earn passing points, if they finish their respective heat race in a higher position than they started. The number of passing points earned will be determined by subtracting the finishing position from the starting position. Drivers finishing in the same or worse position that they started their respective heat race will not garner passing points.
“Well, I think it’s special rules for obviously quite a different event than we’ve ever done in the Cup Series, but we really wanted to just kind of take a page out of the dirt-track racing playbook,” NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller said. “They do and use these type of procedures to set the field for their main events, so we thought it would be something different for us and interesting to implement for this one.”
The 250 main on Sunday will be divided into two 75-lap stages and a 100-lap third stage. Pit stops between stages will be non-competitive, meaning positions will not be won or lost by the order pit stops are completed. The race field will be frozen at the time of caution. Teams that pit, provided they complete their pit stops within a yet-to-be determined allotted amount of time, will exit pit road in the same order they entered and restart behind any teams that opt to stay out during the caution.
Qualifying for the dirt race at Bristol is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET Saturday. The main is scheduled for an approximate 3:30 p.m. start on Sunday and will air live on FOX.
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