Kyle Larson will have to drop to the back for his heat race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, as well as the Food City Dirt race, the first NASCAR Cup Series race on dirt since 1970, on Sunday. The penalties result from an engine change on his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on Friday.
Larson was slated to start second of 10 drivers in the second of four 15-lap heat races that will set the starting grid for Sunday’s main event. Thirty-nine drivers entered the Food City Dirt Race, so all who contest one of Saturday’s heat race will have a starting position for the Sunday main.
Larson was fifth in the first of two practice sessions Friday. He was 15th in final practice.
Larson, a driver with a successful dirt-racing background, already has a Cup Series win in the first six races of the 2021 season, as he got to victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The first Cup Series heat race Saturday is scheduled for an approximate 6 p.m. ET green flag, after heat races for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The Food City Dirt Race is slated for an approximate 3:30 p.m. start Sunday. Larson plans to run double-duty on the Bristol dirt, as he also is entered in Saturday night’s Truck Series race.
