It Took 2,300 Truck Loads of Dirt to Transform Bristol Motor Speedway for NASCAR’s Most Hyped Short-Oval Race

Timothy

This Sunday, for the first time in over half a century, the NASCAR Cup Series will return to its loose-surface roots by racing on dirt once again. Not by visiting one of the hundreds of dirt short ovals dotting the nation, but by turning Bristol Motor Speedway in northeast Tennessee into one. And contrary to what some may expect, the process was anything but a breeze.

2021 actually marks the third year Bristol has been run as a dirt oval, with the track laying down clay in 2000 and 2001 for NASCAR-adjacent World of Outlaws. Though the conversion reportedly drew in fans, trucking in all the necessary dirt reportedly wore heavily on local roads, and when all was said and done, track operators had to clean the surface up again. This time around, the process involves just as much heavy lifting, but technological advances and a bit of clever thinking let track owners do the job smarter, rather than harder.

The three-month conversion process began Jan. 7, reports ESPN, with a scattering of sawdust—an insulating layer that’ll simplify cleanup. According to Autoweek, this layer extended down onto Bristol’s infield apron to widen the racing surface from 40 feet to 50, consequently reducing the banking from 24-28 degrees to 19. This will reduce vertical and increase lateral cornering loads, which NASCAR hopes will make racing more competitive.

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