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When Kyle Busch won races in all three of NASCAR's main national touring divisions at the same track on the same weekend in 2010, it was one of the more memorable examples.
Busch, the only driver to ever complete the weekend triple, replicated the feat in 2017 at Bristol.
Busch leads all current drivers with eight victories at Bristol Motor Speedway on the concrete track. He was the first racer to triumph in NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, which was initially used in Cup racing on March 25, 2007, at Bristol. He is also the reigning champion of the Food City Dirt Race, which will take place on Sunday (April 9) night.
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In NASCAR's 75-year history, the event will be the third on dirt, although many people are unaware that the foundation for the current races was set in 2001 and 2002, the first two times the paved track at Bristol was covered with dirt for special occasions.
Sprint cars competed on a dirt track over those two years, and open-wheel seasoned Sammy Swindell won both of the events from the starting line.
Here are 3 NASCAR drivers who could surprise at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2023:
All season long, Martin Truex has been in trouble. Due to a late-race caution and a bad tire strategy, a chance at victory on Sunday in Richmond ended up in 11th position.
- Points position: 9th
- Best seasonal finish: 7th (Las Vegas 1)
- Past at Bristol: Led 126 laps in 2021 but finished 19th
Last year, Tyler Reddick had every opportunity to win the Bristol dirt race until Chase Briscoe's botched attempt to overtake him caused him to crash on the final lap. Reddick took first place in the track's first qualifying race last year.
- Points position: 13th
- Best seasonal finish: 1st (COTA)
- Past at Bristol: 7th and 2nd in two races
On the dirt at Bristol, Ryan Blaney hasn't taken the lead once but has still managed to place eighth and fifth. Could a special surface put a stop to his extended winless streak?
- Points position: 11th
- Best seasonal finish: 2nd (Phoenix 1)
- Past at Bristol: 8th and 5th in two races
Bristol also holds the record for the biggest karaoke and crowd wave in the world, according to Guinness.
How does the Bristol dirt racing format work?
On Friday (April 7), a random lottery will allocate each of the drivers in the field to one of the four heat races and their starting position in that event.
Heat races for the Clash at the Coliseum function a bit differently. The four winners of the Clash heat races were guaranteed to start the race from the front two rows. That will not always be the case in Bristol.
There will be three stages, with the first concluding on lap 75, the second ending on lap 150, and the third stage ending on lap 250. There will be no live pit stops, which is a break from practically every other race weekend.
