Pinty's Dirt Truck Race
The Pinty's Dirt Truck Race, also known as the Pinty's Dirt Race at Bristol and the Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt, is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The inaugural race took place in 2021 in support of the NASCAR Cup Series' Food City Dirt Race.
| NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee |
| Corporate sponsor | Pinty's |
| First race | 2021 |
| Distance | 79.95 miles (128.67 km) |
| Laps | 150[1] Stage 1: 40 Stage 2: 50 Final stage: 60 |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Toyota (2) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Length | .533 mi (0.858 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
As of 2021[update], the event is one of two dirt track races on the Truck Series calendar alongside the Corn Belt Weekend at Knoxville Raceway.[2]
History
In 2013, the Truck Series raced at Eldora Speedway in NASCAR's first dirt track race since 1970.[3] Known as the Eldora Dirt Derby, the event ran from 2013 to 2019; it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was then removed from the 2021 schedule.[4]
Bristol Motor Speedway, a half-mile concrete short track, had its surface covered by clay when it hosted the World of Outlaws dirt late model and sprint car tours in 2000 and 2001. Although successful with over 85,000 in average attendance, the race was canceled after its second year due to logistical difficulties: 14,000 truckloads of materials were needed to convert the track to dirt regulations,[5] which resulted in damage to the streets outside, with 8,000 cubic feet of red clay being hauled in from a nearby farm for the surface.[6][7] The track also had to be widened from 12 to 14 feet and the banking was reduced from 36 to 23 degrees.[6]
On September 30, 2020, NASCAR revealed the 2021 Cup Series schedule, which featured a spring dirt race at Bristol that replaced the existing event on Bristol's normal concrete surface.[8] The Truck Series followed suit in its schedule release on November 19, with the Pinty's Dirt Truck Race being one of two dirt events on the series calendar alongside a July round at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.[9] The event would run alongside the Cup Series dirt race; World of Outlaws events would also take place on the temporary dirt surface, which began to be laid down in early January 2021.[10]
The 2021 race was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 27 with four heat races to determine the starting grid, but rain forced it to be pushed to Sunday. Rain had been in the forecast entering the weekend, prompting NASCAR to delay the heats on Saturday to deploy "packers"—vehicles like Ford Crown Victorias to pack the dirt together—and late models to test the surface's viability before starting the first heat; it only completed one lap before being halted due to mud accumulating on the trucks' windshields and grilles.[11] Further rain and flash flooding on Sunday resulted in a second postponement to Monday.[12]
Past winners
| Year | Date | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||||
| 2021 | March 29* | 51 | Martin Truex Jr. | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 150 | 79.95 (128.67) | 1:49:30 | 41.096 | [13] |
| 2022 | April 16 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 150 | 79.95 (128.67) | 1:37:55 | 45.957 | [14] |
- 2021: Race postponed from Saturday to Monday due to rain.[12]
Manufacturer wins
| # Wins | Make | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Toyota | 2021, 2022 |
References
- ^ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". NASCAR. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Pryson, Mike (November 20, 2020). "NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Schedule for 2021 Includes 2 Dirt Short Tracks". Autoweek. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ Billing, Greg (November 28, 2012). "Eldora to host first NASCAR dirt race since 1970". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Orner, Ben (November 18, 2020). "Ohio's famed Eldora Speedway loses NASCAR race, gains event in owner's new series". WCMH-TV. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^ Weaver, Matt (October 2, 2020). "The Reason NASCAR is Going Dirt Racing, Why Bristol, and Why Now". Autoweek. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Weaver, Matt (January 17, 2015). "Could Dirt Racing Return to Bristol? How About Two Night Races?". Popular Speed. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Sheek, Rick (April 28, 2000). "Dirt tracks not too rich for Jackson". Johnson City Press. Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (September 30, 2020). "NASCAR Cup Series to go dirt trackin' at Bristol in 2021". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (November 19, 2020). "NASCAR announces 2021 Truck Series schedule with two dirt races". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Gregory, Allen (January 7, 2021). "NASCAR: Transformation begins: Dirt materials arrive as tickets sell out for Food City Dirt Race at BMS". Bristol Herald Courier. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Smith, Fred (March 27, 2021). "NASCAR Ran One Total Lap on Dirt Before Giving Up and Trying Again". Road & Track. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Andrejev, Alex (March 28, 2021). "NASCAR dirt race at Bristol postponed due to rainy weather, flash flooding". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Pinty's Dirt Truck Race". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
External links
- Bristol Motor Speedway race results at Racing-Reference