2021 Food City Dirt Race
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| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 29, 2021 | ||
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.858 km (0.533 miles) | ||
| Distance | 253 laps, 134.849 mi (217.018 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 250 laps, 133.25 mi (214.445 km) | ||
| Average speed | 46.313 miles per hour (74.534 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 122 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer | ||
| Nielsen ratings | 3.114 million[9] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Doug Rice and Mark Garrow | ||
| Turn announcers | Rob Albright (Backstretch) | ||
The 2021 Food City Dirt Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 29, 2021, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 250 laps on the 0.533 miles (0.858 km) short track, it was the seventh race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The normal concrete racing surface at Bristol was covered with 2,300 truckloads of red clay, reducing the banking from 28 to 19 degrees, and making for the Cup Series' first race on dirt since 1970.[10]
Background
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.
In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Food City Dirt Race.[11][12] On January 25, 2021, NASCAR announced the stage lengths of all events in all three series. According to the stage lengths, it states the race will consist of 250 laps.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
First practice
Alex Bowman was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 20.155 seconds and a speed of 89.308 mph (143.727 km/h).[13]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.155 | 89.308 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.225 | 88.999 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.248 | 88.898 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Ryan Blaney was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 20.172 seconds and a speed of 89.233 mph (143.607 km/h).[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 20.172 | 89.233 |
| 2 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.194 | 89.135 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 20.228 | 88.986 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying heat races
Qualifying heat races were cancelled due to weather. As a result, NASCAR used the standard competition-based formula used in races where practice and qualifying are not being conducted for pandemic safety reasons. Denny Hamlin will start first as the control car, as Kyle Larson, who had the top score under the competition-based formula from the previous week, was penalised for an engine change in Friday practice over concerns of overheating in second practice.[15]
Starting Lineup
Race
The race was delayed to Monday after rain caused flooding in the area.[16] Logano won the race. There were some visibility problems because of dust and mud.[17] Larson and Bell were the pre-race favorites but crashed out. Truex won the first stage and Suárez led in the second before being passed by Logano.[18] The race was extended following a late caution-period. Hamlin was slow at the final restart and Truex had a flat tire, allowing Stenhouse to come second. Suárez was fourth behind Hamlin and ahead of Newman.[16] During the race it was announced that the race would again be held on dirt during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series.[19]
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 100
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 50
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 253 | 55 |
| 2 | 13 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 42 |
| 3 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 253 | 50 |
| 4 | 18 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 253 | 49 |
| 5 | 14 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 253 | 41 |
| 6 | 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 253 | 40 |
| 7 | 27 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 32 |
| 8 | 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 253 | 35 |
| 9 | 24 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 253 | 31 |
| 10 | 26 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 253 | 28 |
| 11 | 20 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 253 | 26 |
| 12 | 16 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 253 | 25 |
| 13 | 12 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 253 | 24 |
| 14 | 11 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 253 | 24 |
| 15 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 253 | 22 |
| 16 | 28 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 21 |
| 17 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 253 | 20 |
| 18 | 22 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 253 | 19 |
| 19 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 253 | 35 |
| 20 | 25 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 252 | 17 |
| 21 | 9 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 16 |
| 22 | 7 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 15 |
| 23 | 32 | 77 | Stewart Friesen (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 |
| 24 | 21 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 252 | 13 |
| 25 | 33 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 12 |
| 26 | 39 | 96 | Ty Dillon (i) | Gaunt Bros Racing | Toyota | 252 | 0 |
| 27 | 19 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 251 | 18 |
| 28 | 34 | 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 |
| 29 | 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 248 | 8 |
| 30 | 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 247 | 7 |
| 31 | 38 | 66 | Mike Marlar | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 244 | 6 |
| 32 | 31 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 242 | 0 |
| 33 | 36 | 15 | Chris Windom | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 62 | 4 |
| 34 | 15 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54 | 3 |
| 35 | 17 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 52 | 2 |
| 36 | 23 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 39 | 1 |
| 37 | 35 | 78 | Shane Golobic | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 39 | 1 |
| 38 | 30 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39 | 1 |
| 39 | 29 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 39 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 5 among 5 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 10 for 37
- Red flags: 1 for 6 minutes and 30 seconds
- Time of race: 2 hours, 43 minutes and 53 seconds
- Average speed: 46.313 miles per hour (74.534 km/h)
