The NASCAR season is barely a week away, and preparations are in full swing. Chief among them is the work at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Last year, the Cup Series drivers tackled Bristol on the dirt for the very first time and it seems that the move was a big hit. Now, the organizers are back at it once again, transforming the speedway into a dirt racing arena.

The first step of the process is to place sawdust and dirt around the half-mile oval. Apparently, the work began earlier this month in anticipation of this year’s race. After the protective sawdust barrier is laid out, the team can focus on adding the first few layers of dirt. Then, the work continues for a few more weeks before the track gets the green light.

It is worth mentioning that this will be the second consecutive dirt race at Bristol. Last year, Penske driver Joey Logano had the honor of being the first one to win in the dirt arena. As a result, the #22 driver will be one of the favorites to win, along with drivers like defending champion Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is well-known for his dirt racing prowess, so no one can ever discount him.

Who else can perform well at the Bristol Motor Speedway?

Apart from those two, there are contenders like Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Daniel Suarez. In addition to that, drivers like Austin Dillon, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Alex Bowman have dirt experience. According to reports, the track configuration will be the same as it was last year. This includes 19° corner banking in the turns and 50-foot wide racing surfaces.

However, the big difference is that the 2022 edition of the race will be held on a different day and time. To be precise, there are plans to shift the event a little further down the calendar and host the race at night. Of course, the big worry is the weather; the 2021 race got pushed back to Monday due to a washout.

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