This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series will return to Bristol Motor Speedway for their first visit of the year.  However, things are very different this time.  Instead of running on the concrete, they'll race on dirt.  Coverage of the Food City Dirt Race will start at 2 p.m. Sunday with NASCAR RaceDay on FOX.  Race coverage starts at 3:30 with the green flag scheduled to drop around 3:45.  In addition, the event can also be heard on your local PRN affiliate or SiriusXM Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 250 laps (125 miles) en route to the checkered flag.  Be warned.  The weather forecast is not good for Sunday (or Saturday, for that matter).  Be prepared for schedule changes.

Records and facts

Naturally, there are no previous Cup dirt races at Bristol.  Last year's Spring race at Bristol, the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500, was run just three days after a lightning-delayed race in Charlotte.

This ended up being a caution-strewn event (17 of them, covering 102 of the 500 laps).  The race appeared to come down to a duel between Joey Logano and Chase Elliott.  Then, they more or less took each other out with three laps to go.

With Logano and Elliott hitting the wall, that allowed Brad Keselowski to slip past and take the victory.  Clint Bowyer was second, then Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones.

Among active drivers, Kyle Busch is the winningest driver at Bristol with eight career wins, including last year's spring race.  Kyle's older brother Kurt has six wins, while Matt Kenseth has four wins. Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick have two each.

All-time, Darrell Waltrip has the most Bristol wins with 12, including a stretch of seven in a row in the early 1980s.  He won 11 races on asphalt and the 1992 Bud 500, which was the first Cup race run on concrete at Bristol.  Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace and Cale Yarborough have nine wins apiece.  Kyle Busch's eight wins puts him fifth all-time.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: .500 mile-oval, 250 laps (125 miles)
Banking: ~19 degrees

Straightaways: 650 feet, banked 4-9 degrees

Grandstand Seating: 153,000
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Pace Car Speed: 35 mph
Opened: 1961

Website: http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bristolmotorspeedway

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMSUpdates

Race Weekend Schedule:

Practice No. 1: Friday, March 26, 4:05 - 4:55 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Happy Hour: Friday, March 26, 6:35 - 7:25 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Heat No. 1: Saturday, March 27, 6 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Heat No. 2: Saturday, March 27, 6:15 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Heat No. 3: Saturday, March 27, 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Heat No. 4: Saturday, March 27, 6:45 p.m. on FOX Sports 1

Note: Heat races will run one after another.  Start times could be dependent on accidents that could occur during the heats.

Say What?

"Well, I think the dirt itself is interesting. The type of dirt they choose to lay down on Bristol is not a dirt that you see in the Midwest; it’s a sandy-dirt. When you really get into the dirt track racing world, you start talking about the type of dirt that you’re racing on and certain dirt puts on better races, and certain dirt goes through different transitions than the other. The good thing is that the dirt, I feel like, came from a track that I kind of grew up racing around and I kind of know the transitions and what it takes, I think, to create speed throughout the transitions that it’s going to go through. So, if anything, maybe that helps me. But it’s not a dirt that I believe you’re going to see a cushion built; it doesn’t do that. This stuff kind of creates a fluff and it gets up there; you can gain grip because it might be wet up there for a while, but it’s not something that you can use as a curb to catch you, which is different. And I’m glad that it came from around here because I feel like I’ve [run] on it a lot and know when it has grip and when it doesn’t." - Austin Dillon

"Anticipation and the unknown. Even me being a dirt racer, I really don’t know what to expect. These (NASCAR Cup Series) cars are way different than what I’m used to racing on dirt. They are way heavier with a lot less power than I’m used to. I think the only thing that transfers from my previous dirt experience to this weekend is how to read the surface and how it changes and evolves throughout the weekend and the race. I may be able to adapt to that quicker than a pavement racer." - Kyle Larson

"It’s definitely going to be a lot more back-and-forth on the wheel. We saw that last night on the iRacing deal. Dirt racing with these stock cars, you have to really hustle them around the race track. Eldora was a very similar way, you’re far left to far right and eight times back-and-forth throughout the corner. It’s just a matter of who’s going to be able to repeat that the most and do the best job of being consistent throughout the course of the race. I think that’s going to be the hardest part. Physically, the G-forces are going to be down significantly from what they are normally at Bristol. I think the physical demand on us will probably be similar to a normal race I guess. The G-forces are the ones that typically make it hard for us." - Christopher Bell

"There’s obviously been a lot that’s gone into making this weekend happen on the Dirt, something that is unique for us in the Cup cars but a race that I look forward to. Going back to my younger days, racing on dirt is something I’ve always enjoyed and this weekend will no doubt be historical in many aspects. I’m thankful to have an opportunity to run the Truck race Saturday night, and want to thank both Coca-Cola and Aggressive Hydraulics for coming on board. Sunday will be a lot about patience for a lot of guys in our field that have never run on dirt, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get dirty in our Oscar Mayer Ford this weekend." - Ryan Newman