In photos: NASCAR's first dirt race in 50 years was a mud-splashed spectacle | Hagerty Media

[Hagerty]

Last Monday, 39 NASCAR stock cars stormed under a fluttering green flag at a clay-covered Bristol Motor Speedway, marking NASCAR's first Cup Series race on anything other than pavement since September 1970. Despite the 50-year hiatus, the Bristol race was the Cup Series' 490th contest on dirt.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/2021-nascar-bristol-mud-dirt-photo-gallery/

[Flashman]

NASCAR's desperation is showing.

[TG]

NASCAR is suffering the same fate that football is beginning to suffer where things are becoming way too safe and homogenized to be truly entertaining. Soon all that will be left for entertainment is singing, dancing, and people dating 20 people at once

[bradfa]

I want to see a dirt race at Watkins Glen! Or anywhere that has turns in both directions. It'd be like a rally cross in big heavy stock cars and it'd likely be a blast to watch.
I'm not a NASCAR fan but the dirt racing is exciting to me. I like that NASCAR is embracing a variety of different types of tracks. I wish there weren't as many forced cautions and although the stage racing aspect is interesting I feel like it detracts from the show. I also wish they'd race more often in the rain, it's hard for me to believe the argument that it's a safety thing given how big some of the wrecks are even in the dry as they'd be going slower in the wet.

[Tinkerah]

I crewed for a Porsche team years ago, that club raced rain or shine. It added another level of skill requirements for everyone: the drivers of course, and the teams gauging the skies and deciding if and when to switch tires and what pressures to use. I'll never forget the sight of the mist displaying the aerodynamics of cars whooshing by at 120+ MPH.

[Hagerty Fan]

Dirt at Daytona anyone?

[Mr_Fix_it]

or sand? Just like the original race...

[Kafantaris]

Forget Petty. Ain’t nothing like dirt.

[TomBrattin]

I remember going to the local quarter mile dirt track outside of San Diego with my grandfather to watch the street stock claimant races. There was a local wrecking yard that sponsored a Corvair called the Silver Fox. Grandpa loved to watch that driver weave in and out of traffic, until he was inevitably taken out by some massive old station wagon. Those were good times.

[chrlsful]

here's hopin it WAS like the 'real dirt' not some weird toping. The clay layer might just have made it so.

[TimK]

I can't agree with Petty on this. Is he saying legends like A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Tony Stewart, etc. are not professionals? They got started dirt track racing and loved it throughout their driving careers? Is USAC Sprint and Silver Crown series amateur? What about Outlaw Sprints? No, these are professionals and professional racing. I might add they are more exciting to watch than what NASCAR has promoted since Bill France turned the reigns over to his kid.

[TG]

Those cars are way too fast to be racing on dirt... that had to be a challenge for the crews. It is interesting seeing treaded tires under Cup cars

[GRP_Photo]

"Tennessee red clay." Ugh! Walk across a field of that, and each boot weighs five pounds.

[drhino]

NASCAR is spec-car racing. (And the WWE of Motorsport.) Indycar is also spec racing. The NHRA has gone down that path. All the big American based forms of Motorsport are basically irrelevant anymore. (Flat track motorcycle racing is still cool.)

I understand some not liking the overall complexity and sometimes processional nature of F1– but at least you have true constructors (not withstanding the “pink/green Mercedes”).

I’ve said it before. True great racing with actual constructors— MotoGP! Do yourself a favor and give it a try. Next race, Sunday (4/4) on NBCSN. I think they are running it Sunday night. I subscribe to the MotoGP Video Pass, so I don’t have to settle for just the races, nor the fickle network schedule.

[CelicaGT-four]

Or WRC, takes some serious skill and cars are still constructed by manufacturers

[ChevyDave]

Have to disagree about F1. Maybe it’s not a pure spec series, but so many aspects of the cars’ design are controlled now that it’s definitely more spec than not.
I’d personally love to see F1 give designers a defined volume and max fuel flow rate (hybrids are a dead-end and Formula E can promote BEV technology) and see what they come up with.
F1 also needs to open-up the tire-supplying role to a second and even third player if interest exists.

[dszostekd]

picked the worst track to run the cup cars on dirt for the first time. down in a hole where the noise and the dust could not get away. try it on a track that is more open and it would be better for fans and drivers.

[miknet]

Racing the "cup Cars" on dirt dose take NASCAR backwards 50 years. At a time when engines are fuel injected, Possible composite bodies, & single nut hubs, the cars are why to advanced to run on dirt.   Eldora has always been a successful venue for NASCAR, & that's where the dirt should stay.

[Mr_Fix_it]

Grass roots racing!

[CelicaGT-four]

Petty: dirt racing isn’t for professionals.
Meanwhile in the rest of the world we have WRC, Dakar, pikes peak (I know it’s mostly paved now) And, much more dirt racing I would consider “professional” sounds like Mr. Petty is being petty.

[Hagerty Fan]

I fondly remember a 1/2 mile dirt flat track in San Diego's South Bay area simply known as 117. Racing every weekend down there. Motorcycles, sprint cars and modified. It was great fun. Sprints on fri mods on sat, flat track bikes in between. It was great fun during my high school years. Was heart broken when I learned it was closing so the Feds could build a prison on it. What a waste of good entertainment for $4.50.