NASCAR To Move Bristol Sprint Cup, Nationwide Races

Bristol Motor Speedway President and General Manager Jeff Byrd got what he wished, hoped for and wanted. So did track owner Bruton Smith. Byrd and Smith – the heart and brains of BMS – have spent months working behind the scenes with NASCAR to move the dates of spring races here farther back on the calendar. The work has paid dividends. The Bristol Herald Courier has learned that NASCAR will officially move the Sprint Cup and Nationwide spring races back to the weekend of March 20-22.

“It’s the first weekend of spring," Byrd said.

The primary reason Byrd and Smith have worked to push back the dates is their inability to control one of mankind’s longtime foes – the weather. Persistent rain and cold temperatures plagued qualifying for and the running of this year’s Food City 500 and Sharpie Mini 300, which were held March 14-16.