Mother nature saves NASCAR from major embarrassment

Mother Nature has stepped in on Sunday to save NASCAR from major track surface, tire wear and dust embarrassment on the Bristol Dirt track.

With heavy rain in the area, significant track preparations required, Sullivan County flood warnings and safety concerns, NASCAR officials made the call to postpone the inaugural Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway just before noon ET on Sunday, pushing the race a day back to Monday, March 29.

The 250-lap feature, initially slated for a 3:30 p.m. ET start on Sunday afternoon will now move to Monday at 4 p.m. ET on FOX.

This follows the cancellation of the majority of Saturday night’s activities in which both the Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series fields were to set their lineups via qualifying races, followed by the Truck Series feature race. The Truck Series race, in which several Cup stars are entered, was initially rescheduled to 9 p.m. ET on Sunday night. It will now be run Monday at noon ET on FS1.

Whose brilliant idea was this anyway? The race will either be a dust bowl or a mud bowl.

Updated Monday Schedule:

10 a.m. – Parking Lots Open
11 a.m. – Spectator Gates Open
Noon – Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series)
4 p.m. – Food City Dirt Race (NASCAR Cup Series)

All tickets for the Food City Dirt Race will be honored at the gate at 4 p.m. Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt ticket holders are able to use their existing tickets for their reserved seat for the Truck race and will be allowed to stay for the Cup race pending potential relocation for social distancing. Tickets will not be sold at the gate on Monday. The Speedway Motorsports weather guarantee is in effect for ticket holders who cannot attend either race. Details here.

The Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR radio. The Food City Dirt Race will be broadcast on FOX, PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR radio.