NASCAR’s Bristol dirt race: 2022 race format and how the qualifying heats will work

NASCAR is getting dirty again!

NASCAR is getting dirty again because for the second time ever, the Cup Series will take on Bristol Motor Speedway’s temporary dirt track. But this time, it’s at night.

At the .533-mile Tennessee short track, the Food City Dirt Race is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, and while the concept of this race is still novel, the format for the weekend, particularly qualifying, is very different from most other races.

Simply put, there will be two 50-minute practice sessions for drivers and teams to get a feel for how the Next Gen car will handle the dirt track, and then there will be four qualifying races to set the starting lineup for the main event.

But there’s a lot more to it than that, so let’s break it down.

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