There aren’t many ways t0 compare the World of Outlaws trip to Bristol Motor Speedway with other annual races on the series’ typical schedule.
The track is as fast as it gets. The stadium holds twice as many people as any the tour visits. Oh, and it’s the only place that holds a practice night paired with a press conference following the on-track action.
It draws similar uniqueness to the NHL’s Winter Classic. It’s completely different from the regular event the league – or in this case, series – puts on.
“It’s very different,” Jason Johnson Racing’s Carson Macedo said following the opening day of practice. “I feel like the banking and the way it sucks you in to the corner in our race cars is definitely greater than we feel at any race track across the country.”
There are tracks where cars may compare speed-wise to the 142 mile-per-hour average that the top cars can run in the colosseum, but the banking isn’t the same. The stadium size isn’t there.
The allure to the race is far off.
Nothing compares to Bristol Motor Speedway.
“It’s one of a kind,” Big Game Motorsports’ David Gravel said. “You kind of just turn the corner on the hill and there’s this massive colosseum – it’s everything I think we thought of when we played the World of Outlaws sprint car (video) game in 2002. It was different and it was fast. You always watched the videos on YouTube and just thought that it’s extremely unique.”
Some drivers will admit that this type of thing isn’t their style. Some fans will join with them in that opinion – and that’s okay.
However, the biggest thing the World of Outlaws have in something that’s going for them that neutralizes any worries of car count, profitability and intrigue is Bristol.
There were less entries at practice night for Bristol than there has been at any race this season – and it doesn’t, at all, take away from the status level of the second Bristol Bash.
“I mean, it’s incredible,” Macedo said. “Racing anywhere that’s such a nice facility like this and the colosseum and the whole atmosphere – how everyone looks down at us – it’s really cool. Even for us, inside the pit area in the infield to be able to look up and see the big screen almost levitating off the ground the way it is… it’s an amazing facility.”
NASCAR has already announced that Bristol will cover its racing surface in dirt again in 2023. It’s alright to assume that there is a good chance the World of Outlaws will be back.
The goal is to be a normal cog in the wheel that delivers talented racers in different environments throughout its racing season.
“I can only imagine what it’s like here with a NASCAR race at the night race,” Gravel said. “It must be a really, really cool atmosphere. Hopefully one day, we can do something like that where we can pack the stands. I felt like last year, we had a lot of momentum, but the COVID restrictions really hurt the attendance and limited us. We’ll see what we get here this weekend, but it’s really fast and it’s definitely an honor to be here.”
It’s only year two, and we haven’t even encompassed a full night of the weekend doubleheader…
But this weekend marks a chance for the World of Outlaws to take another step forward into the spotlight. It’s a step forward that the series and its drivers deserve, and if it can aid in those efforts, the Bristol Bash is something that should be embraced.
“The facility is amazing,” Macedo said. “I hope that they can pack the grandstands. “We can continue to grow and put on events like this. I think this is a huge step for the World of Outlaws – racing at venues like this. I just hope it continues to go this way and continues to get bigger and better.”
ARD will be delivering live coverage throughout the weekend for fans to take in around the country. Friday’s action kicks off with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT with television coverage being delivered, as always, by DirtVision.
