The Wide World of Dirt

Visiting Virginia proved fruitful for Hendrick Motorsports last weekend as 2021 champion Kyle Larson took home his first victory of the season in Richmond.

After ducking a massive penalty via a favorable appeal early last week, HMS drivers Larson and William Byron took center stage, trading the lead for much of the race with Byron leading the way for a race-high 117 laps.

Other players at the front included Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Ross Chastain, but the embattled Denny Hamlin clearly showed he had the fastest car.

An early pit road speeding penalty put Hamlin behind the 8-ball for much of the day. Thanks to some risky strategy calls, the #11 Shingrix Camry marched back to the front of the field by the end of Stage 2.

Hamlin’s homecoming was cut short again by his own lack of poise. The native Virginian sped on pit road a second time in Stage 3, putting him at the back of the line where he ran over former teammate JJ Yeley on the following restart.

A late spin from Hamlin’s driver Tyler Reddick setup a late sprint to the finish on fresh tires with a mixture of the usual suspects and some strategy stragglers like Michael McDowell and Josh Berry.

Byron’s day ended off the fender of Bell on a zany restart, ending his chances. Only one more restart was necessary for the race to get to the finish with Larson pulling away and into victory lane.

With the wind in his sails, Larson leads the NASCAR Cup Series into Easter weekend for the spring race at Bristol on the dirt.

I’m not going to hold y’all. I hate this race. I think it’s stupid and bad! So, here’s my Friday 5 for Bristol Dirt.

1. Kyle Larson

Like I said, Larson has the wind behind his sails from his win last weekend in Richmond.

With how Hendrick Motorsports has run this season as a whole, their drivers should be strong at this track, specifically Larson and Alex Bowman.

Larson’s first crack at Bristol Dirt ended in disaster as Christopher Bell overstepped the berm and taking Larson and Ross Chastain to the garage with him, but the 30-year-old from Elk Grove, California won a stage last year and finished in the top-5.

Larson’s decorated dirt background should make him the favorite at any dirt track, whether it be NASCAR, a winged sprint car, or dirt late model.

While his experience hasn’t translated into results the first two years, Larson might prove the third time is the charm on Easter Sunday.

2. Ryan Blaney

Coming from a family of accomplished dirt racers, Ryan Blaney bucked the family trend and grew up earning his stripes on asphalt.

Blaney’s dirt racing might be behind some of his peers as a result, but his finishes at the dirt race haven’t exactly reflected that.

Blaney finishes these races well, joining teammate Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Elliott as the only drivers to score top-10s in both dirt races.

Team Penske and Blaney are both in desperate need of a win, with Blaney’s winless streak gradually approaching the two-year mark.

If he has a chance to get into victory lane, I think the Baby Buckeye Bullet will try to slide by and steal the checkers.

3. Christopher Bell

Bell’s embarrassing error last week in Richmond took out frontrunner William Byron, and Bell made the situation even worse by blaming Ross Chastain for entering the corner (cleanly) underneath him.

Criticism could get to him as it has gotten to many drivers before him; I don’t think that will happen.

The 28-year-old gets to harken back to his dirt roots this weekend in Bristol, the last great coliseum being coated for a third time with Tennessee clay.

Last year’s final 4 representative for Toyota has yet to wind up in the winner’s circle, and the trophy case is getting a little dusty lately.

With the NASCHURCH ceremony having ended, look out for the 20 car to enter a newer, better chapter for his 2023 campaign.

4. Tyler Reddick

I am a Tyler Reddick fan. Like, I am a bonafide fan of this man.

Last year’s race hurt me a lot, especially the way it was taken away from Tyler by such a weak, desperate move from one of his competitors.

Reddick’s first win would come later on in the year at Road America, and while it was great to see it in-person, I still wonder about Fontana and Bristol Dirt in particular.

The former Xfinity champion showed speed at COTA in a Chevy and now also in a Toyota. His outlook for this weekend should be extremely promising if he’s able to get his car up front.

Team owner Michael Jordan is obsessed with winning. I expect Reddick to help him hold up another trophy this weekend for his boss.

5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The 2023 Daytona 500 winner has been playing with house money all season, and the results reflect that.

Olive Branch’s very own snagged an additional top-10 at COTA two weeks ago to place himself 16th in regular season points, a stark contrast to his disastrous start to 2022.

Much like Bell and Larson, Stenhouse grew up eating and sleeping dirt racing. For small team JTG-Daugherty, this must be a race they circled on their schedule.

It took Stenhouse over three seasons to earn his first victory for JTG and Chevy, but he almost grabbed a W in 2021, flying around the top to get to race winner Joey Logano’s rear bumper as the checkers flew

If Ricky is in a similar spot this week, he might try something different to curtail a winless drought before it starts.

Dirt’s Favorite: Kyle Larson

With how fast HMS has been this year, you’d be foolish to not at least have him in your fantasy lineup, but when you add his dirt background, it almost feels foolish to not have him as the favorite.

Risky Business: Chase Briscoe

The guy is rather quick at times and grew up on dirt. He’s clearly got the chops to run well at this track, but he got in his own way of a good finish last year with his last-lap divebomb on Reddick.

He’s prone to making rash decisions that don’t turn out like he’d hoped, so though he might have speed, I’d be leery of picking Briscoe.

Dark Horse: Daniel Suarez

I put him in this spot a lot, but the guy is underrated! Not by me, but by other people.

Suarez nearly took home the inaugural victory at Dirt Bristol in 2021 before fading late, and had NASCAR called the race when the rain came down last year, Suarez would’ve scored his first win.

Now with a win in hand and another year of experience under his belt, the lone Mexican driver in the Cup Series looks to finally claim that elusive Dirt Bristol triumph.