"This stuff kind of creates a fluff, and it gets up there. "It’s not a dirt that I believe you’re going to see a cushion built. But hit the cushion wrong, and it can cause a sprint car to flip or a stock car to lose pace.
Dirt track stock car racing driver#
There also is often the development of the "cushion" – a buildup of dirt either by the wall or at the apron - and if a driver can work it just right, the driver can gain speed in those areas. A water truck will be used to give it the moisture needed, including possibly during cautions and stage breaks. The key is to use a water truck to put enough moisture in the track so that it doesn’t get dusty throughout the race but not so much that it is muddy and difficult for the racers. The dirt is sometimes tilled and then packed down using heavy "packer" cars that run around the track. In initially putting the dirt on the track, GPS was used to try to make sure the configuration was the way the track and NASCAR wanted.ĭirt track preparation is a constant challenge, and the track needs to be prepared between events. For this dirt race, the dirt is banked 19 degrees, with a racing surface about 50 feet wide. The Bristol concrete track without the dirt is banked 30 degrees, with a racing surface about 40 feet wide. "And then they do get black and slick - and blue groove that can be abrasive and lay rubber, or it can be slick."
Dirt track stock car racing series#
"Dirt tracks start out wet and muddy, which doesn’t have a lot of grip, and then they go to tacky, which has a lot of grip," said Stewart Friesen, a truck series driver who has significant dirt racing experience. It took 2,300 truckloads of dirt to create the surface. Bristol tested about 15 types of dirt from the area to try to find the best dirt – the kind that has low silt and sand content so that it packs well but also retains some water. The second layer came from a campground near the track, and the third layer came from Bluff City about 20-30 miles away. The track includes a bottom layer of soil that was used the last time Bristol had dirt events in 20. The Bristol track is "red dirt," which is native to the area and considered generally good for racing.