5 NASCAR tracks that could replace Bristol Dirt Race in the future

Bristol Motor Speedway, 'The Last Great Coliseum' of NASCAR, did not seem to inspire greatness amongst the sport's fraternity last weekend. The Food City Dirt Race, which started as an exercise to inspire audiences with excitement three years ago, has somewhat lost its charm come 2023. NASCAR's visit to the half-mile track in Tennessee covered in dirt with its Cup Series cars now looks at a somewhat uncertain future in the series.

All this came about as many drivers felt the novelty factor of the event had run its course over the last three years. While racing on loose surfaces comes naturally to many drivers such as Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, the prospect of the Next Gen cars, designed to be a better racecar on the tarmac than any previous stock car, just did not inspire the competitors with the same enthusiasm any more.

Many have spoken openly about how initial interest in the event has finally worn off, with fans of the sport torn between the pro-Dirt Bristol crowd and the anti-Dirt Bristol purists. Comments from professional dirt track legends such as Jonathan Davenport have not helped the event's case over the last week either. Stating how the event is geared more towards a 'show' than a typical dirt-track race, Davenport was not the only one who felt this way.

This puts NASCAR in a tough spot. Many drivers, fans and analysts of the sport are in favor of getting rid of the dirt race. Some don't want to race on dirt at all. Then there is the crowd who are all there for the diverse calendar the event brings. Thus, this might just be the best time for the governing body to shake things up and keep the dirt race on the schedule for 2024. But who said the venue had to be the same?

Instead of repurposing concrete or tarmac racetracks by covering them in dirt, the governing body can head to purpose-built facilities, while keeping their options open to cover different tracks in dirt.

Here are five other venues that NASCAR ought to look at to bring back the excitement of the original Food City Dirt Race held in 2021.

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5 NASCAR tracks that could replace Bristol Dirt Race in 2024

5. Daytona

Okay, hear us out. We are not talking about repurposing the superspeedway to somehow host a dirt race that ends up with the whole field crashing out. But it would be cool to set up a temporary course inside Daytona's vast infield, asking drivers to run on the sand.

Throwing back to the origins of the sport, it would be interesting to see Cup Series cars cope with sand, where the origins of the legendary Daytona 500 lie.

4. Darlington

Another wild card entry in the list, Darlington Raceway is a venue that could provide interesting racing with a dirt surface. Coupled with the throwback weekend, a dirt race could be the ultimate look back at NASCAR history.

3. Richmond

Richmond Raceway comes as the first serious entry on this list, with the track's layout being ever so similar to a purpose-built dirt racing facility. Owing to its short-track size with wide, open corners, Richmond Raceway has an uncanny resemblance to a purpose-built dirt facility, only to be covered in asphalt.

2. North Wilkesboro

The revival of North Wilkesboro Speedway is one of the most exciting events on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar this year. However, it is a track that has been left to the mercy of the environment for quite some time now.

It is only a matter of time before drivers and NASCAR agree on repaving the old surface once the nostalgia factor wears off. This could mean it can become its own new thing in the form of a dirt race.

1. Eldora

Eldora Speedway is the most obvious and probable venue to be featured on the Cup Series calendar instead of Bristol. The half-mile dirt oval has seen plenty of interesting finishes with stock cars as demonstrated by the Crafstman Truck Series.

Standing as a fan favorite as well, Eldora has managed to produce some great dirt racing over the years, and is one of the venues experts thought the dirt race should have been at from the start.