BRISTOL, Tenn. — One of the most anticipated events of the season, the Bristol Bash, takes center stage this weekend.
The Greatest Show on Dirt is returning to The Last Great Colosseum for an epic doubleheader featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series.
Fans will witness a star-studded field of gladiators battling for $25,000-to-win paydays on both Friday and Saturday at the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway.
• After a 20-year hiatus from the Bristol dirt, the World of Outlaws returned last year and David Gravel promptly swept the weekend in his Big Game Motorsports No. 2. Gravel timed in first and second, won both of his heats, started front row both nights and parked in victory lane after each feature.
This weekend, Gravel gets a chance to overtake Sammy Swindell as the winningest sprint car driver in Bristol Motor Speedway history with a third triumph.
• Two weeks ago, reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson finished fourth on the Bristol dirt in the Cup Series. Now, the Team Hendrick superstar is trading his NextGen No. 5 for Paul Silva’s No. 57 sprint car and Kevin Rumley’s No. 6 late model as he returns to Bristol this weekend as the only driver doing double duty.
The Elk Grove, Calif., native is a 25-time winner with the sprint cars and two-time winner with the late models and the only driver in history to win with both World of Outlaws series.
• Ten-Time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz is set to become the only driver to compete in every one of the eight sprint car events at Bristol Motor Speedway. More impressively, the Fargo, N.D., native has been a contender to win each of his previous appearances at the high-banked speed plant.
In the features he finished, Schatz’s Bristol average is 3.0 with a 2001 victory to his credit.
The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance No. 15 was one of three drivers to finish in the top-five both nights last year with his best running coming in second on night two.
• One of several travelers making the trip to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend is the hottest sprint car driver in the country — Anthony Macri. The Dillsburg, Pa., driver is up to eight 410 victories this year with six of those wins coming during a 10-day stretch that ended April 24.
Two of those victories were All Star sanctioned and “The Concrete Kid” has a 1.6 average finish during the month of April. It will be Macri’s first visit to Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing enter Bristol with the most momentum following back-to-back victories. The Albaugh entry is currently sitting second in the championship standings and already owns a series-best four wins this season.
With Philip Deitz on the wrenches, Macedo was impressive in his Bristol debut last year with finishes of third on night one and sixth on night two.
• Point leader Brad Sweet and rookie-of-the-year leader Spencer Bayston take two of the most impressive streaks on tour to Bristol. Both drivers peaked with an eighth-place result last year in Tennessee, and hope for some improvement as they look to extend their stretches.
Since a season-opening trip to the work area which resulted in a 16th-place run, Sweet and the Kasey Kahne Racing No. 49 have been nearly flawless with 14 consecutive top-seven finishes.
Although winless, Bayston and the CJB Motorsports No. 5 team have proven themselves as legitimate season-long contenders in only their first foray together. The 23-year-old is at a career-best six straight top-10 finishes including a season-best second-place finish at Lake Ozark.
• For Logan Schuchart and Aaron Reutzel, this weekend represents a new chance at a Bristol win after coming so close in 2021. Both drivers were David Gravel’s biggest competition in stopping the sweep last year but barely missed out on sealing the deal.
Schuchart controlled the opening 23 laps of last year’s finale before engine issues saw $25,000 slip away.
After finishing on the podium both nights last year in the Roth Motorsports No. 83, Reutzel returns to Bristol this week in the RSR, Toyota Racing, Mobil1 No. 8.
Keyword: WoO Notes: Bristol Bash Is Next