2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 22 of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | |||
|
| |||
| Date | March 29, 2021 | ||
| Official name | Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt | ||
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway dirt oval | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Distance | 150 laps, 79.95 mi (128.7 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 150 laps, 79.95 mi (128.7 km) | ||
| Average speed | 41.096 miles per hour (66.138 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch Motorsports | ||
| Time | N/A | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Martin Truex Jr. | Kyle Busch Motorsports | |
| Laps | 105 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 51 | Martin Truex Jr. | Kyle Busch Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Vince Welch, Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt was the 5th stock car race of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the inaugural running of the event. The race was held on Monday, March 29, 2021, in Bristol, Tennessee at a dirt version of Bristol Motor Speedway. The race was originally supposed to be run on Saturday, March 27, 2021, but due to torrential downpour over Saturday and Sunday, the race was delayed to Monday.[1] The race would take 150 laps to complete. Martin Truex Jr., running a one-off race for Kyle Busch Motorsports, would win the race, marking his first career win in the Truck Series.[2] Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing and Raphaël Lessard of GMS Racing would score the rest of the podium positions, scoring 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Background
[edit]Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating.
In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt. On January 25, 2021, NASCAR announced the stage lengths of all events in all three series. According to the stage lengths, it states the race will consist of 150 laps.
Entry list
[edit]*Withdrew due to a crash in practice on Friday.[3]
Practice
[edit]1st practice
[edit]The 1st practice took place on Friday, March 20 at 3:58 EST. Raphaël Lessard would set the fastest time with a 19.384 and an average speed of 92.384 miles per hour (148.678 km/h).[4]
Many drivers would suffer incidents during the practice, with 11 spins counted.[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Raphaël Lessard | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 19.384 | 92.860 |
| 2 | 42 | Carson Hocevar | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.396 | 92.803 |
| 3 | 1 | Hailie Deegan | David Gilliland Racing | Ford | 19.418 | 92.698 |
| Full 1st practice results | ||||||
Final practice
[edit]Final practice took place on Friday, March 21, at 6:28 PM EST for 50 minutes. Ben Rhodes of ThorSport Racing would set the fastest time, with a 20.703 and an average speed of 86.944 miles per hour (139.923 km/h).[5]
J. R. Heffner would suffer a major crash, leading him to be towed. The 3 team would eventually withdraw from the race.[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 20.703 | 86.944 |
| 2 | 39 | Ryan Newman | DCC Racing | Ford | 20.716 | 86.889 |
| 3 | 15 | Tanner Gray | David Gilliland Racing | Ford | 20.721 | 86.868 |
| Full final practice results | ||||||
Starting lineup
[edit]Originally, qualifying was scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 21. Qualifying was delayed, but eventually there was a break in the weather, and the first heat was started- but with overcast skies and a high chance of rain. Within a couple of laps, it started to rain, and every car in the heat except Mike Marlar (who started at the pole) had their windshields and grills covered by mud. The heat was stopped and eventually canceled.[6] As a result, the lineup was set by owner's points- which meant John Hunter Nemechek of Kyle Busch Motorsports won the pole.[7]
Race results
[edit]Stage 1 Laps: 40
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Martin Truex Jr. | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 21 | Zane Smith | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 13 | Johnny Sauter | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 50
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | Martin Truex Jr. | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 0 |
| 2 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 04 | Chase Briscoe | Roper Racing | Ford | 0 |
| 5 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 52 | Stewart Friesen | Halmar Friesen Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | Raphaël Lessard | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 98 | Grant Enfinger | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 60
References
[edit]- ^ Cheek, Adam (2021-03-28). "Cup, Truck Bristol Dirt Races Postponed To Monday". frontstretch.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "Martin Truex Jr. wins Bristol Truck dirt race - NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ a b "NASCAR: The 3 drivers who got a really raw deal at Bristol". Beyond the Flag. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ a b Srigley, Joseph (2021-03-26). "Raphael Lessard Leads Incident-Filled Bristol Dirt Practice". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "Ben Rhodes Tops Final Practice for Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol". TobyChristie.com. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "Video: Mud Brings Truck Series Pinty's Dirt Race Heat 1 Qualifying Race to a Halt on Lap 1". TobyChristie.com. 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "Rain forces postponement of Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "2021 Pinty's Truck Race on Dirt - The Third Turn". thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.