Throughout history, Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway has served as a crossover arena where NASCAR legends have tested their mettle in drastically different machinery, from fire-breathing big winged sprint cars to 12,000-horsepower dragsters. While BMS is primarily known for the high-banked concrete of The Last Great Colosseum, these stars have ventured beyond their comfort zone in the Cup Series to compete in diverse motorsports disciplines. Below are the top five NASCAR Cup Series drivers in history to have success in other racing categories at Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway.
- Richard Petty speeds from Bristol’s high banks to famed Thunder Valley
"The King" Richard Petty demonstrated his motorsports versatility by shifting to drag racing primarily in 1965, following a Chrysler-led boycott of NASCAR due to a ban on the Hemi engine. Petty achieved high-level success at the legendary Bristol Dragway in his pursuits. In June 1965, he won the B/Altered class at the NHRA Springnationals. He piloted a famed 1965 Plymouth Barracuda named 43 JR, recording a winning pass of 10.62 seconds at 131 mph. While he was drag racing, Petty was still a force on the Bristol oval in 1964, winning the pole for the Volunteer 500 and leading 442 of 500 laps before a rear-end failure on the final lap relegated him to second place.
- Bubba Wallace dominates 2017 U.S. Short Track Nationals in Super Late Model
In May 2017, Bubba Wallace earned his first trophy from Bristol Motor Speedway when he returned to his grassroots origins. Driving the No. 6 Fat Head Racing Ford, Wallace dominated the inaugural Short Track U.S. Nationals in the Super Late Model category at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wallace started sixth in the 100-lap feature race and was leading the race with 51 laps to go. From there he led the rest of the way to take the victory over Jake Crum, Chandler Smith, Noah Gragson, Steve Wallace and pole-sitter Travis Braden among others. It was Wallace’s 11th start at Bristol, including 10 in NASCAR categories. Prior to that win he had posted a second-place finish at Bristol in the Truck Series and a best of 7th in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Since the win, his best finish at Bristol in 13 starts in the Cup Series was third in the 2024 Night Race.
- Austin Dillon scores dirt victory at Bristol in 604 Late Models
Demonstrating his dirt racing prowess, Austin Dillon secured a victory in the 604 Late Model A Feature during the 2021 Bristol Dirt Nationals on the dirt-transformed Bristol Motor Speedway. Dillon used a late-race restart to blast out to the lead and hold on for victory. Dillon has claimed one Bristol victory in his NASCAR career, a thrilling win in the 2016 Food City 300 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Both Austin and his Cup Series racing brother Ty Dillon got their starts racing dirt late models around the Carolinas and Virginia.
- NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart earns Top Fuel pole and bonus race victory in NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart, who famously won the 2001 Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, has one of the most unique "other form" histories at Bristol. While he often described Bristol Motor Speedway as "putting 43 cars in a blender," his most recent exploits have taken place across the Bristol property from the oval to the legendary drag strip where 330 mile per hour runs are the norm. Last season, Stewart competed in the NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals at the adjacent Bristol Dragway and achieved his first career No. 1 qualifying position in the Top Fuel category and won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, a specialty bonus race, to further cement his legacy as a driver who can win in anything with an engine. This season Stewart is going to expand his horizons again as he is scheduled to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona this Friday, Feb. 13, in the Kaulig Racing No. 25 Dodge Ram. After coming up just short of winning the NHRA Top Fuel championship last season, Stewart is back full-time in the NHRA Mission Foods Series driving a Top Fuel dragster for Elite Motorsports and will compete at Bristol Dragway June 12-14.
- William Byron shows off E-Sport skills in back-to-back virtual Bristol wins
Showing off his talent and skill for E-Sports, Hendrick Motorsports phenom William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevy in the NASCAR Cup Series, scored dominant back-to-back virtual victories at digital versions of Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020 and 2021. His win in the Food City Showdown on April 5 2020 came on the virtual concrete version of Bristol Motor Speedway. Using his SIM racing setup he piloted his virtual car to lead 116 of 150 laps and secure a victory in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The next year he returned to the virtual Bristol Dirt Track in late May and gave E-Sports fans a preview of what to expect just days before the real NASCAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race. He won that eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational race against 20 of his fellow Cup Series drivers along with FOX announcer Clint Bowyer and fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Honorable Mention – Kyle Larson, other Cup drivers show off dirt skills at Bristol
Several NASCAR Cup Series drivers came out early in a variety of dirt racing classes to try and obtain experience on Bristol Motor Speedway’s dirt track in 2021 prior to the historic Food City Dirt Race. NASCAR and Bristol ran three straight seasons of Cup Racing on Dirt at Bristol from 2021-2023. Kyle Larson took advantage of the dirt being on Bristol as he raced in the 2021 Bristol Dirt Nationals and also the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and CASE Late Models in the 2022 World of Outlaws Bristol Bash. Larson’s best finishes in those races were a second place in the dirt Super Late Models in the Bristol Dirt Nationals and a second-place effort in the ultra-fast World of Outlaws winged sprints at Bristol. The other Cup Series drivers who participated in the Bristol Dirt Nationals included Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Justin Haley and Corey LaJoie.
The next chance to enjoy racing action at Bristol Motor Speedway is coming April 10-12 during a thrilling NASCAR weekend when the Craftsman Trucks hit the Bristol high banks on the evening of April 10 for the Tennessee Army National Guard 250 Truck Race (7:30 p.m., FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM Radio); On Saturday, April 11, it will be action-packed with the 300-lap NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race (7:30 p.m., The CW, PRN Radio, Sirius XM Radio) and Bush’s Beans Qualifying; The tradition-rich Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race will thrill fans on Sunday afternoon, April 12 (3 p.m., FS1, PRN Radio, Sirius XM Radio) and bring the fun weekend to a triumphant finish.
In addition to cheering on their favorite drivers on the track, fans at Bristol Motor Speedway will definitely want to take advantage of so many activities to make a complete weekend of family fun. There will be great video entertainment provided by Colossus TV, the world's largest center-hung video screen, plenty of music throughout the event, premium VIP experiences, tailgating, on-site camping, a pre-race track walk on the legendary oval, and other entertainment at the Food City Fan Zone Stage headlined by Trackside Live with Kenny Wallace and John Roberts, great food and beverages in the concession stands throughout the property, and so much more.
To purchase tickets to the Food City 500 weekend of races or any events at Bristol Motor Speedway, please visit the track’s website or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158. You can also purchase tickets at any neighborhood Food City store while supplies lasts.
