Bristol hosting inaugural U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing in 2017

Daniel McFadin

Bristol Motor Speedway announced this week that it will host the inaugural U.S. Nationals of Short Track Racing next year.

The half-mile track will be the site of events in six different racing series from May 19-21 and will include NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek and William Byron.

The series will be: Super Late Models, Pro (Crate) Late Models, Late Model Stocks, ICAR/Florida-Type Modifieds, Street Stocks and Compacts.

The event will be sanctioned by five different sanctioning bodies, with Champion Racing Association powered by JEGS taking the lead role in co-sanctioning a Super Late Model race with their ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS, The CARS Super Late Model Tour (CARS) and the Southern Super Series (SSS).

CRA will also oversee the crate late model event with their JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour presented by Chevrolet and the Street Stocks, while CARS officials will oversee the Late Model Stock portion of the event with their CARS Late Model Stock Tour. The compacts will be organized and overseen by the Vore’s Compact Touring Series while the Modified portion of the weekend will be sanctioned by International Championship Auto Racing (ICAR) Top Speed Modified Tour.

“Bristol Motor Speedway is proud to announce today that in 2017 it will host the biggest and what promises to be the most exciting event in short track stock car racing history,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway in a press release. “We’re looking forward to fans joining us following the NASCAR All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It will surely be an event you won’t want to miss.”

Here’s a breakdown of the series that will participate in the inaugural event and the initial schedule for the weekend.

Super Late Models – The premier division of asphalt short track racing cars in the United States. These cars typically feature 600-plus horsepower engines under the hood of a custom-built chassis weighing around 2,750 pounds.

Pro Late Models – These racecars are similar to those in Super Late Model but they all must utilize a specific factory crate engine. The crate engines are built by the participating auto manufacturers, including General Motors and Ford.

Late Model Stocks – These machines evolved in the Carolinas and are raced primarily at weekly asphalt tracks located throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. These cars weigh approximately 3,100 pounds and their engines pump out about 400 horsepower.

Street Stocks – This entry category is a popular developmental opportunity for those who aspire to gain experience and become future stars of the Late Model Stock scene. The cars in this division must be 1960-2016 models of rear wheel drive street cars that must remain stock appearing and equipped with eight cylinder engines weighing in the neighborhood of 3200 pounds.

ICAR / Florida-Type Modifieds – This open wheel style of racing originated on the short track paved ovals of Indiana and is now featured at race tracks throughout the country. The fender-less machines are powered by V8 engines with a minimum weight of 2,600 pounds.

Compacts – This exciting class showcases four and six-cylinder, front wheel drive compact cars. These smaller wheelbase race cars are popular because the class is predominantly made up of the compact cars seen on the streets today.

The weekend schedule will feature practice sessions for all six classes on Friday, May 19. On Saturday the 20th, practice for all six classes will resume with qualifying for all divisions. Two qualifying races for Super Late Model and main events for Compacts, Modifieds and Street Stocks will be the featured racing on Saturday evening. On Sunday the 21st, the three main classes will get warm up laps starting at 11 a.m. Final qualifying for Super Late Models will be held at 1 p.m. The 100-lap main events for Super Late Models, Pro Late Models and Late Model Stocks will begin at 2 p.m.