Noah Gragson Wary of “Cereal Bowl” Bristol as He Details the “Chaotic” Concrete Challenge

Dover International Speedway got the nickname “The Monster Mile,” Darlington Raceway has its rep as “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” New Hampshire International Speedway is called “The Magic Mile,” and Daytona International Speedway is famously known as the “Great American Race.” Yet, when it comes to sheer challenge, none of the many NASCAR Sprint Cup Series venues holds a candle to the site of Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bristol, known as “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” is a smidge over that, measuring 0.533 miles [0.858 km]. Its steep banks, peaking at a dizzying 28–30 degrees, are just one piece of what makes it such a tough nut to crack. Noah Gragson from Stewart-Haas Racing spilled the beans on the mayhem that awaits at Bristol Motor Speedway, calling the track downright wild.

Noah Gragson pointed out that at Bristol, you’re always rubbing elbows with someone or the other

Despite being just over half a mile long, Bristol doesn’t see as many wrecks as Daytona, but it’s had its moments. Remember Danica Patrick spinning out, Landon Cassill’s 2014 crash, Mike Harmon’s fiery wreck in 2002, Michael Waltrip’s car getting torn to pieces in 1990, and Kyle Petty hitting the wall in 2003?

It’s much safer today, but of course, the racing is rather tight, and cars often get nudged from behind. Stewart-Haas Racing shared a clip of Noah Gragson, gearing up for his first Cup Series race on Bristol’s concrete battlefield, who described the track as downright wild.

“Bristol’s tough, it’s like a milk bowl, a cereal bowl. You’re in the corners, it’s high paced, high banked. You’re side by side with guys pretty much the whole race. If you’re not two wide, you’re three wide and you’re, uh… You’re always around somebody, so the action’s always super high. There’s a lot of challenges that come with the race itself, with the curved pit road, it’s easy to speed. That is it. It’s just a tough chaotic racetrack,” said Noah Gragson.

Let’s not forget, the track’s made of concrete instead of the usual asphalt, which is tough on the tires. And that would require a different pit stop strategy than usual. Being a newbie, this could be a bit of a rough ride for Gragson, but for his teammate, Ryan Preece, it’s a golden opportunity. He’s set to make the most of it and is looking for a strong finish.

Ryan Preece is heading back to one of his favorite stomping grounds

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The Food City 500 is going to be Ryan Preece‘s seventh start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol. Up until now, he’s always finished in the top 25, with three finishes of 12th or better, which gives him an average finish of 15.5. His top performance was bagging ninth place back in September 2020. He’s also clinched a victory at Bristol in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 in 2018 during his third Xfinity Series start there.

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Preece shared his excitement about racing on the concrete again, saying, “I, for one, am someone who is certainly happy that we’re going back to the concrete, even though we ran good on the dirt, as well.” He added, “It’s certainly been a track that has been good to me. It’s one of the stronger racetracks that we go to, so the confidence is pretty high. We’re building toward being consistent, and hopefully, we can show up and have that speed.”

Sitting at 35th in the driver standings with 28 points, Preece’s past victory on Bristol’s tough track gives Stewart-Haas Racing some hope.