NASCAR at Bristol results, highlights: Christopher Bell holds off Tyler Reddick to win Food City Dirt Race

By | April 9, 2023
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Christopher Bell made his way across the track counterclockwise, peering out into the stands with his hand stuck out of the window. His lemon-colored chariot had been cloaked in a gale of dust for 250 laps. But finally, he had found clean air, rolling off in victory after capturing the checkered flag at Bristol.

Bell didn’t have the best car — that honor was reserved for Tyler Reddick. But the Joe Gibbs Racing star used every ounce of dirt racing experience he had to hold off Reddick, notching his first win of the season on Sunday.

The action started fairly late for Bell, who opted against pitting ahead of the final stage, mimicking a maneuver made by Reddick, the Stage 2 winner. He rocketed to the front of the pack in Lap 151 and maintained, outlasting Reddick and Chase Briscoe, two fellow dirt-racing whizzes who appeared to have more in the tank.

It was a caution-filled race; 13 canary-yellow flags waved as drivers struggled to deal with slick track conditions, particularly on turns. Still, it was an enticing race, one filled with spills and thrills. And come the end of the action, it was Bell wheeling off in celebration. He even commemorated his victory in style, pulling of a Polish Victory Lap in honor of Cup Series icon Alan Kulwicki, who died 30 years ago this race weekend.

MORE: Watch NASCAR Cup Series races live with Fubo (free trial)

The Sporting News tracked live updates and results from Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Food City Dirt Race. Below are all the highlights and key moments as they happened from The Last Great Colosseum.

NASCAR at Bristol live updates, highlights from 2023 race

(All times Eastern)

9:57 p.m.: CAUTION! Bell takes the checkered flag under caution. That’s your 2023 Food City Dirt Race winner, who edges past Reddick to become the first real dirt racer to win at Bristol. Bell finishing things off with a Polish Victory Lap in honor of the late Alan Kulwicki, who passed away 30 years ago this week.

9:56 p.m.: Bell has the lead. Four laps to go. Reddick is pulling just that little bit closer.

9:55 p.m.: Back to green and Blaney gets wrecked. We’re still under green.

9:49 p.m.: Bell still running a bit loose. He’s hooking the rear of the car into the cushion, doing everything in his power to avoid jamming that front right bumper into the wall. Good ole’ Darlington race stripe; Bell is playing it old school.

9:48 p.m.: CAUTION! Busch spins out in pit road. 13th caution flag of the day waved.

9:47 p.m.: Alex Bowman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. getting mighty tight with one another as they’re approaching the  turn. Heart-racing stuff. 16 laps remaining in the race. Bell still on top.

9:44 p.m.: Almost contact between Reddick and Briscoe. Didn’t look intentional, as the pair are aware they have faster cars than Bell. Briscoe made contact with the wall shortly thereafter, sending him to fifth.

9:41 p.m.: Bell, Briscoe and Reddick fighting for the lead. Bell still got it at the moment, although he looks far looser on the turns than Briscoe and Reddick. The No. 45 is making a push for the front, taking the inside lane. Bell has to stay outside. 29 laps left.

9:39 p.m.: Fight for the lead between Bell and Briscoe. Looks like Bell just edged out in front on the straightaway. Reddick and Dillon still in the mix as well, sitting in third- and fourth, respectively.

9:36 p.m.: Bell still in front, but sounds like he might have some fuel concerns. Lots of cautions flying around. Also, No. 20 car opted against pitting during the stage break. 45 laps left, so something to watch for going forward.

9:35 p.m.: CAUTION! Right toe link break for Noah Gragson prompts the caution flag.

9:27 p.m.: Josh Berry with another strong showing thus far. He’s up to sixth, fresh off the back of a second-place display at Richmond. Impressive stuff for the Hendrick Motorsports driver replacing Chase Elliott in the No. 9 car.

9:26 p.m.: Back to green after all the drama. It’s Bell-Briscoe-Dillon-Gilliland in the top-four; all four racers who have captured checkered flags with trucks.

9:23 p.m.: Larson is done for the day. Preece’s maneuver did what it was supposed to do.

9:20 p.m.: CAUTION! It’s Larson and Preece again! Preece looks to have gotten his payback on Larson, veering into the No. 5 with reckless abandon. That looked mighty intentional.

9:19 p.m.: William Byron through the gap. He splits McDowell and Busch to grab seventh place. A fairly big gap between him and sixth-place Dillon.

9:18 p.m.: Denny Hamlin 360s in the corner, just preventing himself from invoking the caution flag. He’s down to 34th place.

9:16 p.m.: We’re back in action at Bristol. Bell flanked by a pair of Stewart-Haas standouts in Briscoe and Almirola. 84 laps left. Wouldn’t be surprised to see more caution flags waved tonight.

9:10 p.m.: CAUTION! It’s Larson! He’s headed to the rear after losing his grip on Turn 3. It’ll be nigh on impossible for the Hendrick Motorsports star to win this one.

9:08 p.m.: Christopher Bell out in front to start the final stage. Briscoe and Aric Alimrola within a second of the lead.

8:51 p.m.: Reddick takes Stage 2, outpacing second-place Dillon by a mere .10 seconds. Will be interesting to see if he can run it back in the final stage given that he’ll have to pit — he didn’t do so at the end of the first stage.

8:50 p.m.: Dillon and Busch get into each other! Reddick retakes the lead, but Dillon, Busch and Larson are not too far behind. Six laps remaining in Stage 2.

8:48 p.m.: Slide job by Busch to take the lead. Looks like Reddick took his hand off the throttle, saving a major collision. You have to think he’s got memories of what happened last year, when he and Briscoe thrashed into one another, handing Busch the win on a silver platter.

8:47 p.m.: Busch and Reddick jostling for first place. Giving memories of last year’s dirt race as Bristol.

8:41 p.m.: CAUTION! More spinners on Lap 126. It’s Keselowski again; the No. 6 car is headed to pit road.

8:40 p.m.: Logano done for the day after the No. 22 car accrues too much damage.

8:39 p.m.: Wallace into the wall on the bend. He drops 10 places to 15th place.

8:38 p.m.: Slide job by Larson slips him in front of Wallace. He’s into the top-five.

8:36 p.m.: Reddick and Wallace setting the pact as we enter yet another restart. 

8:34 p.m.: McDowell did it again! Salvaged his car after taking a twirl, this time in the corner. Even stuck the dismount. What a play by McDowell, who currently sits in 29th.

8:32 p.m.: Preece’s spin comes from a broken right toe link. Might’ve come from his altercation with Larson earlier in the stage.

8:29 p.m.: CAUTION! It’s Preece who takes a tumble now, twirling along the track after wobbling while curling around the bend. Yet another caution flag waved. It’s still Reddick leading the pack.

8:26 p.m.: Logano and Suarez get into it under green, forcing the No. 22 car into pit road. Still under green, however.

8:20 p.m.: CAUTION! Michael McDowell spins in the middle of the track shortly after the race restart. Impressively, he makes a 360 turn, rotating without touching another car. He looks to have escaped the tricky situation unscathed.

8:17 p.m.: Ryan Preece had some choice words for Larson under caution. Looks like he wasn’t pleased with Larson’s exploits while coming down the turn.

8:14 p.m.: CAUTION! Jonathan Davenport’s car spins halfway up the track while strolling into the turn. Yet another caution flag out here at Bristol.

8:12 p.m.: We’re back to green at Bristol. It’s Tyler Reddick at the front of the pack, with 23XI Racing teammate Wallace not too far behind.

8:05 p.m.: Denny Hamlin took a big blow at the end of the stage, with a chunk of his front bumper getting taken out after getting into a collision.

7:54 p.m.: CAUTION! Stage ends up caution, with Larson picking up the stage victory.

7:52 p.m.: Some competitive racing by Busch and Dillon, who are competing for second and third. Criss-crossing through the dust on the restart. Eight laps remaining and it’s still Larson at the front.

7:46 p.m.: CAUTION! It’s Brad Keselowski who spins out, prompting the waving of the canary-colored flag. Third caution of the day.

7:45 p.m.: Busch flying his way up the track. He might be the only driver at the moment that can match the speed of first-place Larson.

7:44 p.m.: Richard Childress Racing well-represented in the front of the field. Dillon and Kyle Busch sitting in second and third, respectively, as we approach 20 laps left in the opening stage.

7:42 p.m.: Back to green and Blaney making major strides up the field. He’s in fifth now, rotating through the middle of the track when he rolls through turns.

7:35 p.m.: CAUTION! Matt Crafton spills into the wall, holding up the likes of Logano. We’re back to yellow with 37 laps left in Stage 1.

7:34 p.m.: Logano making major waves since his early collision. Already risen 10 spot since the race restart.

7:30 p.m.: Back to green! Can already see the track starting to change from dark brown to a more lukewarm orange.

7:20 p.m.: CAUTION! Bubba Wallace slips around Turn 2, collecting Joey Logano, William Byron and Austin Dillon. Looks like Logano took the worst of it.

7:18 p.m.: Things are really slick to start. Lots of wobbles as cars get around the bend. Track is a bit slimy at the moment, but should dry off as time goes on.

7:17 p.m.: And we’re off!

7:16 p.m.: Chase Briscoe is widely believed to be among the best dirt racers in the field. But he’ll be racing compromised after fracturing his left middle finger during the week.

7:14 p.m.: Austin Dillon reporting that the surface is a little slick. That should make things that much more difficult for drivers.

7:11 p.m.: Not everyone is a dirt track fan. Case in point: Larson, who has put together quite the resume on clay.

7:09 p.m.: Engines officially being started up. We’re on the cusp of yet another Bristol dirt race.

7:00 p.m.: Pre-race prayer currently being conducted. Race will start in approximately 15 minutes.

What channel is the NASCAR race at Bristol on today?

  • TV channel: Fox (U.S.) | TSN3 (Canada)
  • Live stream: FoxSports.com, Fubo

This year’s Food City Dirt Race will be broadcast on Fox in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN3.

Mike Joy will serve as the race’s lap-by-lap announcer. He’ll be joined in the booth by former Cup Series drivers Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart.

Cord-cutters can find Sunday’s race on FoxSports.com, as well as Fubo, which offers a free trial in the U.S.

What time does the NASCAR race at Bristol start today?

  • Date: Sunday, April 9
  • Start time: 7 p.m. ET

Sunday’s race has a 7 p.m. ET listed start time, but pre-race activities are expected to push the waving of the green flag to 7:14 p.m. ET.

Food City Dirt Race starting lineup 2023

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
3 J.J. Yeley 15 Rick Ware Racing
4 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing
6 Tyler Reddick 45 23XI Racing
7 Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
8 Ryan Preece 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
9 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
10 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
11 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
12 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
13 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
14 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
16 Ross Chastain 1 Trackhouse Racing
17 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
18 Erik Jones 43 Legacy Motor Club
19 Aric Almiorla 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
20 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
21 Jonathan Davenport 13 Kaulig Racing
22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
23 Ty Gibbs 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
24 Matt Crafton 51 Rick Ware Racing
25 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
26 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
27 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
28 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
29 A.J. Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
30 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
31 Josh Berry 9 Hendrick Motorsports
32 Ty Dillon 77 Spire Motorsports
33 Brad Keselowski 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
34 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
35 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
36 Noah Gragson 42 Legacy Motor Club
37 B.J. McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports

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