How NASCAR is incorporating a drone to help drivers during Bristol dirt race restarts

The NASCAR Cup Series is back at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s dirt race at the 0.533-mile Tennessee short track. But this time, there will be a vibrant addition to the race.

For the first time on the temporary dirt track, NASCAR’s choose rule will be employed on restarts with the help of a drone.

Normally for restarts at tracks where NASCAR’s choose rule is used, drivers are able to select which lane they want to restart from. As they drive up to the choose area and bright orange “choose V” marker painted on a paved track, they can select the inside or outside lane based on where they want to be and how drivers ahead of them chose. (In other events, sometimes it’s a choose cone instead of a painted marker.)

Sunday for the Bristol dirt race, instead of a marker painted on the track, NASCAR will use an LED drone marker to note the choose area of restarts. Ahead of the green flag, the done will fly to the track’s frontstretch with the LED box lit up to mark the choose area.

It’s the Choose … Drone! pic.twitter.com/XBguh1QJp6

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 8, 2023

The drone will also be used for the third-tier NASCAR Truck Series race on Saturday night.

So how was this idea conceived? NASCAR’s senior coordinator of competition operations Jesse Little explained:

“The project I think was spearheaded by Tim Bermann (senior director, competition operations) and the folks in broadcasting, productions and then competition operations,” Little told NASCAR.com Saturday. “And the question that was thrown to the group was, hey, we’re choosing everywhere now, that includes dirt. Can’t paint on the track. We don’t want anybody running out there. We don’t want anyone on pit road that would in the event, retrieve something from the racetrack. So what do we do?

“And Tim immediately started brainstorming and coming up with some thoughts and questions and what can we implement? What can be seen during the day? What can be seen at night? What is visible to drivers? What will be visible to spotters, fans and TV? And you know, I think so far it’s been received very well.”

Here’s how it looks hovering above the track:

This drone will be the choose box. Drivers who want the outside will go toward the wall at this point. pic.twitter.com/vtmoVaS9s6

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 8, 2023

When NASCAR’s Bristol dirt race debuted in the 2021 Cup season, officials initially didn’t include the choose rule and had a very simple reason why:

The difficultly of maintaining an orange “V” on the dirt-racing surface was a key determining factor of this decision.

Well, the governing body seems to have found a solution.