The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol for the Food City 500 on Sunday, March 17. The race will be live streamed on Sling (half off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and fuboTV (free trial and $20 off first month).

Bristol Motor Speedway has ditched the dirt and is back to being a concrete coliseum for its annual spring race.

The famed short track added red clay each of the last three years for its first of two events. Reviews were mixed, and as the novelty wore off, sub-par racing inside the 0.533-mile bullring overshadowed any excitement that came with the Cup Series running on dirt for the first time since 1970.

Officials hope the spring race Sunday will harken to Bristol’s 1990s heyday, when the track was one of the toughest tickets in sports. Bristol boasted a 55-race sellout streak from 1982 through 2010, with the short-track racing providing plenty of heated exchanges and memorable moments.

Racing diehards won’t soon forget Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott feuding at the track in 2021 or Tony Stewart throwing his helmet in 2012 or Dale Earnhardt spinning out Terry Labonte in 1999 while attempting to “rattle his cage.” That kind of drama is hard to find on a regular basis at any track, and NASCAR surely would like more.

Finding the right combination for the “Next Gen” car could be key. The latest iteration has been less than ideal on short tracks in its two years of existence. The sanctioning body tested a new rules package at Phoenix Raceway in December that showed promise but hardly provided a quick fix.

When is Food City 500?

The Food City 500 is set for 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. ET) on Sunday, March 17.

Will it be live streamed?

Sling

Sling Orange is $40 a month (half off the first month) and offers ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $69.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $84.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $114.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $159.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo pro” package, which comprises 146-plus channels for $74.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

There is also the “fubo elite” package, which comprises 205-plus channels for $84.99 per month. It comes with fuboExtra (48 more channels) and News Plus (11 more channels). Plus, more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

The “fubo premiere” package is “fubo elite” with the addition of Showtime for $94.99 per month.

Will it be televised?

The Food City 500 will be televised on Fox.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.