Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart to drive NASCAR cars in a football stadium — here’s why

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart are going from the starting grid to the gridiron.

Bowman Gray has a quarter-mile track.
(Grant Halverson/NASCAR via Getty Images)

The retired full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers, along with their Fox Sports colleague Clint Bowyer, will be testing NASCAR’s Next Gen Cup Series car at Bowman Gray stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday.

Lower NASCAR-sanctioned series race at the track.

Lower NASCAR-sanctioned series race at the track.
(Grant Halverson/NASCAR via Getty Images)

The historic and unusual stadium is a dual-use facility that has a football field the Winston-Salem State University Rams call home surrounded by a quarter-mile car racing track.

The Stewart-Haas Next Gen Ford Mustang took part in a recent test at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Stewart-Haas Next Gen Ford Mustang took part in a recent test at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
(Bob Leverone/Getty Images)

NASCAR team owner Stewart will be acting as an official test driver for Goodyear to determine what tires will be used for its debut at the NASCAR Clash exhibition race in February, which will be held on a temporary quarter-mile oval built inside of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, according to Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass.

iRacing is helping to design the NASCAR track that will be temporarily installed at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

iRacing is helping to design the NASCAR track that will be temporarily installed at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
(NASCAR)

Earnhardt and Boyer are being offered seat time that will provide them with insight for their roles as NASCAR analysts.

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Bowman Gray is a NASCAR-sanctioned track that opened in 1937 and was home to Cup Series events (then called the the Grand National Series) from 1958 to 1971.