It was in the minutes after engines had gone silent, and Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway had settled down, that the mainstream potential of the World of Outlaws truly manifested itself.

The Greatest Show on Dirt delivered as advertised.

Fans were going home satisfied and the podium finishers from Sunday afternoon had made their way to the infield media center for another round of questions with reporters from every corner of the country.

For the Bristol Throwdown, World Racing Group and Speedway Motorsports Inc. teamed-up for a graphics package that flashed across a screen below the dais where David Gravel, Donny Schatz and Aaron Reutzel sat.

It was the same stage where Joey Logano settled to take questions after winning the first NASCAR Cup Series race on dirt since 1970.

World of Outlaws looked every bit the professional organization as NASCAR for a weekend in Thunder Valley.

A real life post race press conference!

What year is it? pic.twitter.com/IAvBUIbdyx

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverAW) April 24, 2021

That’s not to say Sprint Car Racing isn’t as compelling or as well-operated as the National Association, but no one is going to confuse Haubstadt or Pevely for Daytona or Indianapolis. For now, Bristol joins Knoxville and Eldora as world class venues where Sprint Car racing can be presented to the mainstream as something more than dirt’s most inaccurate stereotypes.

World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter says the entire industry placed its best foot forward over the past month at the Last Great Coliseum.

"That was a really critical component," Carter said. "We are the Greatest Show on Dirt, but there's so much more to it than the racing product.

"Our staff, and most of them have been with me for over a decade, have dedicated their entire careers to creating events that show everything off in the most professional way possible. That's really important.

"There are several venues where we can show off in very obvious ways … but we try to create this experience every night. We feel really good about that. Bristol brought us credibility and validates our place in the motorsports world."

From that standpoint, the Bristol Throwdown would have been a success no matter how the racing product came across but World of Outlaws delivered there, too.

The championship contenders voiced unified concern that the track could be too fast for a safe and compelling show. The sanctioning body and track worked diligently to optimize track conditions and those concerns were alleviated following a two-hour Thursday test session.

The work to create the best possible track for high speed, lightweight Sprint Cars actually began shortly after the NASCAR event.

The weight of the Cup and Truck machines actually reshaped the half-mile surface and created a crown halfway up the banking. Using computer aided design data used during the building of the temporary dirt surface, speedway executives were able to rebuild the track after NASCAR left.

They rebuilt into something more optimal for Late Models and Sprint Cars.

"That was a collaboration that started months before our races when they built the track and after every track session they had," Carter said. "They were able to fine-tune their track for every race they had, and the track was spectacular by time we reached the feature on Friday night."

Carter said the track ended up not unlike most of the largest highspeed tracks on the schedule.

The racing surface was frequently single groove, often producing heat races that emphasized track position, but faster cars were able to make moves in lap traffic during the feature races. In fact, both Sprint Car features were decided over the closing laps and could have produced a traditional thrilling finish if not for the timing of the final caution.

"The track crew did a phenomenal job, giving us something to race on," Reutzel said. "There was a lot of hype going into this race. I’m glad the A-Main turned out good for them."

Carter said the racing exceeded his expectations, too.

"There was a lot of unknowns going into the weekend," Carter said. "The logistics of loading into the racetrack, and the speeds with the track itself, with tires and everything that has evolved with these cars over the last 20 years.

"Candidly, we didn't entirely know how it was going to come together and what that presentation would look like. I like to know everything but who is going to win a race heading into a weekend, and candidly I didn't have all the answers on Thursday morning, but worked on it.

"Every time we got on the racetrack, it got better, and I couldn't be more pleased with that."

Gravel swept the weekend, but it was an overall good event in terms of parity as two-time and defending champion Brad Sweet had the worst showing of the season by finishing 8th and 11th. That allowed Gravel to close within 60 points of the championship.

Beyond that, the potential Outlaws roster is over a dozen deep in potential winners every time it unloads for a race.

"This is the most competitive the World of Outlaws has ever been in my opinion," Carson Macedo said.

Carter echoed the sentiment.

"I can't tell you another year where the field was as deep and competitive as this," Carter said. "I am being honest. I'm biased clearly by my position, but I've been a Sprint Car fan my whole life, and I believe this to be true.

"When you look at the field, there are 10 competitors that could win the championship. They're probably not all in the running this year, but there's three or four that could win it this year, and the rest of them could win on any given night."

With the Kings Royal at Eldora and Knoxville Nationals still to come, Bristol was just the first of several majors on the schedule this year where Sprint Car competition can put that best foot forward to a national audience.

But how about the mainstream?

World of Outlaws tapped into the NASCAR audience with the Bristol Throwdown, but Carter has other ideas in the early planning stages over how to showcase his national touring divisions to a more diverse audience.

Imagine the World of Outlaws at State Farm Stadium in Arizona or Empower Field in Denver. Think of the World of Outlaws but with a FIA Supercross setting and atmosphere.

Carter has.

"We've looked at a couple of non-motorsports venues that want to have us during a typical season," Carter said. "There are some pretty massive marketplaces on the West Cost that have some big coliseums that have expressed interest in putting dirt on the inside of a football stadium.

"Those are the kind of ideas that could increase the awareness of what we do.

"We're not ever going to change what we do, but the key would be to show off what we do the other 90 nights a year to an audience that usually doesn't watch us. We're constantly looking for that. … We're eyeing a couple of different venues, but these are significant monumental tasks."

The World of Outlaws will always be at its best on traditional dirt tracks across the country, but a half-dozen events that showcase the professionalism and prestige of the Greatest Show on Dirt to a broader audience is the next frontier.

It’s a frontier that will likely include Bristol Motor Speedway as long it remains covered in dirt, too.

"It was very positive presentation of our sport and Bristol Motor Speedway is such an incredible facility," Carter said. "So, we're going to get some feedback before making decisions for the future. But I can say I didn’t see anything that would prevent us from going back.

"I just want to make sure we factor in everything to make sure we truly have the greatest show on dirt at the Last Great Coliseum."