Bristol Motor Speedway

BRISTOL, Tenn. – The 2007 season was anything but normal in the world of NASCAR.
Trouble signs included a 17 percent drop in television ratings, empty seats at nearly half the races, and much grumbling among traditional fans.
But there was no sign of trouble at Bristol Motor Speedway. While NASCAR leaders search for exposure in large media markets, cozy BMS continues to rank among the most popular venues in all of professional sports.
The speedway is easily the top attraction in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.
There have been 51 consecutive sellouts at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, and BMS ticket-holders can be found in all 50 states and 12 countries.
Bristol is the second-smallest market in NASCAR, yet more than 5 million fans have made the pilgrimage to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee since August 1982.
To the regulars on the traveling circus that is the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, Bristol is considered a refreshing and action-packed respite.
Award-winning journalist Monte Dutton of The Gaston Gazette has covered NASCAR from all angles over the past 15 years. According to Dutton, the popularity of a Bristol race transcends motorsports.
More than 160,000 fans will attend the Food City 500 on March 16 at BMS.
“A race at Bristol is an event,’’ said Dutton, the author of several popular NASCAR-themed books.

A Sprint Cup race at BMS offers an explosion of sights, sounds and color. Then there are the wrecks – lots of them.
“The track is narrow and fast, and the atmosphere is electric,’’ Dutton said. “I’ve heard a
race at Bristol likened to a pinball machine. In general, there are too many cars going too fast in too small a space. This makes excitement and controversy inevitable. It could be said that Bristol brings out the worst in drivers. From the fans’ perspective, that makes it the most exciting venue in the sport,’’ Dutton said.
Chilhowie, Va., native Eric McClure has experienced the ‘‘exciting’’ side of BMS as a driver.
“I really like racing at Bristol. It’s crazy-fast and really demanding physically,’’ said McClure, a regular in the NASCAR Nationwide [formerly Busch] Series. “The new surface is great ... getting to run two and three wide. It’s just a really cool place.’’
Even though he grew up less than an hour from BMS, McClure has been amazed by the growth and national appeal of his hometown track.

“It is always neat to see the hype and spectacle that is Bristol, with it being such a small town compared to most markets we go to,’’ McClure said. “Every stop we make in NASCAR, someone always asks if Chilhowie or Abingdon is near Bristol.”
Rob Edelstein has a different vantage point. The New York City resident has worked as TV Guide’s exclusive motorsports writer for 10 years in addition to writing two books on the subject.
“At TV Guide, NASCAR is appreciated, but not especially understood,’’ Edelstein said.
“When I want to explain to somebody, or at least try to explain, why NASCAR is so enrapturing, I take out my trusty VHS copy of the 1999 night race at Bristol, sit the editor in question down and make them watch the last 10 laps or so.
“I’ve done this three times and I’ve single-handedly created three NASCAR fans. Or rather, Bristol did it. The last time I did this was for a particularly cynical editor. He got to the end of the race and, eyes wide, said, ‘OK, I get it,’ ” he said.
To the dismay of many longtime fans, NASCAR gradually has been shedding its traditions in favor of mega tracks near large cities or media markets. For example, the cozy tracks at Rockingham and North Wilkesboro in North Carolina are now just a memory.
Yet fans keep coming to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee for their unique slice of heaven ruled by Speedway Motorsports kingpin Bruton Smith.
“Losing Bristol off the NASCAR schedule could never ever happen, because we couldn’t be without that bowl,’’ Edelstein said. “It doesn’t matter how many seats Bruton adds; it’s all about that bowl.
“That’s why the Night Race is the only event I always have to watch. More than the World Series, more than the Super Bowl, it’s the one sporting event every year where my kids know to leave Daddy alone.’’
FAST FACTS: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- When driver Darrell Waltrip won the Busch 500 in 1982, the first race in the streak of 51 straight sellouts at BMS, he earned $22,925.
- Tim Richmond won the pole for the race with a record lap of 112.507 mph that took 17.055 seconds to complete.
- Last August, Matt Kenseth won the Sharpie 500 at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile and took home $336,516.
- The qualifying record is now held by Ryan Newman, who set it in March 2001. It was 128.709 mph and took 14.908 seconds.