Bristol Motor Speedway officials hope Edwards-Keselowski rivalry will spark ticket sales.

BRISTOL, Tenn. – NASCAR officials and fans cringed last week as the simmering rivalry between NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski culminated with a spectacular accident at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Many pundits have since criticized Edwards for his headline-grabbing act of retribution, but the controversy has breathed life into a sport suffering from lackluster television ratings, empty seats and lukewarm sponsorship.

Naturally, the advertising campaign for the March 21 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway has played off the Edwards-Keselowksi feud. And according to BMS Vice President of Public Affairs Kevin Triplett, the promotional ploy is working.

“Tickets sales have picked up,” Triplett said.

The first wave of fans arrived in Bristol earlier this week. Traffic around the surrounding Bristol area will increase with each day.

For the second straight year one of the prime storylines entering the March race weekend at Bristol centers around one of the most enduring streaks in motorsports. Every Sprint Cup event at BMS since 1982, a total of 55 races, has sold out.

BMS president Jeff Byrd was not able to declare a sellout for last year’s Food City 500 until the day before the race, and the streak is in peril once again.

Track officials hope the return of a 35-lap race for retired NASCAR greats will also draw additional fans. The Scotts EZ-Seed Showdown will feature 12 drivers, including legends such as David Pearson, Harry Gant and Cale Yarborough.

For whatever reason, the ticket demand has picked up at BMS.

“While we have heavily promoted the rivalry between Edwards and Keselowski through our radio spots, we have no way of knowing if the increase has occurred because of that or the Scotts EZ-Seed Showdown race or because we’re a week out from the Food City 500,” Triplett said. “Regardless of the increase, we still have plenty of good seats left and we hope people take advantage of that.”

Due to the popularity of the half-mile oval, there was once a long waiting list for Bristol Motor Speedway tickets. The woes of the corporate world carried over to the sports world last year, with many small and large companies relinquishing their tickets for NASCAR events.
BMS worked with advertising agencies last year to develop splashy national print and television efforts. That effort has been amped up this year, especially during nationally-televised NASCAR events.

“We have spent proportionately more in advertising that we every have spent before,” Triplett said.

The Edwards-Keselowski spat has been more effective than any creative marketing campaign. With two laps remaining the 325-lap race, Edwards sent the Keselowski car into a wild 190-mph spin and airborne crash into the frontstretch wall.

Edwards, who later admitted to being at fault, earned a three-race probation from NASCAR. That probationary begins with Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol.

Edwards and Keselowski will also be among a large contingent of Sprint Cup drivers competing in Saturday’s Scotts Turf Builder 300 Nationwide Series race. That group includes former BMS Nationwide winners Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch.

There have been 15 different winners in the last 20 Nationwide events at BMS. The only repeat winners during that time span are Harvick with five victories and Matt Kenseth with two.
Ticket prices for the Food City 500 start at $93, while tickets for Saturday’s Nationwide-EZ Seed Showdown start at $45.

The Food City Family Race Night program will be held on Friday from 4-9 p.m. at the BMS hospitality area. The highlight of the program will be a question-and-answer session including drivers such as defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Kenseth, Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray and David Ragan
A number of drivers, including Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer, will then take part in a Wii video game contest.

agregory@bristolnews.com I (276) 645-2544.