BREAKING NEWS: Bristol Motor Speedway, Food City Announce Caravan Ticket Tour
Published: January 6, 2009
Updated: January 6, 2009
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Bristol Motor Speedway and Food City are bringing the product to the people.
NASCAR’s most famous track and the three-state, 92-store supermarket chain announced Tuesday afternoon a joint venture that will make NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 tickets for the March 22 race available to regional racing fans at participating Food City grocery stores.
Dubbed the Food City 500 Fan Appreciation Caravan Tour, the 29-store jaunt opens today and runs through Feb. 14, and it visits outlets in Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky.
While the push of the caravan tour is to reach out to fans and help market the nearly 17-year relationship between BMS and Food City – the second-oldest track-sponsor relationship in NASCAR – the basic idea is to sell more race tickets.
Bristol Motor Speedway has sold out 53-consecutive Cup races, dating back to Aug. 28, 1982.
But the streak is in jeopardy.
A sinking national economy, now mired in a full recession, coupled with a variety of issues facing NASCAR, has an energized BMS crew scrambling to come up with new ideas and ways to reach out to race fans.
According to Steve Smith, Food City president and CEO, the single Cup tickets made available to fans are renewable and will be desirable ones – tickets will be pulled from Food City’s corporate collection.
“Our seats are good seats,” Smith said. “There’s not too many bad seats in the house.”
Tuesday’s promotional announcement follows a move by BMS on Dec. 22, 2008, to make a limited supply of NASCAR Cup race season tickets available to fans – the first time in 12 years the half-mile, 160,000-seat capacity track has made such an offer.
Jeff Byrd, Bristol Motor Speedway president and general manger, sounded confident BMS would be able to sell out the March 22 Cup race.
“We have a better chance of selling out the Spring race than any track in NASCAR,” Byrd said, adding that some NASCAR tracks with rapidly approaching Cup dates still have upwards of 100,000 tickets still available.
Asked how many tickets are still available for the March 22 Cup date at BMS, Byrd said, “There are thousands of tickets, but not multiples of thousands.”
According to Byrd, the deciding factor as to whether BMS’ sellout streak will continue is a large block of marketing tickets that have a late deadline for purchase.
The relationship between Bristol Motor Speedway and Food City dates back to April 1992.
“Food City’s been such a good partner,” Byrd said. “Too often in this business, tracks tend to take those partners for granted.”
The first stop on the caravan tour is set for today at Food City store No. 699, located in Piney Flats, Tenn., while a visit planned for Feb. 14 to store No. 605 in Kingsport, Tenn., will end the journey.
Along the way, Food City stores in Knoxville, Tenn., Marion, Va., and Pikeville, Ky., among others, will receive a presentation run by BMS employees scheduled from 3-7 p.m. at each location. The event will be filled with promotional giveaways, and a chance to win a grand-prize package that includes VIP suite passes for the entire NASCAR race weekend in March, as well as pit and hospitality passes.
Joni Cole, BMS marketing and customer service coordinator, said she was excited for the opportunity to meet and interact with fans she normally only deals with from afar.
“Everybody’s saying this is kinda exciting,” Cole said. “This is going to be fun to be able to be out there. Because a lot of people during race time are in at their desk, selling tickets in the ticket office.”
Tuesday’s promotional announcement was preceded with news that Ford will be the official vehicle of BMS in 2009, replacing General Motors. Bristol Motor Speedway signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Tri-Cities and Charleston Ford Dealer Advertising Group on Monday.
In addition, Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports, which owns BMS and six other race tracks, announced Jan. 2 it had acquired Kentucky Speedway, a 1.5-mile, 66,000-seat track located in Sparta, Ky.
|(276) 645-2569
Date Store Location
1/7 Piney Flats, Tenn.
1/8 Bristol, Va. (Bonham Rd)
1/9 Greeneville, Tenn. (Snapps Ferry Rd)
1/10 Knoxville, Tenn. (Strawberry Plains)
1/11 Johnson City, Tenn. (South Roan St)
1/12 Sevierville, Tenn.
1/15 Vansant, Va.
1/17 Newport, Tenn. (Western Plaza)
1/17 Pikeville, Ky. (Cassidy Blvd)
1/18 Richlands, Va.
1/19 Knoxville, Tenn. (Chapman Hwy./Mtn. Grove Dr)
1/22 Rogersville, Tenn.
1/23 Oak Ridge, Tenn.
1/24 Middlesboro, Ky.
1/25 Marion, Va.
1/26 Maryville, Tenn.
1/29 Paintsville, Ky.
1/30 Dandridge, Tenn.
1/31 St. Paul, Va.
2/1 Knoxville, Tenn. (Fountain City) *** noon-4 p.m.
2/2 Lenoir City, Tenn.
2/5 Gray, Tenn.
2/6 Morristown, Tenn. (Andrew Johnson Hwy)
2/7 Kingston, Tenn.
2/8 Wise, Va.
2/9 Knoxville, Tenn. (Peters Rd)
2/12 Blountville, Tenn.
2/13 Crossville, Tenn.
2/14 Kingsport, Tenn. (Eastman Rd)
Tickets will be sold Jan. 7 through Feb. 14 between 3-7 p.m., with the exception of Feb. 1, which will run from noon-4 p.m.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
does anyone else here love the fact that they’re only stopping at one Bristol are Food City? Don’t get me wrong here, I love the races, hate the traffic though, but still I think it’s the best thing ever for our local economy. But still, maybe they should pay a bit more respect to the Bristol natives and not the people in the Knoville area.
AMA Dragbike has chose NOT to race at Bristol in 2009 due to many factors, including their lack of advertising to promote events, low turnouts, poor track prep and Bristols general attitude of they are the almighty. Many events are not happy with the way Bristol is doing things and they feel they are so big they no longer have to work to attract people. Glad to see they are getting a reality check.
I’ve already posted a couple of comments, but have one other point that could maybe keep folks from stressing out over this caravan tour. (and I give due respect to those who exercise their First Admendment right). This is good business. Mr. Byrd stated in the article that a marketing firm had gone beyond the deadline to renew their block of tickets…they’re for sale. That’s what would happen to my tickets if I failed to renew by the deadline. Anyway, if you’re not a race fan, you need to know that sponsors come and go. Mr. Byrd has no trouble getting top dollar for those tickets from the “inside”, if you know what I mean. I think he’s being generous by giving the opportunity to the public…and at the same time, partnered with a RACE sponsor (vs team sponsor). Believe that each community visited will benefit.
UNBELIEVEABLE. 
It’s all about the money u c. It’s not loyal customers they’re really looking for it’s loyal race fans - loyal race fans eat, drink and be merry.
You people are idiots. Read this article and learn something.
BRISTOL, Tenn. (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)—It has been well documented that the NASCAR and NHRA events held yearly at Bristol Motor Speedway and Bristol Dragway have a tremendous financial impact, pumping a stimulus of more than $1.9 billion into the region’s economy.
Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway host events year-round that also draw thousands of people to the area from all over the United States as well as internationally, resulting in a substantial amount of extra dollars for the area.And the latest has come at a time when it is sorely needed, considering the state of the economy.
Over a 24-day period, beginning with the AMA Dragbike Summer Nationals, which took place June 20-22, going through this week’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Junior Drag Racing League Eastern Conference Finals in Thunder Valley, the local economy will directly benefit to the tune of more than $4,589,581 million and $13,768,745 million indirectly.
The two Junior Drag events alone will draw more approximately 800 competitors over a 10-day time frame from nearly 30 states, including Wisconsin, Iowa and Connecticut, and internationally as well with competitors from Canada, Ireland and Australia resulting in $2,899,650 going directly into the local economy with an indirect impact of $8,698,950.
The AMA Bike Summer Nationals, which took place for the first time at Bristol Dragway this year, drew nearly 400 racers from 25 states, including California and Montana, as well as Canada. The direct impact of that event on the local economy was $988,971, translating to an indirect impact of $2,966,915.
The Saturday Spectacular, held last Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, drew in excess of 4,000 spectators, along with 50 competitors, impacted the local economy indirectly with $2,102,880 and directly with $700,960.
Combined with the two NASCAR weekends in the spring and August and the NHRA event, as well as Speedway in Lights and other events held at Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway throughout the year, the direct economic events at the facility bring an estimated $450 million in direct economic impact and more than $1.9 billion in indirect stimulus to the region.
To OutLookin’IN: I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m a native of Bristol, leaving directly after high school some (almost) 40 years ago…not getting more than 800 miles away though, & visit often. At any rate, you’re right. I’ve sat on the concrete grandstands when attendance was at 3,000…& have collected relics of demolition over the years. The negative attitude of even those few locals, makes my brow wrinkle. I see improvement around Bristol…and there’s room for more, but I’m fairly certain that the popularity of the world’s fastest half-mile had something to do with it. Thanks to Bruton for sharing his wealth; thanks to those rowdy fans for their passion. I’m a stockholder in Speedway Motorsports—bought several as souvenir and gifts back in ‘95. Come on Bristol, wake up, there could be a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.
Are you folks that uninformed or just bitter? Lived in Tri Cities for little over 15 years and if I remember correctly, those low down race fans from out of town buy their food at your restaurants, groceries, gas & supplies at your stores, stay in your hotels, etc. Evidently Bristol is not in the same situation as the rest of the country and can sustain itself on it’s local economy and unemployment is not a concern for your residents? Or do you folks not have family and friends that work in those same stores, hotels & restaurants? Instead of spitting sour grapes at Bruton Smith & BMS, you may want to consider the economic impact on the Tri Cities without those nasty invasions by NASCAR and NHRA fans!
Right here’s the whole jist of this concept…it’s stated clearly in the article.
While the push of the caravan tour is to reach out to fans and help market the nearly 17-year relationship between BMS and Food City – the second-oldest track-sponsor relationship in NASCAR – the basic idea is to sell more race tickets.
My my my. I think the old labels of Terry’s, Kay’s, and Valleydale are more interesting than this.
Food City is always thanked for their great help!!! Check and compare their prices with other stores and you’ll understand why they can afford to do more than some other local businesses. Most of us have to “bargain” shop nowadays with power bills, etc. skyrocketing.
Dubbed the “Oh god please buy our overpriced, cold weather, crappy racing tickets”
Limited tickets… Thats why its a month and a half long tour of 29 locations.
I can’t wait to see the new headlines boasting about how it’s the always sold out, and how they are again sold out. After this desperate attempt to sell them.
Advertisement