Bristol Motor Speedway

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Bristol Motor Speedway , formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a short NASCAR venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Built in 1960, it hosted its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is one of the most popular tracks in NASCAR's schedule due to its different features, which include very steep banking, all concrete surfaces, two pit streets , and seating like a stadium. It has also been named one of NASCAR's loudest tracks.

Video Bristol Motor Speedway

Overview

Bristol Motor Speedway is the fourth largest sports venue in America and the eighth largest in the world, accommodating up to 162,000 people. The track is so short that the speed here is much lower than that common in most NASCAR oval tracks, but is very fast compared to other short tracks due to high banking. These features create a large number of "paint exchanges" in the NASCAR race where the initial preliminary latters of 40 vehicles each at Monster Energy Cup Series & amp; The Xfinity series, and 32 in the Truck Series, extend almost around the track, meaning that the slower qualifiers start the race almost half-round down. The congestion inherent in this facility and the strength of cars and trucks have been likened to "flying fighter jets in a gymnasium". Tracks are one that tends to be loved or hated by fans and racers. Purists who grow by riding or racing on older short tracks located at exhibition venues and similar places tend to like Bristol, while those raised in superspeedway racing tend to curing at lower speeds.

The Bristol race is often the site of the highest number of yellow flags wailing attention in the NASCAR season; with so many cars in such a small space, the contact is almost inevitable. Until the Recipient Rules were instituted in 2004 (the rule was instituted after the race at Bristol in 2003), short lap lengths and unpredictable racing properties mean that this is one of the few NASCAR traces left where it is feasible for the driver to again won the race from a few laps down; on most modern tracks, especially superspeedways, it's almost impossible. The short lap length also cuts in another way; any unscheduled pit pit for reasons such as a truncated tire will cause the driver to drive two or more downwards because it is almost impossible to do anything on the car during the time it takes to complete a circuit, especially under the conditions of a green flag (about 15 seconds ). Thus, a loss of lap loss means the chances of getting a free ticket under the Recipient Rules are more difficult, because a driver losing two laps under a green pit stop must run past the leader before carefully waving to regain one of their laps back, except there is no car one round in the back.

The drag strip at this facility has long been nicknamed Thunder Valley . The two current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series held at Bristol are for 500 laps; the spring race (historic race days, however, the 2006 race ends under night conditions due to Standard Time and early afternoon) is sponsored by Food City's grocery area network, and is considered one of the ten NASCAR annual races. The late summer race (the popular night-time race, considered "the heaviest ticket in NASCAR" to gain) has been rotated among several sponsors. From 2001 to 2015, Newell Rubbermaid sponsors this race, first under the Sharpie brand (2001-2009) and then the Irwin Tools brand (2010-2015). Starting in 2016, Bass Pro Shops will be the main sponsor of the summer races, with the National Rifle Association as a secondary sponsor.

Bristol is a very fertile place for other levels and types of races; The Xfinity Series race here often attracts more than 100,000 viewers, making it one of the best Xfinity locations, and producing Fox networks that broadcast the national race from 2004 to 2006 and ABC did the same in 2007 and 2008.

In 2004, it was the first Xfinity Series race of the season that was broadcast on broadcast television networks, and the race, which had 150 rounds in 1982, 200 rounds in 1984, and 250 rounds since 1990, was a 300 lap race in 2006.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ran a stand-alone race in June 1995-1999 with NASCAR Autozone Elite Division, Southeast Series. Since 2003, the race is a midweek race (Wednesday) night as part of the weekend races in August. In 2009, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour run a combined race before the truck race. In 2017, the race for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour after NASCAR absorbed the Whalen Southern Modified Tour NASCAR to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour before the 2017 season.

Many fans come from the East Tennessee region, but thousands come from all parts of the country to experience the unique Bristol racing brand. Even out of season, the complex attracts fans during the Christmas season by facilitating the sight of a one-kilometer-long holiday light that culminates with a lap in the racecourse itself.

Corner banking

The old track advertises its banking with 36 degrees, which at one time makes it the most steep tracks used by NASCAR. However, BMS is now registering its banks at 24 to 30 degrees, reflecting the most recent resurfacing results in 2007.

Even before resurfacing, there are several disputes regarding the accuracy of the measurements. In the 1980s, ESPN often claimed the turn was turning at 35 degrees during a television show on the track. In an interview with Stock Car Racing, Larry Cothren, Ryan Newman's driver publicly debated the banking measurements from Bristol Motor Speedway turn. Newman's crew measured the banks during the test session to help with the arrangements, and found that the turns turned 26 degrees, rather than the 36 degrees advertised. An open test of the World Camping Truck Series notes that banks have declined after resurfacing, to 22-27 degrees, in variable banking configurations.

The pit path

Another anomaly is that the short overall length means there are two sets of holes, which also prevent the garage being built due to limited space. Until 2002, a slower start was lowered to the one in the backstretch. That year, rules were changed to form essentially one long pit path. So, Bristol has a unique rule about pit roads - as long as cautious, the driver who wants to pit must enter the pit road in turn 2, drive all the way down the stretch back through the apron from turns 3 and 4 and down the front stretch, out of the pit path on turn 1. This rule removes innate losses from pitting in the back stretch. During the green flag pit stop, the cars with pit stall in the rear stretch enter the pits in turn 2 and exit in turn 3; people with holes in the front stretch get in on turn 4 and get out in turn 1. Because of the newly instituted pit rules, some drivers (especially Jeff Gordon) have made a big mistake during the green pit stop flag by driving through both pit streets when only needed to stop the green flag pit.

Maps Bristol Motor Speedway

Track history

Bristol Motor Speedway can be easily opened in 1961 under a different name. The first site proposed for the speedway is in Piney Flats, Tennessee, but, according to Carl Moore, who built the track along with Larry Carrier and R. G. Pope, the idea met with local opposition. So the path that could be called Piney Flats International Speedway was built 5 miles (8.0 km) on the road on the 11-E US Highway in Bristol. The land where Bristol Motor Speedway was built earlier was part of Gray's Dairy, at one point one of the largest dairies in the eastern United States. Larry Carrier and Carl Moore traveled to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 to watch the race and that's when they decided to build a speedway in northeast Tennessee. However, they wanted a smaller CMS model, something with a more intimate setting and chose to set up a 0.5 mile (800 m) facility instead of reflecting the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) track in Charlotte.

The work began on what was then called Bristol International Speedway in 1960 and took about a year to complete. Carrier, Moore, and the Pope scratched many ideas for songs on envelopes and brown paper bags.

The purchase of land where BMS is now located, as well as the initial construction of the trajectory, cost about $ 600,000. The entire layout for BMS includes 100 acres (0.40 km ² ) and provides parking for more than 12,000 cars. The track itself is perfect.5 miles (800 m), measuring 60 feet (18 m) wide in straightaways, 75 feet (23 m) wide around the bend, and turns turns at 22 degrees. The seat capacity for the first NASCAR race at BMS - held on July 30, 1961 - is 18,000. Prior to this race, the speedway became the host of weekly races. The first driver on the track to practice on July 27, 1961 was Tiny Lund at his Pontiac. The second driver is David Pearson. Fred Lorenzen won the pole for the first race at BMS with a speed of 79.225 mph (127,500 km/h). Atlanta Jack Smith won the inaugural event - Volunteer 500 - at BMS. However, Smith was not in the driver's seat of the Pontiac when the race ended. Smith drove the first 290 rounds then had to have Johnny Allen, also from Atlanta, take over as his aid driver. Both share a $ 3,225 wallet. Total wallet for the race is $ 16,625. Country music star Brenda Lee, who was 17 years old at the time, sang the national anthem for the first race at BMS. A total of 42 cars started the first race at BMS but only 19 were completed.

In the fall of 1969, the BMS was reshaped and re-measured. The turn turns at 36 degrees and it becomes oval 0.533 miles (858 m).

The Speedway was sold after the 1976 season to Lanny Hester and Gary Baker. In the spring of 1978, the name of the track was changed to Bristol International Raceway . In August of that year, the first night race was held in an oval, one of which would be one of the most popular and highly anticipated events on the NASCAR Cup Monster Energy Series calendar.

On April 1, 1982, Lanny Hester sold half his speed to Warner Hodgdon. On July 6, 1983, Hodgdon completed a 100 percent purchase of Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as Nashville Speedway, in a buy-sell agreement with Baker. Hodgdon was named Larry Carrier as general manager of the track. On January 11, 1985, Hodgdon filed for bankruptcy. After that, Larry Carrier officially took over the highway and closed all his debts.

Over the years, teams were unable to park their transporters in the field, nor were there any tracks that had significant garage areas. Team carriers are parked in many places off the track. During the racing period, crew and participants are trapped by trajectories, and thus, unable to return to transportation for parts, repairs, or breaks. In the early 1990s, infields were preconfigured and completely paved. The team began parking the transporter in an organized and very tight setting that took several hours, and a highly skilled driver to achieve it. Teams can now work from their transporters in the same way as other facilities.

In 1992, the highway left the asphalt surface that had been used since its inception, switched to the now famous concrete surface.

On January 22, 1996, Larry Carrier sold speedway to Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) Bruton Smith, for a purchase price of $ 26 million. At the time of sale, the facility was sitting 71,000. On May 28th of the same year, the name of the song was officially changed to Bristol Motor Speedway . In August, 15,000 seats have been added so the seating capacity to 86,000.

BMS continued to grow and by April 1997, it was Tennessee's largest sports arena and one of the largest in the country, with 118,000 seats. Speedway also boasts 22 new skyboxes. For the Goody 500 in 1998, the speedway featured more than 131,000 seats in the stands and 100 skyboxes. Improvements in speed since Smith took over more than $ 50 million. Under Smith's ownership, all seating sections have been renamed to previous race winners and NASCAR champions.

Capacity for 2000 Food City 500 is 147,000 when Kulwicki Terrace and Kulwicki Tower are completed. Both were named after NASCAR star Alan Kulwicki, who was the Series Cup winner when he died in a plane crash in 1993 while en route to the spring race at Bristol, which he won the previous year. In honor of the retirement of star Darrell Waltrip, the entire Turn 3 and 4 parts were renamed in his honor in 2000, including a seat section in Turn 4 near the beginning-end line marked as free alcohol. (Waltrip refused to drive for the team in 1987 because his sponsor was associated with alcoholic beverages.) The section is also named in honor of the Allison family and David Pearson as part of the grandstands renaming.

In 2000 and 2001, the track was temporarily converted into a dirt track to host the World of Outlaws' Channellock Challenge. The conversion involves removing 8,000 cubic feet (230 m ³ ) from the red clay to the track surface. 700 cubic meters (540 m ³ ) of sawdust is placed first to cover the paved surface. The track was widened 12 feet (3.7 m) to 14 feet (4.3 m) and banks were reduced from 36 Â ° to somewhere between 22 Â ° to 24 Â °. Although the race proved to be very popular, the temporary surface mounting and removal process required 14,000 truckloads to be sent in and out of extremely heavy tracks in the streets around the track.

As has been the case since SMI purchases from SMJ, the increase continued at and around Speedway in 2002. This season saw the long-awaited addition of pedestrian tunnels, allowing access in and out of the infield during activity on the track. Also in 2002, a new building was built in the middle of the field for meeting a chauffeur home. In the same year also witnessed the baptism of the new BMS Victory Over the newly built building. Kurt Busch won Food City 500 in 2002 on March 24 and became the first Cup winner in the new BMS winner circle. Additional improvements in 2002 include new scoreboards located in facing suites at Turns 2 and 3. On Monday, August 26, 2002, work began on the most ambitious construction project since the purchase of SMI in 1996. All backstretch, including the last remaining concrete seats from Speedway, destroyed. The new backstretch increases seating capacity to over 160,000 places. The new backstretch includes three levels of seating and comes with 52 luxurious skybox suites. The seat is also named for prominent NASCAR figures, with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson each having a section of new seats named for them; Dale Earnhardt was given the upper part in his memory.

A total of 5,000 seats at turns 1 and 2 of the stands, above Alan Kulwicki Grandstand, now named Rusty Wallace Tower. Additional enhancements include a tagging pole with a four-sided video screen like the one in the sports arena that hangs from their ceiling; after the 2007 Food City 500, reassembling the entire concrete track along with a 3-foot (0.91 m) trajectory and reshaping the bank bend variables, completed for the 2007 Sharpie 500 in August and their support show at Busch (now Xfinity Series ) and Craftsman Truck Series (now Camping World Truck series).

The 2006 Pixar Movie Cars used Bristol Motor Speedway as an inspiration for the fictional Motor Speedway from the South, featured in the movie opening scene. NASCAR director and fan John Lasseter made it a 1 mile track, compared to Bristol half a mile, to make straightaways a little longer for some scenes and allow for fans in the middle of the field.

The Guinness World Record was set in August 2008 when people who sold out solved the biggest mass waves in history.

Another world record set in August 2009 for the biggest karaoke with a sold-out audience. Later, when the race was marked red, the crowd waves again, apparently tying the world record.

On Saturday, March 20, 2010, during NASCAR's "Saturday Night Showdown", where retired NASCAR drivers were driving in a 35-lap race for charity, a terrible accident involving Larry Pearson and Charlie Glotzbach ended in a near tragedy. The race was directly under a red flag. Pearson spins in turn 2, and when his car slides onto the track, Glotzbach comes out of the 2nd corner and bumps into Pearson's car door. When Glotzbach got out of his car and went to the infield treatment center, Pearson was unconscious in his car as rescue workers saw off the roof of the car to pull it out. After they had pulled out Pearson, he regained consciousness, as his brothers and sisters reported to him. They also reported that Larry could move his arm. Pearson is the air that is lifted to the nearest hospital. Then, Glotzbach was taken to the same hospital. Before the race began, NASCAR legend David Pearson (Larry's father), who also raced that day, retired from the race and went to the hospital to see his son.

In the week ending August 21, 2010, Kyle Busch became the first rider to ever win a race in the NASCAR national series during a race meeting. He started his historic week by winning the Truck race on Wednesday. Two days later, he won the Nationwide race following an incident with Brad Keselowski. At the end of the race, both raced to lead the sides before Keselowski crashed into Busch during graduation. Busch responded with a louder bump to Keselowski, rotating the last one out. After the race, the two stared at each other. Then, during the driver's introduction immediately before the Cup series race, Keselowski introduces himself and then shouts "Kyle Busch is a donkey!" In the end, there was no incident between them in the Cup race. Busch also exchanged words with David Reutimann after the Cup race.

Busch will repeat this feat at Bristol in 2017, once again winning all 3 races during one weekend race.

By 2016 the tagging pole is replaced with a large 4-sided screen hung with cables above the infield center. Named "Colossus TV", the track claims to be the largest outdoor hanging screen in the world, with each screen measuring 30 feet (9.1 m) to 63 feet (19 m).

BMS has announced a new show called Short Track AS Nationals in May 2017. The event will feature five car classes featured on local weekly tracks: Super Late Models, Late Model (Crate), Southern Modifieds, Late Stock Model, Stock Streets, and Compact (4 cylinder). The Champion Racing Association will be the main body in this event. Super Final Model Class is co-sanctioned with CRA Super Series, CARS Super Late Model Tour, and Super Series South car.

In 2016, 2017, and 2018, TrackBite PJ1 is applied at the bottom of the track in an effort to recover the races in the bottom groove that have been lost with changes in banking in 2007 and 2012.

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Bristol Dragway

In addition to the speedway, there is a 0.25 mile (0.40 km) dragstrip that hosts the annual NHRA annual event, NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Prior to his status as NHRA national event track, Bristol Dragway was the main strip of rival IHRA organization; owner of the Larry Carrier strip formed IHRA at Bristol Dragway in November 1970. The relationship ended when Bruton Smith took ownership of it. The dragstrip has long been nicknamed The Thunder Valley because of its location and the surrounding landscape.

Bristol Dragway hosts all 3 NHRA national tour series, plus NHRA Summit Racing Equipment Racing Series, NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, AHDRA, and Super Chevy Show.

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Non-motorsports usage

In the fall of 2002, students from Sullivan East High School in Bluff City, Tennessee attended skyboxes at Speedway as a temporary school facility, due to a black fungal outbreak that closed school for nearly 6 weeks.

In October 2010, Remote Area Medical held a health clinic on infield track, providing free vision care, dental and general-medical care to people who did not have health insurance. The free clinic at Bristol Motor Speedway has become an annual event with Tri-Cities Remote Area Medical continuing service on the infield motorway in spring 2012 and again in spring 2013.

During the holiday season, Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the Pinnacle Speedway in Lights, an event featuring Christmas lights along the 5-mile route around Speedway and its grounds, as well as other activities. This event is useful for local charities.

Football

In 1961, the track hosted a preseason game of the National Football League between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

In 2005, Bruton Smith's landlord made a public offering of $ 20 million per year to the University of Tennessee (UT) and Virginia Tech to schedule a non-conference college football game between Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies. Smith suggested that grass could be planted in the middle of the racetrack. Virginia Tech showed great interest and almost approved the proposal, but UT, on the other hand, showed little or no interest and even avoided the offer that made this possibility eventually fall by the wayside.

On October 14, 2013, after years of trying to schedule a match, Virginia Tech, UT, and Bristol Motor Speedway announced plans for the game to be held on Saturday, September 10, 2016. The organizers envisioned a presence for non-conference matches, dubbed Battle in Bristol , to attract 150,000 spectators, who will surpass the current NCAA record for the 115.109 highest single attendance hosted by Michigan. The location of Bristol Motor Speedway near the Virginia/Tennessee state line places a game about 125 miles (201 km) from the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, and about 110 miles (180 km) from the UT campus in Knoxville. The game, won 45-24 by Volunteers, drew the announced crowd of 156,990, breaking the previous record by over 40,000.

The football field remained there for a week after the Tennessee-Virginia Tech game. On September 17, local East Tennessee State Buccaneers played their scheduled Southern Conference home matches against the Western Carolina Catamounts at BMS, an event that was billed as Bucs in Bristol. It was the first Southern Conference home match of ETSU since dropping football after the 2003 season, not restoring the sport until 2015. The Buccaneer returned from a 21-3 second deficit in the quarter to win 34-31.

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Races

Current

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Food City 500 (1961-present)
Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (1961-present)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (1982-1983, 1985-present)
Food City 300 (1982-sekarang)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

UNOH 200 (1995-1999, 2003-present)

NASCAR K & amp; N Pro Series East

Zombie Auto 150 (2012-sekarang)

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour/Whelen Southern Modified Tour

UNOH Perfect Storm 150 (2009-sekarang)

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series

NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals (1999-present)

Former

ASA National Tour (1982-1983)

The ARTGO Challenge Series (1987)

ASA Late Model Series (2007-2008)

The ARCA Racing Series is presented by Menards

Tennessee 500 (1968-1969)

CARS Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series

Food City 150 (2004-2008, 2010)

Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals (2008)

INEX raceCeiver Legends Car Series/Bandoleros

Battle of Bristol (2007-2008)

Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series (2011)

NASCAR All Pro Series (1982-1983, 1994-1997, 1999-2002)

NASCAR Goody's Dash Series (1975, 1978-1981, 1986-1987, 1994-2003)

NASCAR Grand Touring (1968)

NASCAR Late Model Sportsman National Championship (1972, 1977-1978)

Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship (2013)

Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship Lites (2013)

Rolling Thunder Modifieds (2011)

End Model Series UARA-STARS (2004-2005, 2007-2009)

World of Outlaws Sprint Cars

Channellock Challenge (2000-2001)

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Recordings

• Overall the fastest laps: Brian Gerster, 12,742 s [150,585 miles per hour (242,343 km/h)] October 1, 2011
• Energy NASCAR Cup Series Monsters Qualifications: Denny Hamlin, 14,573 s [131,668 miles per hour (211,899 km/h)], August 19, 2016
• Energy Monster NASCAR Cup Series Race (500 rounds): Charlie Glotzbach, 2 hours 38 minutes 12 seconds [101,074 miles per hour (162,663 km/h)], 11 July 1971
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifications: Kyle Larson, 14,992 s [127,988 miles per hour (205.97 km/h)], April 22, 2017
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (300 rounds): Kyle Busch, 2:13:59 [71606 miles per hour (115,239 km/h)], March 25, 2006
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (250 rounds): Harry Gant, 1 hour 26 minutes 2 s [92.929 miles per hour (149.555 km/h)], April 4, 1992
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Qualifying Series: Kyle Busch, 14,827 s [129,413 miles per hour (208,270 km/h)], August 16, 2017
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race: 200 Travis Kvapil, 1 hour 12 minutes 1 s [
• NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Qualifications: Woody Pitkat, 14,654 s [130,940 miles per hour (210,728 km/h)], 2015
• Final ASA Model Series Qualifications: Justin Larson, 15,147 s [126,678mph (203,868Ã, km/h)], 2008
• On March 25, 2007, the first race featuring NASCAR's new car design, "Car of Tomorrow" (COT) was run at Bristol Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the first pole award at Car of Tomorrow, and Kyle Busch won the race, becoming the first winner in the COT.
• On August 25, 2008 at Sharpie 500, Bristol Motor Speedway set the Guinness World Record for the Largest Stunt Card performed at one time. The action was performed by NASCAR fans who attended the event during the National Anthem. The action began with an American Flag covering the entire stands during the National Anthem and then followed by another action which was an advertisement for the Sprint Nextel Fan Lottery.
• Bristol Motor Speedway is a true amphitheater, fully enclosed by seating, and accommodates 165,000 people, making it the largest in the world. For comparison, Roman Colosseum seating capacity is 50,000 and Circus Maximus, a hippodrome, can accommodate about 150,000 spectators.

Energy Monster NASCAR Cup Series records

(Mulai 8/17/17)

Mostly won by active drivers [7] [Kyle Busch]

* from minimum 5 starts

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References

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External links

• The Bristol Motor Speedway Official Website
• The results of the Bristol Motor Speedway race in Racing-References
• The Bristol Motor Speedway page at NASCAR.com
• GNEXTINC.com: Bristol Motor Speedway page - Local area information, track specifications, mapping, news, and more.
• Jayski's Bristol Motor Speedway Page - Current Motorcycle Speedway News and Bristol's Past
• Graph of Bristol Motor Speedway Seating

Source of the article : Wikipedia