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Bristol Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Bristol International Raceway from 1978 to 1996 and as the Bristol International Speedway from 1961 to 1978) is a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) oval short track in Bristol, Tennessee. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1961, including NASCAR races, NCAA FBS college football games, and sprint car races. The track has been owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) since 1996 with Jerry Caldwell currently serving as the track's general manager. The track is served by the concurrent U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 11E, along with Tennessee State Route 394. The speedway has a capacity of 146,000 as of 2021, down from its peak of over 160,000. In addition to the Bristol Motor Speedway, the track's complex also features a two-lane, 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) long drag strip. The main track has also on several occasions been temporarily covered with dirt to host various types of dirt track racing, and on occasions has acted as a football stadium and field. On January 17, 1961, local Tennessean recreational conglomerate owner Larry Carrier announced his intentions of building a racetrack in Bristol, expanding his recreational conglomerate within the Tri-Cities, Tennessee, area. The track was constructed with no major issues, and opened in July of that same year for a speed record run by Johnson City, Tennessee, native Tommy Morgan. Since its opening, the track has gone through several owners and has overseen mass expansion since the current owners of the track bought it in 1996. The track has gained a reputation for close contact racing, with its annual NASCAR races becoming staples on the NASCAR schedule. Numerous famous and publicized moments from NASCAR were held at the track, including drivers fighting, drivers throwing helmets at cars out of anger, drivers spinning each other for the victory, and other moments of close contact racing associated with short track racing in general. Description Configuration The track in its current form is measured at 0.533 miles (0.858 km), with the track's turns ranging from 24 degrees to 30 degrees in banking. The straightaways are banked at four degrees at the bottom and progresses up to 9 degrees at the top. When the track was initially constructed, the track had 27 degrees of banking. Before 2007, the track marketed that the track's banking was 36 degrees; this was eventually later found to be incorrect, with the true banking being 30 degrees. When the track is temporarily covered with dirt, the track uses a progressing banking system from 16 to 19 degrees. The track is also the only track left on the NASCAR schedule that utilizes two pit road lanes instead of one, combined pit road lane. Amenities At the time of the track's initial construction, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that track had a capacity of 21,000, a press box, around 10,000 parking spaces, and shower rooms upon a 120-acre facility. The track has since seen mass expansion during the ownerships of Larry Carrier and Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI). As of 2023, the facility features a capacity of 146,000, down from its peak of 162,000. The facility also features a 30-by-63 foot television screen that hangs over the middle of the track that is named Colossus TV. Adjacent drag strip In 1964, plans for a drag strip were announced by then-track owner Larry Carrier and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) officials. After a hasty construction process, the 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) dragstrip was completed by May 1965. The dragstrip has gone under renovations since the 1990s, including an $18 million renovation in 1997. Track history Planning and construction In 1960, businessman Larry Carrier, continuing plans to expand a local recreation conglomerate within the Tri-Cities, Tennessee, area, wanted to build a race track. He drew up initial plans to build a track in Piney Flats, Tennessee, using land that his real-estate agent father had bought. However, the plan was rejected was local ministers in the area. Carrier instead opted to build the track five miles south on land that was formerly used as a dairy farm. Carrier, with later assistance from R. G. Pope and Carl R. Moore, drew ideas for the track on paper bags. On January 17, 1961, the three announced plans to build a 20,000-seat, 100-acre, 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) track adjacent to U.S. Route 11E at a budget from $750,000 to $1,000,000. Along with the announcement, two annual NASCAR-sanctioned races were announced, with further intentions to use the track for other entertainment purposes. Although groundbreaking on the facility was scheduled on January 23, it was delayed by two days to the 25th. The next month, new local modified races were announced at the track. By March, the track was selling tickets, with Tennessee Ernie Ford buying the first ticket. Within same month, Carrier was able to negotiate with Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall to hold a National Football League (NFL) exhibition game between the Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles after a failed attempt by Marshall to hold the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track was met with optimism throughout Tennessee and with sports personalities. The track was praised for its layout and amenities by team owner Bud Moore, driver Cotton Owens, and Redskins public relations director Dave Slattery. The Governor of Tennessee at the time, Buford Ellington, declared a "Volunteer 500" week in the state of Tennessee. Jimmy Smyth, a writer for the Johnson City Press, praised that local residents in the Tri-Cities area now had a track nearby instead of driving hundreds of miles to another track. Early years The track officially opened to the public on July 23, 1961, for a paved half-mile speed record attempt by driver Tommy Morgan. Two days later, the track opened for NASCAR-sanctioned activities, with a practice session for the 1961 Volunteer 500. The next year, Carrier announced in the Bristol Virginia–Tennessean of a new recreational building near the track along with highway renovations. The track was favored in the local media by this point; the Virginia–Tennessean declared the track to be the "best" and "fastest" half-mile track in the world. The track did face difficulties; according to Carrier, the 1961 NFL game lost them $36,000. As a result of the loss, Pope left the track soon after, leaving the track to be run by Carrier and Moore. In October 1964, the Bristol Herald Courier reported that the track was negotiating with National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) officials on building a proposed dragstrip. Two months later, the dragstrip project was officially announced by Carrier, with the facility announced to be a 27,000-seat, 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) long facility built on a 500-acre plot of land at a budget of $700,000. A month after the announcement, Russ DeVault, writer for the Herald Courier, predicted that Carrier was planning to build a bigger facility that was at least 1 mile (1.6 km) long.... Discover the Jeff Scalf popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jeff Scalf books.