Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway

Gentlemen! Start your Engines… and with that statement, the revving up of the engines, the roar of the crowd and all eyes watching as the green flag is dropped to start the race-- to begin just one of the races at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile Oval at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS). Events so large that it takes a solid week in the spring and again in late summer to hold everything scheduled. The whole world watches via all of sports television.

BMS began in the minds of three area businessmen some fifty years ago. Larry Carrier, Carl Moore and R G Pope would sit, sipping coffee and jotting down ideas and designs on napkins and brown paper bags after a trip to a race at Charlotte which soon developed into their first reality, Bristol International Speedway in 1961. Originally a 100-acre dairy farm which blossomed into concrete and steel visited twice a year by tens of thousands of loyal race fans that cheer on their favorites in search of a dream and domination of the coveted championship at Bristol.

Bristol, the host, as well as Kingsport, Johnson City and Elizabethton all upper east Tennessee cities entertains race fans and visitors from all over the world during the 2 weeks devoted annually to the sport of racing; where the top racers in the country are competing for the trophy and prize money. The drivers and fans interact in events that delight the sponsors and local merchants who share in the bounty of extra funds generated by upwards of 160,000 faithfuls from all over the world.

Kyle Busch captured the Sprint Cup race at the Bristol Motor Speedway last evening, the 100th race at BMS and the third win for Busch in his Toyota Double Mint green machine this year. History was also made for the first time ever when he made a ‘clean sweep’ by wining all three races in one weekend. The crowds went wild as he did donuts in front of the stands before exiting his famed number 18 Toyota speedster after receiving his checkered flag

Next year BMS will celebrate 50 years of racing at the facility and planners are already gearing up for monumental events created to amuse and entertain the fans of NASCAR racing everywhere as well as the local citizenry of upper Eastern Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia. Tickets can be purchased online at the web site. Come early and join in the fever as it swells to the grandest contest at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile Oval – Bristol Motor Speedway.

© 2010 SamSonS