My 1st Trip to Bristol

Racing at the Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway, Aug 25, 2012

Last August, I took my first trip to Bristol Motor Speedway. It was then that I realized what I had been missing for years. I had been missing out on a race like no other. This track is like no other, it's Bristol baby!

Located in the heart of the Tennessee mountatins, Bristol is a half mile short track that is rich in history. When you place 43 of the world’s best drivers in that type of atmosphere something is bound to happen. The racing is fast and the atmosphere is eletrifying.  

Every NASCAR fan should have Bristol on thier bucket list. It was there that I saw action like I’ve never seen before. It was pure excitement before the green flag ever waved.

A SCENIC VIEW

Bristol is a small town in northeast Tennessee, but there was nothing small about the scene I was experiencing when I left for the track that morning.

The morning view was pleasant, a glimmering sun beginning to peak its head from the clouds. I knew that when the sun retired for the day, I'd be sitting in thunder valley with the roar of both the race cars and fans both hungry action.

Dark skies with cars glowing under the lights, the smell of burning rubber and oil, sparks flyin’, I pondered exactly what my experience would be like at Bristol.

Based on what I’ve seen over the years from watching races here, I was getting giddier as the miles wined down. I knew this would be an experience would never forget.

The drive from Georgia gave me more than enough time to contemplate these thoughts. It felt as if I were a kid again, going to Disney World, only this time I was only going through the Applacihian Mountains.

As a traveled through Asheville, North Carolina and into Tennessee, I knew two things: 1) I was almost there and 2) the scenery that I was enjoying was nothing compared to what I was about to witness.

IT’S BRISTOL BABY

Finally I had arrived to the track “the fans” built.

When the track was repaved in 2007, it allowed for 2 and 3 wide racing. Many fans weren’t happy about this so they voiced their displeasure by not buying tickets to the races there. A track that was one of the hardest to get a ticket for finally was plagued by thousands of empty seats. This caused the track to make changes.

After the spring race here in 2012, track owner, Bruton Smith decided to make changes to the track and bring back the “old” Bristol - a one groove track that required drivers to use their front bumper to make passes. This was exciting for some fans because it was an attempt to bring the racing back to how it use to be.

At the request those fans, Bruton spent millions of dollars to grind down the grooves in the racetrack, making it harder for drivers to run 2 or 3 wide.

Personally, before they changed the track last year, I enjoyed the racing at Bristol since the repave in 2007. It was some of the best racing we had ever seen at Bristol. What was once a one groove-bump and run track had turned into a place where drivers could actually race. Isn't that the point of the sport?

Tweetup

Would Bruton's grinding of the bottom grove bring back the excitement this track once had? Would it bring back the "old Bristol" ?

 I got this answer as I walked towards the track.

Fans started filing into the track early Saturday afternoon. Everyone had smiles on their faces, even when looking at me. There was excitement and anticipation in the air. I knew we were in for something special.

After a fun Tweetup with appearances by Clint Bowyer, Ryan Blaney, and Charlotte Motor Speedway president, Marcus Smith (Bruton's son), it was time to light the rocket and get the party started.

After witnessing roughly 140,000 fans come to life during driver intros, my blood was racing through my veins. I couldn’t wait for the green flag to wave.

Finally, the Bristol night race was upon us.

A SHOW LIKE NO OTHER

Denny Hamlin was able to survive a wild race and “Wobble” his way into victory lane by winning the Food City 500 last August.

It was a good night for Hamlin, but a better night for Bristol Motor Speedway.

I was in awe when I arrived to the track. All of the preemptive thoughts that I pondered while traveling were afterthoughts. I had just seen one of the best races of the 2012 season and hands down the best race I’ve ever seen in person.

The fans got it all: cautions, drama, wrecks, and hard knuckle racing. What more could you ask for?

I don’t believe the track changes had anything to do with the show we all witnessed. If anything, the changes caused the bottom lane to become irrelevant and drivers were forced to run the middle and top groove of the track. It seemed really hard to pass, but drivers were giving it their all every lap, using the front bumper like the old days.

A frustrated Danica Patrick getting
ready to show her displeasure with Regan Smith

The fans showed up in full, and we all got more than our money’s worth.

From Hamlin dancing to the Wobble during driver intros, Montoya and Kyle Busch getting booed worse than Gordon in the old days, Stewart’s helmet toss at the 17, Danica’s finger wagging at Regan Smith,  and all the other thrills that Bristol produced, it was one hell of a night.

That excitement is the reason I became a NASCAR fan many years ago, and this track definitely lives up to its hype.

The start of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been uneventful so far. This will change this weekend as the sport heads back to thunder valley - a track like no other.

Words cannot begin to describe the experience I had last fall at Bristol Motor Speedway. So rather than continuing to try and explain it, check out some of the action from my vantage point back in August. 



 

 

 





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