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As Part Of Its 60th Anniversary Celebration, Bristol Motor Speedway Will Host Spring Food City Race On A Dirt Surface For The First Time In History

by Press Release October 1, 2020 0 comments

BRISTOL, Tenn.  – As part of Bristol Motor Speedway’s 60th anniversary celebration in 2021, a throwback challenge will be issued to the Gladiators in the NASCAR Cup Series by The Last Great Colosseum as the iconic half-mile bullring in Northeast Tennessee will be transformed into a state-of-the-art dirt racing facility for the Food City race on March 28.

The event will mark the first time the NASCAR Cup Series will compete on dirt in the sport’s modern era. The last time the Cup Series held a race on dirt was at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1970, won by Richard Petty.

It will be the third time that BMS will transform into a dirt facility, as the track converted to dirt to host the World of Outlaws in 2000 and 2001.

“As everyone knows, Bristol Motor Speedway is the home to big events and we feel like this will be one of the most anticipated races in the NASCAR Cup Series in quite some time,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “We have proven in the past that we know how to transform Bristol Motor Speedway into one of the most pristine dirt facilities anywhere around, so we can’t wait to see how the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will perform on the high banks at the World’s Fastest dirt Half-Mile.”

Season ticket packages for 2021 NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway are on sale today, and fans can also purchase single tickets for the March 28 Food City race. The Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race will once again be held in September as a cut-off race in the Round of 16 of the NASCAR Playoffs.

Founded in 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021 and has many exciting things planned during the year to reflect on the great moments that have made the multi-use sports and entertainment destination one of the very best for creating wow moments and cherished memories for fans. Home to epic NASCAR races and other major motorsports events, as well as NFL and college football games, a wide variety of music concerts and other captivating events, Bristol Motor Speedway has shined in the spotlight on many occasions throughout the past six decades.

The latest venture to host a return to NASCAR’s roots of dirt racing will certainly add to that legacy.

“We are blessed here at Bristol Motor Speedway to have held some really captivating events in the last 60 years,” Caldwell said. “Hosting the tradition-rich Food City race on dirt is certainly an event that will immediately jump on the list of some of the most compelling events that have taken center stage at Bristol Motor Speedway.”

To purchase season tickets to the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway or the 2021 Food City race, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends and in 2020 the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.

Source/Photo Credit: Bristol Motor Speedway