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 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 speedway has a capacity of 146,000 as of 2021. In addition to the main oval, the facility's complex also features a two-lane, long drag strip. Bristol Motor Speedway is currently owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) with Jerry Caldwell serving as the track's general manager.
On January 17, 1961, local Tennessean recreational conglomerate businessman 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. Carrier ran the track until 1977, when it was sold to businessmen Gary Baker and Lanny Hester. The duo's ownership was quickly bought out by Warner W. Hodgdon, who ran the facility until 1986 when Hodgdon suffered financial troubles. Carrier later regained control of the facility, owning it until 1996 when Bruton Smith bought control of it. Since Smith's purchase, BMS underwent major expansion, becoming one of the largest sporting facilities in the United States.
Description
Configuration Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) in its current form is measured at , with the track's turns ranging from 24 degrees to 28 degrees in banking. The straightaways are banked at four degrees at the bottom and progresses up to 8 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 the 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 2024, 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 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 his real-estate agent father had bought. However, the plan was rejected by local ministers in the area. Carrier instead opted to build the track five miles south on land formerly used as a dairy farm. Carrier, with later assistance from R. G. Pope and Carl R. Moore, drew up ideas for the track on paper bags. On January 17, 1961, the three announced plans to build a 20,000-seat, 100-acre, 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 poor weather for 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 game 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, 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 long; Carrier neither denied or admitted the predicted project. In March 1965, the track announced plans to build a long road course that would utilize parts of the dragstrip. By May, the dragstrip was finished in time for its opening in early June. By the beginning of 1966, the track was beginning to construct the road course.
In 1969, Carrier announced a repave and reconfiguration of the track. The banking in the turns was changed to a progressive banking system from 31 to 35 degrees and the straightaways would be changed to 20 degrees, which Carrier promised would produce speeds nearing . The repave was completed by July of that year, and in the next major race, drivers saw average lap speeds of over 100 mph. The next year, when Carrier created the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), he set up the association's headquarters at the track.
Lanny Hester and Gary Baker era By the mid-1970s, Carrier wanted to focus more on his drag racing endeavors with the IHRA. On November 2, 1977, Carrier announced the sale of the track to Nashville businessmen Lanny Hester and Gary Baker for $1 million. At the time of the duo's purchase, the track had seen stagnating attendance, which the duo attributed to shortening its NASCAR races to 400 laps. Upon the track's purchase, the duo announced $200,000 worth of renovations, a rebranding to "Bristol International Raceway", an increase of purse money, and a revert to the traditional 500 lap distance for its NASCAR races. In addition, the track planned to run its first ever night race at the 1978 Volunteer 500, with temporary lights being installed for the night race. The renovations did see success, with increased attendance according to Kingsport Times writer Denny Darnell.
Short-lived Warner W. Hodgdon era In January 1981, Baker bought out Hester's share of the track. However, just 10 months later, then-public relations manager of the track, Eddie Gossage announced that California businessman Warner W. Hodgdon bought out half of Baker's share of the track's ownership. According to Baker, while he did not initially intend on selling some of his interest, his opinion changed when Hodgdon displayed interest of buying out some of Baker's interest. With Hodgdon's investment, Hodgdon stated plans to increase the capacity of the track to 50,000. In May 1982, Baker and Hodgdon also purchased the dragstrip from Carrier. By October, according to Gossage in a letter to the editor of the Herald Courier, he claimed that Hodgdon increased capacity by 3,000, added new sewer and water lines, and expanded parking.
In July 1983, Hodgdon purchased the rest of Baker's interest in the track for $2 million, completely buying out the track. As a result of Hodgdon's purchase, Carrier was appointed to become the general manager. The next month, Carrier announced a new renovation plan over several years. However, by the late fall, staff were disgruntled; according to staff who worked with Hodgdon, he was heavily disliked. Then-public relations manager of the Hodgdon-owned Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Tom Roberts, had a grudge with Hodgdon, and immediately realized "I needed to be looking for another job... I looked at him as one of the biggest charlatans I had ever encountered", sharing sentiments with Gossage, who both left soon after Hodgdon bought the track.
By the end of 1984, Hodgdon faced a litany of legal issues. In November, The Tennessean'''s Larry Woody reported that Hodgdon was facing accusations of bid rigging in his home state of California along with his company, the National Engineering Company, facing bankruptcy. By the end of December, he was facing additional lawsuits from the North Carolina Motor Speedway and overdue payments to the Tennessee State Fair and Exposition Commission. He later failed to meet deadlines for a $102,000 payment for the Bristol track. By January 1985, the Bank of Virginia planned to put the track and the dragstrip up for auction on February 8. However, the auction was eventually scrapped when Hodgdon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, requesting for protection and reorganization. Despite this, Carrier declared that the track's events for the year would still occur. NASCAR eventually confirmed Carrier's declaration in February, with Carrier being proclaimed by the Johnson City Press as the one who was able to maintain events at the track. The track also struck a five-year deal to broadcast its NASCAR races nationally on ESPN.
Larry Carrier's return In November 1985, rumors of Kentucky businessman and drag racer Jim Ruth buying out a portion of the complex were denied by Carrier, with Carrier claiming that he was planning to buy out National Raceways, Hodgdon's company that owned the Bristol track. At the end of January 1986, Carrier's purchase was officially confirmed, paying $4.5–5 million for the company. Carrier also announced the sale of the dragstrip to Ruth to finance Carrier's purchase. With his purchase, Carrier announced further renovations, including a new 5,000-seat grandstand and new concrete walls.