Bristol Motor Speedway, now a modern-day stock car coliseum, had modest beginnings, much like NASCAR itself. Through the years, the half-mile track has grown in size and stature, a development mirrored by the growth of stock car racing overall. There have been 60 NASCAR seasons, 47 of which have included stops at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The relationship and benefits have been reciprocal. Undoubtedly, NASCAR?s history has been enriched by BMS? short-tracks slugfests. More than 160,000 fans will be stacked into the .533-mile oval on Sunday for the Food City 500, the fifth race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. On Aug. 23, all of those seats again will be filled for the Sharpie 500, a Saturday night flashbulb-popping spectacle. It was a different scene on the afternoon of July 30, 1961, as 18,000 watched Jack Smith win the first race for NASCAR?s premier series at BMS, the Volunteer 500, with relief-driving help from Johnny Allen. Fred Lorenzen was on the pole that day ? and Bristol Motor Speedway was on the map.
-- Paddock Talk
60 Years Of NASCAR Has Included 47 Years Of Bristol Action :: PaddockTalk :: F1, NASCAR, GP2, Champ Car, IndyCar, ALMS and More! If It Goes Fast...We're Talking About It!!
03-14-2008, 12:26 PM
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