| | | | | | | | | | Bristol Motor Speedway | World's Fastest Half-Mile |
| | Bristol, TN When NASCAR fans think of excitement they think of the historic Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Nicknamed the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” the 0.533-mile concrete oval track almost wasn’t in Bristol at all.
Original plans for the site proposed it to be located in Piney Flats, but due to local discord, construction on the track began in Bristol, five miles down the road on land that was once a dairy farm. The creators of the track were impressed by Charlotte Motor Speedway and wanted to build a track similar to it, but preferred to build a smaller track for a more personal experience. They elected to build a half-mile track instead of duplicating Charlotte’s 1.5-mile facility.
So in 1960, construction began on what was then called Bristol International Speedway, and took about one year to complete. The new speedway covered 100 acres, provided parking for more than 12,000 cars and had a seating capacity for 18,000 excited fans.
On July 30, 1961, the facility held its first major race called The Volunteer 500. Country music star Brenda Lee was the first to sing the National Anthem at the speedway. There were 42 cars at the start of the race, but only 19 of them would finish.
The track was reshaped and re-measured in 1969, when it became a .533-mile oval, and was sold after the 1976 season. The name was then changed to Bristol International Raceway, and in August of 1978 the first night race was held on the track.
The track was sold again in 1982, and in 1985 the track’s owner filed for bankruptcy. After that, Larry Carrier took possession of the facility and paid all outstanding debts.
In 1992, the speedway became the first to host a Winston Cup on a track surface that was all concrete.
In 1996, Carrier sold the speedway to Bruton Smith for $26 million. At that time the facility seated 71,000.
The same year he purchased the property Bruton officially changed the name to Bristol Motor Speedway and added another 15,000 seats, bringing the total to 86,000. By 1999, Bristol had become on the largest arenas in Tennessee with a seating capacity of 147,000 seats and 100 skyboxes. Improvements continued on and off the track including the long-awaited infield pedestrian tunnel, which allows access into and out of the infield during on track activity.
During the 2002 season a new victory lane was constructed, and Kurt Busch became the first Winston Cup winner to drive and stand proudly in the new winner’s circle. They continued with renovations including new scoreboards and a fresh backstretch that included three levels of seating, topped by 52 luxury skybox suites. The venue’s seating capacity was increased to more than 160,000.
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