Moving Near the Bristol Motor Speedway

Departure was easy from our Cracker Barrel boondocking spot near Roanoke, Virginia. After we went to church down the street, Mark turned on the key, took off the brake, and we headed down I-81 towards Tennessee.  Three hours later we made it to our next destination at Shadrack Campground in Bristol, Tennessee.

We would certainly return to Shadrack Campground. There's no pool or fancy amenities, but we had a great view of a mountain-side of autumn leaves right out our front door. We were blessed with the end site on a row close to the mountains.

This campground offers the half-price Passport America rate for as long as you care to stay--even during peak fall foliage when other places are charging extra. That's because they have close to 400 sites, and they just recently made the decision to stay open year round. We found out that there are several large campgrounds in Bristol that are only open two weeks each year--in April and August when the Bristol Motor Speedway hosts NASCAR races. For those two weekends when 100,000 extra fans arrive, Bristol transforms from a quiet little city into a race-crazy metropolis.

We visited the Bristol Motor Speedway when we found out they had tours that cost only $4 for seniors like us. We were the only two on our tour given by a delightful guide named Dave. He explained how these empty parking lots would transform into TV headquarters and race fan shopping malls. It seems crazy that this huge facility sits basically idle all but those two weekends each year.

It takes a staff of 75 to keep the facilities going during the rest of the year, but that grows to 3,000 employees during race weekends. Right now those 75 employees are hanging Christmas decorations for the "Speedway in Lights" event that starts in mid-November. For $10-12 per car, visitors can drive the 4.5 mile path through a fantasy-land of Christmas lights. That path would take them through the parking lots and into the second Bristol race track between the mountains--Thunder Valley. This is where the drag races are held.

It's called Thunder Valley because these natural rock walls echo the engine noise of the racers so that it is deafening in this valley. They host national events here once a year, and local races weekly during the summer. Anyone with $10 and a fast car can try their luck in a drag race. We wondered if there was a motor home category so we could put the bus on the track. This is the view from the start line--minus a few Christmas lights that are now going up on the track.

Because cars can achieve speeds over 300 mph on this straight-away, there is a sand box at the end of the track. Before hitting the canyon wall there is also a layer of netting like is used to catch jets on an aircraft carrier.

Thunder Valley drag strip was interesting, but seemed small in comparison to the colosseum-style half-mile track inside the speedway. Dave took us up into the owner's suite to see the deluxe view of the track.

The owner, Bruton Smith, can host 180 friends to watch the race with him in leather and stained glass comfort. Suites encircle the upper levels of the entire track. Dave said that one of the suite's best perks is the reserved parking spaces. Parking is at a premium when you have an extra 100,000 people in town.

From this vantage point, we can still make out the football yard lines on the track infield. The staff is still recovering from the September 10, 2016, football game between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech that was held here at Bristol Motor Speedway. It took many weeks of work to transform the race track into a football field.

But they accomplished their goal of setting a new world record for the number of people attending an American football game when 156,990 fans attended. (That soundly beat the previous record of 115,000.) Dave pointed out that spectators sitting in the seats on the curve were actually a very long ways from the football field. Chairs and bleachers were added to the infield so that every possible space was used.

In comparison, this is what the speedway looks like on a car racing day.

The last part of the tour was the trip down onto the track. Dave took us in the slow lane first to see the straight-away on the half-mile track.

As we rounded the curve, we got a first-hand look at the sloped curve beside us. That 28-degree slope allows Bristol Motor Speedway to gain the reputation of being the world's fastest half-mile.

We pushed up the speed as we made the second lap--this time going high on the curve to actually feel that 28-degree slant. Have we told you that we thought this was a really good tour?

After riding for a fast lap, we walked up the ramp to the winner's circle. The slope is streaked with black tire marks. Dave explained that the race car tires are so hot by the end of the race they leave that trail of tread.

Mark and Dave are smiling, because the view from the winner's circle is a sweet one. We are actually standing atop the infield medical center, which is outfitted like a hospital to handle any type of medical situation on race day.

From this view we can see the framework for the new colossus--the name of the world's largest outdoor center-hung 4-sided video screen. Used for the first time in 2016, the giant television screens have now been taken down and leased to other venues until they are needed here for next April's race.

It's hard to tell just how big each screen is when it is suspended high above our heads so far away. So Dave told us that the banner next to the visitor's center was the same size. Denisa felt pretty small next to that banner.

After our tour we understand much more about our new home of Bristol. We would also recommend a visit here for others--except during special weekends in April and August.