It's Bristol Baby!

It's Bristol Baby!

My wife and I hit the night race at Bristol this year (2017). I've been wanting to go to this one for years. I had tickets and was planning on it about a decade ago but ended up stuck in some god-forsaken country on the other side of the world in late August that year and it took this long to finally get back.

I've been to Bristol I don't know how many times - my mother is from right over the border in Virginia - but I've never been to the track itself. It's called "the last great colosseum", and it's a fitting descriptive. If you're a NASCAR veteran then none of this will be interesting to you, but if you're not a regular attendee....well, this was our experience. 

 
The first thing to know is that the place seats about 200,000 people....in a town with a population of around 25,000. If you think you're going to find a hotel in town on race weekend, forget it. We stayed in Asheville, NC which is only about 90 minutes away and a beautiful drive partially because it's close, and also because I just love Asheville. I thought it would be awful getting into the track but we went early in the day and there was virtually no traffic all the way to our parking lot.

There is all sorts of stuff going on all day leading up to the race. It's like tailgating, but with vendors. There's live music, lots of activities, and just odd things to see. They have trams that will run you around the property to get from one thing to the next. It's hilly, so plan to hike. One thing to mention - we purchased a parking pass for the lot right next to the stadium. If you plan to just show up and park, it's free most places but you'll be taking a bus to the track itself. If you're a fan of the TV show "Street Outlaws" you'll recognize the 'Farmbird' above. The entire cast was at the race filming for an upcoming episode.

We had track passes for all the pre-race activities. We haven't been to many NASCAR races, but I always do this to get the full experience. 

Still a loyal Kasey Kahne fan (#5). Kasey qualified 3rd but had to go to the rear due to a tire change. It was a long night for the #5.

It's hard to really capture the banking in pictures. It's as much as 30 degrees in the turns, which is why this half mile track is so much fun to watch races at. Let's just say it's a contact sport.

Branelle decided she was going to be a Chase Elliot fan (#24). She also wore this rather amusing shirt that garnered approval from strangers all day long.

We were on the track for a concert from a guy from Texas named Cody Jinks who I'd never heard of but put on a good show. We were also there for driver intros. Some of them dressed up - hilarious! Michael Buffer announced each driver and of course delivered his famous "Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!!!!!!" to get everything going.

One thing about going to a NASCAR event in the south - you won't have to worry about some ignorant fool kneeling for the national anthem.

We just kind of hung around on the infield until they ran everyone off right before the race. At one point we were just leaning on the inside wall and Nel goes "We're the only one's left on the wall".  I said "Holy crap - we're the Knight's Watch". 

Eventually they do kick everyone off and we just filtered out the backstretch exit into the stands.

Our seats were in the Earnhardt Terrace. I picked them because the very nice lady in customer service told me they were the biggest and most comfortable there. The layout means you can see the whole track from any seat in the house just about. 

If you're going to a NASCAR race, especially at a short track, you HAVE to have ear protection. I'm not kidding about this. It's shockingly loud - like carrier flight deck loud! Just rent the headphones at the track that allow you to tune into the driver loops. You actually get to listen to any drivers you want during the race, which is always amusing.

The race was awesome - and long. I enjoyed it but I think I enjoy NASCAR a little better from my couch. Getting out of the track was certainly more challenging than getting in. It took forever to return our headphones and then even longer to drive off the property. Parking close is great before the race, but it means you're the last out basically.

If you get a chance to go to the Bristol race, especially the night one, do it. I'm not sure I want to go back, but I'm glad we went.