The different faces of BMS… Race much more than just cars going in a circle

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, August 20, 2019

 
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
 
BRISTOL – The completion of Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway brought to completion the two major Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at the Last Great Colosseum for 2019.
 
While many people don’t always understand what spectators get out of watching 39 cars go around a half-mile concrete oval for 500 laps until one has attended a major race they will not be able to see there is much more to racing than just going in a circle.
 
Bristol Motor Speedway goes out of their way to make sure that the fans have a great experience for the money they invest to make the trip to the Tri-Cities area and with the turnout on Saturday night, it’s evident that Jerry Caldwell, Executive Vice President and General Manager of BMS, and his team are doing something right.
 
There are many things to take in when attending one of these races as there is always plenty of entertainment including a big pre-race concert followed by driver’s introductions, the National Anthem, and then the start of the race.
 
This year, rising country music artist Travis Denning put on the concert for the fans playing a 45-minute set.
 
Driver’s introductions are always fun as each driver is introduced as they walk out to their favorite song. One of the highlights of this year’s introductions was when matt DiBenedetto came out dressed like Rocky Balboa and in the end, almost pulled out a Rocky-style victory.
 
Pit road is always an interesting place as well as one can catch a glimpse of the driver’s as well as watching all the preparations that go into each crew getting ready to put their drivers into their vehicles and work the 500 laps of the race to help get their respective car to victory lane.
 
Yes, there are so many more faces to NASCAR racing than just cars flying around an oval 500 times. By the smiles on most faces this weekend, it was another great race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
 
Next year’s night race will be even more meaningful as it has been scheduled to be one of the main races for the chase to the championship.

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