Bristol’s night race will have a new sponsor next season.
Bristol Motor Speedway announced that Bass Pro Shops and the National Rifle Association will co-sponsor next year’s night race. It will be titled the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.
“NASCAR fans love racing, hunting and the outdoors and we are excited to spotlight them together in Bristol,” said Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops. “Located in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain region, the Night Race is the perfect venue for us to celebrate our shared love of the outdoors and the importance of protecting natural resources for future generations.”
The partnership makes sense with East Tennessee being home to great lakes for fishing and mountains for hunting.
Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager for Bristol Motor Speedway, commented that the famous “nature of The Night Race and the natural beauty of our region create the perfect opportunity to highlight conservation on a national stage. Hunters and sporting enthusiasts attend NASCAR races in droves. We share the same customers and that makes this a well-suited partnership.”
Richard Childress, team owner of Richard Childress Racing, stated that fans and members of the NRA “treasure their freedom and outdoor heritage, and the Night Race is where we go to celebrate that love of freedom, love of the shooting sports, and love of the great outdoors. It’s an electrifying race and an exciting way to celebrate the American values we share and the legacy we preserve for young sportsmen and hunters all across this great nation.”
Since it’s opening in 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway has been among the premier venues in NASCAR. It’s been home to some of the most famous finishes, crashes and fistfights in its 54 years on the NASCAR rotation. While there are those who’ll say Bristol isn’t as great as it was long ago, I will argue until the day I die that the changes made to Bristol in 2007 and 2012 have made the racing at Bristol better than it was long ago.
I loved Bristol when I attended my very first NASCAR race there in 2003 and I’ve loved it since attending at least one Bristol race every year since. Take it from someone who lives in the East Tennessee area, you don’t want to miss a race at Bristol. Even if you attend a race here once, it’s worth every penny.
Tickets to both this race and next April’s Food City 500 can be purchased by calling (855) 580-5525 or visiting BristolTix.com. It’s not just a race, “It’s Bristol Baby!”
