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Track guide · oval

Bristol Motor Speedway

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Bristol Motor Speedway at a glanceChecked 2026-09-09

Length
0.533 mi0.858 km
Turns
4
Opened
1961
Capacity
146,000
Location
Bristol, Tennessee
Type
oval
Direction
counter-clockwise
Banking
24-28° in the turns, 4-8° on the straights
Surface
concrete
Owner
Speedway Motorsports
Address
151 Speedway Blvd
Circuit mapTennessee · United States
USA Bristol Motor Speedway Race Track
Bristol Motor Speedway track layout

Track map and layout

Bristol is a tight, steeply banked concrete half-mile often called 'The Last Great Colosseum' for the way its high grandstands wrap almost the entire bowl and put fans right on top of the action. At barely over half a mile with 24-to-28-degree banking, cars run nose-to-tail at high speed in a small space, producing constant contact, tempers and cautions rather than the long green-flag runs of bigger tracks. The concrete surface, laid in 1992 after years of asphalt repaving problems, holds rubber differently than asphalt and has been reconfigured several times (including a brief progressive-banking era in the 2000s and a temporary dirt covering for 2021-2023 Cup and Truck races) to keep the racing from becoming single-groove.

Named corners and sections

  1. Turn 3.

    Where the tightest, highest-banked exit sets up much of Bristol's bump-and-run contact between competitors.

Configurations

  • Concrete oval

    0.533 mi

    Standard configuration used for Cup, Xfinity and Truck races

  • Dirt-covered oval

    0.533 mi

    Clay surface laid over the concrete for the Bristol Dirt Race, run 2021-2023

Events and race weekends

Bristol hosts two NASCAR Cup Series weekends a year: the Food City 500 in the spring and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race under the lights in September, historically one of the loudest and most anticipated dates on the schedule. Both weekends carry supporting Xfinity and Truck Series races, and the speedway also hosts NASCAR All-Star Race weekends in some seasons. From 2021 to 2023 the track ran a headline Cup and Truck race on a dirt surface laid over the concrete before returning to its standard configuration.

  • Food City 500

    NASCAR Cup

    Spring short-track race

    Annual event
    WhenAPRApril

  • Bass Pro Shops Night Race

    NASCAR Cup

    Signature night race under the lights

    Annual event
    WhenSEPSeptember

Getting there and parking

Tri-Cities Regional Airport is the closest commercial airport, roughly 20 minutes from the speedway, while Knoxville and Charlotte offer more flight options a couple of hours away by car. The track sits just off Interstate 81, making it a straightforward drive from the wider Tennessee/Virginia region.

  • TRITri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI)about 20 mindrive

Parking

On-site parking runs roughly $25-100 depending on the event, with free parking available about a mile away and shuttle service to the gates; ADA permit holders park free.

TipArrive well before green flag for the Night Race, Bristol's most heavily attended event, and expect lots near the track to fill early.

Hotels and camping near Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia has a modest hotel supply for a track of this size, so nearby Kingsport, Johnson City and Abingdon, Virginia pick up much of the overflow during race weekends. Booking well ahead is important for the September Night Race, historically Bristol's biggest draw.

Where to look

Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City, Tennessee, plus Abingdon, Virginia.

Camping

Onsite camping is a core part of the Bristol experience, with campgrounds positioned close to the track for walk-up access to the grandstands.

RV

Five dedicated onsite RV campgrounds (Medallion, Dragstrip, Landing, Creekside Luxury RV Park and Bronze) offer sites from electric-only to full hookups, accommodating RVs up to 50 feet with 24-hour security and shuttle service.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

Bristol does not run a regular public HPDE program on the concrete oval, but the speedway complex includes Bristol Dragway next door for drag racing events open to competitors and spectators. Track tours and behind-the-scenes access are offered around select event weekends; contact the speedway directly for current availability.

Lap records

CategoryTimeDriverCarYear
NASCAR Cup qualifying (concrete)0:14.945Kyle LarsonChevrolet Camaro2018
NASCAR Truck qualifying0:15.350Christian EckesToyota Tundra2023

Drive Bristol Motor Speedway in a sim

These racing games and simulators include Bristol Motor Speedway as official content. Mods and community tracks are not listed.

  1. iRacing

    PC

    paid track

    Layouts—

Building a sim rig? Four example setups from $279 → · Every real track in sim racing games

Checked against each publisher’s track list in October 2026 (read 19 Oct 2026).

Spectator guide

Bristol's steeply stacked grandstands rise so high above the half-mile bowl that almost every seat has a clear view of the entire track, a big part of its reputation as one of the most fan-friendly venues in NASCAR. The Colossus TV video board, one of the largest in sports, hangs over the infield and is visible from most seating areas.

Seating

Grandstands ring most of the bowl and are generally named for corporate sponsors that change by season; upper rows in the frontstretch stands give a full view of both straights and all four turns.

Best places to watch

Seats high in the frontstretch stands see the whole bowl at once, including the Colossus TV screen; turn seats put fans closest to the bump-and-run action in Turns 3 and 4.

Bag policy

Bags up to 18 x 18 x 14 inches and soft-sided coolers up to 14 x 14 x 14 inches are allowed; hard or foam coolers, glass or ceramic containers and umbrellas are not. There is no clear-bag requirement.

Weather

  • Mar: Cool and variable, highs in the 50s-60s°F with a chance of rain for the Food City 500
  • Sep: Warm evenings, highs in the 70s-80s°F for the Night Race

History of Bristol Motor Speedway

A short track built for spectacle

Bristol Motor Speedway opened in July 1961 as a half-mile paved oval built by Larry Carrier and partners, quickly earning a reputation for tight, physical racing in a small footprint. Ownership changed hands several times over the following decades, with Carrier regaining control before Speedway Motorsports acquired the track in January 1996 and began the expansion that turned it into one of NASCAR's largest venues by seating capacity despite its tiny lap length.

Concrete and colosseum

After years of battling asphalt surfaces that repaved unevenly under Bristol's heat and grade, the track switched to concrete in 1992, a surface it has run ever since. Grandstand construction pushed capacity toward a peak of roughly 162,000 in the early 2000s, and the track's steep, wraparound seating bowl earned it the nickname 'The Last Great Colosseum.' Progressive banking installed in 2007 briefly changed the racing character before the track reverted closer to its earlier configuration in 2012 to restore multi-groove racing.

Bristol Dirt and beyond

In a widely watched experiment, Speedway Motorsports covered the concrete with red clay for the 2021-2023 Bristol Dirt Race, hosting a NASCAR Cup points race on dirt for the first time in decades. The dirt configuration was removed after the 2023 event and the track returned to its standard concrete surface for the 2024 season. Today Bristol anchors its two Cup weekends, the Food City 500 and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, as fixtures fans plan their year around, and the speedway continues to experiment with schedule and format to keep the short-track racing it is famous for as unpredictable as ever.

Frequently asked questions

How long is Bristol Motor Speedway?

Bristol is a 0.533-mile concrete oval, one of the shortest tracks on the NASCAR Cup schedule.

Is Bristol Motor Speedway still dirt?

No. The dirt surface used for the Bristol Dirt Race from 2021 to 2023 was removed, and the track has raced on its standard concrete surface since 2024.

How steep is the banking at Bristol?

The turns are banked between 24 and 28 degrees, among the steepest of any NASCAR short track.

What is the seating capacity of Bristol Motor Speedway?

Bristol currently seats roughly 146,000, down from a peak of around 162,000 in the early 2000s.

When is the Bristol Night Race?

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race runs under the lights in September as part of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Can I camp at Bristol Motor Speedway?

Yes, the speedway operates five onsite RV campgrounds close to the track, ranging from electric-only to full-hookup sites.

Which racing games and sims have Bristol Motor Speedway?

Bristol Motor Speedway is officially available in iRacing. Some of these include it in the base game and others sell it as paid content; the table above shows which.

Other tracks nearby

Facts checked against 7 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.