Bristol Motor Speedway, Oval

Bristol Motor Speedway is a high-banked half-mile oval set in the hills of north-eastern Tennessee, often described as a 'theatre of speed' for the towering grandstands that wrap the track on all sides. Built by Carl Moore, Larry Carrier and R.G. Pope, it opened as Bristol International Speedway in 1961 with a half-mile layout banked at 22 degrees. In 1969 the turns were dramatically steepened, stretching the lap to roughly 0.533 miles and earning the venue its reputation for fast, contact-heavy racing in a confined space. The track was repaved in concrete in 1992 and acquired by Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports in 1996, after which seating swelled past 150,000 and the name became Bristol Motor Speedway. A 2007 resurfacing revised the advertised banking to a variable 24 to 30 degrees, and a 2012 reprofiling reduced the upper groove to tighten the racing. Billed as the 'World's Fastest Half-Mile', Bristol features twin pit lanes made necessary by its short length. In 2021 and 2022 the circuit was temporarily covered in dirt to host NASCAR's first premier-series dirt race since 1970, echoing earlier World of Outlaws dirt events in 2000 and 2001. It remains one of NASCAR's most popular and atmospheric venues.

Operated by: NASCAR (Speedway Motorsports LLC)