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69-552: The World Boxing Federation was originally established in 1988 by Larry Carrier, who was part owner of Bristol Motor Speedway in northeastern Tennessee. It was an expanded version of the American Pro Boxing Association. The original concept for the WBF was written on the back of a napkin as an alternative for boxing as Carrier felt there was a lack of vision in boxing. The WBF wanted to give overlooked fighters

138-532: A COVID-19 vaccine distribution center. In 1968, the track served as a campaign rally for longtime Alabama Governor George Wallace for his campaign in the 1968 United States presidential election . In 2021, YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known by his alias MrBeast , held a game of tag between 10 people at the track with a purse of $ 500,000 given to the winner. As of September 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Bristol Motor Speedway are listed as: Speedway Motorsports Speedway Motorsports, LLC

207-458: A $ 500,000 repave of the track was announced that was completed the next month. To Carrier's ire, the new surface saw increased tire wear, which Carrier blamed on how the track was resurfaced. In lieu of Carrier's anger of the new surface, he announced another repave in May 1989. The surface received complaints by drivers for the surface being too rough and bumpy. By the fall of 1991, Carrier announced

276-570: A 0.75-mile tri-oval asphalt short track in Millington, Tennessee , but closed the track in October 2009 to competition. It was later sold to Palm Beach International Raceway after sitting unused for over a year. Dover also owned Gateway International Raceway , a 1.25-mile egg-shaped asphalt oval track in Madison, Illinois , which was sold in 2011. After attempts to sell Nashville Superspeedway,

345-472: A chance and wanted to be a more affordable sanctioning body for aspiring promoters by only charging a $ 5,000 sanctioning fee. The WBF also sought to promote itself in an honest manner and help the sport. The promotion signed their first title fight in November 1990, when they organized a cruiserweight bout between Rickey Patkey and Joe Louis for December 7, 1990. The WBF's titles were not initially recognized by

414-615: A first for a sports facility. In 1990, Smith began to acquire additional speedway properties beginning with Atlanta Motor Speedway . As he did with Charlotte, Smith began expanding seating and facilities at Atlanta. In 1992, lights were added to CMS, making it one of the first speedways to offer night racing, and the company developed the Legends car racing circuit, now called U.S. Legend Cars International. Smith incorporated Speedway Motorsports in December 1994, and on February 24, 1995 took

483-579: A football stadium and field. On January 17, 1961, local Tennessean recreational conglomerate businessman Larry Carrier announced his intentions of building a racetrack in Bristol, expanding his recreational conglomerate within the Tri-Cities, Tennessee , area. The track was constructed with no major issues, and opened in July of that same year for a speed record run. Carrier ran the track until 1977, when it

552-767: A history of purchasing tracks to obtain NASCAR race dates. The company's purchases and closures of the tracks in order to obtain a second NASCAR date for Texas Motor Speedway led to the Ferko lawsuit . In 1996, the company purchased half interest in North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina along with Bob Bahre of New Hampshire International Speedway (now New Hampshire Motor Speedway ). SMI moved one of North Wilkesboro Speedway 's dates to Texas Motor Speedway and Bob Bahre moved

621-531: A local recreation conglomerate within the Tri-Cities, Tennessee , area, wanted to build a race track. He drew up initial plans to build a track in Piney Flats, Tennessee , using land his real-estate agent father had bought. However, the plan was rejected by local ministers in the area. Carrier instead opted to build the track five miles south on land formerly used as a dairy farm. Carrier, with later assistance from R. G. Pope and Carl R. Moore, drew up ideas for

690-402: A new 5,000-seat grandstand and new concrete walls. The track throughout the 1980s saw increases in popularity and continued sellouts for the track, with the success of the track being remarked as "unprecedented in NASCAR racing" by The Charlotte Observer writer Tom Higgins. By the end of the decade, sellouts were guaranteed for the track months before the track's races occurred, along with

759-439: A portion of the complex were denied by Carrier, with Carrier claiming that he was planning to buy out National Raceways, Hodgdon's company that owned the Bristol track. At the end of January 1986, Carrier's purchase was officially confirmed, paying $ 4.5–5 million for the company. Carrier also announced the sale of the dragstrip to Ruth to finance Carrier's purchase. With his purchase, Carrier announced further renovations, including

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828-478: A race weekend spurred fears of crippling the local Tri-Cities economy. In February 1996, Smith denied rumors of moving the track's spring race weekend to the new Texas Motor Speedway , along with announcing intentions of increasing capacity to 120,000, an increase from 81,000 from when Smith bought it. Initial renovations started in March, with further plans for expansion and events being announced by Byrd. The track

897-401: A third repave. The surface still oversaw more complaints for being too bumpy, and after the 1992 Food City 500 , Carrier announced another complete repave of the track. This time, Carrier opted to pave the surface in concrete instead of asphalt, which was what the track had been using since its inception. The repave was completed in July of that year. Despite Carrier stating at the start of

966-453: A total $ 215 million purchase. That same year, SMI sold the naming rights of its flagship Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe's , a $ 35 million deal that would last until 2009. Until 1999, Speedway Motorsports was the top track owner in the motorsports industry. That year, International Speedway Corporation, then the second largest track owner, acquired Penske Motorsports , then the third largest track owner. The $ 623 million deal propelled ISC to

1035-677: Is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR , NHRA , World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has its headquarters at Charlotte Motor Speedway , in Concord, North Carolina , just north of Charlotte. Speedway Motorsports owns nine racing facilities with a combined seating capacity of approximately 885,000. In addition to operating racetracks, Speedway Motorsports owns Performance Racing Network (PRN), U.S. Legend Cars International, and co-owns Motorsports Authentics. After trading for 25 years on

1104-676: The Bristol International Raceway from 1978 to 1996 and as the Bristol International Speedway from 1961 to 1978) is a 0.533-mile (0.858 km) oval short track in Bristol, Tennessee . The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1961, including NASCAR races, NCAA FBS college football games, and sprint car races. The track has been owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) since 1996 with Jerry Caldwell currently serving as

1173-716: The British Boxing Board of Control and had to wait until 1995 to achieve recognition. The company had 17 field offices outside of the US by 1995 and the company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas prior to 1998. Larry Carrier sold the WBF to Ron Scalf in June 1998. The organization closed in 2004 after losing a lawsuit and was revived in 2009. In 2022, the promotion announced that they would no longer sanction title fights with boxers with negative records in an effort to raise standards. The organization has sanctioned matches on 6 of

1242-521: The Knoxville News Sentinel reported the track had a capacity of 21,000, a press box, around 10,000 parking spaces, and shower rooms upon a 120-acre facility. The track has since seen mass expansion during the ownerships of Larry Carrier and Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI). As of 2024, the facility features a capacity of 146,000, down from its peak of 162,000. The facility also features a 30-by-63 foot television screen that hangs over

1311-553: The New York Stock Exchange , where it was known as Speedway Motorsports, Inc. ( SMI ), the company was taken private in September 2019, and today is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonic Financial Corporation, itself owned by members of Bruton Smith's family. The "SMI" initialism is still sometimes used colloquially. Speedway Motorsports didn't officially incorporate until 1994. Bruton Smith began building SMI in

1380-448: The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company , Jeff Byrd, replacing Scalf as general manager. Upon the track's purchase, Smith's ownership was met with suspicion. Many local businesses and fans feared that the track could lose a NASCAR race weekend as a result of NASCAR experiencing a surge in popularity in the 1990s, with Smith having a previous record of buying or building bigger tracks and taking away race weekends from smaller tracks. The loss of

1449-606: The Southeastern 500 and the Volunteer 500 (known as the Food City 500 and Bass Pro Shops Night Race for sponsorship reasons, respectively). The former was first run on October 22, 1961. In 2020, in an attempt to reverse declines in attendance, track officials announced that the race would take place on a temporary dirt surface. The idea was scrapped after three years, reverting to using the concrete surface. The latter

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1518-492: The 1950s when he worked as a race promoter and eventually built Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959. Smith left the racing business in the early 1960s to pursue other business ventures. He became very successful and by 1975 had owned majority shares in CMS and took over as CEO. A year later he appointed H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler as general manager. Smith began to expand CMS, adding additional grandstands and facilities including condominiums,

1587-404: The 1990s that he had no intention of selling the track, sometime in the early 1990s, motorsports mogul Bruton Smith displayed interest of buying Bristol International Raceway. According to Scalf, although Carrier refused, Smith insisted on purchasing the track, stating, "everything is for sale". Within the next three weeks, Carrier, Scalf, and Smith negotiated the potential sale of the track, with

1656-497: The 7 continents. The organization has three levels of champions including World champions, Intercontinental champions and International champions. The organization also sanctions women's boxing matches. The promotion also monitors its judges closely and feels integrity is its greatest asset. The promotion also had their own magazine called, "Inside Boxing with the WBF". As of 26 November 2024 (men): Bristol International Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway (formerly known as

1725-740: The Americas in Austin, Texas, would host the national series beginning in 2021, SMI assumed management responsibilities for the NASCAR at COTA race weekend. In addition to speedway properties, SMI also owns the Performance Racing Network , a radio network that broadcasts all NASCAR races at SMI owned tracks. SMI also equally owns Motorsports Authentics, a joint venture formed with International Speedway Corporation, to produce, market and sell licensed motorsports merchandise. SMI has

1794-607: The Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles after a failed attempt by Marshall to hold the game at the Charlotte Motor Speedway . The track was met with optimism throughout Tennessee and with sports personalities. The track was praised for its layout and amenities by team owner Bud Moore , driver Cotton Owens , and Redskins public relations director Dave Slattery. The Governor of Tennessee at

1863-469: The United States. Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) in its current form is measured at 0.533 miles (0.858 km), with the track's turns ranging from 24 degrees to 30 degrees in banking. The straightaways are banked at four degrees at the bottom and progresses up to 9 degrees at the top. When the track was initially constructed, the track had 27 degrees of banking. Before 2007, the track marketed that

1932-704: The United States. The company was based in Dover, Delaware , the home of its flagship track Dover International Speedway , a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval with a seating capacity of 95,500 that opened in 1969. The company formerly owned the Dover Downs harness racing track adjacent to the Dover speedway. Dover Motorsports also operated Nashville Superspeedway , a 1.333-mile concrete oval track in Lebanon, Tennessee . Dover Motorsports owned Memphis Motorsports Park ,

2001-772: The Volunteers winning. A week after the Battle at Bristol, the track played host to another football game, this time a for NCAA Division I FCS game between the East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Western Carolina Catamounts . Bristol Motor Speedway will host a Major League Baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds on August 2, 2025, which will be the first regular-season MLB game played in

2070-471: The association's headquarters at the track. By the mid-1970s, Carrier wanted to focus more on his drag racing endeavors with the IHRA. On November 2, 1977, Carrier announced the sale of the track to Nashville businessmen Lanny Hester and Gary Baker for $ 1 million. At the time of the duo's purchase, the track had seen stagnating attendance, which the duo attributed to shortening its NASCAR races to 400 laps. Upon

2139-503: The biggest charlatans I had ever encountered", sharing sentiments with Gossage, who both left soon after Hodgdon bought the track. By the end of 1984, Hodgdon faced a litany of legal issues. In November, The Tennessean ' s Larry Woody reported that Hodgdon was facing accusations of bid rigging in his home state of California along with his company, the National Engineering Company, facing bankruptcy. By

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2208-484: The capacity of the track to 50,000. In May 1982, Baker and Hodgdon also purchased the dragstrip from Carrier. By October, according to Gossage in a letter to the editor of the Herald Courier , he claimed that Hodgdon increased capacity by 3,000, added new sewer and water lines, and expanded parking. In July 1983, Hodgdon purchased the rest of Baker's interest in the track for $ 2 million, completely buying out

2277-535: The combined total permanent seating capacity was approximately 885,000. SMI owned tracks host 13 of the 36 NASCAR Cup Series races, including four races in the NASCAR playoffs , plus the NASCAR All-Star Race . In December 2018, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway operator Tony Formosa Jr. reached an agreement with Speedway Motorsports and its main Tennessee track Bristol Motor Speedway to co-operate

2346-550: The company public by offering shares of stock, debuting at $ 18 per share. In 1996, SMI began to quickly expand, acquiring two additional facilities; Bristol Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway . A year later, the company finished construction of the $ 250 million, 150,000 seat Texas Motor Speedway . Between 1993 and 1998, SMI had increased its total seating capacity from 176,000 to 551,000. In 1999 SMI outbid rival International Speedway Corporation (ISC) to purchase Las Vegas Motor Speedway . Smith had outbid ISC by $ 15 million to make

2415-439: The dragstrip project was officially announced by Carrier, with the facility announced to be a 27,000-seat, 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) long facility built on a 500-acre plot of land at a budget of $ 700,000. A month after the announcement, Russ DeVault, writer for the Herald Courier , predicted that Carrier was planning to build a bigger facility that was at least 1 mile (1.6 km) long; Carrier neither denied or admitted

2484-748: The end of December, he was facing additional lawsuits from the North Carolina Motor Speedway and overdue payments to the Tennessee State Fair and Exposition Commission. He later failed to meet deadlines for a $ 102,000 payment for the Bristol track. By January 1985, the Bank of Virginia planned to put the track and the dragstrip up for auction on February 8. However, the auction was eventually scrapped when Hodgdon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , requesting for protection and reorganization. Despite this, Carrier declared that

2553-425: The expense of SMI-owned Atlanta Motor Speedway , which dropped from two races to one on the 2011 Sprint Cup schedule. It was announced in September 2020 that Kentucky Speedway would not return for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and its date would be given back to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Dover Motorsports, Inc. (formerly Dover Downs Entertainment ) was a company that owned several auto racing circuits in

2622-534: The facility and make the necessary upgrades for the track to host NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races again and continue to host weekly racing events. Efforts were renewed in late 2020 as SMI and Bristol launched negotiations with the City of Nashville with the goal of hosting NASCAR races as early as 2022. The track ultimately did not hold races in 2022, although talks between both parties continued. When NASCAR announced that Circuit of

2691-441: The facility was scheduled on January 23, it was delayed by poor weather for two days to the 25th. The next month, new local modified races were announced at the track. By March, the track was selling tickets, with Tennessee Ernie Ford buying the first ticket. Within same month, Carrier was able to negotiate with Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall to hold a National Football League (NFL) exhibition game between

2760-559: The fall race away from the first weekend in November, which is also the opening weekend of deer hunting season in Texas). In 2018, the fall race weekend was moved to Las Vegas. On May 22, 2008, SMI announced it had purchased Kentucky Speedway from Kentucky Speedway, LLC. The track had been trying to secure a NASCAR Sprint Cup race for several years. SMI was finally victorious in their pursuit, with Kentucky Speedway receiving its inaugural Sprint Cup race on July 9, 2011. It appears this came at

2829-453: The infield, along with stated plans to expand seating. In August, the seating expansion was officially confirmed, with an intent to expand to 160,000. In 2006, the track officially announced a repave of its track surface; however, the repave was later rescheduled to occur in 2007. By the time the new variable-banking system was complete in August, the turns varied from 24 to 30 degrees, with

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2898-472: The middle of the track that is named Colossus TV. In 1964, plans for a drag strip were announced by then-track owner Larry Carrier and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) officials. After a hasty construction process, the 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) dragstrip was completed by May 1965. The dragstrip has gone under renovations since the 1990s, including an $ 18 million renovation in 1997. In 1960, businessman Larry Carrier, continuing plans to expand

2967-406: The predicted project. In March 1965, the track announced plans to build a 2.25 miles (3.62 km) long road course that would utilize parts of the dragstrip. By May, the dragstrip was finished in time for its opening in early June. By the beginning of 1966, the track was beginning to construct the road course. In 1969, Carrier announced a repave and reconfiguration of the track. The banking in

3036-463: The racing surface being widened from 40 to 43 feet. The track repave saw criticism for removing the one-lane and rough style racing Bristol became reputable for; criticism became so prevalent that an ashamed Byrd was stated to have repeated "y'all, we're sorry" to fans leaving the track after the 2008 Sharpie 500 . In 2010, the track saw its streak of 55 consecutive sellouts for its NASCAR races end. In October of that year, after Byrd died in October,

3105-710: The second date to his facility. On November 2, 2007, SMI purchased NHIS and part of the purchase resulted in SMI gaining full ownership of North Wilkesboro Speedway. In 2004, as a result of the Ferko lawsuit, SMI gained ownership of the North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina . SMI closed North Carolina Speedway and moved the track's final race date to Texas Motor Speedway . On October 2, 2007, SMI sold North Carolina Speedway at auction. The track

3174-426: The situation being described by Scalf as "where one family-owned track was basically competing with corporate America". Although Carrier stated fears to Scalf about losing NASCAR race weekends, he eventually agreed to sell off the complex with the exception of a 78-acre campground. On January 23, 1996, the sale of the track was confirmed at the cost of $ 26 million, with an executive for the sports marketing division of

3243-583: The state of Tennessee . The track on numerous occasions has served as a facility to assist the general public in a variety of situations. In 2002, the track acted as a temporary high school for students at Sullivan East High School when their school was closed due to a black mold infection. In the early 2010s, Remote Area Medical held a medical clinic at the track. The track has been used as an evacuee center for several hurricanes, including Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Florence in 2018, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The track has also been used as

3312-451: The striking of a five-year renewal with ESPN . The track by this point had expanded to 50,000 seats and generated more than $ 138 million annually in economic revenue, with stated future intentions to build $ 400,000 worth of improvements. In 1989, the track also sought to expand to hold major concerts according to then-general manager Ron Scalf. During the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the track oversaw numerous repaves. In September 1988,

3381-545: The time, Buford Ellington , declared a "Volunteer 500" week in the state of Tennessee. Jimmy Smyth, a writer for the Johnson City Press , praised that local residents in the Tri-Cities area now had a track nearby instead of driving hundreds of miles to another track. The track officially opened to the public on July 23, 1961, for a paved half-mile speed record attempt by driver Tommy Morgan. Two days later,

3450-483: The top track owner, and SMI fell to second. Smith then turned his attention towards securing two NASCAR dates at each of his facilities. As of 2011, only four SMI owned tracks hold two NASCAR dates. SMI purchased North Wilkesboro Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2007, and in 2008 purchased Kentucky Speedway . Today SMI owns nine racing facilities, eight of which are used to host major racing series including NASCAR, IndyCar and NHRA. As of December 31, 2009,

3519-463: The track constructed the Kulwicki Tower, which was completed by 2000 and increased capacity by 12,000 seats to 147,000. In 2000 and 2001, the track held its first dirt races on a temporary dirt surface; however, the races were scrapped after 2001 due to issues with lengthy cleanups. In 2002, the track expanded further; the track built a new pedestrian tunnel that connected the grandstands to

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3588-637: The track hosted an exhibition National Football League (NFL) game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles after an initial failed attempt to host an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway . In 2013, an NCAA Division I FBS game was officially announced for the track between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies , to take place in 2016. The game took place on September 10, with

3657-409: The track on paper bags. On January 17, 1961, the three announced plans to build a 20,000-seat, 100-acre, 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) track adjacent to U.S. Route 11E at a budget from $ 750,000 to $ 1,000,000. Along with the announcement, two annual NASCAR -sanctioned races were announced, with further intentions to use the track for other entertainment purposes. Although groundbreaking on

3726-536: The track opened for NASCAR-sanctioned activities, with a practice session for the 1961 Volunteer 500 . The next year, Carrier announced in the Bristol Virginia–Tennessean of a new recreational building near the track along with highway renovations. The track was favored in the local media by this point; the Virginia–Tennessean declared the track to be the "best" and "fastest" half-mile track in

3795-421: The track promoted its vice president of corporate sales, Jerry Caldwell, to become the track's general manager. Two years later, in response to both fan criticism along with Smith's stated displeasure with the progressive banking system, the track announced the elimination of the progressive banking system. In October 2015, the track announced the construction of Colossus TV, a 30-by-63 foot television screen that

3864-428: The track's banking was 36 degrees; this was eventually later found to be incorrect, with the true banking being 30 degrees. When the track is temporarily covered with dirt, the track uses a progressing banking system from 16 to 19 degrees. The track is also the only track left on the NASCAR schedule that utilizes two pit road lanes instead of one, combined pit road lane. At the time of the track's initial construction,

3933-464: The track's events for the year would still occur. NASCAR eventually confirmed Carrier's declaration in February, with Carrier being proclaimed by the Johnson City Press as the one who was able to maintain events at the track. The track also struck a five-year deal to broadcast its NASCAR races nationally on ESPN . In November 1985, rumors of Kentucky businessman and drag racer Jim Ruth buying out

4002-568: The track's general manager. The track is served by the concurrent U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 11E , along with Tennessee State Route 394 . The speedway has a capacity of 146,000 as of 2021. In addition to the Bristol Motor Speedway, the track's complex also features a two-lane, 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) long drag strip. The main track has also on several occasions been temporarily covered with dirt to host various types of dirt track racing, and on occasions has acted as

4071-546: The track's purchase, the duo announced $ 200,000 worth of renovations, a rebranding to "Bristol International Raceway", an increase of purse money, and a revert to the traditional 500 lap distance for its NASCAR races. In addition, the track planned to run its first ever night race at the 1978 Volunteer 500 , with temporary lights being installed during for the night race. The renovations did see success, with increased attendance according to Kingsport Times writer Denny Darnell. In January 1981, Baker bought out Hester's share of

4140-619: The track. As a result of Hodgdon's purchase, Carrier was appointed to become the general manager. The next month, Carrier announced a new renovation plan over several years. However, by the late fall, staff were disgruntled; according to staff who worked with Hodgdon, he was heavily disliked. Then-public relations manager of the Hodgdon-owned Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway , Tom Roberts, had a grudge with Hodgdon, and immediately realized "I needed to be looking for another job... I looked at him as one of

4209-459: The track. However, just 10 months later, then-public relations manager of the track, Eddie Gossage announced that California businessman Warner W. Hodgdon bought out half of Baker's share of the track's ownership. According to Baker, while he did not initially intend on selling some of his interest, his opinion changed when Hodgdon displayed interest of buying out some of Baker's interest. With Hodgdon's investment, Hodgdon stated plans to increase

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4278-529: The turns was changed to a progressive banking system from 31 to 35 degrees and the straightaways would be changed to 20 degrees, which Carrier promised would produce speeds nearing 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). The repave was completed by July of that year, and in the next major race, drivers saw average lap speeds of over 100 mph. The next year, when Carrier created the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), he set up

4347-465: The venue reopened in 2021 and hosted a NASCAR race weekend, replacing one of the race weekends at Dover International Speedway. On November 8, 2021, Speedway Motorsports announced that it had agreed to purchase Dover Motorsports , owner of Dover International Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway at the time, for $ 3.61 per share in cash for an approximate total equity value of $ 131.5 million. The deal closed in December, with SMI gaining full control of

4416-482: The world. The track did face difficulties; according to Carrier, the 1961 NFL game lost them $ 36,000. As a result of the loss, Pope left the track soon after, leaving the track to be run by Carrier and Moore. In October 1964, the Bristol Herald Courier reported that the track was negotiating with National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) officials on building a proposed dragstrip . Two months later,

4485-400: Was also renamed "Bristol Motor Speedway" within the month. By the end of the year, Byrd estimated the track had spent $ 20 million in renovations, with more renovations being announced in November. By April 1997, the track surpassed Neyland Stadium as the largest sports arena in Tennessee by capacity. The track continued to oversee further expansion in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999,

4554-474: Was first run on July 30, 1961; the first major event held at the track. In 1978, the race switched to running at night. Also in 2020, BMS ran a one-off iteration of the NASCAR All-Star Race . Along with its Cup Series dates, the track also hosts lower-series NASCAR races, including second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series and third-tier NASCAR Truck Series races. On various occasions, the track has held American gridiron football games at varying levels. In 1961,

4623-468: Was purchased by "Indiana" Andy Hillenburg for $ 4.4 million, and renamed Rockingham Speedway. On November 2, 2007, SMI announced the purchase of New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob Bahre , and renamed the facility New Hampshire Motor Speedway. This has led to speculation that SMI would move one of New Hampshire's dates to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and/or swap the date with the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS has expressed an interest in moving

4692-408: Was sold to businessmen Gary Baker and Lanny Hester. The duo's ownership was quickly bought out by Warner W. Hodgdon, who ran the facility until 1986 when Hodgdon suffered financial troubles. Carrier later regained control of the facility, owning it until 1996 when Bruton Smith bought control of it. Since Smith's purchase, BMS underwent major expansion, becoming one of the largest sporting facilities in

4761-458: Was touted as the world's largest "outdoor, permanent, center-hung digital display". Construction on the screen started in November and was completed in April 2016. In that same year, the track began applying PJ1 TrackBite , a traction compound, on the track's lower groove in an attempt to artificially create multi-groove racing. Since 1961, the track has run two annual NASCAR Cup Series races:

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