Battle at Bristol continues to take shape

Bruton and son Marcus Smith

Speedway Motorsports executive chairman and founder Bruton Smith has earned his reputation as a visionary.

Smith’s latest grand vision will unfold Sept. 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

During a Wednesday night stop on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour in downtown Charlotte, BMS general manager Jerry Caldwell offered some insight on an event that has been discussed, debated and dreamed about for decades.

That event is the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, a football game in the infield of BMS between Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee that is expected to break the all-time college football attendance record with a gathering in the 155,000 range.

“I was at the national championship game recently and what an amazing event that was with passionate fan bases, so much energy and a great venue," Caldwell said. “Now imagine doubling that crowd and putting two passionate fan bases together at Bristol. It’s going to be amazing."

It was announced Wednesday night that the Performance Racing Network (PRN), in conjunction with Touchdown Radio, will handle the national radio broadcast for the matchup between the Hokies and Vols.

Former University of Miami quarterback and Heisman Trophy Award winner Gino Torretta will serve as the co-anchor for the broadcast.

“I think this would be a great game if you played it in the backyard or a sandlot, but it will be phenomenal to be part of a game that has 155,000 screaming fans," Torretta said.

While a sellout crowd is expected, Caldwell said that BMS officials are technically still going through the process of selling corporate seats and skyboxes.

“By far, we have more requests than we have tickets," Caldwell said. “That’s a good situation to be in, and I’m still getting phone calls every single day from people wanting more."

A company has been selected to construct the playing surface while ESPN officials have confirmed that one of their networks will televise the game. No time has been set for the kickoff.

Seven BMS staffers, including Caldwell, attended the national championship game between Alabama and Clemson on Jan. 11 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. The BMS employees observed everything from the pre and post-game organization to the halftime show and security measures with University of Phoenix Stadium officials.

“We learned a lot and it made it us feel good about where we are, but we also were able to nail some things down that maybe we were questioning," Caldwell said.

Caldwell said the introduction of the world’s largest outdoor, permanent, center-hung digital display, dubbed Colossus, has generated a buzz both among traditional NASCAR followers and millennial sports fans raised on flashy video games and instant information.

Each of Colossus’ four custom-built screens is approximately 30 feet tall by 63 feet wide.

“It’s basically the ultimate man cave," Caldwell said. “You’ve got surround-sound with 428 speakers and sub-woofers and a video screen that is four-and-half times the size of what we have now."

Each day, Caldwell said he takes calls from diehard football fans and from folks who are simply curious about the “must see" qualities of the marriage between NASCAR and big-time college football.

“It’s a daily conversation for all of us at BMS wherever we are around the country," Caldwell said. “We really have a lot of eyes on us and we have an amazing opportunity to set the stage for things to come for other major sporting events right there in our little town of Bristol."

PRN president Doug Rice said that the unique football game fits right into the profile of Smith, who has already transformed BMS into a mega track that draws spectators from 50 states and several foreign countries.

“Bruton is a risk-taker, but big things are accomplished by people who are willing to take risks," Rice said. “Bristol Motor Speedway was always kind of a cool venue, but he saw a tremendous potential for that high-banked, half-mile racetrack. I don’t think anyone could have envisioned the kind of track Bristol is today 20 years ago."

As for the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, Rice said the potential impact is limitless.

“I think it’s going to be very impactful in the sports world," Rice said. “I don’t know that it’s something that you are going to be able to do every year because you will need the right match of teams, but the folks at Bristol are blessed this year with two schools that have fanatical fan bases and pretty good football programs. I can’t wait to be there for the game."