Owner may flatten Bristol banking

UPDATE Rumor has it that contrary to what most people think, Bristol Motor Speedway is already "flattened." The track is not an actual 36 degrees. It is 28 degrees and has been for some time now. The tight corners of the 1/2-mile track make the banks look steeper than they really are. If Bristol was actually banked at 36 degrees it would be the highest banked track on the NASCAR circuit. Even at 28 degrees it is quite steep. But this is a little known secret that Bruton Smith and Jeff Byrd haven't let out of the bag.

09/04/06 Bristol's repaving job, set before next March's 500, is still "a work in progress," according to track promoter Jeff Byrd, who is studying various concrete construction techniques. In order to redo the track with variable banking, to create two grooves on what has been a one-groove track, Byrd is considering cutting the legendary banking down from an official 36 degrees to something lesser. Winston Salem Journal