Bristol Motor Speedway has the popularity for being the “World’s Quickest Half-Mile.” But it surely turns into one thing else for a number of weeks round Christmas annually. The Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights is the area’s finest drive-through Christmas gentle show, finest loved with a sluggish drive.
And also you get to drive on the notorious half-mile oval racetrack through the occasion.
The Speedway in Lights is the largest annual fundraiser for the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Kids’s Charities. It’s turn into a neighborhood favourite Christmas occasion that attracts 1000’s of keen guests. But it surely’s additionally value an in a single day drive to see the spectacular gentle show round Thunder Valley and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Be taught every part it’s essential know with this information to the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights in Tennessee.
Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights Maps
How you can use this map: Click on the icon within the top-left nook to open the Map Legend, then click on on any of the legend objects to show extra info. In case you have a Google account, click on the (very faint) star on the finish of the map’s identify to avoid wasting this map to your account, then entry the map out of your smartphone throughout your journey.
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway held its first NASCAR race in 1961. The fourth-largest sports activities venue in America – with a seating capability for 146,000 folks – is infamously recognized for the “World’s Quickest Half-Mile.”
The treacherous half-mile concrete oval observe is among the most demanding races of the yr for NASCAR drivers.
In 1970, the 0.25-mile Bristol Dragway was accomplished. It’s earned the nickname Thunder Valley in relation to the echoes produced within the mountain terrain throughout competitions.
In 2016, in preparation for a university soccer recreation pitting native rivals College of Tennessee Volunteers towards the Virginia Tech Hokies, the tower supporting the 4-sided place board was changed by “Colossus TV.” The 30-foot-tall rectangular digital display screen is 63 toes lengthy on all sides and suspended mid-air by cables. It’s one of many largest suspended televisions on this planet.
Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights 2023 Schedule
The Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights runs from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m. nightly from November 17 till January 6, 2023.
One of the best instances to see the Speedway in Lights is on weekdays and after the New Yr.
Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights Tickets
The Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights is the biggest annual fundraiser for the Bristol Chapter of Speedway Kids’s Charities.
Passenger automobile tickets are $20 on Sunday – Thursday nights and $25 for Friday and Saturday nights. These ticket holders flip proper after coming into the speedway at Entrance #3 and enter an extended queue that takes about 30-45 minutes to journey.
Quick Lane tickets enable guests to skip the queue and go on to the ticket sales space after coming into the speedway at Entrance #3. Quick Lane tickets are a flat $50 for passenger autos and require purchasers to decide on a 30-minute time slot for entry. Quick Lane tickets are solely out there on choose nights and are restricted in amount for every 30-minute time slot.
Quick Lane tickets can be found for the next dates in 2023:
- November 24-25
- December 2
- December 9
- December 15-23
Purchase tickets at https://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/occasions/the-pinnacle-speedway-in-lights/
Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights
The Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights, formally the Pinnacle Speedway in Lights powered by TVA, started in 1997. Because the inaugural season, the lights have been upgraded, and the route has modified. However one factor has at all times remained: a loop on the “World’s Quickest Half-Mile.”
In 2023, the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights options a powerful 3 million LED lights hooked up to 250 shows. The route travels the size of the Bristol Dragway, winds by parking heaps, passes beneath the seating, and enters the half-mile racetrack at Flip #3. The 5.35-mile route takes about an hour to finish.
Did You Know?
The 5.35-mile route by the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights is ten instances longer than the 0.53-mile oval observe. The observe report for the quickest lap belongs to Sam Hafertepe Jr., who accomplished a lap in 13.326 seconds in 2021. It takes roughly 60 minutes to finish a lap on the Speedway in Lights.
The handfuls of themed shows are my favourite facet of the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Sea of Illumination is a spectacular show. A tunnel beneath the grandstand is embellished with 1000’s of lights and animated shows depicting sea life. It’s a stunning show that may persuade you to go to the aquarium in Gatlinburg.
Different themed shows embody the Mycroft Indicators Race to House, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Dinosaur Land, Victorian Village, and the Nativity Scene.
Driving on the Racetrack at Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights
After twisting, turning, and winding by the parking heaps across the speedway, the visitors slowly inches by a brief tunnel and enters the racetrack at Flip #4. It was an exhilarating expertise though we had been restricted to an achingly sluggish three miles per hour.
Bristol as soon as boasted 36-degree banks, making it NASCAR’s most steeply banked observe. However after many years of resurfacing and redesigning, the banks at the moment are listed 24 to 30 levels.
It’s steep sufficient to make riders in a Ford Explorer really feel like they’re about to tip over.
No passing is allowed whereas driving on the racetrack. Visitors moved slowly. It received’t fulfill your want for pace – however then once more, that is the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights, not a NASCAR race.
The favored Symphony in Lights is finest seen with a sluggish lap across the “World’s Quickest Half-Mile.” 300,000 lights unfold throughout the Darrell Waltrip Grandstands pulse in tune to widespread vacation music performed throughout the speedway’s public handle system.
After visiting the Christmas Village, visitors exits at Flip #4 and returns to a meandering line by parking heaps to the exit.
Christmas Village
After coming into Bristol Motor Speedway’s notorious half-mile observe at Flip #3 and slowly trudging across the observe, you’ll enter the Christmas Village within the infield. The Appalachian-themed vacation market and leisure village is a good place to stretch your legs after a few hours cramped within the automotive.
Actions embody roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, taking a household picture in entrance of particular shows, and searching for Christmas presents among the many native arts and crafts distributors. A number of carnival-style rides await kids, like a merry-go-round and bumper automobiles.
And, after all, Santa Claus is patiently ready within the Barter Theatre Santa Hut. Skilled portraits printed on a photograph card are $5 every.
The Christmas Village is a good place to cease for a respite as a result of it’s slightly greater than midway by the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights.
Bristol Motor Speedway Ice Skating
When you get pleasure from ice skating, then the Tri-Cities Airport Ice Rink at Bristol Motor Speedway awaits you. The family-friendly ice skating rink operates from November 16 till January 14. The hours differ all through the season – test the Bristol Motor Speedway web site to see the hours.
Admission is $12 on Mondays by Thursdays and $15 on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission consists of ice skates and limitless time on the ice.
The ice rink is close to Entrance #1 on U.S. Freeway 11. This extra occasion will not be linked to the drive-through Christmas lights. Use 151 Speedway Boulevard, Bristol, TN for turn-by-turn GPS navigation.
How you can Get to the Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights
Bristol Motor Speedway in Lights guests should use Entrance #3 on TN Freeway 394. Use the handle 106 Thunder Valley Drive, Bristol, TN for turn-by-turn GPS navigation.
From Virginia, take Exit 3 on Interstate 81 into Bristol. After passing State Road, flip left onto Weaver Pike and proceed to the TN Freeway 394 interchange. After exiting, flip left onto 394 and proceed to Bristol Motor Speedway on the precise.
From Tennessee, take Exit 69 on Interstate 81 at Blountville and switch proper onto TN Freeway 394. Proceed to Bristol Motor Speedway on the left.
From North Carolina and Johnson Metropolis, take Exit 19 on Interstate 26 and switch into U.S. Freeway 11E towards Bristol. Proceed previous the Tri-Cities Flea Market after which exit proper onto TN Freeway 394.
