Boring Bristol

[tandjflo]

I was torn Saturday; go to the local track and watch the"Night of Destruction" featuring a school bus figure 8 or stay home and watch what has been historically one of the most exciting races of the year... I made the wrong choice and watched a real snoozer at Bristol. Never thought I would say that. NASCAR has done the impossible. They ruined Bristol. Don't know if its the Car Of Tomorrow, the repaving, the tires Goodyear brought...Whatever, all I know is Nascar has become so homogonized and boring (appropriate then, that Carl Edwards won) that for me, NASCAR has jumped the shark. Probably did awhile ago, I was just in denial.

[LuciusBeebe]

Ugh, tell me about it. I was pumped to watch Bristol. All I got was dizzy.

[troublesome one]

NASCAR did, in fact, jump the shark some time ago. Once they went to templates and took some of the color out of the drivers. I figure it took hold around '93 or '94. All in the name of "corporate correctness".

As I've said in other posts:
1. Go back to stock bodies and let the manufacturers have at it.
2. Let the drivers be themselves.

If this is supposed to ba a driver-driven series (read: personality), let's have some of it. Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, Smokey Yunick...they'd have vast followings today as opposed to the milquetoast cutouts that spew their sponsors' names by rote memorization.

[ebbieday]

It's the changes they made to the track, in my humble opinion. Hubby and I were watching...and watching...and watching...waiting for something exciting to happen, as is typical of Bristol. I went to bed with over 100 laps to go. Couldn't stay awake. Watched it the next morning since I TiVo'd it. This is a shame...one of the 3 most awesome tracks...now reduced to a major bore. Hope they leave Dega alone!!:(

[tandjflo]

You can even look back to around 1988 for "corporate correctness", when Nascar FALSELY claimed Tim Richmond failed a drug test. They later admitted it was just Advil and Sudafed, but would still not let Richmond race until he turned over his medical records (!!!) revealing that he had AIDS. He refused and thus Nascar got its wish: No more party boy Tim Richmond....

[buscobuff]

I agree with all the posts on this thread. Gave up other plans Saturday night so I could watch my favorite race of the year.........UGHH! Plus, I had to work Sunday so got little needed sleep. Huge disappoinment from what used to be the greatest track on the circuit.

[REDHOUNDSMAN]

My wife and I attended the Friday bush night, and the Saturday night cup race. I have wanted to attend Bristol for several years. WHAT A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT FOR A RACE FAN. I guess to start with, I didnt do my home work. There is basically NO PLACE to stay around or near Bristol. We ended up renting a Ski resort condo at Beech Mountain, North Carolina. It was about an hour and fifteen minute drive from the speedway. No air conditioning, no television, no ceiling or box fans, no screens on the doors or windows, rusty water from all the water piping, 10 to 15 pounds of pressure from the water pump, no working phone, and not enough parking space to park my truck without the entire nose being left upon the roadway, for only $125.00 per night. Oh, and all of this with a three night minimum rate. Not mentioning that this Ski Resort area is over 5000 feet elevation, has no gas stations, 2 resturants open out of about 30, is an hour and fifteen minutes in the opposite direction of my route home from the track, and I actually had to put my truck into 4WD to get up the mountain. The (two open) resturants were buzzing with NASCAR fans. Two cheeseburgers with fries, a pickle, water, and an iced tea set us back $27.80. I told mamma we should of stopped at a subway on the way there. Now, Lets get to the Track. One of the first things I discoved about Bristol Speedway is that there is basically NO PARKING WITHIN ANY REASONABLE DISTANCE from the track, and NO SHUTTLES ANYWERE TO THE TRACK. Friday I got lucky and go to the track area at about 9:30AM for the 8PM race. I was able to park upon the local highway (free of charge) about 1.2 miles from the track according to my handheld GPS Locater (take one with you, you will need it). Remember now, this is all up hill and down hill, 98 degrees, 87% humidity. We were lucky Friday, when we left after the race people were actually walking down the highway over 5 miles from the track in this heat. Saturday was a bummer, didnt get to the track area untill 10AM for the 8 PM race. No free parking from me. I paid a private campground 25 dollars for the honor of parking over a mile away (this was close parking). Walking this after the race is a real killer, all exiting from Bristol is uphill. It is a killer in the heat, and in the dark. The Friday night race was the highlight of the trip, but still sucked. Three wide through the corners, lap after lap. I remember the track president of Bristol announcing how the new surface will make it such a much better race, yeah right. It sucked. The bush boys were every bit as fast on the track as the cup boys, and they were more competitive. They were doing laps in the 16.70 range, the cup boys were also in the high sixteen second ranges but were less competitive. Probally due to the COT's they were required to drive. Seating is pretty amazing, they cram you in like a sardine. I estimate you have 14 inches, not a millimeter more. The fans are drunks, cussing, vomiting, obnoxious. Sit beside a big ole stinking drunk 400 pounder in the heat with that 14 inch seat. Thank god that I purchased 3 tickets for each event. I wasnt sitting on Jabba the Hutts lap, and told him to move his bulk back within his confines, with the help of stadium employees, my three ticket area was sacred. My wife and I actually were not touching, in our three seat area, and it only set me back a measley $150 to not double up on sweating. SEATING SUCKS. Saturday's nights race SUCKED. Round and Round and Round they went. I didnt come to Bristol to see who won, I came to see who survived. Yeah right, not on this soft ball track. Round and Round and Round they went. I thought I was in Vegas watching a roulette table, it would have been more exciting. So let me try to summerize the race from my view: NO RENTALS NO PARKING NO SEATING NO SHOW GIVE ME THE NORTHEAST VIEW AT INDY GIVE ME ANY VIEW AT MICHIGAN GIVE ME ANY VIEW AT CHICAGOLAND GIVE ME ANY VIEW AT ANGOLA MOTOR SPEEDWAY GIVE ME ANY VIEW AT NEW PARIS RACEWAY GIVE ME ANY VIEW AT BAER FIELD SPEEDWAY BUT BRISTOL SUCKS AND IS A HUGE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY

[ebbieday]

Thank you SO much for posting about your horrible experience at Bristol. This is a track I have wanted to go to and now I could care less if I ever get there. Gimme Michigan any day. Easy in, easy out and seating is decent. I can't say I love the Indy track due to only being able to see half at a time:eek:, but sounds a lot better than what you descibed. What a bummer! Hope your next race is better.

[buscobuff]

Ebbieday, I know I posted on this thread that the race was boring because it was........when seen on TV. I would like to tell you about my Bristol experience about 5 years ago. Thanks to a cancellation I was able to be the fourth person in a group that goes to Bristol every year for the night race. The gentlemen in charge has a small motor home and we were able to park in the fourth row of campers from the track. Bristol is more than a "race", it's a total adventure. Surrounding the track are sponsor tents offering free shirts, hats, etc. Also you will find concession semis from about every driver selling their apparel etc. Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon have multiple semis selling their products. There is food of every kind and if you don't mind walking up hill (only one way) you can visit the Bristol Dragway where a number of drivers fly in on their helicopters. I can't prove it but I'd bet that Bristol is the most fan favorite venue that NASCAR has. It's .533 mile track allows the fans to see the entire track at one time. You needn't miss any of the action unless you visit a food concession (pricey but nice) or go to the bathrooms which are plentiful and clean. We had tickets to both the Busch and Nextel Cup races. In addition there is qualifying and practice for both series. As a race fan in general, I enjoyed every second that I sat in my seat regardless of whether it was practice, qualifying, or the actual races. Another friend was kind enough to loan me his race scanner. Can't imagine watching a race without one, especially on a short track. Finally, the biggest reason that I wanted to attend a Bristol race was to watch and listen (scanner off) to the beginning of the race. You can't imagine the noise and vibration that 43 cars make on a half mile track with surrounded by 160,000 (135,000 when I attended) people. It was incredible! Why did Redhoundsman have a bad experience? He/she failed to plan. I'm not knocking you RHM but it's true. Bristol, Tennessee is a small community, not a metropolis. Actually the Tennessee and Virginia state line run through it making two towns, Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia. With the ticket sellout that they have every year it only stands to reason that all motels, hotels, etc are sold out as well. The gentlemen that I went with has gone for years and years. He didn't start out sitting on the fourth row of the RV park and he didn't start with the great tickets. You have the opportunity to improve every year, it's up to you. If you are a good planner, start now planning a trip to Bristol, perhaps the spring race which is slightly less attended and easier to get tickets to. Write the Chamber of Commerce in Bristol, I'm sure they have information packets that they'd gladly send you. Just please, please don't give up it's definately worth the planning.

[ebbieday]

I was torn Saturday; go to the local track and watch the"Night of Destruction" featuring a school bus figure 8 or stay home and watch what has been historically one of the most exciting races of the year... I made the wrong choice and watched a real snoozer at Bristol. Never thought I would say that. NASCAR has done the impossible. They ruined Bristol. Don't know if its the Car Of Tomorrow, the repaving, the tires Goodyear brought...Whatever, all I know is Nascar has become so homogonized and boring (appropriate then, that Carl Edwards won) that for me, NASCAR has jumped the shark. Probably did awhile ago, I was just in denial.


It's been over 2 months since the "boring Bristol" race. Yesterday was TX. I am getting bored with it. There has been so much "crackdown" as far as aggressive driving the last 2 yrs or so that many of the good tracks have become, well, snoozers. I have to admit, part of the excitement of the races ARE the wrecks, providing no one gets seriously hurt. When you take that component out of NASCAR, what's left? There are no more bump and runs allowed anymore either so what does the future hold for the fans? :( Come on...hockey fans still get to see fist fights. Grrrrr!!!

[tandjflo]

Hockey fight ?? Did someone say hockey fight?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MAyb_dzbE.....Ehhh, Probert would have kicked both of their *****.

[ebbieday]

Hockey fight ?? Did someone say hockey fight?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2MAyb_dzbE.....Ehhh, Probert would have kicked both of their *****.

Ughhhh...blood is not my thang (too bad there's no vomiting emoticon here), but I watched the clip. Must be why I am not a hockey fan. The game is exciting, but I don't understand the constant fighting and probably never will.

[LuciusBeebe]

but I don't understand the constant fighting and probably never will.

Fighting is the way players regulate the game. The refs miss calls constantly, and some players are dirty. Fighting is the way the players handle it. Sometimes its used to fire up the crowd to spark a comeback, but those days are swiftly disappearing.

[ebbieday]

Fighting is the way players regulate the game. The refs miss calls constantly, and some players are dirty. Fighting is the way the players handle it. Sometimes its used to fire up the crowd to spark a comeback, but those days are swiftly disappearing.

Ummm...I didn't say I didn't understand WHY they do it, I don't understand the drive to beat the living tar out of someone on a regular basis. Guess it's a guy thang!

[LuciusBeebe]

Ummm...I didn't say I didn't understand WHY they do it...

... I don't understand the drive to beat the living tar out of someone on a regular basis.

What's the difference?

Doesn't matter. That's not how hockey goes. Like I explained, there's only a fight when someone is being a jerk and the refs don't call it. They don't go out there looking for a fight anymore. That's 70's hockey.

[james_t]

That's 70's hockey.

That explains it. "Slap Shot" was made in 1977. Definitely the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of hockey.

[ebbieday]

What's the difference?

Doesn't matter. That's not how hockey goes. Like I explained, there's only a fight when someone is being a jerk and the refs don't call it.

LMBO...that is about the biggest bunch of BS I have read today! HAHAHAHA

[LuciusBeebe]

LMBO...that is about the biggest bunch of BS I have read today! HAHAHAHA

What is, Ebbie?


That explains it. "Slap Shot" was made in 1977. Definitely the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of hockey.

I've got an 8x10 autographed by the Hanson brothers on my wall. Man, that movie is so good.

[james_t]

What is, Ebbie?

I think you once posted that stereotypes are based on fact, and you have to admit, the stereotype most people have about hockey players is about like this:

59

(By the way, this is a general cartoon illustration and not intended to call out any Fence Post member in particular.)

I haven't watched hockey in years, and what I watched was minor-league - the infamous "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." On the other hand, I have to respect their skill, if only for the fact that I couldn't ice skate to save my life.

[LuciusBeebe]

Oh, I'm not saying hockey players don't drop the gloves, I'm saying they drop the gloves for a reason. The fights only happen when players drop clean play.

[ebbieday]

Soooooo...anybody counting on a much less boring Bristol tomorrow night?? I certainly hope we get a lot more entertainment than last August.

[LuciusBeebe]

Soooooo...anybody counting on a much less boring Bristol tomorrow night??

Alas, no. Too bad. Used to be a great race.