Bristol Motor Speedway Owner’s Rejected Brainchild Could Have Prevented NASCAR’s 2023 Season’s Biggest Adversity

Bristol Motor Speedway holds a special place among all of NASCAR’s scheduled tracks. Every time NASCAR visits the racing track near the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, it provides a unique experience for drivers and fans alike. Blizzards, snowstorms, and rains are common natural phenomena in the region and have often intervened in NASCAR’s plans.

The very same issue is what most of the community has been troubled with this season. Not just the fans, rain has been a significant reason for many drivers’ woes as it either affects the track conditions or shortens the race. The Cup race at Michigan is now no more an exception in the list, as NASCAR has called off the race and it remains to be seen if it resumes on Monday. But what if NASCAR had a plan to tackle all the problems the rain gods have sent their way this season?

Bruton Smith’s pathbreaking plan to renovate Bristol Motor Speedway

In 2017, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio aired an episode with Bristol Motor Speedway track owner Bruton Smith. But what was unveiled in his conversation with Dave Moody was one of the most revolutionary ideas in current times marred by rainfall across the calendar. Bruton disclosed that at one point in time, he seriously considered proposing building a roof over the iconic speedway.

Looking at this season’s races so far, 17 race days have been either delayed, suspended, or worsened the race with inclement weather. Days like these can make driving on the track a difficult choice for drivers. Low traction and slippery tires are an absolute recipe for disaster as we have seen many times. At times like these, one is reminded of brilliant minds like Bruton Smith.

Smith’s plan was focused on creating a blockade of concrete that would keep the track away from any effects of weather. A smart plan that would eradicate any speculations about nature affecting their business. But as great as it sounds, projects have to be feasible enough to be implemented practically. When the plan was proposed in a discussion of authorities responsible for it, it was deemed to be an arduous task for the engineers.

The roof would have been exposed to an unbelievable amount of snow, rain, and debris that comes with such weather. Creating a structure capable of holding that is a challenge in itself. To add more context, Bristol is both NASCAR’s biggest and smallest track. This means, although it hosts the world’s fastest half-mile, it also allows a place for more than 160,000 fans making it a wonderful place to race in. With this reasoning, the plan was put to a halt and has not been an option ever since.

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NASCAR shares its thoughts on the innovative idea

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“In 5 years, we need a roof on Bristol. The sun baking the dirt, that takes the moisture out. Here’s where I would start. We hung the biggest center hung television over the top of Bristol. I mean, that thing is massive. The cables are as big as my leg.” 

These were the words of NASCAR president Marcus Smith on en episode of the Dale Jr Download in 2021. In 2015, NASCAR decided to give something grand back to its fans at Bristol. What followed was the installation of world’s largest outdoor, center-hung display. Named as Colossus, it made sure the fans didn’t miss out on a single moment of the thrilling racing action on the famous dirt track.

“The engineering feat was fantastic. When I saw it all done, for the football game I said, ‘Man, I bet if we can hang this TV then we can put a rood on this place.’ A roof has been talked about before. But, now that we’ve done the TV it kinda gives me confidence that maybe we could do a cover.” said Smith pondering over the possibility of a protective roof.

“We need an umbrella. Just to prevent the rain from ruining the day. Those big cables that they use, they’ve covered big structures before,” he added.

The creation of a protective roof at tracks would not just mean that races would go on irrespective of weather. It also ensures that the tracks are unaffected by any natural causes like rain or snow. At Bristol, snow is quite the obstruction and can cloud the track by inches. On another note, that would also have gave birth to NASCAR’s first ever indoor track. That would have been an incredible milestone in terms of advancement in the sport.

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