In East Tennessee, there are a few certainties -- haze will hang over the Great Smoky Mountains, the Volunteers will run through the T on home Saturdays in Neyland Stadium, and Bristol will be a lock-solid full house. The idea of actually being able to call the ticket office and buy a seat over the phone? Pure fantasy. Everybody in the Tri-Cities knew that.
Welcome to Bristol's quandary. Indeed, because of the ongoing economic recession, the half-mile facility is selling tickets to the general public for the first time since Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the track in 1996. Of course, that general public has understandably been a touch skeptical, given Bristol's deserved reputation for sellouts.
When the track first announced in late December that seats were available, locals and longtime race fans were left doing double-takes. Tickets? At Bristol? Can that be right? No wonder the toughest ticket in NASCAR suddenly felt like the toughest ticket to sell.
Welcome to Bristol's quandary. Indeed, because of the ongoing economic recession, the half-mile facility is selling tickets to the general public for the first time since Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the track in 1996. Of course, that general public has understandably been a touch skeptical, given Bristol's deserved reputation for sellouts.
When the track first announced in late December that seats were available, locals and longtime race fans were left doing double-takes. Tickets? At Bristol? Can that be right? No wonder the toughest ticket in NASCAR suddenly felt like the toughest ticket to sell.
