NASCAR will honor the late country music icon Dolly Parton during the race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Parton, a Tennessee native, passed away on August 25 at the age of 80.
The signature pink Dolly Parton Butterfly will be visible around the Bristol Motor Speedway for this weekend’s NASCAR tripleheader at the 0.5-mile track. Decals will be visible on the track walls and throughout the BMS facility.
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Butterfly decals will also be available to NASCAR teams for display on their race cars. In addition, a Dolly Parton banner will be on display in the Fan Zone outside the racetrack, where fans can write messages to honor the late singer.
Some of Parton’s greatest hits will be played throughout the BMS facility during race weekend.
Bristol Motor Speedway’s effort to honor the late Dolly Parton
Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, made a concerted effort to honor Parton this weekend.
“Dolly’s impact reaches far beyond East Tennessee, but she’ll always have a special place here at home,” Caldwell said in a statement.
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“We wanted to create a meaningful way for our fans and race teams to join us in honoring her during one of Bristol’s biggest weekends. We’re grateful to the Dollywood Foundation for helping us bring this tribute to life.”
The tributes to Parton will be a part of what is sure to be a memorable weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
For Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will be in attendance. During pre-race ceremonies, Lee Greenwood will sing “God Bless the USA” as a bald eagle soars above the 0.5-mile track.
Well-renowned actor Brad Pitt will be the honorary starter for the 500-lap event, while two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden will be the honorary pace car driver.
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Bristol Motor Speedway will also honor the late Kyle Busch by giving every fan in attendance a yellow “Rowdy Towel” for a Lap 18 tribute. Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who passed away on May 21, won 23 races at BMS across the top three national touring series, the most all-time.
The Chase heats up at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway will not be short of on-track action this weekend.
The Craftsman Truck Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Cup Series will all be on tap at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.” For the Truck Series, Thursday night’s race is their Chase opener, scheduled for 250 laps and 133.25 miles. Layne Riggs enters as the Chase leader, followed by Kaden Honeycutt in second.
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The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will take to the Bristol high banks on Friday night for 300 laps of 159.9 miles of action in the third race of the Chase for the series. Sheldon Creed enters as the new points leader after Gateway with a three-point advantage over second place Justin Allgaier.
The Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race will conclude the weekend on Saturday night with 500 laps and 250 miles of racing. Denny Hamlin is the points leader heading into the third race of the Chase with a nine-point edge over Kyle Larson.
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