Bristol Motor Speedway is giving race fans the chance to determine the greatest moment in the history of the BMS Spring Race, now known as the Food City 500.
Beginning Monday, March 30, “Spring Race Madness” will present eight of the most iconic moments in the history of the Food City 500 and allow fans to vote in a bracket-style competition. The eight moments were selected by historians of The Last Great Colosseum. Each matchup will be posted on Facebook and Twitter each morning at 9 a.m. ET and voting will continue until 7 p.m. ET each evening. The votes from each platform will be added together for a final total. The moment moving on in the competition will then be announced shortly following the close of the vote.
“There have been many great moments in the history of the Food City 500 and we’re excited to give fans the opportunity to vote on the best one via Facebook and Twitter,” said Jerry Caldwell, executive vice president and general manager at Bristol Motor Speedway. “While we await a new date for the Food City 500, this is the perfect time to take a look at what has made this race so special. Each moment is certainly deserving of the top spot, so we look forward to seeing the results.”
The moments (seeded in the order below) are:
- Cale Yarborough leads all 500 laps to win the 1973 Spring Race, becoming the first driver to lead every lap in the Cup Series
- A rookie named Dale Earnhardt grabs his first career Cup Series win at the 1979 Spring Race; he remains the only rookie driver to ever win a Cup race at BMS
- Darrell Waltrip races to four consecutive Spring Race victories from 1981 to 1984 on his way to a BMS record seven straight wins
- Rusty Wallace wins a record sixth Food City 500 in 2000, also earning his milestone 50th career Cup Series victory
- NASCAR icon Junior Johnson races to his only BMS win as a driver in the 1965 Spring Race
- Jeff Gordon bumps Rusty Wallace out of the way en route to winning the 1997 Food City 500, his third straight of four consecutive Spring Race victories
- Jimmie Johnson finally grabs his coveted Bristol victory during the 2010 Food City 500, also earning his milestone 50th career Cup Series victory
- Davey Allison edges Mark Martin by inches at the finish line to win the 1990 spring Race, which featured one of NASCAR’s closest finishes and gave the younger Allison his only BMS victory
First Round Matchups are: Cale Yarborough 1973 vs. Davey Allison 1990 (Monday), Dale Earnhardt 1979 vs. Jimmie Johnson 2010 (Tuesday), Darrell Waltrip 1981-1984 vs. Jeff Gordon 1997 (Wednesday) and Rusty Wallace 2000 vs. Junior Johnson 1965 (Thursday). The Final Four will be held Friday and Saturday with the final on Sunday.
To vote or follow along the competition, visit www.Facebook.com/BristolMotorSpeedway and www.Twitter.com/BMSupdates. In addition to voting, fans can join the conversation using #SpringRaceMadness on social.
For those with racing withdrawals, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series continues from the virtual Texas Motor Speedway this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and will be simulcast on FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. The Series, which features stars from numerous NASCAR national touring series, will then head to The Last Great Colosseum for intense short track racing action at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 5.
BMS PR
