for those who are so intent on worrying about the field being ready, this is the schedule of work copied from the Bristol Motor Speedway website.....
Week One — The Field
When asked what it was like to race at BMS in August, NASCAR legend and nine-time Bristol winner Rusty Wallace famously said, "When they turn the lights on at that place, all hell breaks loose."
On Saturday, Aug. 20, the lights will come on and stay on, long after the checkered flag falls on the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Following the Night Race, the last NASCAR hauler typically climbs the banks and exits the stadium around 2 a.m., leaving a skeleton crew behind to shut everything down. This year, however, there will be crews ready to storm the infield, including more than 30 vendors flowing in and out of the stadium in a tightly choreographed effort comprised of heavy equipment, cranes and hundreds of workers.
Scrubbing up after a crowd of 150,000 is no small feat. Stadium cleaning experts Can Do Enterprises, based in Gray, Tennessee, has enlisted a crew of more than 200 workers to hit the ground running. Once the infield is scoured, the crew will move on to the nearby buildings, then the grandstands themselves — all of which were power washed for the race, and will be scrubbed again.
The first step in building up the field body is a heavy-duty fabric barrier. BMS' infield is slightly concave and dotted with drains. To prevent tons of material from disappearing into the plumbing, the barrier must first be rolled over the infield.
Once that's in place, Baker's Construction Services, Inc. of Bluff City, Tennessee, will bring in 450 truckloads of rock and manufactured sand for the field base, which will weigh in at more than 10,600 tons. Utilizing an array of earth moving equipment, in combination with Universal Total Station (UTS) site-measurement technology provided by SITECH Mid-South, crews will place and compact the field base to millimeter-level accuracy. When complete, the base will rise to a height of more than three feet and will be measured in 10 different locations, three times each, before being approved for use.
At the same time, T&B Equipment of Ashland, Virginia which specializes in event seating — will set to work building the first series of risers. Overall, multiple seating companies will add more than 5,000 seats to the infield.
Builder J.A. Street of Blountville, Tennessee, will also be on site, clearing out the Goodyear Tire Building, the lower level of the Infield Media Center, and Victory Lane areas for transformation into team and referee locker rooms and meeting space. Advent, a sports branding specialist from Nashville, Tennessee will then step in to spiff up the spaces for the teams.
Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol branding will also start to appear around the infield as Express Signs of Kingsport, Tennessee, and Foster Signs of Jonesborough, Tennessee, begin their work.
By Thursday, Aug. 25, tons of rock and sand will be in place for inspection and ready for AstroTurf to begin installation of the field body green. The company will employ their 3D3 playing surface, which boasts a shorter, denser turf carpet that provides more fiber and requires less infill. The field also features the RootZone infill stabilization system, a texturized layer of fiber that curls down into the surface, creating a net-like matrix that encapsulates and stabilizes infill. This reduces "splash" during play and provides grass-like traction for players.
In all, 15 AstroTurf staff will install more than 100,200 square feet of surface to a height of 1.5 inches, using more than 180,000 pounds each of silica and rubber infill. The process is scheduled to be complete by Sunday, Aug. 28.
Week Two — The Big Build
By Monday, Aug. 29, many of the central elements of the infield will be in place, but genius is always in the details. This is the time when critical facets like lockers and sideline greens will slide into place, and work expands outside the stadium to encompass the surrounding properties.
Many pre-produced field components, including the sidelines, hashes and yard markers, will be installed over a two-day period, readying the field for the final touches from university artists and World Class Paints of Leland, Mississippi.
On Thursday, Sept. 1, BMS staff will move beyond the bowl to prep the track's three adjacent campgrounds, which are being centrally managed for this event.
This requires laying fresh gravel, adding around 130 light towers and generators, striping spaces, and mowing more than 220 acres, in addition to the track's own 500-acre grounds.
By Friday, the buildout of locker rooms, along with the grooming of the field and infield, will be complete.
Battle Week — Final Touches and Heavy Lifting
This is when it all comes together. On Sunday, Sept. 4, Virginia Tech's Casey Underwood and Darren Seybold from the University of Tennessee will be on hand to stencil and paint end zones and team logos. World Class Paint will supply the materials for crews to christen the 50-yard line with the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol logo.
Work on the finishing touches will literally be overshadowed by heavy steel trucks, arriving the same day to begin construction of the massive stage for Bristol's Tailgate Party, presented by Honda Ridgeline and starring Kenny Chesney. The roofed structure is mega-star sized coming in at 140 feet wide, 100 feet deep and over 40 feet tall. It will require the help of three cranes to build. Once complete, it will extend from the infield, out over the backstretch pit wall, and onto the apron.
Campgrounds will open on Tuesday for those who can't wait to be part of the weekend. By Thursday evening, all structures will be complete and all supplies loaded in for the start of Friday's celebrations. Festivities will include multiple concerts on several stages, fan zones packed with rides, tailgate games, and more than 55 vendors. The grandstand gates will open Friday at 5 p.m. for Bristol's Tailgate Party, and once the final note is played sometime after midnight, crews will scramble to strike the stage. The structure that took several days to complete will now be dismantled and shipped out in just 12 hours.
Week One — The Field
When asked what it was like to race at BMS in August, NASCAR legend and nine-time Bristol winner Rusty Wallace famously said, "When they turn the lights on at that place, all hell breaks loose."
On Saturday, Aug. 20, the lights will come on and stay on, long after the checkered flag falls on the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Following the Night Race, the last NASCAR hauler typically climbs the banks and exits the stadium around 2 a.m., leaving a skeleton crew behind to shut everything down. This year, however, there will be crews ready to storm the infield, including more than 30 vendors flowing in and out of the stadium in a tightly choreographed effort comprised of heavy equipment, cranes and hundreds of workers.
Scrubbing up after a crowd of 150,000 is no small feat. Stadium cleaning experts Can Do Enterprises, based in Gray, Tennessee, has enlisted a crew of more than 200 workers to hit the ground running. Once the infield is scoured, the crew will move on to the nearby buildings, then the grandstands themselves — all of which were power washed for the race, and will be scrubbed again.
The first step in building up the field body is a heavy-duty fabric barrier. BMS' infield is slightly concave and dotted with drains. To prevent tons of material from disappearing into the plumbing, the barrier must first be rolled over the infield.
Once that's in place, Baker's Construction Services, Inc. of Bluff City, Tennessee, will bring in 450 truckloads of rock and manufactured sand for the field base, which will weigh in at more than 10,600 tons. Utilizing an array of earth moving equipment, in combination with Universal Total Station (UTS) site-measurement technology provided by SITECH Mid-South, crews will place and compact the field base to millimeter-level accuracy. When complete, the base will rise to a height of more than three feet and will be measured in 10 different locations, three times each, before being approved for use.
At the same time, T&B Equipment of Ashland, Virginia which specializes in event seating — will set to work building the first series of risers. Overall, multiple seating companies will add more than 5,000 seats to the infield.
Builder J.A. Street of Blountville, Tennessee, will also be on site, clearing out the Goodyear Tire Building, the lower level of the Infield Media Center, and Victory Lane areas for transformation into team and referee locker rooms and meeting space. Advent, a sports branding specialist from Nashville, Tennessee will then step in to spiff up the spaces for the teams.
Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol branding will also start to appear around the infield as Express Signs of Kingsport, Tennessee, and Foster Signs of Jonesborough, Tennessee, begin their work.
By Thursday, Aug. 25, tons of rock and sand will be in place for inspection and ready for AstroTurf to begin installation of the field body green. The company will employ their 3D3 playing surface, which boasts a shorter, denser turf carpet that provides more fiber and requires less infill. The field also features the RootZone infill stabilization system, a texturized layer of fiber that curls down into the surface, creating a net-like matrix that encapsulates and stabilizes infill. This reduces "splash" during play and provides grass-like traction for players.
In all, 15 AstroTurf staff will install more than 100,200 square feet of surface to a height of 1.5 inches, using more than 180,000 pounds each of silica and rubber infill. The process is scheduled to be complete by Sunday, Aug. 28.
Week Two — The Big Build
By Monday, Aug. 29, many of the central elements of the infield will be in place, but genius is always in the details. This is the time when critical facets like lockers and sideline greens will slide into place, and work expands outside the stadium to encompass the surrounding properties.
Many pre-produced field components, including the sidelines, hashes and yard markers, will be installed over a two-day period, readying the field for the final touches from university artists and World Class Paints of Leland, Mississippi.
On Thursday, Sept. 1, BMS staff will move beyond the bowl to prep the track's three adjacent campgrounds, which are being centrally managed for this event.
This requires laying fresh gravel, adding around 130 light towers and generators, striping spaces, and mowing more than 220 acres, in addition to the track's own 500-acre grounds.
By Friday, the buildout of locker rooms, along with the grooming of the field and infield, will be complete.
Battle Week — Final Touches and Heavy Lifting
This is when it all comes together. On Sunday, Sept. 4, Virginia Tech's Casey Underwood and Darren Seybold from the University of Tennessee will be on hand to stencil and paint end zones and team logos. World Class Paint will supply the materials for crews to christen the 50-yard line with the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol logo.
Work on the finishing touches will literally be overshadowed by heavy steel trucks, arriving the same day to begin construction of the massive stage for Bristol's Tailgate Party, presented by Honda Ridgeline and starring Kenny Chesney. The roofed structure is mega-star sized coming in at 140 feet wide, 100 feet deep and over 40 feet tall. It will require the help of three cranes to build. Once complete, it will extend from the infield, out over the backstretch pit wall, and onto the apron.
Campgrounds will open on Tuesday for those who can't wait to be part of the weekend. By Thursday evening, all structures will be complete and all supplies loaded in for the start of Friday's celebrations. Festivities will include multiple concerts on several stages, fan zones packed with rides, tailgate games, and more than 55 vendors. The grandstand gates will open Friday at 5 p.m. for Bristol's Tailgate Party, and once the final note is played sometime after midnight, crews will scramble to strike the stage. The structure that took several days to complete will now be dismantled and shipped out in just 12 hours.
