Bristol Motor Speedway will honor Dolly Parton throughout Bass Pro Shops Night Race week, Sept. 17-19, with a series of tributes featuring her signature pink butterfly.
With approval from the Dollywood Foundation, BMS created a special tribute mark featuring a pink butterfly with “Dolly” across its center. The design will celebrate the late country music icon and proud East Tennessean during race week at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”
The Dolly Parton tributes will include:
* Prominent Dolly butterfly signage on the track walls and throughout the BMS property.
* A race-ready Dolly butterfly decal made available to teams across NASCAR’s three national series to display on their race cars.
* A Dolly Parton tribute banner that is 15 wide x 7 tall in the BMS Fan Zone where fans can write messages and add their signatures.
* Dolly Parton’s music will be incorporated into the atmosphere throughout the BMS property during race weekend as another tribute to her unmistakable voice and extraordinary legacy.
“Dolly’s impact reaches far beyond East Tennessee, but she’ll always have a special place here at home,” said Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “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.”
In addition to celebrating Dolly Parton’s life, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Sept. 19 will feature a star-studded entertainment lineup, including Academy Award-winning actor and producer Brad Pitt as a grand marshal and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time INDYCAR Series champion Josef Newgarden as the honorary pace car driver.
Saturday’s festivities also will include appearances by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, a pre-race concert by Brian Kelley, Bristol’s signature driver introductions featuring music personally selected by the competitors, a children’s choir performing the national anthem and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA” as a bald eagle soars above the stadium. Two U.S. Air Force C-130s will follow with a dramatic flyover. Fans also will receive yellow “Rowdy Towels” and unite for a Lap 18 tribute honoring Kyle Busch and his unmatched success at Bristol before the NASCAR Cup Series’ biggest stars battle under the lights.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend, Sept. 17-19, will transform Bristol Motor Speedway and the surrounding Northeast Tennessee region into a three-day celebration of racing, music and unforgettable entertainment. Championship competition in all three of NASCAR’s national series begins Thursday with the Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA Menards Series race and the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics, which opens the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase, followed by Bristol’s popular Foam Party. Friday features Nobody Trashes Tennessee Qualifying, the Food City 300 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase race and a post-race concert featuring Tim Dugger. The weekend culminates Saturday night with the 500-lap, postseason Bass Pro Shops Night Race for the NASCAR Cup Series.
— Bristol Motor Speedway —