They say it was more than 20 years ago when the 2 universities first began thinking about the idea of having a football game in Bristol, Tennessee. Bristol is home to the Bristol Motor Speedway, which is known to some as “The Last Great Colosseum” and is usually the site to NASCAR races.
If you ran two laps around the entire track, you’ll have ran a mile. So you can imagine that when Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee came together 3 years ago and finally announced that plans to hold a college football game at this location were finalized, 1 thought came to everyone’s mind:
whoa.
This Saturday, largest attendance for any college football game in American history is likely to be recorded. Each school is guaranteed $4 million just for being a part of such a great spectacle (1 of the conditions was that they had to sell out their allotment of tickets, which both schools did pretty early-on). I’m proud to say, as a Hokie fan, that I’ll be there! Bristol is about a 5 hour drive from me here near D.C., and I’ll be taking the trip with my mom, dad, and 1 of my best friends, Caroline G.
I’m almost certain it is going to me an amazing time, if not just for the sheer magnitude of an event like this!
Our seats should be pretty okay – but then there’s also daunting images like this 1 that are starting to pop up all over the internet.
Regardless, though, I’m so pumped to finally be able to make another mini-road trip to the the Hokies play! Neutral site games are always a blast becuase you get to meet some of the most passionate Hokie fans (many of whom will be camping and/or shelled out hundreds of dollars in travel costs for this trip … think about it, Bristol doesn’t really have too many hotels!). It’s also fun to be in an environment where there are just as many fans from the other team, and oftentimes the ones who practice better sportsmanship travel while the bad apples stay at home. :)
If you need something to tithe you over until Saturday, here’s the Hokies’ game from last week, when we beat Liberty University with a final score of 36-13 on solid play from a first year (JUCO transfer) quarterback, and of course stellar play from our defense. I’m hopeful that our defense will come out just as strong this weekend, and that our running game will be able to find a bit more room to work!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxGVRP7p-oA
Check out this video from the track’s website for a time lapse of them converting the field into what it will be come Saturday night! This Saturday, 8:00 p.m. EST, on your local ABC channel: the Hokies take on the Vols and hopefully will end the night 2-0 on the season!