Bristol’s first year included more than stock-car racing. In 1961, the speedway hosted an NFL preseason game between Philadelphia and Washington.
The setting
The game took place inside a venue that was still brand-new. Bristol’s original track plans had been announced in January 1961, construction began later that month, and the speedway was completed in roughly six months.
The result
Philadelphia won 17-10, adding an unexpected chapter to the same year Bristol opened its gates and began building its NASCAR legacy.
Planting a seed
The NFL exhibition game paved the way for the 2016 BMS record-setting NCAA football game, the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies. Tennessee won the game 45-24 in front of a record crowd of 156,990. A week later, BMS hosted the Bucs at Bristol, where a late game rally led East Tennessee State University to defeat Western Carolina University, 34-31.
The versatile stadium also hosted a Major League Baseball game in 2025, the MLB Speedway Classic featuring the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. The Braves won the game 4-2, which set an MLB regular-season game attendance record at 91,032 spectators.
Why it matters
Decades before “The Last Great Colosseum” became one of Bristol’s best-known nicknames, the track was already proving it could turn its stadium-like bowl into a stage for major events beyond racing.
The Bristol takeaway
The NFL visit is a trivia answer, but it also says something bigger about the speedway. From its first season, Bristol was built to create memorable moments, welcome big crowds and make sports history inside one unmistakable venue.
At Bristol, even the surprises have history behind them.
This content is sourced from
Bristol Motor Speedway
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
