🏈 Tennessee, VA Tech agree to game in 2016 at Bristol Motor Speedway; 160k fans expected

[PhillyGirl]

"Tennessee and Virginia Tech have agreed to play a football game in 2016 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where a record 160,000 fans are expected"
- Joe Schad


Wonder if they will actually pull that many fans in??

 

[Splittine]

Well guess it's one place that's used to stuff crashing and burning.

 

[BamaFan615]

I think it's a good idea by the folks at both schools, but 160k is a lot of people. If they plan on having 160k fans there, I guess it kinda depends on what kind of excitement UT can develop between now and then. Right now they're having trouble selling out their stadium, which I think is around 106k...imagine them trying to fill theirs plus another 54k (or whatever it is).

I'm not real sure about how well Va Tech travels or what to expect from their fan base.

On top of that, I'm not sure how much of the student body from each school will actually make the trip to Bristol either.

A lot of factors involved and that's a lot of seats to fill. Wonder what they'll be pricing tickets at...

 

[RollTideinGA]

No way its going to work. They wont sell that many tickets and the people that will go will be upset with how far they actually are from the action. Sure its nice and easy to watch 40 cars going around, but the field will be in the middle of the infield. Sure they did it before, a long time ago: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5177/5417939976_307e51800a_z.jpg But now they have small buildings and the super sized scoring pole in the center of the track. How's that going to work? http://media.caranddriver.com/image...-view-from-stands-photo-245451-s-1280x782.jpg

 

[XXL TideFan]

Wonder if barf bags come with the ticket? Seriously ugly unis in that game.

 

[mhardiman]

I think it's a good idea by the folks at both schools, but 160k is a lot of people. If they plan on having 160k fans there, I guess it kinda depends on what kind of excitement UT can develop between now and then. Right now they're having trouble selling out their stadium, which I think is around 106k...imagine them trying to fill theirs plus another 54k (or whatever it is).

I'm not real sure about how well Va Tech travels or what to expect from their fan base.

On top of that, I'm not sure how much of the student body from each school will actually make the trip to Bristol either.

A lot of factors involved and that's a lot of seats to fill. Wonder what they'll be pricing tickets at...

They've been talking about doing this for ten to fifteen years; they would have had a better chance to have filled it back then. As for VT traveling well; I don't know if they do but Bristol is about as close to Blacksburg (124 miles) as Knoxville is to Bristol (113 miles), so it's as close to geographical center as you can get. VT's trip to Bristol is a shorter drive than it is for me in Huntsville to get to Tuscaloosa for HOME GAMES (156 miles).

 

[It Takes Eleven]

There was some talk of Bama playing there against VaTech six or eight years ago - seems like they estimated 150M at that time.

RTR,

Tim

 

[TerryP]

Personally, I have no interest in seeing a ball game where the Tennessee program has an inherent advantage. It's a program that's been going around in circles the last few years giving them home field advantage, if you will.

 

[TerryP]

With all the talk about the SEC going to a nine game conference schedule:

[TABLE="class: team-sch"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD="class: orange3, colspan: 2"]Tennessee Future Non-Conference Opponents - 2013+[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: team-hd"]2013[/TD]
[TD="class: team-hd"]2014[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: team-sch2"]

• 08/31 - Austin Peay
• 09/07 - Western Kentucky
• 09/14 - at Oregon
• 09/28 - South Alabama

[/TD]
[TD="class: team-sch2"]

• 08/30 - Utah State
• 09/06 - Arkansas State
• 09/13 - at Oklahoma
• 10/11 - Chattanooga

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: team-hd"]2015
[/TD]
[TD="class: team-hd"]2016
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: team-sch2"]

• 09/05 - UAB
• 09/12 - Oklahoma
• 09/26 - at Connecticut
• 11/07 - North Texas

[/TD]
[TD="class: team-sch2"]

• 09/03 - Connecticut
  
• 09/10 - at Nebraska

[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

 

[Bamabww]

No way they'll keep Nebraska and VT on the same schedule plus 9 of the SEC.

 

[planomateo]

Too gimmicky for me, go Hokies.

I seems the distance between the seats and the field would be too far, the track is in the way, this would make me stay home or just tailgate if I were a fan. I've never been to Bristol btw.

 

[bamaraider]

Never been to a race before, never will. But that does look like a pretty cool venue. Little distant from the field, so you may not get a real homefield advantage. But it should be an enjoyable game.

 

[crimson77]

I have been to Bristol a couple of times. It is one of the best places to go and see a race because there is really no bad seat in the place. As far as watching football there I am not sure about because the fans would be so far away from the field.

 

[PhillyGirl]

Well guess it's one place that's used to stuff crashing and burning.

:rofl:

 

[It Takes Eleven]

It would not be an optimal viewing experience, but I wouldn't mind experiencing what would be, by far, the greatest attended football game (non-soccer, I'm talking) in the world.

RTR,

Tim

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

A cool picture for comparison purposes...

 

[riz]

Oh lawd.

 

[UAgrad93]

Damn!!!