The race, which drew a crowd of 30,000, was won by Darrell Waltrip while Rudd went on to finish seventh and Petty came home in the 30th position. Twenty-five years later, Petty is amazed when told that Bristol Motor Speedway has reached such a remarkable milestone.
“Wow, 50 straight sellouts, ” he said. “With all that has changed since 1982, the fact that this place continues to pack the fans in is a testament to the racing that goes on there.
“We’ve gone through different makes and models of cars and even a new surface, but the thing that remains the same is that people love the excitement of short-track racing. That is what has made Bristol, arguably, the most famous short-track in the world.
“It’s almost like the Roman Coliseum with all of those seats that seem like they keep rising every time we go back. You know, to me, if we are going to expand into newer markets and build new tracks, build another Bristol. ”
Of the previous 49 sellouts on the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, Petty was in the field for 43 of them. Rudd, on the other hand, raced in 47 straight events at BMS during the streak from August of 1982 through August of 2005. The streak ended after he retired prior to the 2006 season but with his return to action this year he’ll be back for the Food City 500.
Practice for both the Food City 500, where the Car of Tomorrow debuts, and the Sharpie MINI 300 will take place during Husqvarna Pole Day on Friday, March 23. Qualifying for the Food City 500 is set for 3:45 on Friday while qualifying for the Sharpie MINI 300 takes place on Saturday at 11:10 a. m. The race takes the green flag later that afternoon at 3 p. m. The Food City 500 is Sunday with a 2 p. m. start time.
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