Wall Color Change Could Affect NASCAR Race for Drivers, Claims Denny Hamlin Ahead of Bristol

The 2024 edition of the Food City 500 is right around the corner. Hence, the surrounding hype is skyrocketing. And why wouldn’t it? This year’s race is going to be quite different. The most obvious change is that Bristol is not going to host a dirt race ever again and thus, for the first time in three years, Bristol Motor Speedway will witness racing on concrete. However, there’s another change, which Denny Hamlin finds beneficial for drivers like himself.

So what else has changed? In a recent post on platform X, veteran journalist Bob Pockrass wrote, “For spring Bristol, walls painted red and white. But in the turns, there is a red line at the bottom of the all-white wall. That’s so drivers can tell where the wall is (white could blend in with the concrete).” However, the red and white painting from 1992 is going to stay just for this race. Nevertheless, for Hamlin, this particular color scheme works well.

“The black walls were difficult to see from the driver’s standpoint, especially at night,” Denny Hamlin explained. “I always liked colored walls, so I think red and white is a good change. And certainly anything that kind of brings us back to that is good and that’s super helpful for the visuals for the drivers as well.” Needless to say, the more the drivers get to see the walls, the closer they are going to get to it.

Bristol Motor Speedway to honor “The King” with a 1000-pound hat

Besides 27 other tracks on NASCAR’s roster, Bristol Motor Speedway is also set to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Richard “The King” Petty’s legendary family. And for that reason, the half-mile racetrack will be placing a special Petty hat monument in the fan zone.

This hat will flaunt the signature black and blue color of the hats that the legend has worn several times during his visits to the Tenessee-based racetrack. The hat is expected to be six feet tall, 1000 pounds, and made of concrete and fiberglass. It will also have three stars on it, which is indicative of the three stars of Tennessee and also of the three victories that Petty has picked up at this high-banked short track.