The Virginia Tech Hokies and Tennessee Volunteers are set to square off on Sept. 10, but the gridiron they play on will be a place that normally has a starting grid.
For the first time ever, the two football rivals will play against each other at Bristol Motor Speedway, which normally hosts NASCAR races.
The .533-mile short track has a 160,000 person capacity, making it a perfect place to host a football game. But with just a three-week gap between hosting a NASCAR race and the football game, that meant crews were working hard this past week to transform the infield into a football field in time.
TIME LAPSE: Watch a time-lapse of the @PilotFlyingJ #BattleAtBristol construction from August 22-26. #Hokies #Vols pic.twitter.com/dKtT9vskvA
— Battle At Bristol (@BattleAtBristol) August 27, 2016
Since 2007, the track had a giant scoring pylon attached to the ground, which track officials realized would be a pretty hazardous to have during a football game. As a result, the track built the world’s largest outdoor, permanent center-hung digital display, known as “Colossus.”
I'm still marveled by the @BMSupdates Colossus TV monitor. What a feat of engineering.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/JVE1NdzSHH
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) August 17, 2016
On Monday, crew members finished laying down the last piece of Astro Turf for the field.
The final piece of turf is put in place for the @BattleAtBristol. 🏈🏁🍊🦃 pic.twitter.com/vto0RtFLBm
— Darren Reese (@TGFDarrenReese) August 29, 2016
With the turf down, we’re one step closer to the “Battle At Bristol.”
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