Ask a lot of NASCAR fans. Ask a lot of Bristol fans. Ask your family. Ask your next-door neighbor. Ask them… At the end of the day, “What really matters?”

Among the answers, you're likely to hear things like happiness, family and friendship.

We’re no different as a body here at Bristol Motor Speedway. We value all of the above mentioned with regards to all of our stakeholders (fans, drivers, teams, sponsors, media, employees, etc.)

Roughly twenty miles north of the Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia state line in the quaint town of Abingdon, Va., you’ll find the headquarters of K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., better known to you as Food City.

And speaking of the number twenty…  Some twenty years ago the Food City grocery chain signed on as sponsor of the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, and the August NASCAR Nationwide Series races here at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Think about that for a moment. Think about the race sponsors, the car sponsors, the track sponsors you have seen come, and you have seen go. Yes, there has been a lot of change across the sport.

Did you know that outside of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, that Food City holds the longest-running Sprint Cup Series race title sponsorship?

Now… Back to those words that I previously mentioned – happiness, family, and friendship – There’s a reason that Food City has been a valued partner of ours for twenty years.

Our values are Food City’s values. Built upon the foundation and philosophy of the late Food City Chairman Jack C. Smith, Food City strives to treat others as they desire to be treated. They strive to exceed expectations.

Thank you Food City for being family. Thank you for the wonderful friendships formed over the years. Thanks for the shared happiness. Thanks for being partners for 20 years.

And to you fans soon to visit Bristol for the 20^th Anniversary running of the Food City 500, we encourage you to visit one of the many Food City locations surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway for all your camping/tailgating supplies.

But more importantly, when you’re in a Food City store… Give them a big ol’ pat on the back and a “thank you” for being such loyal supporters of BMS and the sport of NASCAR!