Bristol Motor Speedway officials announced today that Kimberly Bartolon-Rodriguez of Greensboro, Md., and Madison Warren of Elizabethton, Tenn., are the 2026 recipients of the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship. Both winners will be honored Friday, Sept. 18, during pre-race ceremonies prior to the Food City 300. They will walk across the pre-race stage, receive plaques from BMS President Jerry Caldwell and wave to the crowd. Each recipient also will receive a $2,088 check to put toward future studies.
Bartolon-Rodriguez currently attends the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) and plans to pursue a career in communications. She has worked at AutoZone for four years, where she says she developed extensive knowledge of automotive parts, vehicle systems and customer service. She also has worked in hospitality during ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR events, experiences that helped shape her future career goals.
“I have gained experience working in a professional motorsports environment, interacting with teams, sponsors and guests while learning more about the racing industry,” Bartolon-Rodriguez said. “These experiences have reinforced my passion for motorsports and provided me with valuable insight into the operations and culture of professional racing. I have discovered that I love the communication, planning and customer relations side of the industry, and I am eager to begin a role in that part of the business.”
She was excited when she received the news of earning the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful to have been selected as a Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship recipient this year,” Bartolon-Rodriguez said. “The scholarship will definitely help me fulfill my future goals in motorsports. Thanks so much for this incredible opportunity. I am looking forward to experiencing everything at Bristol Motor Speedway during the upcoming Night Race weekend.”
Warren, a senior at Unaka High School, plans to continue her automotive technology studies after graduation. She has worked for two years at Toyota of Kingsport Collision Center and has earned several certifications, as well as a gold medal in Collision Damage Appraisal at the 2026 SkillsUSA Tennessee State Championships. Her high school coursework has included Automotive Paint Refinishing, Body Repair, Estimating and Dual Enrollment. Warren plans to pursue an associate degree in automotive technology refinishing.
“Through my classes I just fell in love with the collision industry,” Warren said. “I enjoy working hands-on, disassembling vehicles and making the necessary repairs. Every vehicle is a puzzle that you solve with the OEM procedures. I love meeting new customers and seeing their satisfaction when their vehicle is restored to its prior condition. After college, I would really like to go back to Toyota and become an instructor in the collision industry.”
“Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity,” Warren said. “I am so grateful for it. Thanks to everyone at Bristol Motor Speedway and the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship selection committee.”
Created by Bristol Motor Speedway in 2017 as a retirement gift to Earnhardt Jr., the annual scholarship provides each recipient with a one-time payment of $2,088 to assist with college costs, including tuition, housing, books and supplies.
“The Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship is a tremendous opportunity to help the next generation pursue careers in communications, automotive technology and hospitality — areas that are so important to our industry,” said Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “We’re proud to congratulate our newest recipients, UNOH student Kimberly Bartolon-Rodriguez and Unaka High School senior Madison Warren. It’s also exciting to see that eight of our 13 scholarship recipients have been women, reflecting the growing opportunities and diverse talent entering the automotive and motorsports industries.”
Past winners of the BMS Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scholarship include Jaicee Weaver (2018) and Jace Ketron (2019), both of Tennessee High School in Bristol, Tenn.; UNOH student Caleb James Cate (2021) of Knoxville, Tenn.; 2022 recipients John Clavier of Elizabethton High School and UNOH student Chloe Holman of Essex, Mo.; 2023 recipients Jamie Sullivan of UNOH and Caleb Kent of Happy Valley High School in Watauga, Tenn.; and 2024 recipients Trea’zur Cassidy of Science Hill High School and UT-Chattanooga, UNOH student Hannah Kelsheimer of Oswego, Ill., and 2025 winner Gavin Shoun of Unaka High School in Elizabethton, Tenn.
To be eligible, students must be seniors at one of the 25 designated high schools or attend one of the nine designated colleges and universities in the Appalachian Highlands region surrounding Bristol Motor Speedway. Students attending the speedway’s official partner institution, UNOH in Lima, Ohio, also are eligible.
The 27 designated high schools are Abingdon High School; Chuckey-Doak High School; Clinch School; Cloudland High School; Johnson County High School; Unicoi High School; Unaka High School; Daniel Boone High School; David Crockett High School; Dobyns-Bennett High School; Elizabethton High School; Greeneville High School; Hampton High School; Happy Valley High School; Holston High School; John S. Battle High School; North Greene High School; Patrick Henry High School; Tennessee High School; Science Hill High School; South Greene High School; Sullivan East High School; Virginia High School; West Greene High School; Volunteer Hight School; Cherokee High School and West Ridge High School.
The nine designated higher education institutions are East Tennessee State University; Emory & Henry College; King University; Milligan University; Northeast State Technical Community College; Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Elizabethton; Tusculum University; the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and the University of Northwestern Ohio.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the sport’s most popular and influential figures. A 26-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, including victories in the 2004 and 2014 Daytona 500, Earnhardt also won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series championships in 1998 and 1999 and a record 15 straight NASCAR Most Popular Driver awards from 2003–17. Today, he remains a prominent voice in the sport as a NASCAR analyst, host of The Dale Jr. Download and owner of championship-winning JR Motorsports.
He solidified his connection with the Bristol Motor Speedway fanbase when he dramatically swept America’s Night Races in 2004 and famously declared, “It’s Bristol, Baby!” in Victory Lane during a television interview after winning Saturday's Cup race. That phrase lives on in a monument in the track’s North Lot.
In addition to celebrating Neighborhood Heroes, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Sept. 19 will feature a star-studded entertainment lineup, including Academy Award-winning actor and producer Brad Pitt as a Grand Marshal and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time INDYCAR Series champion Josef Newgarden as the honorary pace car driver leading the NASCAR Cup Series field to green. Saturday’s festivities also will include appearances by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, a pre-race concert by Brian Kelley, Bristol’s signature driver introductions featuring music personally selected by the competitors, a children’s choir performing the national anthem, and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA” as a bald eagle soars above the stadium, followed by a dramatic flyover featuring two U.S. Air Force C-130s. Fans also will receive yellow “Rowdy Towels” and unite for an emotional Lap 18 tribute honoring Kyle Busch and his unmatched success at Bristol—another powerful, only-at-Bristol moment before the NASCAR Cup Series’ biggest stars battle under the lights in one of America’s most iconic sporting events.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend, Sept. 17–19, will transform Bristol Motor Speedway and the surrounding Northeast Tennessee region into a three-day celebration of racing, music and unforgettable entertainment. Championship competition in all three of NASCAR’s national series begins Thursday with the Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA Menards Series race and the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics, which opens the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase, followed by Bristol’s popular Foam Party. Friday features Nobody Trashes Tennessee Qualifying, the Food City 300 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase race and a post-race concert featuring Tim Dugger. The weekend culminates Saturday night with the 500-lap, post-season Bass Pro Shops Night Race for the NASCAR Cup Series.
To purchase tickets or obtain more information about the race weekend, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call (866) 415-4158.
