Guaranteed deposits for the Battle at Bristol college football game currently are only available for Bristol Motor Speedway season-ticket holders, but the track yesterday announced that beginning July 1, single-event ticket holders "will be able to make nonguaranteed deposits" for the remaining seats, according to Allen Gregory of the BRISTOL HERALD COURIER. Deposits for the Tennessee-Virginia Tech game, which will be played in September next year, "will be processed in the order of customer’s Priority Points total" as part of a new program unveiled yesterday. BMS officials explained that the new Priority Points program "is designed to ensure that most loyal customers -- as determined by longevity and money spent -- receive priority." It "will aid in the allocation of seating, parking and camping for all events." BMS GM Jerry Caldwell said that he "feels an obligation to reward the fans who have been loyal." He said, "If we wanted, we could have just said that tickets were on sale and we would be out of tickets already, but we wanted to make sure this was done right." Ticket prices for the football game "will range from $40 to $140 in the grandstands," while premium seating also will also be offered. BMS officials "are expecting a crowd of more than 150,000, with early sales moving briskly" (BRISTOL HERALD COURIER, 4/1). Caldwell yesterday said that the Priority Points program will be used for upcoming events at BMS beyond just the Battle at Bristol. He said that plans for some of those events are already in the works, though he would not reveal what they were. Caldwell said that it is well within the realm of possibility that after BMS releases Battle at Bristol tickets to single-event ticket holders, there will be none remaining. Meanwhile, Caldwell said that ticket sales for the April 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 are going well and pacing ahead of last year. However, he said that he was not yet predicting a sellout (Adam Stern, Staff Writer).
WATCH AND LEARN: In Tennessee, Allen Gregory writes every VIP in the sports world, including Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, "will be watching to see what transpires" at BMS for the Battle at Bristol. With an expected crowd of 150,000, the game "will easily set the record for the largest attendance for a college game." Gregory: "Just imagine if this concept catches on. Could we see college football games or other major sporting events at BMS and other tracks?" (BRISTOL HERALD COURIER, 4/1). Without giving specifics, Caldwell yesterday did reveal that he has received numerous inquiries from various sports execs who are interested in possibly holding a Battle at Bristol-type event at their own venues (Stern).
