BRISTOL, Tenn. — Richard Petty remembers when Bristol Motor Speedway was just a growing short track, a bullring where stock-car drivers were trying to beat and bang their way to national prominence.
Then he watched it grow into the monstrosity known as “The Last Great Colosseum.”
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The King, now 79, can’t quite fathom 150,000 people packing the track tonight for the Battle at Bristol, which will break the college football attendance record.
“I remember when we had 160,000 people here and it took four or five hours to get out of here when the race was over,” Petty said during an exclusive interview Saturday morning prior to his appearance on ESPN College Gameday.