Night racing at Bristol is back under August summer lights

The rumored move for Bristol Motor Speedway’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race was confirmed as President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell announced the Thunder Valley dates for the 2027 NASCAR schedule on Thursday.

Iconic scenes within 500 laps are set for the Cup Series on August 14th as part of a triple-header race weekend including the Craftsman Truck Series and the O’Reilly Series. Food City 500 weekend is also moving to traditional ground and back to the month of April. This year’s Night Race is Sept. 19th.

A story published in The Athletic last month said Speedway Motorsports wanted to move the race back to August so there would not be competition for fans between NASCAR and college football. Last year’s Night Race fell on the same date as Tennessee’s SEC matchup with Georgia.

(IMAGE: J. Olsen / Bristol Broadcasting Company News)