Following last year’s Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway underwent a major resurfacing project. New concrete was laid and when the series returned to the .533-mile speedway in August for the Sharpie 500, officials hoped the new surface would provide much more exciting racing.

The new surface allowed the drivers to work different grooves, racing side-by-side in the corners. The bump-and-run that became the move of choice at Bristol was no longer needed to pass the car in front of you.

Racing was improved and the drivers seemed to overwhelmingly enjoy the event, yet fans throughout the NASCAR Nation became very vocal about the change. “They ruined Bristol,” was a common complaint from the hordes of Hardcore Race Fans exiting last year’s Sharpie 500. Some fans went as far as to give up their tickets – one of the hardest in the sport to get – because of this change.

Sunday’s Food City 500 saw a record number of cars – 42 – finish the race. The racing was competitive with side-by-side racing and even three-wide racing at times. There were still a total of ten caution flags, but drivers were able to race the person in front of them for position without dumping them.

Despite the changes to the surface, Bristol is still Bristol. The race came down to a five lap shootout, until two of the most dominant cars of the day – Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick – tangled battling for second. A Green-White-Checkered finished ensued and the action did not stop until the checkered flag dropped.

"I'm a fan of this facility," race winner Jeff Burton explained. "If you want to watch racing, this new track made it better. This race track lets you breathe. If you are faster you can drive by. It is so much better than it used to be."

There were empty seats at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, and I urge any of you Hardcore Race Fans out there that have never had the chance to see a race at Bristol to do so.

Sitting in the equivalent of a modern-day Roman coliseum, surrounded by close to 160,000 other Hardcore Race Fans is an experience that is not quickly forgotten. They might have repaved the ‘World’s Fastest Half Mile’ but the competition is still the same.