Veteran Bobby Allison will have the honor of getting Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race under way after being named the race’s Honorary Starter.  In forty-four career starts on the high-banked half-mile Allison score four wins, 23 top-fives, and 28 top-tens.

The Alabama Gang member was able to hit his stride at the Bristol Motor Speedway not once, but twice in his illustrious career.  From March of 1969 to April of 1977, Allison finished lower than sixth only twice out of the fifteen races he ran at the speedway.  In seven of those events, Allison finished third or better and scored his four wins.  Allison once again found his rhythm around the short track from April of 1979 to August of 1984.  During that twelve race span, Allison racked up ten top-five finishes and eleven top-tens. 

Joining Allison this weekend, Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer will serve as the race’s Grand Marshal.  Beamer has led the Hokies to an unmatched fifteen consecutive bowl appearances, two ACC Coastal Division titles, three Big East Conference titles and one appearance in the national championship game. 

Beamer, who has a 177-89-2 record in 21 years at Tech, has been named ACC Coach of the Year, Southeast Coach of the Year by Sports Unlimited magazine, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, GTE Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Paul Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, Associated Press Coach of the Year, Walter Camp Football Foundation/Street & Smith's Coach of the Year, Maxwell Football Club Coach of the Year, Woody Hayes Coach of the Year and is a three time BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year.  In 1997, he was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and became Tech's winningest football coach.

The Food City 500 gets under way at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22.  Qualifying for the event takes place Friday, March 20th at 3:40 p.m.  The Scotts Turf Builder 300 is set for Saturday, March 21 at 2:30 p.m., with qualifying getting underway that morning at 9:40 a.m.

Tickets still are available for the Scotts Turf Builder 300 (Starting at $45) and Food City 500 (starting at $93). Tickets for Ford Fan Friday, March 20, are just $5 and fans with specially marked Pepsi cans will be admitted free.

Tickets may be purchased at www.bristoltix.com or by calling the BMS ticket office at (423) 989-6900.