Bristol, Virginia

6 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 BR I STOL , VA city’s historic and cultural character. Nicknamed the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, it’s been among the most popular NASCAR tracks since its inception in 1961 due to its extra-steep banking, all-concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium- like seating. The circuit was innovated by Carl Moore, who was inspired to bring stock car racing to northeast Tennessee after visiting the then-newly constructed Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. “We have a lot of things that go hand in hand with both the country music and NASCAR track,” Farnum says. “There’s a NASCAR driver who is a two-time Daytona 500 winner—he’s now retired from racing but still provides commentary on Fox Sports. He’s opened up a brewery and restaurant in downtown Bristol called Michael Waltrip Brewing. It’s great to kind of bring in the NASCAR theme. And you can’t really go anywhere in downtown Bristol without running into live music.” As a Certified Main Street Community, the historic and vibrant downtown has more and more to offer every day, largely due to the ongoing efforts of dedicated citizens, business owners, and other friends of Bristol collaborating under the banner of Believe in Bristol, a non- profit business development agency. “Our downtown has grown a ton even just in the past year, with Believe in Bristol hosting its 7th Annual Entrepreneur Grants Program,” reports Economic Development Specialist, Mark Chapman. “They take competitive applications