AUTO RACING: Night Of Fire Thrills 8,000 Fans At Bristol Dragway

By Allen Gregory
Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: May 30, 2008

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Children were screaming, hats were flying and smoke was everywhere.

Paul Kelley was loving it all.

The 51-year-old Kelley is the pilot of Cannonball Express, a train-themed jet dragster.

Kelley and his counterpart, Chattanooga Choo-Choo driver K.C. Jones, were two of the star attractions in the inaugural Night of Fire program at Bristol Dragway Friday night.

Nearly 8,000 fans, many of which arrived long before the program officially began, attended the event.

While the mechanical car-munching beast dubbed Megasaurus was the headliner, Kelley and Jones earned standing ovations with their radical displays which shook the massive Bristol Dragway press tower.

“For $15, you can’t beat this,” Kelley said.

With jet flames shooting from the back of their sleek dragsters and smoke rising from miniature smokestacks, Kelley and Jones posted speeds of 234 and 227-miles per hour on their first two runs of the night.

Kelley said he especially enjoyed the reaction from his youngest fans.

“With our trains, we have a special appeal to kids,” Kelley said. “They think my dragster looks like Thomas The Tank Engine, and sometimes they even cry when we leave.
“This entire event is very family-oriented, and it’s just a great time.”

Considering the rising cost of gas and the high price of tickets for other professional events, Kelley feels the concept of motorsports entertainment has room for growth.

“We’re booked every weekend until September,” Kelley said. “I love doing big events like this.”

Bristol Dragway general Jeff Byrd certainly loved the large turnout and enthusiastic fan reaction.

“We’re overwhelmed by the response,” Byrd said. “When you do these type of events, you don’t know whether 1,000 or 10,000 people will show up. This turnout far exceeded our expectations.”

Byrd and Bristol Dragway officials are eager to showcase their historic facility while keeping prices affordable and dates consistent.

“We’re just trying to have continuity,” Byrd said. “We want to let people know we’re going to do events like the Night of Fire, the Monster truck show and Super Chevy Show.

“With the work we did dragway last year and the date change of the (National Hot Rod Association) national event, it was hard to get continuity.”

The turnout was so large Friday that Byrd actually had to assist his staff in selling tickets.

Spectator admission was $15 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6-15.

Children five-and-under were admitted free. Discount coupons were made available through a regional convenience store chain.

“With the price of gas the way it is, we want to give the people in this area an event with an affordable ticket they can drive to,” Byrd said. “They can be entertained for three or four hours and not break the bank.”

Friday’s event also featured nitro Funny Cars, two Monster trucks, a wheel-standing pickup truck, a clown act, stuntman Benny the Bomb and a fireworks display. 

“We’re trying to offer events that appeal to everybody,” Byrd said. “ The NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals appealed to a more adult crowd, and we have thousands of kids here tonight watching jet cars.

“Our dragway staff did a great job of getting the facility ready. It’s a whole bunch different than an NHRA national event, and it’s just a fun night all-around.”

A Monster Truck show will be held at Bristol Dragway on June 14.

“We think we’ll have a big crowd for the Monster trucks, the kids always love them,” Byrd said. “And we’ll definitely do this Night of Fire again next year.”

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