NASCAR: August Bristol Night Race sticking with NRA as co-sponsor

By Asher Fair | Mar 4, 2018

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 19: General view during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 19, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /

The NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in August will remain the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.

The NASCAR Cup Series is set to stick with NRA as a co-sponsor of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in August despite the fact that numerous other companies cut ties with the NRA (National Rifle Association) following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last month.

The race, which is the 24th of 26 races in the regular season and 36 races in the entire season, is scheduled for Saturday, August 18th, and it is set to be broadcast live from the 0.533-mile oval in Bristol, Tennessee at 7:30 pm ET on NBC Sports Network.

The Bristol Night Race has been sponsored by the NRA and Bass Pro Shops since the 2016 season, which will make this year’s race the third with these two companies as its co-sponsors. The NRA also sponsored the April race at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2013 Cup Series season.

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The NASCAR Cup Series visits Bristol Motor Speedway before this race earlier in the season on Sunday, April 15th for the Food City 500, which is set to be broadcast live on Fox starting at 2:00 pm ET.

According to Fox News, Bristol Motor Speedway management stated the following in a statement to USA Today.

"“This has been a good, long-standing partnership and we plan to continue.”"

This move really isn’t a huge surprise seeing where the majority of NASCAR’s fanbase stands on political issues. Plus, Richard Childress, the 72-year-old owner of Cup Series team Richard Childress Racing is on the Board of Directors to the NRA.

In fact, When three intruders attempted to rob Childress’s home in December, he fended them off with a handgun and stated that the only reasons he survived the encounter were “God and the Second Amendment”.

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When NASCAR took a stand against the NFL national anthem protesters, I wrote an article about how the sport could potentially benefit from it. Given how many people have recently joined the NRA despite the fact that many companies have cut ties with the association and the negative image that many people have begun to associate with it, it will be interesting to see what happens as a result of NASCAR’s decision to keep the NRA as a co-sponsor of the Bristol Night Race.