Bristol Motor Speedway will hold a special service before the Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City March 20 to dedicate a POW/MIA memorial in the grandstands.
The Empty Chair Memorial, which serves as a physical symbol of the thousands of American POW/MIAs still unaccounted for from all foreign conflicts, will sit on the frontstretch grandstands, just behind the flag stand.
On Friday, March 18, Rolling Thunder, Inc., a national veteran’s orientated organization, and officials from Bristol Motor Speedway, will have the Missing Man Ceremony, while also raising a POW/MIA flag that will fly throughout the weekend at BMS.
“We are very pleased to be able to honor the thousands of Americans who are either missing in action or are prisoners of war,” said BMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell. “Race fans are extremely patriotic, as are all of us at Bristol Motor Speedway, and I feel certain they will be as happy as we are that we are able to commemorate those brave individuals’ service to our country in this way.”
The Empty Chair Memorial will be cordoned off in the BMS grandstands. Inside the area will be a solitary chair, fresh flowers that will be changed daily and a plaque. The plaque at the unoccupied seat will recognize the more than 92,000 American soldiers missing since World War I.
Race weekend at BMS kicks off with Ford Fan Friday qualifying March 18, followed by the Scotts EZ Seed 300 Nationwide Series race March 19, and the Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City Sprint Cup event March 20.
Bristol Motor Speedway
