Bristol Dragway tower beside the Dragway Entrance that leads to Lot E and the Bristol Motor Speedway parking lots

Bristol Motor Speedway Parking Guide: Where to Park, Parking Map and What It Costs (2026)

October 06, 2026

Oct 06, 2026 · 9 min read·

Bristol Motor Speedway Parking Guide: Where to Park, Parking Map and What It Costs (2026)

Part of Happy Hour Racing's NASCAR Track Parking Guides - the plain-English rundown of where you actually park, what it costs and how you get back out.

The Short Version

Bristol Motor Speedway parking, in three lines:

Cheapest lot: Whitetop Creek Park off Highway 394, served by a free shuttle bus. The speedway's own traffic guide has called it a free lot, but the 2026 pages do not list a price, so confirm before you go.
Pass needed in advance: yes for the lots BMS sells - North Premium, Lot E, Speedway Parking, The Landing and the Swaggerty's Farm Tailgate Zone - and yes for accessible parking, which needs an application before race day.
The one trap: after the Cup race, Bristol runs a Pedestrian Hold of up to an hour and closes median openings, so left turns your GPS promises may not exist. Park where you only need to go straight or turn right.

Where to Park at Bristol Motor Speedway

Bristol Motor Speedway parking makes more sense once you know the property has six numbered entrances. Two are on Highway 11E (Volunteer Parkway) on the west side, three are on Highway 394 to the south and east, and one is on White Top Road. Your entrance decides your lot, and your lot decides how you get home.

Here is what the speedway itself sells on its event parking pages for the Food City 500 and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race:

North Premium Parking - the speedway calls it its best, closest lot. It sits on the north side of the stadium next to the accessible lot.
Swaggerty's Farm Tailgate Zone - enlarged spots right outside the stadium, one space for the car and one for the tailgate. The spots are on asphalt.
Lot E Premium Parking - on Bristol property, right inside the Dragway Entrance (Entrance 3) off Highway 394.
The Landing, Lot L - on-site parking off Sweet Knobs Trail by Entrance 5, with free trams to the track.
Speedway Parking - across Highway 394 at White Top Road (Entrance 6), with a free shuttle bus.

What it costs: BMS does not print lot prices on its own website. Prices show up when you go to buy through the Food City 500 or Night Race parking page, or by phone at 866-415-4158. We are not going to guess a number, and you should not trust one from a random resale listing.

Beyond the speedway's lots, the roads around Bristol fill with private parking and camping fields. The speedway's traffic guide has put the count as high as 200 on a big weekend, and it changes event to event. Those are run by their owners, so the price is whatever the sign says that morning.

Do You Need a Parking Pass in Advance at Bristol?

For anything close, plan on yes. North Premium, Lot E, The Landing, Speedway Parking and the Tailgate Zone are each sold per event with a Purchase button, and the speedway does not say any of them are held back for the gate. The Tailgate Zone and North Premium are the obvious sellout risks because there are only so many spaces that close to the stands.

Accessible parking is a firm yes, because the BMS Events Department requires an advance request. More on that below. The private fields along 11E and 394 are mostly cash at the gate, which is the fallback if you show up with nothing booked.

Bristol Motor Speedway Parking Map

This is the speedway's own parking and camping map. Blue is BMS-owned or operated parking, red is BMS camping, and gray is everything run by someone else. The numbered circles are the six entrances.

Read it like this. Entrance 1 is the North Entrance on 11E, and it is pedestrian only. Entrance 2 is the South Entrance on 11E. Entrance 3 is the Dragway Entrance on Highway 394, which feeds Lot E and the tour bus lot. Entrance 4 is Copperhead Road. Entrance 5 is The Landing on Sweet Knobs Trail, with motorcycle parking marked next to Lot L. Entrance 6 is Speedway Parking on White Top Road. Whitetop Creek Park sits at the south end of Sportsway Drive, across 394 from the Dragway.

Infield, RV and Camping Parking

Bristol is a camping town on race weekend. The speedway runs three campgrounds of its own: the Dragstrip Campground and Landing Campground through Entrance 5 at 1750 Sweet Knobs Trail, and Medallion Campground through Entrance 3 at 105 Medallion Drive. Sites offer 30 and 50 amp electric, water and sewer hookups, and campgrounds stay open 24 hours once they open for the event.

The parking rule that trips campers up: one vehicle and one camper per site. If your truck does not fit or you brought a second car, go to the check-in booth. Parking in the empty site next door gets you towed at your own expense. Quiet hours run midnight to 7 a.m. Everything else on the map in gray, from Earhart to Red Barn to All-American, is privately run and booked directly with that campground.

Accessible Parking and Shuttles at Bristol

Bristol handles accessible parking differently than most tracks, and the difference matters. You have to apply in advance. The speedway uses the requests to park guests closer to their seats. There are separate 2026 applications for new and returning guests, online or by mail, and new guests attach a copy of their state-issued documentation.

Tennessee law is enforced at the gate. The person the permit was issued to must be in the car, and you need the state-issued placard or tag, the supporting documentation from the issuing state and a photo ID. Questions go to Crystal Miller at (423) 989-6941. Wheelchair accessible parking works another way: it is assigned when you buy wheelchair accessible viewing tickets, through the ticket office at (423) 989-6900. Those viewing areas are in the Pearson and Waltrip grandstands and the Earnhardt and Gordon terraces.

The shuttle setup is the best part. All of it is free. Shuttle buses run to and from Speedway Parking and Whitetop Creek Park on Highway 394, and for Whitetop Creek Park the pickup is at Copperhead Road and Highway 394. Trams loop the track, golf carts serve guests needing assistance in the parking areas, and wheelchair-accessible transportation runs around the track. Note the limit: these services stay on BMS property.

Getting In and Getting Out

Bristol's own advice is to use Waze, which it says is updated in real time for its lots, and to be skeptical of normal map apps. The speedway's traffic guide warns that GPS devices do not know about race-day left-turn bans, lane closures and signal changes.

The exit is the real test. After the O'Reilly Series and Cup races, Bristol runs a Pedestrian Hold of up to one hour. Motorists on the campus and on stretches of Highway 11E and Highway 394 are stopped so the crowd can cross. If you parked at Speedway Parking or Whitetop Creek Park, the speedway notes you may spend much of that hour just getting back to your car. From Whitetop Creek Park, plan on about a 2,000 foot walk from the shuttle stop.

The fix is to park facing home. 11E north heads to Bristol and I-81 Exit 3. 11E south heads toward Highway 394 and I-81. Highway 394 east heads to US 421, Elizabethton, Johnson City and I-81 Exits 5 or 17. Pick the lot on the side of the property that matches, so you only need straight lines and right turns. The exit map marks the rideshare spot at The Landing near the Copperhead Road entrance.

Common questions about parking at Bristol Motor Speedway

Where do you park at Bristol Motor Speedway?

The speedway sells North Premium, the Swaggerty's Farm Tailgate Zone, Lot E inside the Dragway Entrance, The Landing (Lot L) on Sweet Knobs Trail and Speedway Parking at White Top Road. Whitetop Creek Park off Highway 394 is served by a free shuttle, and private fields line Highway 11E and Highway 394.

How much is parking at Bristol Motor Speedway?

Bristol does not publish lot prices on its website. Prices appear when you buy through the event parking page or call 866-415-4158. Private lots set their own prices on the day.

Do you need a parking pass for Bristol Motor Speedway?

For the speedway's own lots, buy ahead. North Premium, Lot E, The Landing, Speedway Parking and the Tailgate Zone are sold per event online. Accessible parking requires an advance application. Private lots near the track usually take payment at the gate.

Is there free parking at Bristol Motor Speedway?

Possibly at Whitetop Creek Park. The speedway's traffic guide has described it as a free lot with free shuttle service, but the 2026 pages do not state a price, so confirm with the ticket office at 866-415-4158. Speedway Parking at White Top Road is now sold as paid parking.

Where is accessible parking at Bristol Motor Speedway?

The official map shows accessible lots on the north side next to North Premium and on the west side near Lot B. You must apply in advance, the permit holder must be in the car, and you need the placard or tag, state documentation and a photo ID. Call Crystal Miller at (423) 989-6941.

Is there a shuttle at Bristol Motor Speedway?

Yes, and it is free. Shuttle buses serve Speedway Parking and Whitetop Creek Park, with the Whitetop pickup at Copperhead Road and Highway 394. Trams circle the track, The Landing has free trams, and golf carts help guests needing assistance in the parking areas.

How long does it take to get out of Bristol Motor Speedway after the race?

Plan on at least an hour. Bristol runs a Pedestrian Hold of up to one hour after the Cup race that stops cars on the campus, Highway 11E and Highway 394. The speedway does not publish a full clear-out time, so park facing your route home.

The Bottom Line

Bristol rewards the fan who decides before leaving home. Book a speedway lot online if you want to be close, apply early if you need accessible parking, and treat Whitetop Creek Park as the budget play with a shuttle ride attached. Then do the one thing most people skip: pick a lot on the side of the property that points toward home, and bring patience for the Pedestrian Hold.

Parking is half of race day. Our Bristol Motor Speedway Fan Guide covers the 14 by 14 by 14 inch cooler limit, the bag policy and the prohibited items list. For another Speedway Motorsports short track, see the North Wilkesboro Speedway Parking Guide.

Lot names, prices and pass rules change season to season and by event. Everything above comes from Bristol Motor Speedway's own parking, maps, shuttle, camping and special assistance pages and its published traffic guide. The 2027 Food City 500 is scheduled for April 11 and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race moves to August 14, 2027. Confirm before you travel against the official parking page, the Food City 500 parking page and the official shuttles page, or call 866-415-4158.