With NASCAR returning to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, the organization wanted to celebrate the legendary life and career of Dolly Parton. Since the Queen of Country Music passed away in August, fans have urged officials to name streets and airports after her. Others suggested an official “Dolly Day.” While fans all around the world made her light never fades, NASCAR will place butterfly decals on the cars during the upcoming night race. But given Dolly’s stardom, that was just a start.
For fans watching the Bristol night race, they will quickly notice a butterfly decal on each car. Wanting to celebrate Dolly, the organization worked alongside the Dollywood Foundation to create the perfect tribute. With permission from the foundation, Bristol will also blast a few of Dolly’s biggest hits throughout the racetrack. If that wasn’t enough, the fan zone prepared for the full Dolly treatment with a banner standing nearly 16 feet tall.
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Besides NASCAR remembering Dolly, the Bristol Motor Speedway was somewhat of a landmark for the singer. Before becoming one of the biggest names in country music, she was just a child with a dream. And that dream seemed far away from her small cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Only around 100 miles from her home, Bristol Motor Speedway made sure to remind the world, “We will always love you.”
NASCAR Gives Fans A Chance To Write To Dolly Parton
Sharing his excitement about the tribute, Jerry Caldwell, the president of Bristol Motor Speedway, insisted, “Dolly’s impact reaches far beyond East Tennessee, but she’ll always have a special place here at home. We wanted to create a meaningful way for our fans and race teams to join us in honoring her during one of Bristol’s biggest weekends. We’re grateful to the Dollywood Foundation for helping us bring this tribute to life.”
Wanting to get fans involved, NASCAR will allow fans to write special messages on the Dolly banner. Although the night might be centered around fast cars, NASCAR wanted Dolly’s memory to get a few laps around Bristol too.
The annual night race will include more than Dolly, with NASCAR presenting a memorial for Kyle Busch. Sadly, the driver passed away back in May following complications with bacterial pneumonia.
But for Dolly, she never needed a race car to make noise in Tennessee. Still, NASCAR will make sure her music is loud enough to compete with 40 of them.
(Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts/Redferns via Getty Images)
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