WBIR – BRISTOL (WBIR) - The Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies each go into Saturday's Battle at Bristol with 1-0 records.
Here's a look at the Battle at Bristol by the numbers.
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150,000-plus fans
Around 150,000 fans are expected at Bristol Motor Speedway for Tennessee's game against Virginia Tech in the Battle at Bristol on Sept. 10.
The game is expected to shatter the attendance record for the largest college football crowd ever.
Prior to the Battle at Bristol, Michigan has the five biggest college football crowds ever. A total of 115,109 people attended Michigan's 41-30 victory against Notre Dame in the Big House on Sept. 7, 2013.
The Bristol Motor Speedway can hold 160,000-plus fans for NASCAR races.
UT's Neyland Stadium, which is the fifth largest college football stadium in the country, can hold a capacity of 102,455 fans.
Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium has a capacity of 66,233 fans.
19 days
Crews have 19 days to transform the Bristol Motor Speedway from a racetrack to a football field.
A rain delay on Aug. 21 at a Sprint Cup series NASCAR race delayed the transformation one day.
88 pounds
College football's biggest game ever has an 88-pound trophy to go with it. The trophy stands two feet tall, and took around 300 hours to make.
You saw the Pilot Flying J #BattleAtBristol trophy right? Check out these impressive stats.🏆Which team is going to win it? #Vols or #Hokies?
Posted by Battle at Bristol on Sunday, August 14, 2016
55 years ago
The Bristol Motor Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Sprint Cup event on July 30, 1961.
Saturday is not the first time the Bristol Motor Speedway has hosted a football game.
The Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles played an NFL exhibition game at the track in September 1961.
MT @Vol_Photos July 21, 1961, @BMSupdates hosted NFL exhibition game. Saturday will look a little different pic.twitter.com/xAKsf2UFbw
— WBIR Channel 10 (@wbir) September 6, 2016
75th city
Bristol is the 75th different city to host ESPN's College GameDay, which has won six Emmy awards.
College GameDay is a free event, and will broadcast from 9 a.m. ET to noon from Bristol Motor Speedway FanZoneEarhart East parking lot.
Saturday marks the 10th time the show will broadcast in the state of Tennessee, with eight of the previous nine shows in Knoxville.
The last time GameDay broadcast from the UT campus was on Sept. 15, 2012, when Tennessee hosted Florida.
Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg, Va., has broadcast College GameDay five times. The Hokies haven't been featured on GameDay since Jan. 3, 2012, when the Hokies lost 23-20 to Michigan in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
8 previous games
Tennessee leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech 5-3. The Hokies beat the Volunteers 37-14 the last time the two teams played in the Chick-fil-A-Bowl on Dec. 31, 2009.
| DATE | SITE | SCORE (UT - OPP) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 31, 2009 | Atlanta | L, 14-37 |
| Dec. 30, 1994 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 45-25 |
| Oct. 2, 1937 | Knoxville | W, 27-0 |
| Sept. 30, 1933 | Knoxville | W, 27-0 |
| Nov. 11, 1911 | Blacksburg | L, 11-36 |
| Oct. 27, 1899 | Knoxville | L, 0-5 |
| Nov. 25, 1897 | Roanoke | W, 18-0 |
| Nov. 14, 1896 | Knoxville | W, 6-4 |
50 states
Ticket holders for the Battle at Bristol hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four foreign countries.
450 truckloads
Crews brought in 450 truckloads of rock and manufactured sand for the field base, which will weigh more than 10,600 tons.
100,200 square feet
Crews installed more than 100,200 square feet of artificial turf to a height of 1.5 inches, using more than 180,000 pounds of silica and rubber infill.
720 acres
Crews mowed 720 acres between the grounds at the speedway and nearby campgrounds.
5,000 additional seats
Multiple seating companies added more than 5,000 seats to the infield of the Bristol Motor Speedway.
130 light towers
A total of 130 light towers, generators and striping spaces to help provide lighting to nearby campgrounds.
19 law enforcement agencies
A total of 19 law enforcement agencies and contractors will work the game to keep the crowds safe.
1,000 workers
More than 1,000 workers will be on site for parking, guiding and providing shuttle service for the crowd on Saturday.
455,000 beers
Vendors have ordered 455,000 16-ounce beers to serve in the stands and suites during the game. Unlike a NASCAR race, fans won't be able to take coolers inside the venue, but alcohol will be sold at the game.