NASCAR's most popular driver will be the celebrity picker on ESPN's pregame show.
Continuing Bristol Motor Speedway's integration of NASCAR and college football this weekend, two of NASCAR's most popular figures will appear Saturday morning on ESPN's "College GameDay," broadcasting from the half-mile track that's hosting a game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech later that night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is sidelined the rest of the NASCAR season with concussion, will serve as the guest picker at the conclusion of the popular pre-game show, while Petty will have an appearance in an earlier segment.
Bristol is a longstanding NASCAR track that hosts two Sprint Cup Series races annually, but has transformed this weekend into a college football venue where a record crowd of 150,000 is expected to attend. Tennessee and Virginia Tech were chosen for the game because the northeastern Tennessee track is roughly halfway between the campuses of located in Knoxville and Blacksburg, respectively.
Since the checkered flag waved on the Aug. 21 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, Bristol has undergone a near-continuous overhaul in preparation for Saturday's game. Most significantly is the clearing out of the infield section, which NASCAR teams use for a garage, and the installation of a playing field. Also, grandstands were constructed on the frontstretch and backstretch portions of the track along with two buildings converted to locker rooms.
"College GameDay" airs from 9 a.m.-noon ET on ESPN. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET, the same time as the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.
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