Initiative designed to help Northeast Tennessee secure future sporting events.
(NASHVILLE) — A measure sponsored by State Representative John Crawford (R-Kingsport) that supports tourism in Tennessee and is designed to help Northeast Tennessee secure future sporting events has been approved by the Tennessee General Assembly.
House Bill 2384 — also known as the Event Tourism Act — supports Bristol Motor Speedway and other sporting venues across our state in their efforts to land future events by reimbursing host counties and local municipalities, as well as the event venue for certain qualified event-related expenses. These include any expenditure directly related to the event that is approved by the Departments of Tourist Development and Finance & Administration.
The monies would come from a newly created event tourism fund, backed by a percentage of the sales tax revenues generated by certain services provided at the event. These monies could then be reinvested into the facility or the community for maintenance or upgrades in efforts to secure future sporting events.
Opened in 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway is the fourth largest sports venue in the United States, with a capacity of 162,000. It is an annual host of NASCAR’s Monster Energy Series and Xfinity Series and has also welcomed the NFL and NCAA throughout its 57-year existence.
In 2016, more than 150,000 fans attended the Battle at Bristol, featuring the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech — the largest crowd in American football history.
“Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the premier venues in all of sports and a tremendous economic engine for our local community and our region,” said Representative Crawford. “I am pleased that House Bill 2384 will solidify its future and enable us to continue to attract marquee sporting events to our state in future years.”
For more information about House Bill 2384, please click here.
John Crawford serves as a member of the House Local Government Committee and Subcommittee, as well as the House Finance, Ways & Means Committee and House Calendar & Rules Committee. He lives in Kingsport and represents House District 1, which encompasses a portion of Sullivan County. Crawford can be reached by email at: [email protected] or by calling (615) 741-7623.