Bristol Motor Speedway camping: It's a 'family tradition'


              ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS APRIL 16-17 - The Rogers family, who operate the Rogers Gardens Campground, stand in front of Bristol Motor Speedway, Wednesday, April 13, 2016 in Bristol, Tenn. Those who own and operate campgrounds around the vicinity of Bristol Motor Speedway don’t see many fresh faces pitch tents _ or technically park RVs _ during race week. But that doesn’t mean business is down because camping at Bristol has become a family tradition for most visitors. The same is especially true at Rogers Gardens Campground. The campground has continued to expand and added 70 new sites last year that accommodated electricity. (Zach Vance/Johnson City Press) MANDATORY CREDIT
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS APRIL 16-17 - The Rogers family, who operate the Rogers Gardens Campground, stand in front of Bristol Motor Speedway, Wednesday, April 13, 2016 in Bristol, Tenn. Those who own and operate campgrounds around the vicinity of Bristol Motor Speedway don’t see many fresh faces pitch tents _ or technically park RVs _ during race week. But that doesn’t mean business is down because camping at Bristol has become a family tradition for most visitors. The same is especially true at Rogers Gardens Campground. The campground has continued to expand and added 70 new sites last year that accommodated electricity. (Zach Vance/Johnson City Press) MANDATORY CREDIT

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) - Those who own and operate campgrounds around the vicinity of Bristol Motor Speedway don't see many fresh faces pitch tents - or technically park RVs - during race week.

But that doesn't mean business is down because camping at Bristol has become a family tradition for most visitors.

The same is especially true at Rogers Gardens Campground. The campground has continued to expand and added 70 new sites last year that accommodated electricity.

George Rogers, who's owned the campground directly across from the speedway since 1981, tells the Johnson City Press (http://bit.ly/268PEQr) that he estimates only 15 percent of his campers are first-timers.

It isn't just local families engaging in the bi-annual tradition. Lynda Rogers says residents of Ontario are regulars, and she recalls visitors from Alaska to Florida.

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Information from: Johnson City Press, http://www.johnsoncitypress.com

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