KNOXVILLE – Like many of Tennessee’s players, Darrin Kirkland Jr. never has been to Bristol Motor Speedway, where the Volunteers face Virginia Tech in the “Battle at Bristol” on Saturday night.
Where the sophomore linebacker attended high school, however, is a little more than a 20-minute drive from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I haven’t been to the Indy (500), which is probably like a sin for Indianapolis people,” Kirkland joked Tuesday, “but I’ve been to the Brickyard (NASCAR race).”
After playing its first Thursday season opener in 25 years, Tennessee’s next game is at a NASCAR track, where everything about the routine and the setting will be different for all of the players and coaches involved.
Both the Vols and Hokies have sent coaches, support staffers and administrators to Bristol multiple times the past few months to assess and plan for Saturday night, but for the players there’s no reference point for this game.