By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
Jerry Caldwell’s Bristol Motor Speedway career began as a college intern nearly 30 years ago. Twice recognized as BMS Employee of the Year, he was named executive vice president and general manager of The Last Great Colosseum in 2010 and recently marked three years as BMS president. The Business Journal sat down with him before the NASCAR season preview event a few weeks ago for a wide-ranging discussion.
Business Journal: Tell me a little bit about how and why you got involved in NASCAR and BMS from the start?
Jerry Caldwell: I was a student at King University, going into banking, and my last semester there…I knew Jeff Byrd, who had been hired to be GM. We both grew up in the Winston-Salem area. I called him up about an internship, met with him, and he started me that afternoon. I grew up around racing; my family was involved a little bit, but I wasn’t a huge fan growing up. I loved the event and sponsorship side and energy around putting these events on and welcoming folks. I loved the internship. He offered me a job to stay full time, and thankfully the Good Lord gave me wisdom enough to say it matters who you work with, and I got some advice from folks who lived in the community, and they both told me you ought to try the racetrack thing; you can always go back to the banking thing. And I guess it worked out.
BJ: You climbed the ladder over time from entry level to the top of this iconic venue — undoubtedly with hard work. What were some of the keys to your success?
JC: I worked with amazing people. I was blessed to have good mentors. I was blessed to work for a really good family in the Smith family. All three of those categories have similarities. They are humble people; they like working hard; they like having fun at what we are doing; they’re willing to take chances, and they want to do it together as a team. I tell college students now when I speak to them, to remain humble no matter what, get an internship — it’s a great way to try something out and see if you like it or don’t like it — and be willing to do whatever it is. You want to make sure you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
BJ: What do you think of the current state of NASCAR — especially attendance and ratings — as compared to maybe 15 or 20 years ago? What are some challenges and potential changes?
JC: Over the last five years, attendance has been strong. We’ve been on a trajectory of growth. The sport of NASCAR responded well to the COVID pandemic and the opportunities presented in that challenging time. If you look back 20 years, people consume things differently now than they did. We didn’t have the internet the way we do now. With social media becoming part of the fabric of who we are, you’re able to communicate about these things in a different manner. I think the state of the sport is really strong if you look at our attendance and ratings numbers. Ratings numbers are especially impressive if you look at several other sports. Everyone has experienced challenges on the standard television rating side because people consume things in a different manner. NASCAR, in particular, in the past three or four years, has had a consistent increase in that. I’ve been very impressed with what NASCAR has been able to try (on the innovation side). As a sport, we are doing a good job of seeing opportunities and moving toward those things and being willing to try something different. And I think that will continue to pay dividends.
BJ: Economic development is a focus of our magazine and crucial to this region’s future. BMS remains a hub for the Tri-Cities that was involved in important hurricane recovery efforts last year. What other kinds of community events are in the planning stages, especially to promote economic and workforce development?
JC: On regional efforts, we are supporters of the BRIDGE (the economic development group dedicated to growing the Appalachian Highlands economy). I am on the Board. I think it’s a very important effort. It’s very important for us to make sure, as a region, that we develop systems where we can work together on a consistent basis. We are one as a region. It is so important that we work together. We have an amazing quality of life product to offer folks. We need to make sure we are attracting and retaining workers and the employers. I think there are a lot of really good people in this region that have good intentions. We have been guilty of duplicating efforts too many times when, if we could get all these smart people together, pulling in the same direction, I think it’s going to be a tremendous multiplier.
BJ: People around the region and country are excited for the MLB Speedway Classic game this summer. Tell me a little more about how the idea came about, who you worked with on its inception, and what your expectations are for attendance and overall interest. BMS already holds the largest attendance ever for an NCAA football game. Anything else in that genre on the horizon?
JC: Every so often you have to ask yourself hard questions and challenge what you think from a business standpoint, I’ve learned…We have this massive event venue. It’s a racetrack, but it’s so much more. It’s the largest stadium in the country and one of the largest in the world. So how do we play to our strengths? Obviously, we have core business in NASCAR and are proud of that and want that to remain, but what else can we do? That led us down the path of Battle at Bristol and multiple YouTube stars…and you never know who’s looking when you’re doing those things. Little did we know back in 2016-17, Major League Baseball was exploring unique venues to play baseball games in. They ended up being here for a tour in 2021-22…they came also to learn more about Bristol. They had in their mind they wanted to see some more of this, because we didn’t realize this, but they’d been studying Bristol back from 2017 even (the Battle at Bristol football game). We’ve parlayed that into hosting music festivals for several years. We are the home of big events is what we have identified ourselves as and proven that to be the case. As it relates to baseball, we expect this to be one of the largest baseball games ever played in the country, and we are thrilled to be a part of that.
