A real favorite of NASCAR fans in the Tri-Cities is a giant 15-feet tall shopping cart with and engine that packs enough horsepower to make even Robert Yates green with envy. It's the giant Food City Shopping Cart and it has become a fixture at Bristol Motor Speedway events. To celebrate Open House Day at Bristol Motor Speedway... 96.9 WXBQ gave several lucky listeners Rabbit Rides in the Food City Big Cart around the track at the speedway.
The Big Cart was created by the Missouri-based National Cart Company. Food City acquired the unique vehicle in the early 1990's, around the same time the company began its sponsorship of the Food City 500 and Food City 250 at BMS. And the rest as they say, is history. Since that time the Big Cart, as it is called among the fans, has gained a cult following and it is as much a part of racing at Bristol as twisted sheet metal.
people line up by the hundreds to see it and they seem to be in awe when they look it over." One might say that the Big Cart has even achieved celebrity status. It has been featured in Sports Illustrated, on ESPN’s SportsCenter, and even in AutoCar, a British high-performance automotive magazine.The Rabbit Rides were part of the Fan Appreciation Open House event at Bristol Motor Speedway. WXBQ made special arrangements with the Speedway and Food City to make the rides available to the winners. The winners were chosen from all the listeners who had sent entries telling why they should have a Rabbit Ride! The WXBQ Rabbit Ride winners who enjoyed the thrill of climbing aboard the Food City Big Carts for a few laps around the track were:
- Daryl Goodman of Gray, Tennessee
- Teresa Hall of Fall Branch, Tennessee
- Rob Ferguson of Kingsport, Tennessee
- Kathy Mullins of Church Hill, Tennessee