BRISTOL, Tenn. Race weekend in Bristol means a few things to Pam Bishop, of Indiana: an early-morning doughnut, followed by a jug of chocolate milk and chased with a jar of moonshine.

"We always eat here," said Bishop, who has been attending races at Bristol Motor Speedway for 10 years. "We have Italian sausage and brats and chocolate milk. We always come early to get a donut."

For some, the tastes of race weekend are almost as important as the sights and sounds of the cars speeding around the track.

"Food is definitely part of the experience," Bishop said. "It's more fun to eat at the track."

From steaks and meatloaf in the suites to turkey legs and funnel cakes in the stands, it's all available at Bristol Motor Speedway.

John Webb, of North Carolina, said he always gets a hot dog at the race.

"I think a hot dog is a [must-have food] for any sporting event," he said. "But we eat everything. We try everything from cheese steak to hotdogs and burgers."

His companions, 10-year-old Noah Webb and Chris McCurry, both said a barbeque sandwich completes their race weekend.

"Barbeque tastes great at the racetrack," McCurry said.

And Duane Krupla, former owner and current operations manager of Firepit Barbeque, would be happy to hear that. Early Saturday morning, he and his crew checked brisket and barbeque that had been roasting overnight.

"We do it slow and low," he said.

Krupla said barbeque is not a common flavor found at NASCAR events.

"It's going to be a flavor of NASCAR," he said. "There's not a lot of barbeque in NASCAR. There are a lot of convenience foods. This is a higher quality food."

This is the food truck's second year at Bristol; Krupla said it took about a year of paperwork and waiting to get a spot. Vendors don't like relinquishing their spots, he said.

The truck was born a few years ago after Krupla's Kentucky restaurant Fat Man's Paradise closed. Krupla said he enjoys being on the road, but soon new owner John Moore will take over.

"I like the interactions with people," he said. "You can actually talk to people. They come happy."

Jack Slaughter, of North Carolina, bought a steaming hot turkey leg before heading into the grandstands to watch the final practice rounds for the Grit Chips 300.

"I always get a turkey leg," he said. "I come every race and get a turkey leg. You don't see them in restaurants that often."

Others at the race bring their own food, as did Laura Green, Katie Davis and Sarah Smith, all graduate students studying speech pathology at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. The trio were volunteering at the race, and although they get food vouchers, wanted to bring their own healthy snacks.

"But after this I was thinking a barbeque sandwich," Green said. "I used to get all the fried food" [at events like this]. That's about the only place I'll eat a corn dog."

Young John Marshall, 5, of Missouri, spent some of his food budget on cheese fries at Saturday's race. He said the day before he had bought a foot-long corndog.

"It was as big as a Subway sandwich," he said, holding his arms wide to demonstrate. "It was this big and I ate