Food City is gearing up for the 35th running of the September 18th Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Earlier today, company officials announced that in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, Food City will pay tribute to their associates who are service members and veterans during pre-race ceremonies in appreciation for their sacrifice, commitment, and dedicated service to our nation. 

“Our company was founded by my father, Jack C. Smith, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy who proudly served our nation for seven years in the U.S. Navy,” says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. “We’re proud to employ more than 300 associates who have served in the Armed Forces. While they can’t all be with us for the race, we are honored to have a distinguished group of managers and supervisors who served in the military representing our Food City veteran associates as our Food City 300 Grand Marshals.”

Greg Sparks, Food City senior vice president and chief operations officer, will lead the Food City team in delivering the official starting command. Sparks joined Food City in 2016. Prior to joining the company, Sparks served as executive vice president of store operations for a national discount retailer, where he oversaw the opening of more than 2,000 new stores, directed over 2,500 store remodels and relocations, and had responsibility for 12,000 stores and 105,000 retail associates. He also spent 34 years with a major international supermarket chain, advancing through a variety of leadership roles, including division president. Among his many accomplishments were leading the successful acquisition and integration of a subsidiary chain in Alaska, developing a market-leading fuel rewards program, and serving in the company's international operations in Egypt.

Throughout his career, Sparks has served in leadership roles with numerous industry boards and associations, including the Western Association of Food Chains, Northwest Grocery Association, and POP Gourmet Foods. He currently serves on the Breakthrough T1D Board. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Marketing from Phillips University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

A native of Enid, Oklahoma, Sparks lived in Nashville, Tennessee, for four years before relocating to Kingsport, Tennessee. He and his wife of 39 years, Adele, are the proud parents of three children: Whitney (husband Brandon), Elle, and Jackson. In his free time, Sparks enjoys martial arts training, sports-related activities, and reading.

To commemorate 35 years of racing, Food City has named Jimmy Spencer to serve as Honorary Starter and wave the green flag to signal the start of Friday night’s Food City 300. 

Known to NASCAR fans as “Mr. Excitement,” Spencer is a former driver, team owner, and television personality who enjoyed a successful racing career spanning more than two decades. Spencer followed in the footsteps of his father, legendary racer “Fast Eddie” Spencer. He rose through the ranks of NASCAR Modified racing, capturing back-to-back NASCAR Modified championships in 1986 and 1987 before advancing to NASCAR’s national series. Over his career, Spencer competed in 478 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning two Cup victories in 1994 at Daytona and Talladega. He also drove Food City-sponsored race cars during his Busch Series career, including special Food City paint schemes that appeared at select events in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002, Spencer won the NASCAR Busch Series Food City 250 at Bristol. He also collected 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and one NASCAR Truck Series victory, making him one of the few drivers to win in all three of NASCAR’s top divisions. Following his driving career, Spencer became a popular television analyst and commentator for SPEED Channel’s NASCAR programming.

"We’re thrilled to welcome back an old friend and racing partner to Bristol Motor Speedway to wave the green flag for Friday’s Food City 300. Jimmy delivered many memorable moments at Bristol and throughout his racing career and has always been a valued friend and partner to our company," says Smith.

Food City serves as the title sponsor of the spring NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 and fall Food City 300 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race. Celebrating 35 years of racing, the supermarket retailer is Bristol Motor Speedway’s longest running sponsor and the second longest in NASCAR. The Food City 300 gets under way at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 18, 2026 (The CW, PRN Radio, Sirius XM Radio).

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 163 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and Alabama.