BY ZACH AKERS – SPORTS WRITER

The bass of stock cars thundering around Bristol Motor Speedway hits you before you even find your seat. It is a feeling every NASCAR fan knows, the kind that rattles your chest and reminds you why you fell in love with the sport in the first place.

Race weekend at the Suburban Propane 300 delivered exactly that. But from inside the Suburban Propane suite, there was another story unfolding, one that stretched far beyond the high banks of Bristol and into the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia, the area that most people reading this article call home.

Between laps, I had the chance to sit down with Nandini Sankara, vice president of marketing and brand strategy for Suburban Propane, and talk about what this race and this partnership really mean. During those conversations, I also met Suburban Propane CEO Michael Stivala, who repeatedly mentioned his excitement for the partnership with NASCAR and the company’s commitment to this region, as well as the entire country.

For Suburban Propane, NASCAR is not just about logo placement or title sponsorship. It is about showing up in the same communities that fill these grandstands every weekend. It is about connecting with people who rely on propane not just for convenience, but for everyday life. In NASCAR, it means finding a cleaner solution to drying the track during rain delays.

Around here, that connection hits close to home.

Not far from Bristol, tucked into the hills of Southwest Virginia, Suburban Propane operates a local office in Norton, Virginia. It is the kind of place that does not always make headlines, but it is exactly where companies like Suburban Propane matter most. It is also a location that has recently won awards for its commitment and dedication to the citizens of the region.

In rural Appalachia, propane is not optional. It heats homes in the winter, powers farms and keeps small businesses running. When temperatures drop or storms roll in, reliability is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.

That local presence means that when something goes wrong, help is not coming from across the country. It is already nearby.

That reality became clear during the devastating flooding that impacted Eastern Kentucky on Valentine’s Day weekend in 2025. Homes were damaged. Roads were washed out. Families were left trying to pick up the pieces. Lives were changed forever.

In moments like that, partnerships matter.

Through its ongoing work with the American Red Cross, Suburban Propane has supported disaster relief efforts since 2012 through direct contributions to the Red Cross disaster relief fund. The Red Cross provided immediate assistance, including shelter, supplies and support for displaced families, while partners like Suburban Propane helped ensure the resources and infrastructure were there to sustain those efforts.

It is easy to think of energy companies as background players. But when the power is out, when homes are damaged and when communities are trying to rebuild, their role becomes front and center.

Back at Bristol, as cars battled door to door under the lights, the conversation turned to another group that depends heavily on propane, farmers.

Across the region, propane fuels crop drying, heats livestock barns and keeps operations moving regardless of the season. It is a quiet but essential part of the agricultural backbone that mirrors the same hardworking communities that NASCAR was built on.

That is what makes the partnership with NASCAR feel natural. The fans in the stands are not just race fans. They are customers, farmers, small business owners and families who understand the value of reliability.

As the checkered flag waved at Bristol, it was clear that the Suburban Propane 300 was more than just a race name. It represented a company that shows up, on race weekends, in small towns like Pound, Wise and Norton, and in moments of crisis across places like Pikeville.

In NASCAR, performance matters. Consistency matters. Showing up every week matters.

For Suburban Propane, those same principles apply, whether it is fueling a race, supporting agriculture or helping communities recover when they need it most.

For fans watching from the stands or back home, that makes the name on the marquee mean just a little bit more.

In the race where Connor Zilisch and Kyle Larson delivered a classic finish alongside rookie Brent Crews, I learned about a resource that has been fueling America for a very long time. I learned about a company that has been vital to so many since its founding in 1928, making it the longest-standing propane company in North America.

In closing, I want to say thank you to the entire Suburban Propane team for its hospitality this weekend. I was able to pull back the curtain on the official propane of NASCAR and hear about the innovative plans for the future. I look forward to seeing what this partnership can grow into for both NASCAR and Suburban Propane.