Ricky "Rude" Proffitt will be going for his third-straight Bandit Big Rig Series season championship when the Iron Giants try to tame Bristol Motor Speedway in their season-finale Saturday at the inaugural Bandit Bristol Battle.
 
Proffitt, a two-time winner this season, holds a 13-point lead over Mark "Wheel Man" Noble, while Marshall "Pig Pen" Davis and Allen "Turbo" Boles are within 100 points of the leader.
 
"Everyone is really close in the points," Proffitt said. "If I win, I will be tickled to death. If I don't, I will be disappointed, but I will shake the winner's hand. It's a coin toss, but I am having a good time."
 
Proffitt says his stomach has been in knots the last few weeks anticipating this race at one of the most historic showplaces of American auto racing.
 
"I'm a nervous wreck," Proffitt said. "We had the Iowa race get cancelled due to extreme weather so we haven't raced in a couple of weeks. I am a little tense, a little jumpy. I want this to be over with. May the best man win."
 
It will be the first official race for the Bandit Big Rig Series at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last October the series performed an exhibition race during the Monster Truck weekend.
 
Like all race car drivers, the Bandit Big Rig drivers are simply in awe when they walk into the legendary all-concrete high-banked oval.
 
"We are at the pinnacle place of racing right here at Bristol," driver and series owner Craig "The Godfather" Kruckeburg said. "It doesn't get any better than this. We will have a great show tomorrow. It's our final race of the season. I grew up in a small town and I always heard Bristol, Bristol, Bristol. When you tell people you are racing at Bristol, it's pretty cool."
 
Proffitt, from nearby North Carolina, says the vibe at The Last Great Colosseum gives you goosebumps. 
 
"When you walk down the banking the first time you don't even see the track it's so steep," Proffitt said. "It's kind of a weird feeling. It's Bristol. I don't care where you go. In all four corners of the United States, all you have to say is we're going to be racing at Bristol, and people know exactly where you are going to be."
 
Fans still have time to take advantage of a $10 discount if they purchase their tickets online today for $15. Starting tomorrow, adult tickets at the gate will be $25. Seniors (65+)/military tickets are $15. Infield access tickets are $50 and premium infield passes are $100. Tickets for kids 8 and under are free.
 
Saturday's schedule offers plenty of racing action and off-track events to keep fans entertained. Prior to racing, fans can see some of the best big rigs on the planet during the Fan Series Truck Show starting at 9 a.m. More than 100 trucks are expected to be part of the show, which will be held in the South Entrance parking lot.
 
The green flag for the 30-lap main feature will drop at 6:25 p.m. Prior to that, trucks will hit the track for qualifying at noon. A two-hour driver meet-n-greet for fans will take place on track starting at 1 p.m. Three 10-lap heat races begin at 3:30 p.m. The fan-favorite Bandit Shootout Races, which feature two trucks on track at one time in a one-lap dash to the finish, will be held at 4:15 p.m. Two 15-lap challenge races begin at 4:50 p.m. Following the main feature, the championship presentation for the Bandit Big Rigs Series season awards will be held at 8:30 p.m.