V5RC · Middle School

Bots @ Bristol VEX V5 MS Robotics Competition™ Signature Event: VEX V5 Robotics Competition, Middle School

February 11–12, 2027 Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee

VEX V5RC Signature event in Bristol, Tennessee, United States Feb 11, 2027 – Feb 12, 2027.

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Details from events.vex.com. Tentative — subject to change by the event partner.

General Info

Bots at Bristol

Bots at Bristol will be held at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway, home of the "Fastest Half-Mile." One hundred and twenty eight high school teams will battle it out in the Last Great Colosseum for a coveted chance to compete at the 2027 VEX Robotics World Championship™.

Only 3 teams will prevail. Will your team be the final gladiators standing?

We will contact you closer to the event with final details—including driving directions, facility maps, schedules, and food ordering information. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email margaret.trent@sullivank12.net.

Action Required: All participants must submit their Participant Release Form through Events.vex.com prior to arrival at the event.

Critical Deadlines & Check-In

  • January 16, 2027 – Pre-Order Shirts Only: Event shirts will be available via pre-order only.

    • Orders will not be taken at the event. Please use [link coming soon] to pre-order. Note: We highly prefer bulk team orders with a single payment if possible.

  • February 5, 2027 – Digital Check-In Closes: Bypass the physical check-in table on morning-of by completing [link will be emailed to coaches the week prior to the event]. Digital check-in strictly closes the friday before the event.

Fields & Judging

Competition Layout

  • Raised Fields: All competition fields will be elevated.

  • Skills Fields: 4

  • Practice Fields: 6

Official Judging

  • Engineering Notebooks: Physical, in-person notebooks are required at this event. Digital notebooks will not be accepted.

  • Team Interviews: All team interviews will be conducted entirely in person.

Food & Volunteers

  • Lunch Options: Lunch will be available for purchase the day of the event via the BMS Food Truck.

  • Outside Food Policy: BMS requests that no outside food be brought into the venue (note: compliance is requested, but this will not be actively policed).

  • Volunteers: Volunteer lunches will be provided! We are still looking for amazing volunteers to help run the event. [link will be posted soon].

Venue Details & Parking

  • Parking: Parking is completely free at the venue. However, you must not triple-park your vehicle. Vehicles found triple-parked will be towed at the owner's expense.

  • BMS Souvenir Shop: Open weekdays until 5:00 PM.

  • Venue Tours: Paid venue tours are available! All tours must be scheduled directly through BMS, as the robotics event staff cannot facilitate them. To book a tour, visit this link.

Live Stream Links

Day One

Day Two

*2027 VEX Robotics World Championship Spot Eligibility

Signature Events will be awarded 2027 VEX Robotics World Championship™ qualification spots if they meet all established criteria set forth by GRSF. Failure to fully comply with these criteria may result in the event being ineligible to receive World spots, regardless of prior expectations or historical precedent.

Venue
Bristol Motor Speedway
Address
151 Speedway Boulevard, Bristol, Tennessee 37620, United States
Dates
February 11 – 12, 2027
Grade Level
Middle School
Skills Challenge
Yes
Judging Format
All In-Person Judging

Registration & Logistics

Event Type
Open Tournament
Event Format
In-Person
Field Control
Smart Field Control
Capacity
84
Spots Open
84
Event Region
Tennessee
Max Registrations per Org
6
Priority Registration Opens
30-Sep-2026 12:00 EDT
Standard Registration Opens
14-Oct-2026 12:00 EDT
Registration Deadline
22-Jan-2027 12:00 EST
Payment Deadline
2-Feb-2026 18:00 EST
Price
$300.00

Agenda

Thursday February 11
Time Event Location
12:30 PM Doors Open & Check-In
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Inspection
1:00 PM – 5:30 PM Skills & Practice Fields Open Skills will close during the opening ceremony and drivers meeting
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM Opening Ceremony & Drivers Meeting
3:30 PM Judging Begins (continues throughout the day)
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Qualification Matches
6:20 PM Venue Closes
Friday February 12
Time Event Location
7:30 AM Doors Open
8:00 AM Qualification Matches Begin
8:00 AM [End of Match Play]: Skills Fields Open (closes when the last qualification match is scored)
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Qualification Matches
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Judges' Lunch Break
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Skills & Practice Field Staff Lunch Rotation (Run with a smaller crew; Shift 1: 11:30 AM–12:30 PM | Shift 2: 12:30 PM–1:30 PM)
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM General Lunch Break
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Qualification Matches Resume (concludes immediately following final match)
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Alliance Selection
3:30 PM – 6:00 PM Finals
6:00 PM – 6:15 PM Awards Ceremony
6:30 PM Venue Closes

Stream

https://www.youtube.com/@margarettrent2631/streams

Iron Patriots Live Stream https://www.youtube.com/@margarettrent2631/streams

Travel Info

For travel information related to Bristol, Tn. Please visit this link: https://explorebristol.com/?utm_source=ripl&utm_medium=sem&utm_campaign=2024&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21488824927&gbraid=0AAAAA-A9_mLtTthIIJWW4hoQ3brL9pZEf&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxdXBBhDEARIsAAUkP6gqfkOjGFSStPOmza8rlkBq2OgU59sDN4wouiNIbKuOFHnOr1Cl_2saAj3pEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Judging Format

All In-Person Judging - The Team Interviews and Engineering Notebooks will be judged in-person the day of the event. Teams should bring a physical copy of their notebook to submit to the judges.

Volunteer

Volunteers are needed to host this signature event. If you are interested in volunteering, please click the sing-up genius image below: Link to be updated soon! Only Volunteers that have signed up by 01-16-2027 will receive a free volunteer shirt! Lunch will be provided for volunteers each day you volunteer!

Emergency/Bad-Weather Policy

In the event of bad weather, updates will be made by email.

  • Excellence Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Tournament Champions (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Robot Skills Champion (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Amaze Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Build Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Create Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Design Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Innovate Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Judges Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIC/ADC/VAIRC)
  • Sportsmanship Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)
  • Think Award (VRC/VEXU/VAIRC)