V5RC · High School

CANCELED: Bots @ Bristol VEX U Robotics Competition Signature Event: VEX U Robotics Competition

February 12–13, 2027 Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tennessee

VEX V5RC Signature event in Bristol, Tennessee, United States Feb 12, 2027 – Feb 13, 2027.

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

General Info

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: 2

  • Practice Fields: 3

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

2027 VEX Robotics World Championship™

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 12 – 13, 2027
Grade Level
College
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
24
Spots Open
24
Event Region
Tennessee
Max Registrations per Org
6
Standard Registration Opens
30-Sep-2026 12:00 EDT
Registration Deadline
22-Jan-2027 12:00 EST
Payment Deadline
2-Feb-2026 04:00 EST
Price
$200.00

Agenda

VEX U Event (24 Teams)

Day 1: Friday, February 12, 2027

  • 3:00 PM: Doors Open & Check-In

Note: A digital check-in will be emailed to coaches. Teams that check in digitally do not need to stop at the check-in table.

  • 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Inspection

Note: All teams must pass inspection prior to using the practice or skills fields.

  • Early Inspection Option: Teams that have volunteered for the previous events may complete their inspection during either of the earlier event windows (make arrangements with the event partner to schedule your time):

    • High School Window: Wednesday, Feb 10, 2027 (7:30 AM – 9:30 AM)

    • Middle School Window: Thursday, Feb 11, 2027 (12:30 PM – 2:30 PM)

  • 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Skills & Practice Fields Open

  • 3:30 PM: Judging Begins (continues throughout the day)

  • 6:30 PM: Venue Closes

Day 2: Saturday, February 13, 2027

  • 7:30 AM: Doors Open

  • 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Opening Ceremony & Drivers Meeting

  • 9:00 AM: Qualification Matches Begin

  • 9:00 AM – [End of Match Play]: Skills Fields Open (closes when the last qualification match is scored)

  • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Qualification Matches

  • 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Judges' Lunch Break

  • 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM: Skills & Practice Field Staff Lunch Rotation (Run with a smaller crew; Shift 1: 11:30 AM–12:15 PM | Shift 2: 12:15 PM–1:00 PM)

  • 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: General Lunch Break

  • 12:45 PM – 3:00 PM: Qualification Matches Resume

  • 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM: Alliance Selection

  • 3:45 PM – 6:00 PM: Finals

  • 6:00 PM – 6:15 PM: Awards Ceremony

Note: Award presentations will begin during the finals to keep the schedule moving efficiently.

  • 6:30 PM: Venue Closes

Important Reminder: Please leave the pit area exactly as you found it! Clean up after yourself so we can leave the venue in perfect shape.

Stream

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

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

Travel Info

Date: 12-Feb-2027 - 13-Feb-2027 Bristol Motor Speedway 151 Speedway Boulevard Bristol, Tennessee 37620 United States Travel Info For travel details 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

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

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

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy In the event of bad weather, updates will be made by email.

  • Excellence Award (V5)
  • Tournament Champions (V5)
  • Robot Skills Champion (V5)
  • Amaze Award (V5)
  • Build Award (V5)
  • Create Award (V5)
  • Design Award (V5)
  • Innovate Award (V5)
  • Judges Award (V5)
  • Sportsmanship Award (V5)
  • Think Award (V5)