Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway: From ‘America’s Favorite Short Track’ to a Forgotten Part of NASCAR’s History

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is just another example of an iconic short track that never saw the dawn of new light and NASCAR racing. Back in the 1980s, it was a stomping ground for stock car racing action that saw the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliot, and Michael Waltrip tussle for supremacy in the Late Model Stock Car division. But those days are long gone.

Today, the 0.596-mile racetrack is overlooked, but rather a new venue, the Nashville Superspeedway, has taken its place on the NASCAR schedule. The historic short track is in rough shape and would require extensive repair work to host NASCAR races. But, going by the current deadlock situation and the rise of superspeedway racing on the other side of the town, it looks like Fairgrounds might not have a shot at life like North Wilkesboro or the Bowman Gray.

What made the Fairgrounds Speedway so special?

Originally, when the Fairgrounds opened its doors to the public, it was a dirt oval that hosted horseless carriage and motorcycle races. From 1915 on, the track attracted Indy 500 racers who brought their race cars to compete at the track. It wasn’t until 1958 that the local racing community decided to pave the racetrack. After striking a 10-year lease from the state fair board, the racers built a ½-mile track that shared a front stretch with a ¼-mile track.

In 1959, the NASCAR Grand National Race ran its first-ever event. Soon, the unique track started attracting more non-Nashville races. However, NASCAR events were still few, and the governing council got into a dispute with the city government over track management. Soon, the Late Model Stock would start growing popular among the crowds. This is when NASCAR stars such as Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, and Sterling Marlin raced at the venue in 1978 and 1979.

But, thanks to a new Superspeedway venue, the major NASCAR event shifted away from Fairgrounds Speedway. However, a return of weekly NASCAR racing was rekindled in 2018, when then-track operator Tony Formosa Jr reached an agreement with Speedway Motorsports to upgrade the facility. But, once again, the city council proved to be a major hurdle. Despite reaching a principal agreement with Mayor John Cooper on plans to resurrect the iconic racetrack, his efforts haven’t yielded any results.

A report by Nicole William via the Tennessee Outlook further highlighted how Cooper’s efforts have been a no-show. And he just won’t admit that he wasn’t able to deliver on his promise to bring Fairgrounds back to life.

What’s holding up the Fairgrounds Speedway’s revival?

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For NASCAR to go back to racing at Fairgrounds, a deal would need the approval of three bodies. Board of Fair Commissioners, the Metro Sports Authority, and the Metro Council. While the Fair Commissioners gave the go-ahead in March of 2021, the real hurdle was the Metro Council. Apparently, the city council requires a three-reading ordinance to pass such a deal.

With the 2023 municipal elections fast approaching, there was not enough time to go through a tedious process of three-stage meetings. Council member Zach Young tried to get a deal through with special meeting provisions, but again, it didn’t meet the quorum criteria of 27 council members. Next thing you know, Conner’s time at his office is up, and Freddie O’Connell has since taken charge as Nashville’s 10th Mayor.

However, despite O’Connell’s memory of auto racing at Fairgrounds, he has plans to carry out the ambitious project of East Bank. This would add affordable housing projects, hotels, and a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center. This is a major blow to any hopes of NASCAR racing returning to Fairgrounds Speedway and also to the race fans, who have been yearning for a return to weekly racing at the historic track.