Nashville’s Fairgrounds Speedway Demolition War Gets Uglier As Fans Lock Horns With ‘Fairground Preservation Partners’

For the past three years, Metro Nashville’s bigwigs have been pitching a plan to revamp the Fairgrounds Nashville Speedway in hopes of bringing NASCAR back to town. The idea was to breathe new life into this historic track, the country’s second oldest, stirring up quite a buzz among racing enthusiasts dreaming of at least having it as a preserved site. But, just when fans were getting their hopes up, a twist came up. The Fair Board turned heads with their reaction to a proposal from Fairgrounds Preservation Partners. This group, marching to the beat of a different drum, wants to roll back the years and restore the speedway into a green space, an idea they’ve dubbed Cumberland Yard.

Adding fuel to the fire, Fairgrounds Preservation Partners stirred the pot by continuously posting and then deleting their update on this new development in a matter of just a few hours. This back-and-forth, in the face of relentless fan commentary, has only fanned the flames of frustration among the racing community.

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway’s future hangs in the balance

In Nashville, the Fair Board is still on track with its plan to give the Fairgrounds Speedway a lift. The long-haul project aims to pack in more seats, lay down a new track surface, and spruce up the historic site. Their goal? To woo back the NASCAR Cup Series. Bristol Motor Speedway was roped in to spearhead this revamp, a move that initially had motorsport fans revving with excitement. But things took a sharp left turn. The Fair Board recently responded to a planning thrown by the Fairgrounds Preservation Partners. The nonprofit unveiled its Cumberland Yard plan, a throwback to yesteryears, replacing the roar of engines with housing, a park, and an amphitheater. 

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Rewinding to 2011, Nashville’s residents had thrown a wrench in then-Mayor Karl Dean’s plans to turn the Fairgrounds into a corporate park. They voted for a charter amendment ensuring the fairgrounds’ existing uses, including auto racing, remained untouched. It also set a high bar of 27 votes at the Metro Council for any demolition.

Fast forward to this year, the state legislature, nudging at the behest of speedway deal supporters, attempted to “tweak” this rule, lowering the vote threshold for demolition from 27 to 21, provided the site’s purpose stays consistent. The move sparked a legal battleground with questions arising if the legislative change trampled over Tennessee’s “home rule” law. Republican Governor Bill Lee greenlit this law, despite Nashville’s Democratic representatives crying foul. The law now states that Nashville and similar cities need just a simple majority for demolition, as long as the site’s use remains “substantially the same.”

With the demolition decision now sealed, NASCAR fans find themselves at a crossroads with the Fairgrounds Preservation Partners, their engines of protest firing on all cylinders.

Uproar over the demolition plan for historic NASCAR Fairgrounds Speedway

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Matt Weaver, a writer for Sportsnaut, recently took to Twitter to share some intriguing news. He highlighted how the group gunning to tear down the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville had been playing a game of social media whack-a-mole. The Cumberland Yard account tweeted – and then tweeted again, 5 more times within three hours – a digital glimpse of their vision to transform the speedway into a quaint living area. Eventually, they slammed the brakes on public feedback, blocking comments and dodging questions in their DMs.

Speaking on the same, Weaver’s tweet painted a vivid picture: “Motorsports fans are in a Thanksgiving night Twitter tug-of-war with a group seeking to demolish Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.”

Fans and experts didn’t miss a beat in voicing their thoughts on this contentious demolition project. Richard Allen, the brains behind InsideDirtRacing.com, weighed in on the wider issue of racetrack politics. He pointed out a growing trend: “It’s becoming a problem for racetracks everywhere in that the property in today’s real estate environment is so valuable that it’s worth too much as a development to ignore.” Matt Weaver was quick to respond, highlighting that this situation is a different kettle of fish. He cleared things out with his response: “That’s not really part of the conversation here though. For one, the race track is effectively protected by the 2011 Davidson County referendum and Speedway Motorsports has a Fair Board approved plan that generates revenue from said protected facility.”

Meanwhile, another fan couldn’t help but chuckle at the group’s thin skin when it comes to handling criticism, saying “They can’t handle the criticism and it’s funny !!!” Adding to this, a proud fan shared their badge of honor – a screenshot showing he has been blocked by Cumberland Yard, stating that he was “Proud that I’m on the right side.” 

To top it off, fans noted that each of the six posts, teasing the transformation of the track into a residential area with a festive “Happy Thanksgiving from Cumberland Yard!” caption, was accompanied by a shut-down comments section. The move, along with a spree of blocking anyone who dares to question them, has only fanned the flames of this heated debate.

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What do you make of this drastic decision by the authorities to demolish such a historic piece of the racing world?