Public hearing held on Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway restoration plan
People packed into a room at the Music City Center for a public hearing about the speedway restoration plan at the Nashville Fairgrounds.
Posted at 11:08 PM, May 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-12 00:08:48-04
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) â A public hearing was packed at the Music City Center Tuesday night about a speedway restoration plan and bringing NASCAR back to the Nashville Fairgrounds.
Lines of residents took to the podium to voice their opposition and support for a plan to restore and revamp the speedway. Look this is a golden opportunity, this is a great opp for the speedway. this is a great opp for the fairgrounds, said NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Darren Waltrip.
Public Hearing Held on Fairground Nashville s NASCAR Future
Central Tennessee residents debated the merits of renovating the legendary short track. Speedway Motorsports Inc
The latest step towards a potential NASCAR return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway played out through dramatic political theater during a Fair Board of Commissioners meeting at the Karl Dean Ballroom in Downtown Music City on Tuesday night.
Speedway Motorsports Inc., which also operates nearby Bristol Motor Speedway, is seeking to obtain the lease to the facility owned by the City of Nashville and Davidson County.
Such an agreement would see Bristol Motor Speedway become the de facto promoters of the historic short track, and pending an eventual renovation project, clear a pathway for all three NASCAR national touring divisions to return.
Metro officials are continuing to consider teaming up with the owners of Bristol Motor Speedway with the goal of potentially bringing a NASCAR Cup Series race back to the Fairgrounds Speedway, but neighbors who attended a public hearing Tuesday expressed concerns about racingâs noise, traffic and other effects on the neighborhood south of downtown.
The public hearing before the Board of Fair Commissioners did not result in any decisions by the body that oversees the fairgrounds. But Mayor John Cooper is pushing an agreement with Speedway Motorsports Inc. â the Bristol owners â that could result in SMI paying $1 million to the city annually in rent while seeking to lure a top-tier race back to the track, which last hosted one in the 1980s. The agreement could initially last 10 years, with five-year extensions to extend the agreement as long as 30 years.
Neighbors Debate Racing Proposal at Contentious Hearing Nearby residents question noise, traffic as mayorâs representative promotes deal with Bristol Tweet
Rendering via Populous
Metro officials are continuing to consider teaming up with the owners of Bristol Motor Speedway with the goal of potentially bringing a NASCAR Cup Series race back to the Fairgrounds Speedway. But neighbors who attended a public hearing Tuesday expressed concerns about racingâs noise, traffic and other effects on the neighborhood south of downtown.
The public hearing before the Board of Fair Commissioners did not result in any decisions by the body that oversees the fairgrounds. But Mayor John Cooper is pushing an agreement with Speedway Motorsports Inc. â the Bristol owners â that could result in SMI paying $1 million to the city annually in rent while seeking to lure a top-tier race back to the track, which last hosted one in the 1980s. The agreement could i
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is so dedicated to the idea of NASCAR returning to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway that he has already devoted the biggest asset the industry has for its hypothetical return.
Himself.
Since retiring from full-time Cup Series competition in 2017, Earnhardt has raced once a year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. Should Speedway Motorsports Inc. and the City of Nashville close out on an agreement to bring NASCAR back, Earnhardt has already said he will enter the first race back.
During a press conference before the ARCA, Super Late Model and Pro Late Model tripleheader over the weekend, he took it a step further and said he would race at the Fairgrounds every year until he completely retires if NASCAR comes back to the Music City.