As Bristol Motor Speedway continues to pursue a revitalisation project for the historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, they and Nashville Metropolitan Mayor John Cooper have reached a so-called ‘landmark’ deal to set the terms for how the process will work. Notably, the track will see the NASCAR Cup Series return for the first time since 1984 with a race there every other season for thirty years.
“Partnering with Bristol allows Nashville to preserve our 131-year tradition of racing at the Fairgrounds and bring the legendary speedway back to life as a valuable and exciting part of the modernised Fairgrounds,” Cooper stated. He signed a letter of intent to launch renovations in March 2021. “Recognising our obligation to maintain the track, we are leveraging investments from the state, the tourism industry, and facility users to make this a financial success for the city. We can put this landmark back on the national stage. I look forward to working with the Fair Board, Sports Authority and the Metro Council in the months ahead.”
Once coming into force, Bristol would take over operation for thirty years that entails organising the aforementioned Cup race (and support events such as the Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series) and paying for pre-development expenses and a fraction of design costs. Bristol will also designate four weekends as “significant event weeks” with major events like races; while the first three weeks permit Bristol to use nearby areas such as the convention centre, the fourth only allows them to use the speedway.
To alleviate local concerns about noise, race weekends can take place ten times at most per year, while practices can only be held on twenty weekdays. Such sessions also have a schedule to follow, with track action on Monday through Thursday being four hours long (3 PM to 7 PM) while Saturdays allow for 9 AM to 9 PM. Non-Cup races must start after noon and end before 10 PM (an hour later is granted in case of weather).
“This is a tremendous step forward for Mayor Cooper’s office, the city of Nashville and our company to preserve history with a revitalized Fairgrounds Speedway,” Speedway Motorsports head Marcus Smith added. “It’s time to establish a bright future for NASCAR’s return to the fairgrounds and create impactful new entertainment that will benefit the city and region. We’d like to thank the NASCAR community, local racers, business and non-profit partners who’ve helped us reach this point, and we look forward to working with Fair Board and Metro Council in the coming weeks to make this vision a reality for Nashville.”
The State of Tennessee and Nashville Convention and Visitors Convention will provide USD$17 million (€16,388,850) each in grants. The Metro Sports Authority is also chipping in.
“It’s been a long multi-year process through selections and negotiations and we are eager to see this project through its completion,’ commented Bristol president Jerry Caldwell. “There is a lot of work ahead of us as we meet with city officials and work with the community to complete a truly comprehensive restoration of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway for the enjoyment of future generations. We encourage race fans to continue to show their support for this special piece of motorsports history. We are thankful to all who have supported this venture throughout this process.”
The deal must be approved by the Board of Fair Commissioners, Metropolitan Council, and Sports Authority. A formal vote will take place in January 2023.
