Nashville Mayor Nearing Deal To Bring NASCAR Cup Series Back To Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway

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The NASCAR Cup Series will return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, according to the Tennessean's Mike Organ.

Organ reports that Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Bristol Motor Speedway have struck a deal and it will be announced later this week. The reported agreement will include a full renovation of Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, which last hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race in 1984.

Organ says the deal is subject to approval by the Board of Fair Commissioners and Metropolitan Council. Cooper initially announced on March 5 that a letter of intent had been signed with Bristol Motor Speedway to allow NASCAR events to return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.

Upon approval of the deal, Bristol Motor Speedway would be responsible for all track renovations, operation costs and maintenance. Bristol Motor Speedway purchased Dover Motorsports, Inc. earlier this month, which owned Nashville Superspeedway.

NASCAR made its return to Nashville on June 20, 2021 for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Kyle Larson, who won the Cup Series Championship, was the winner of the race. The race was an overwhelming success, hosting a sold-out, full-capacity crowd of 38,000. It was the first full-capacity crowd at a NASCAR race following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nashville also successfully hosted the IndyCar Series' Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Aug. 8. The 80-lap, 173.6-mile downtown race was won by Marcus Ericsson. Per the Tennessean, over 110,000 attended the race.

The main opposition to the deal going through is from residents who live around Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Stand Up Nashville, a community group made up of neighborhood and union organizers, conducted a door-to-door survey on the redevelopment of the track.

The group received 310 responses, with 74% having concerns about development and 34% supporting it. Organ says that Bristol officials are promising to build sound walls to reduce noise.

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