ARCA Racing Series Returning to Historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 2016
The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ first race at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville in more than 20 years turned out to be a championship preview. What will the 2016 race be like?
Fans will find out April 9, 2016 as the series will return once more to the .596-mile paved oval. Officials from the ARCA Racing Series and Track Enterprises announced today that the 64-year-old series will return to the track in 2016.
RELATED: 2016 ARCA Racing Series Schedule
The 2015 race was won by eventual series champion Grant Enfinger. The Menards Pole Award went to Kyle Weatherman, the eventual SCOTT Rookie of the Year. Enfinger led 90 of the 200 laps, 19 more than Weatherman. Much of the race was under the green flag, too, as only three cautions fell on the night race.
“Winning at the historic Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville was awesome,” Enfinger said. “It was my third consecutive win for the 2015 season and I was recognized by ARCA for winning the first three races for two consecutive years, which was a great honor. The win in Nashville helped us tremendously to gain a suitable points lead. We ended up needing that after a rough patch in the three races that followed but still hung on to the lead.”
In 2016, the ARCA Racing Series will once again be a one-day show, with practice, qualifying and racing all on Saturday, April 9.
The first ARCA Racing Series race at the historic track was held June 21, 1959, and won by three-time ARCA champion Nelson Stacy. Other notable race winners include Jack Bowsher, Red Farmer, Ramo Stott, Coo Coo Marlin and David Green. A long list of talented local drivers, from Darrell Waltrip to Marty Robbins also drove in ARCA races at the storied Fairgrounds oval.
“It’s one of those old, historic tracks,” said 10-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel. “It even hosted Winston Cup races.”
NASCAR King Richard Petty won nine Winston Cup races at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, which is banked 18 degrees in the turns.
Nashville native Bobby Hamilton Jr. appeared in 10 ARCA races last season, including the one at the fairgrounds.
“There’s a lot of magic that comes with that place,” he said.
The April 9 stop in Nashville is the 13th race announced on the 2016 series schedule. More dates will be announced this week on www.arcaracing.com.
Source: ARCA Racing Series
