Grassroots promoter selected as track leaseholder; NASCAR talks continue
Bob Sargent of Track Enterprises has officially become the leaseholder of Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville for 2020.
The Downtown Nashville, TN track is 0.596-mile paved oval with 18 degree corners. Inside the larger oval sits another paved 1/4-mile surface.
Sargent will host a total of 10 races at the Nashville, Tennessee speedway. 7 of those are local events and three are marquee events at the track.
On May 2-3, 2019, the track will welcome the ARCA East division. The USAC Silver Crown Series will also make a stop at the track. Additionally, the All-American 400 will be run from from Oct 31-Nov 1, 2019.
Formosa Productions has several years left on their contract to promote the track. However, unpaid debt created an eviction notice.
Sargent is no stranger to the famed racetrack.
“We already had a relationship,” stated Bob Sargent during a press conference on Saturday at the Performance Racing Industry trade show. “We’d been there for five years running the ARCA national series. We had a good relationship with the fairgrounds, and I think we were always in talks about the future.”
The future
There’s overwhelming support to brings NASCAR back to Nashville. The city recently hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Awards. But, the city lacks an actual race event.
Speedway Motorsports, Inc. struck a deal with the now former promoter, Formosa Productions. That deal was expected to help facilitate a NASCAR return.
Soon after, SMI pitched a $60 million dollar plan to the city for upgrades to the complex. That plan was rejected by previous mayor, David Briley.
SMI has a since submitted a new plan for capital upgrades. That plan remains on the desk of the new mayor, John Cooper.
Sargent is happy to help facilitate a NASCAR return.
Still working to bring NASCAR to Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville
“Of course, the soccer stadium is big news in Nashville and the (SMI) interest is big news,” Sargent said. “We just wanted to make sure the facility (kept) going while all this is going on.”
“I think the future, short term, 2020 is solid. We would like to continue going at the facility in our role. A lot of that will depend on how the NASCAR and/or soccer develops.”
Originally, only three races were in discussion with the new promoter, Bob Sargent. The addition 7 local races will keep grassroots racing going at the track.
“This is really not unlike a lot of the other events we do,” Sargent said. “We go in and we try to make a really good facility, good events, customer relations, participant relations, just trying to make the whole experience good from the racer standpoint, the fan standpoint, the sponsor standpoint and the media standpoint.
More
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson will exit retirement for races at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville
Nashville Fair Board claims breech of contract with Formosa family
City of Nashville rejects $56 funding for renovation of Fairgrounds Speedway
Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville strikes deal with SMI to help bring NASCAR back
NASCAR is looking to bring short tracks back in 2021 and beyond
City of Nashville turns down bid by Bristol Motor Speedway to operate Fairgrounds Speedway
Links
Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville | Speedway Motorsports Inc | Bristol Motor Speedway | Track Enterprises | NASCAR
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