NASCAR confirms return to Nashville Superspeedway in 2021

Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville talks have stalled but the short track remains a focus

NASCAR has been working to return to Nashville in 2021. Originally, the plans surrounded discussions to return vua Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. Those discussions remain but for 2021, they’ll visit Nashville Superspeedway instead.

The 1.33-mile of Nashville Superspeedway hosted NASCAR, ARCA and IndyCar events between 2001-2011. The .596-mile Nashville Fairgrounds hosted the NASCAR Cup Series from 1958-1984, while other NASCAR national tours running there until 2000.

Today, NASCAR confirmed that Nashville Superspeedway will return in 2021. And they’ll host a NASCAR Cup Series event for the first time.

This will drop one of the Dover International Speedway events, moving it to Nashville Superspeedway.

“Thanks to the collaboration of Dover Motorsports and our broadcast partners, we are excited to bring NASCAR racing back to Nashville, a place where the passion for our sport runs deep,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in a release.

Phelps added, “The Nashville market is a vital one for our sport, and bringing NASCAR Cup Series racing to Nashville Superspeedway will be an integral building block in helping us further deliver on our promise in creating a dynamic schedule for 2021.”

Dover Motorsports Inc closed Nashville Superspeedway in 2011. However, they have held onto the property just in case this very situation arose.

“Our company is excited about the terrific opportunity to not only host a NASCAR Cup Series race weekend but opening our Nashville facility will enable us to host other exciting forms of racing and entertainment options,” said Mike Tatoian, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Dover Motorsports, Inc.

Tatoian added, “We are also proud that our long history with NASCAR will continue at the Monster Mile in 2021, and we also look forward to hosting the 9th Firefly Music Festival next summer.”

Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville renovation project
Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville renovation project rendering submitted in May 2019 by Speedway Motorsports Inc

Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville

“The Fairgrounds board and Nashville city officials had been working on proposals to bring NASCAR racing back to the historic half-mile layout, with Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and parent company Speedway Motorsports, Inc.,” stated a NASCAR release.

The release added, “Proposing a $60 million renovation plan and acting as go-betweens in negotiations. But disputes over how the property will be used for construction of a Major League Soccer stadium adjacent to the track have slowed progress on infrastructure plans and track improvements

Marcus Smith, president of Speedway Motorsports Inc insisted that returned to the Fairgrounds Speedway remains a priority.

“The news that NASCAR will bring a Cup race to Wilson County and the greater Nashville region in 2021 is a positive move for the sport of NASCAR and for NASCAR fans,” Smith said.

“In recent years, we’ve made it very clear that we think Nashville is a place where NASCAR should be for the future and not just the past. Our efforts to work with state and local government officials to revive the historic Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway will continue.”

“We believe that the beloved short track in downtown Nashville provides tremendous opportunity to be a catalyst for year-round tourism and entertainment development,” Smith concluded.

The move to Nashville Superspeedway is rumored to be a way of showing the city of Nashville the value of bringing NASCAR to the city. A way of encouraging them to invest in Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.

“One snooze fest at that joint will put the nail in the coffin of the fairgrounds, bummer,” Chase Elliott responded to that theory.

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Dover International Speedway | Nashville Superspeedway | Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville | NASCAR

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