“A billionaire??? I’d just buy the place.”
Plans have long been in place to restore the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. New grandstands, lighting, walls and other upgrades are just waiting for approval to break ground.
The track has a partnership with Bristol Motor Speedway to help facilitate NASCAR events at the track. But, before that, the upgrades would need to take place and they need to be approved.
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway reaches deal for NASCAR return (2021)
The total renovation is estimated at $100M. $34 Million of that is expected from grants. Bristol Motor Speedway will spend $2M and the rest will come from bonds. An added tax on all tickets sold are expected to help pay off the development.
However, those efforts have stalled due to complex political delays coming from all sides.
The famous track has been there since 1904. People have moved in, surrounded the track and now they’re here to complain about it.
A small group is attempting strip auto racing from the property all-together. They are looking to put that on a ballot later this year.
Some states have passed bills that protect all active speedways from closure due to noise complaints. Tennessee is in fact one of those states.
This is a unique situation as the land itself is actually owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The track is leased for racing events. The “Right-to-Race” bill (HB1660/SB1646) could be overridden by local land-use laws.
Dale Earnhardt Jr is not a billionaire
Dale Earnhardt Jr spent 19 years in the NASCAR Cup Series. He collected a 26 race wins during his career before retirement following the 2017 season.
Today, Dale Jr owns the CARS Tour. And over the weekend, he raced a late model stock car at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
This brought some unwanted attention…
@NashFairgrounds: “Yet another North Carolina billionaire who wants to run up credit-card debt on the backs of Nashville taxpayers. I wish Dale Jr. and his good buddy Marcus Smith at Speedway Motorsports would just count their money in Charlotte instead of terrorizing neighbors in South Nashville.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr responded, “A billionaire??? I’d just buy the place.”
Nashville Race Results: April 11, 2026 (CARS Tour)
Links
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway | Speedway Motorsports Inc | Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR
