Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The track held

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Grand National/Winston Cup (now NASCAR Cup Series) races from 1958 to 1984.

Track configuration

The speedway is currently an 18 degree banked paved oval. The track is long. Inside the larger oval is a paved oval. The track was converted to a paved oval in 1957, when it began to be a NASCAR series track. The speedway was lengthened between the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The corners were cut down from 35 degrees to their present 18 degrees in 1972. The track was repaved between the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

Track history

The track first featured "horseless carriages" and motorcycles on June 11, 1904, on a dirt oval. Races were canceled after a motorcycle ran into the back of a car that was lining up. Harness horse racing events were also held at the track. In September 1904 another series of races was organized. Most of the entrants came directly to Nashville from the

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 milli ...

in St. Louis, Missouri. Racing pioneer

Barney Oldfield Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946) was an American pioneer automobile racer; his "name was synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". After success in bicycle racing, he began auto ...

was one of the entrants. People marveled at cars driving over . The track began holding annual events in September 1915 to coincide with the state fair. Many of the same drivers from the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

brought their cars down to Nashville. Local tracks sprang up and began running weekly Saturday night shows (collectively called the "Legion Bowl"), and the local racers competed at the track for the 1954 through 1957 State Fairs. In 1958 car racers decided to build a paved racetrack. The racers ended opposition from horse racers by building a horse track. The racers got a 10-year lease from the state fair board in order to build a paved mile track which shared the frontstretch with a mile track. On July 19, 1958, the first race was held at the new speedway. Races were held only on the mile track (except for special events). A 1959 NASCAR Grand National race of 200 laps in 1959 was unique; it was the first time an entire starting field (12 of 12 cars) finished the race, one of four instances it has happened in Cup Series history. That would not happen again until 36 years later, when the entire field at the 1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400 finished the race. The original cars (since 1948) were 1930s model cars called "Modified Specials". By 1964 the parts for cars were too hard to find, so the track changed to newer 1950s model cars called "Late Model Modifieds". Some of the early stars of the track decided to retire.

1960s

The 1960s also frequently brought drivers from outside Nashville, most notably the Alabama Gang. The Alabama Gang (from Hueytown, Alabama) included future NASCAR legends

Bobby Allison Robert Arthur Allison (born December 3, 1937) is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant short tracks ...

Donnie Allison Donnie Allison (born September 7, 1939) is an American former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned from 1966 to 1988. He is part of the "Alabama Gang", and is the bro ...

, and Nashville native

Red Farmer Charles "Red" Farmer (born October 15, 1932) is a former NASCAR race car driver. He is a member of the Alabama Gang. Racing career His first race was at Opa-locka Speedway near Miami, Florida in a 1934 Ford in 1948. He became famous as a member ...

Coo Coo Marlin Clifton Burton "Coo Coo" Marlin (January 3, 1932 – August 14, 2005) was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver who spent 14 years in the series. Local track history Marlin earned a name for himself at the short tracks in Tennessee and Alabama, running ag ...

was the first back-to-back champion in 1965/1966. 1968 champion P.B. Crowell decided to retire, and hired the talented young Darrell Waltrip to drive his car. Country music legend

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and succ ...

raced often at the track in his signature purple and yellow race cars. Several changes happened at the track in the 1960s. Lights were added to the mile track in 1965, and races in the main division moved to the big track. A fire burned the grandstands at the 1965 State Fair. Weekly Tuesday night races were added, and fans were awed by the crazy Figure-8 drivers barely missing each other as they crossed each other's paths. New grandstands were built and the track was lengthened (and banked to 35 degrees) in 1969.

1970s

The bankings in the corners proved to be too fast, so the banking was reduced to 18 degrees. The new ownership decided to hold no weekly races in 1979. The 1970s also featured talented drivers that would progress to NASCAR's highest division. Second generation drivers Sterling Marlin (son of Coo Coo) and Steve Spencer (NASCAR) Mike Alexander (NASCAR) (son of car owner R.C.) were all track champions. Alabama Gang member Jimmy Means took the track title home to Alabama in 1974 before he moved on to NASCAR's Winston Cup.

1980s

The track returned to hosting weekly races in 1980. In 1984, the top NASCAR series fielded its final race at the facility after disputes with city government and track management. The new headline division featured smaller

Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...

-type bodies called "Late Model Stock Cars". The new division caught on slowly, and only 13 drivers competed in the first race. The division finally caught on in 1987. NASCAR stars that raced in 1987 or 1988 included

Sterling Marlin Sterling Burton Marlin (born June 30, 1957) is an American semi-retired, professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, driving the No. 114 for Sterling Marlin Racing. He formerly competed in the N ...

, Mike Alexander, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, and Dale Earnhardt. Third generation driver

Bobby Hamilton Charles Robert Hamilton Sr. (May 29, 1957 – January 7, 2007) was an American stock car racing driver. A driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, Hamilt ...

won track championships in 1987 and 1988.

1990s

The 1990 season was dominated by Jeff Green. Mike Reynolds won the 1991 track championship. Mike Alexander won the 1992 track championship.

Chad Chaffin Chad Chaffin (born July 20, 1968) is an American former stock car racing driver. Chaffin has raced in all three of NASCAR's major series. He was a two-time track champion at the historic Nashville Speedway USA, where he met his friend, Andy Ki ...

won the 1993 and 1995 track championships.

Andy Kirby Andy Kirby (November 30, 1961 – July 18, 2002) was an American former stock car racing driver, most notably in NASCAR. Kirby did not initially begin with NASCAR, where his career would end. Instead, Kirby quickly earned his reputation as a moto ...

won the 1994, 1996, and 1997 track championships. Joe Buford won the 1998 and 1999 track championships. The

ARCA Racing Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nationa ...

held a 200-lap race in 1992. In 1995, the track returned to the NASCAR circuit, hosting a yearly

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

race and, later, a yearly Craftsman Truck Series race. Those races would move to the new

Nashville Superspeedway Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee, United States (though the track has a Lebanon postal address), about southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently hosting the Ally 400, ...

in 2001.

2000s

The track was renamed "Music City Motorplex" for 2003 by new promoter Joe Mattioli III, whose family owns Pocono Raceway and South Boston Speedway.

The 2007 schedule featured races in NASCAR's two regional series, the Busch East Series and

Whelen Southern Modified Tour The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (WSMT) was a stock car racing series owned by NASCAR and operated in the Southeastern United States as part of its Modified Division. The series began in 1989 as the Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams (S. ...

. In 2009, Music City Motorplex was to host an

ARCA RE/MAX Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...

event on June 20, but it was announced on February 20, 2009 that the race would be moved to

Mansfield Motorsports Park Mansfield Motor Speedway (formerly Mansfield Motorsports Park and Mansfield Motorsports Speedway) was a 0.44 mile dirt track located in Mansfield, Ohio, United States. History The former Mansfield Motorsports Park (known as Mansfield Motorsp ...

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. In 2009, the track's prestigious All American 400 was canceled and not rescheduled because of severe rain and political issues with Nashville mayor Karl Dean, who wanted the track and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds closed in order to redevelop the site. A ballot measure protecting the track was passed and the track continued to operate.

2010s and 2020s

The All American 400 was resurrected for 2012. It was cancelled in 2018, but returned in 2019. The

CRA Super Series The CRA Super Series is a super late model stock car racing series owned and operated by the Champion Racing Association. It is a touring series based in the Midwestern United States, which competes at paved short ovals. It was formerly known as ...

and Southern Super Series also race at the track. The

ARCA Menards Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nation ...

has visited the venue since 2015 with a 200-lap race titled the

Music City 200 The Music City 200 is a annual ARCA Menards Series East race held at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee. The event has been part of the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East (previously the NASCAR Busch and Cam ...

. The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series had a doubleheader race in 2019, with the quarter-mile track covered in dirt. In December 2018, then-track operator Tony Formosa, Jr. reached an agreement with

Speedway Motorsports Speedway Motorsports, LLC is an American company that owns and manages auto racing facilities that host races sanctioned by NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other racing series. The company was founded by Bruton Smith and has ...

and its main Tennessee track

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...

to co-operate the facility and make the necessary upgrades for the track to host NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of t ...

races again and continue to host weekly racing events.

is in talks with Nashville council about bringing

sanctioned events back to the facility, as well as renovating the track. In December 2021, Speedway Motorsports reached a agreement in principle with Mayor John Cooper on a plan to revitalize and bring the NASCAR Cup Series back to the speedway.

Races

NASCAR Cup Series

The track held at least one Cup race each year from 1958 to 1984. A capacity crowd of 13,998 watched Joe Weatherly win the first NASCAR race on August 10, 1958.

Geoff Bodine Geoffrey Edwin Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers (with Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), and sister Denise. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florid ...

beat Darrell Waltrip for his second career win in the last Cup Series event at the track, the second win for the upstart All Star Racing, now known as Hendrick Motorsports. NASCAR left the track because of a dispute over who would manage the track took place prior to the start of the 1985 season. Of the 42 Cup races, nine were won by Richard Petty and eight by Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip won five of the last seven races held at the track between 1981 and 1984. Waltrip's victory in the 1988 Busch Series event gave him nine total

wins at the track. Counting NASCAR, USAC, ASA, and local track races, Waltrip holds the all-time track record for wins with 67.

NASCAR Busch Series

The track held nine

races in 1984, 1988, 1989, and from 1995 to 2000. The track was replaced on the schedule by the newly opened

for 2001.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

The track held five Craftsman Truck Series events between 1996 and 2000, known as the Federated Auto Parts 250. It was held in August from 1996 to 1998 and in 2000 and in July in 1999. The track was replaced on the schedule by the newly opened

for 2001. ; Winners * 1996: Dave Rezendes * 1997: Jack Sprague * 1998:

Jimmy Hensley James Hensley (born October 11, 1945) is a former NASCAR driver. With a career spanning 27 seasons in all three of NASCAR's elite divisions, Hensley may be best remembered for his Rookie of the Year award won in 1992, his 15th season in the seri ...

* 1999:

Dennis Setzer Dennis Setzer (born February 27, 1960) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He has driven in all three of NASCAR's top series, scoring eighteen wins in the Camping World Truck Series. Beginnings Setzer made his NASCAR debut in t ...

* 2000:

Randy Tolsma Randy Tolsma (born May 4, 1966) is an American former stock car racing driver. Tolsma began his racing career in go-karts at the age of nine, before moving into sprint cars, running as high as USAC, where he won four track championships. He fail ...

All American 400

The All American 400 is a 400-lap, 240-mile

super late model A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.) The precise definition ...

stock car race held at the Fairgrounds since 1981. However, some editions were shortened to 300 laps (180 miles), with 100 laps being used as qualifying races. Originally it was co-sanctioned between the

All Pro Super Series The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series was a NASCAR-sanctioned amateur/semi-pro late model stock car racing series based in the Southeastern United States. The series was formerly known as the Slim Jim All Pro Series; it was founded i ...

(later the NASCAR Southeast Series) and the

American Speed Association The American Speed Association (ASA) is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana, and later in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ASA sanctioned asphalt and dirt tracks ...

. In 1991, the NASCAR Southeast Series took over the race until the 2000 edition. The race returned in 2003 as part of the ARCA/CRA Super Series. The 2023 will be co-sanctioned by the new ASA STARS National Tour. ; Winners * 1981: Butch Lindley * 1982: Bob Senneker * 1983: Jim Sauter * 1984: Gary Balough * 1985: Rusty Wallace * 1986: Gary Balough * 1987: Darrell Waltrip * 1988: Butch Miller * 1989: Butch Miller * 1990: Gary St. Amant * 1991: Jeff Purvis * 1992: Jeff Purvis * 1993: Mike Garvey * 1994: Bobby Gill * 1995: Jeff Purvis * 1996: Wayne Anderson * 1997: Freddie Query * 1998: Freddie Query * 1999: Wayne Anderson * 2000: Mike Garvey * 2001-2002: ''Not held'' * 2003: Brian Hoppe * 2004: Chuck Barnes Jr. * 2005: Jason Hogan * 2006: Boris Jurkovic * 2007: John Van Doorn * 2008: Chris Gabehart * 2009: ''Not held'' * 2010: TJ Reaid * 2011: ''Not held'' * 2012: Ross Kenseth * 2013:

Chase Elliott William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II (born November 28, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. He won the 2014 NASCA ...

* 2014:

John Hunter Nemechek John Hunter Nemechek (born June 11, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 20 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is the son of NASCAR driver Joe ...

* 2015:

Daniel Hemric Daniel Hemric (born January 27, 1991) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving ...

* 2016: Bubba Pollard * 2017: Donnie Wilson * 2018: ''Not held (rain)'' * 2019: Mason Mingus * 2020: Casey Roderick * 2021: Matt Craig * 2022: Stephen Nasse

Other races

The

first visited the Fairgrounds in 1992, then had an annual race from 2015 to 2019. The ARCA Menards Series East took over the date in 2021. The venue hosted a round of the

from 1998 to 1999 and then in 2003. The

Hooters Pro Cup Series The CARS Solid Rock Carriers Tour (formerly known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series, USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, CARS Pro Cup Series, Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series, CARS X1-R Pro Cup Series) is a stock car auto racing series in the United States. It is s ...

raced at the track in 2003 and 2004. Its successor the CARS Super Late Model Tour has an annual race since 2018.

Superstar Racing Experience Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), officially known as the Camping World SRX Series, is an American stock car racing series founded by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag and George Pyne. The formation of the series was announced on July 13, ...

announced that their final race of the

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

season would be hosted by the track. Guest drivers for the event would be NASCAR driver

Hailie Deegan Hailie Rochelle Deegan (born July 18, 2001) is an American professional stock car racing driver. She competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 13 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing. Deegan is currently a Ford Perfor ...

and defending Cup Series champion

List of notable weekly drivers

* Mike Alexander – 2 time track champion and current car owner * Casey Atwood – 1996 Rookie of the Year *

Bunkie Blackburn James Ronald "Bunkie" Blackburn (April 22, 1936 – February 28, 2006) was a NASCAR racecar driver. Career Blackburn's father owned and operated the Fayetteville, North Carolina racetrack. He later competed at the historic Nashville Speedway USA ...

– regular weekly competitor * Joe Buford – 4 time track champion *

– 2 time track champion and current car owner * Mark Day – 2006 track champion * Jeff Green – 1 time champion *

Clay Greenfield Clayton Michael Greenfield (born June 3, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 84 Toyota Tundra for Cook Racing Technologies. Racing career A gradua ...

–

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of t ...

driver, competing in the Pro Late Model series and Super Truck series with two wins in 2019 *

– 2 time track champion (plus 2 time champion in a lower division) *

– 3 time track champion *

– 4 time track champion *

Steadman Marlin Steadman Marlin (born October 29, 1980) is an American former stock car racing driver. Marlin, the son of Sterling Marlin and grandson of the late Coo Coo Marlin, made his NASCAR debut in 2000. Racing career Busch Series Marlin made his NASCAR d ...

– Grandson of Coo Coo Marlin, son of Sterling Marlin, part-time Busch series driver and part-time Fairgrounds competitor *

– 3 time track champion, still racing in Pro Late Model division *Steve Spencer – 1 time track Champion, Rookie of the Year, Tennessee State Champion, track record holder *

Jimmy Means James Means (born May 29, 1950) is a retired American racing driver and owner, who competed in the Winston Cup Series as an owner-driver. He is currently an adviser for Front Row Motorsports and owns his own team, Jimmy Means Racing. He compe ...

– 1 time track champion *Harold Ferguson – 1 time track champion, former weekly competitor *

Jeremy Mayfield Jeremy Allen Mayfield (born May 27, 1969) is an American stock car racing driver. He drove cars for the Sadler brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas. In 2009, he drove for ...

– former weekly competitor *

Chase Montgomery Chase Montgomery (born September 29, 1983) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently owns a small business and continues to pursue a racing career. He lives in Wilson County, Tennessee. He is now married and a father. Car ...

– ran the full 2000 season * Deborah Renshaw – became the first woman to ever lead a NASCAR sanctioned series when the young woman climbed to the top of the points standings at Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville. * Darrell Waltrip – 2 time track champion

Use in gaming

The track was used in the Grand National Expansion Pack for Sierra's NASCAR Racing 2 game and was later converted for use in NASCAR Racing 1999 Edition, NASCAR4, NASCAR 2002 and NASCAR 2003. In October 2019,

iRacing ''iRacing'' is a subscription-based online racing simulation video game developed and published by iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations in 2008. All in-game sessions are hosted on the publisher's servers. The game simulates real world cars, tr ...

scanned the facility to be added into their service for their 2020 Season 4 release in September 2020. The track is also featured in SRX: The Game, released in 2021.

References

External links

Official websiteRestore Nashville Fargrounds Speedway
from

Nashville420.com – NASCAR Races 1958–1984Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway at Racing Reference
{{Nashville landmarks NASCAR tracks ARCA Menards Series tracks Sports venues in Nashville, Tennessee NASCAR races at Fairgrounds Speedway Motorsport venues in Tennessee 1904 establishments in Tennessee Sports venues completed in 1904