On-again, off-again efforts to bring NASCAR back to Nashville after a multi-decade absence are back on again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jasper Hendricks, chair of the Metro Board of Fair Commissioners, told the Banner on Wednesday that a deal between Metro and Speedway Motorsports Inc. to overhaul the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and bring top-tier NASCAR races back to the South Nashville site is nearly ready to announce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hendricks, a supporter of racing at the Fairgrounds Nashville, said there would be more to share \u201cover the next few days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have known this administration will need to make a decision on the fairgrounds racetrack,\u201d said Julie Smith, spokesperson for Mayor Freddie O\u2019Connell. \u201cWe are focused on exploring all available options and the benefits they provide to Nashvillians and will continue to discuss with multiple stakeholders ways to improve the facilities at the Fairgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specifically, Hendricks said, the deal will differ from an earlier proposal because \u201cthere will be no financial obligation from the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people will be pleased,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were able to address quite a few of the major obstacles based on the major concerns that we had, but there\u2019s still a couple of minor details to work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
He acknowledged community concerns about the proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everybody\u2019s going to be happy, because we got people who want to turn it into a green space, which we have a lot of green space already around the property,\u201d Hendricks said. \u201cI don\u2019t understand how that would solve anything, and that doesn\u2019t make money for the city. Those people probably won\u2019t be happy. [Nashville SC owner John] Ingram probably won\u2019t be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The green space advocates sought to beat the announcement of a new deal with one of their own<\/a>. A coalition of speedway opponents, environmental groups and neighborhood associations launched a campaign on Wednesday to ask for a countywide referendum about the property. The Metro Charter requires that racing remain a use at the fairgrounds, a statute that has stymied past efforts to end such competitions at the historic track.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe charter can be changed,\u201d Heidi Basgall Favorite, a racetrack opponent and coalition organizer, told the Banner.\u00a0<\/p>\n Citizen-led charter referendums have become more difficult since then-Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes (now the mayor\u2019s chief development officer) spearheaded reforms to the process, significantly raising the threshold for getting a proposed change on the ballot. A group of racetrack opponents sought to put a question to Nashville voters last year that would have removed racing protections from the charter, but their efforts were held up by a legal challenge<\/a>. The Metro Council could put a question to Nashville voters next year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOverwhelmingly, our community, as well as Nashvillians, want something else, and so I\u2019m excited to try to have a different conversation,\u201d Basgall Favorite said. \u201cAll of these priorities that Nashville has overwhelmingly expressed align with Mayor O\u2019Connell\u2019s. That site that is currently the speedway should be used for something that serves many communities, not just one.\u201d<\/p>\n The group \u2014 which includes the urban design advocates Civic Design Center, neighborhood group South Nashville Action People and environmental group Cumberland River Compact \u2014 listed several alternative priorities for the property, including cleaning up Brown\u2019s Creek, building out a new park and offering more affordable housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNashvillians have been clear: they want more affordable housing, more green space, and more walkable neighborhoods,\u201d Councilmember Terry Vo said in a release. \u201cThat\u2019s why I support exploring alternative uses of the speedway site, including the idea of restoring part of it to scenic green space \u2014 a place where families can picnic, children can play, and neighbors can come together.\u201d<\/p>\n Supporters and opponents of the racetrack conducted polls about six weeks apart earlier this year. Polling from speedway backers shows overwhelming support for a proposed agreement for Speedway Motorsports \u201cto preserve and operate the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.\u201d Support increases with more information, including about the return of NASCAR to the track, the sound wall and no Metro financial obligations. Opponents\u2019 polling shows more or less the opposite, with opposition to renovating the track and bringing NASCAR back outpacing support. When opponents\u2019 pollsters asked about alternatives like housing or parks, opposition to the track proposal increased.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hart Research conducted the poll<\/a> for the track supporters, with 600 respondents and a margin of error of 4.1 percent. GBAO did the poll<\/a> for the opponents, also with 600 respondents and a 4 percent margin of error.\u00a0<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell\u2019s public stance on the racetrack shifted during his run for mayor in 2022 and 2023. He went from saying \u201caccepting another offer from the [Convention and Visitors Corp.] and state for a tourism-focused endeavor at a local public facility is not my priority\u201d to saying \u201cthe question going forward is going to be how to honor the speedway, make responsible investments and make sure we are addressing as thoroughly as possible community concerns.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n