Nashville Superspeedway - The Track Way Ahead of its Time

There was a time where NASCAR was a yearly basis in Nashville, Tennessee. Not only at Fairgrounds Speedway but in the upgraded Nashville Superspeedway just down I-840 just outside of Lebanon, Tennessee. The last time NASCAR raced at Nashville Superspeedway was 2011, a time where Cup regulars were allowed to run as much as they wanted to in, what is now known, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series also accompanied the series as the tracks demise approached in 2011. Let's take a look back at what happened with the track and why we feel it was way ahead of its time.

The track was owned by Dover Motorsports. Yes, the same Dover Motorsports that currently oversees the Dover International Speedway in Dover, DE. Along with owning the Xfinity Series stand-alone tracks of Gateway Motorsports Park and Memphis Motorsports Park. Dover Motorsports declined sanctions for both Nashville Superspeedway and Gateway Motorsports Park following the 2011 season. Unlike Nashville Superspeedway, World Wide Technolgy Raceway at Gateway and Memphis International Raceway are making a comeback. Gateway currently hosts a NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series event, an NTT Data IndyCar Series event, and the NASCAR ARCA Menards Series. Memphis currently hosts an ARCA Menards Series event that this year will conclude the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge but as noted above, Nashville Superspeedway is in a different boat. Sadly, it seems as if that boat is taking on water.

The track currently houses thousands of brand new Nissans from the nearby plant in Smyrna. The track is owned by Panattoni Development Company, a group behind the redevelopment of the grounds in Wilson County. The Motorsports News Source has reached out to the Nashville Superspeedway multiple times with the reassurance that the track is going nowhere but a return by NASCAR is way way way out of the picture. The track was thriving from 2001 through 2008 but just died away when it noticed it wasn't going to be getting a Cup race and the representatives at Dover Motorsports really seemed to give up but it wasn't their fault.

The desire in the day wasn't to race in Nashville it was always Bristol. Bristol this, Bristol that, etc. which when you look at it from the past point of view, it was what the fans wanted. They didn't have a desire to go to a race at Nashville but since that point, it's changed. Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville has been getting a ton of exposure lately and NASCAR is clearly noticing that Nashville is a great market for NASCAR but this wasn't the case almost 10 years ago so was Nashville Superspeedway way ahead of its time?

While the Fairgrounds Speedway track would need repairs way out of the number-prediction stage, Nashville Superspeedway wouldn't require as much. The track already has safer barrier walls, with the safer barriers needing its fair share of updates, but that is one of the biggest things and probably would be the most costly things for Fairgrounds or whoever fronts the cost. Hotels in Lebanon and in Mt. Juliet that would more than likely hold an Xfinity or Truck race once again.

Much like a lot of the tracks, the track is far from breathing its last breath and it could fit the current desire by NASCAR fans for racing back in the "Music City" and scratch an itch of stand-alone events that is rather missing from the schedule right now.

Though a longshot, Nashville Superspeedway deserves a second chance. A chance to show its worth that someone was missing in 2011. (Koelle, 2020)

Photo: NASCAR Media