Fairgrounds Speedway Racetrack expansion to 30,000 seats

[nashvylle]

Thanks @Bos2Nash for the video. I always heard that Craighead would be used for parking, glad we can see how. 

[timmay143]

The SRX race is on right now on CBS.  Pretty cool!  Some good background shots of the soccer stadium.

Edit: And listening to Nashville SC thump Chicago Fire 4-0 in the first 45.

[titanhog]

Wow! The track looks great on CBS.  Didn’t know it was on.  Just caught it at the end as they were talking to the winner.

[nashvylle]

Does anyone have any snapshots of the track from CBS?

[titanhog]

8 hours ago, nashvylle said:

Does anyone have any snapshots of the track from CBS?

Not exactly sure how to share a tweet on here…but this is a great recap video.

https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/1416586525115043841

Edited July 18, 2021 by titanhog

[titanhog]

I wonder if SMI has considered building a parking garage over the parking lot (in yellow)?  That would alleviate a lot of parking issues and provide a sound barrier for local residents.  Also…they could make it a cool “brick entrance” to the racetrack from the roadway…make it look official with NASCAR logos and stuff.

 

[nashvylle]

@titanhog I too have wondered this for a long time. I wonder if it being next to Brown's Creek or in a floodzone has any impediments. 

@Bos2Nash I have a lot of issues with SUN's list of questions regarding the NASCAR renovation. If you are against the project and you're reasoning is "noise concerns", well you shouldn't be included in the results. Even if you do not believe any of the noise mitigation will work / mufflers won't be used, the fact that NASCAR is reducing the practice days from 25 to 20 should ease your concerns. 

If you have a problem with issuing debt / traffic, well, so does the rest of Nashville. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by nashvylle

[Bos2Nash]

On 7/18/2021 at 7:40 AM, titanhog said:

I wonder if SMI has considered building a parking garage over the parking lot (in yellow)?  That would alleviate a lot of parking issues and provide a sound barrier for local residents.  Also…they could make it a cool “brick entrance” to the racetrack from the roadway…make it look official with NASCAR logos and stuff.

 

I believe that space is part of Fair Park Phase II. Plus I think a big garage right along the road would ruin alot of the multi-modal potential of Craighead.

21 hours ago, nashvylle said:

@Bos2Nash I have a lot of issues with SUN's list of questions regarding the NASCAR renovation. If you are against the project and you're reasoning is "noise concerns", well you shouldn't be included in the results. Even if you do not believe any of the noise mitigation will work / mufflers won't be used, the fact that NASCAR is reducing the practice days from 25 to 20 should ease your concerns. 

If you have a problem with issuing debt / traffic, well, so does the rest of Nashville. 

I do as well. The representative I spoke with mentioned to me that many folks in the area had no idea what the expansion even entailed, so asking them if they support it or have impact concerns about it is null and void. Also going door-to-door and asking for people's input is hard because it puts everyone on the spot to provide an opinion in which they probably have no knowledge on. For example, did SUN mention the noise mitigation techniques that have been presented? I understand that SMI has not proposed a final contract proposal to the city, but there is enough information to help citizens understand what is happening. If traffic is such a big concern, what did they do during the soccer negotiations to alleviate that concern?

While I was told they are not against the track project, they are against not involving the community more "robustly". Community Involvement and Community Advocacy are two different things here and I think they may be getting in their own way. They are acting like community advocates, but asking for more community involvement. I think if they straighten out and advocate for the communities they will be more successful. To do that they are the ones who would solicit the community input and then be the central, controlled voice for them.

[DMilner]

Received this in the mail today. 

[nashvylle]

https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2021/08/04/2023-viewed-as-soonest-for-nascar-at-nashville-fairgrounds-speedway/?fbclid=IwAR3lK3USHaZ3rZVrY2DDojBDZSBGUAfNW4bEZ3mJ2yPU4eeNnvgEborAXzM

[titanhog]

7 hours ago, nashvylle said:

https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2021/08/04/2023-viewed-as-soonest-for-nascar-at-nashville-fairgrounds-speedway/?fbclid=IwAR3lK3USHaZ3rZVrY2DDojBDZSBGUAfNW4bEZ3mJ2yPU4eeNnvgEborAXzM

I really hope it all comes together.  Really like the look of the improvements.

 

[markhollin]

49 minutes ago, titanhog said:

I really hope it all comes together.  Really like the look of the improvements.

 

Studying this, here are some observations:

- The current grandstands would be completely remade, looking to be steeper, taller, and deeper by at least another 20 rows .  Appears to be luxury boxes about 12 rows up from the track, then another 35 or so above that, with additional couple of stories of luxury suites/press row at the the very top. There would be a much smaller roof at the top, basically only covering about 10 rows, and to reduce glare for the top tiers of press/luxury suites. 

- The curved seating in Turn One also appears to be taller, steeper, and deeper than previous iterations, but a bit shorter than the main grandstands, and no top 2 tiers.

- A massive new scoreboard will be on the backstretch, directly facing the main grandstand on the other side of the track.

- The primary inner-track entrance for race car semi-trucks will now be under Turn Three.

I am sure Bos2Nash and other NASCAR enthusiasts will be able to give much more detail and clarification.  : )

[nashvylle]

Some other photos I found on Nascar2Nashville Facebook group:

[FrankNash]

^^^ This design makes me feel like I'm at a state fair.   Oh wait......

[Jamie Hall]

Autoweek has done a nice job following the developments between the Fairgrounds track and Speedway Motorsports. Their latest coverage dated Aug. 11 ... 

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a37274342/speedway-motorsports-nears-formal-proposal-for-nashville-fairgrounds-lease/

Granted that Autoweek is covering this issue from the motorsports angle, but even so, Stand Up Nashville seems to be doing the bare minimum to represent its interests.

[Bos2Nash]

1 hour ago, Jamie Hall said:

Autoweek has done a nice job following the developments between the Fairgrounds track and Speedway Motorsports. Their latest coverage dated Aug. 11 ... 

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a37274342/speedway-motorsports-nears-formal-proposal-for-nashville-fairgrounds-lease/

Granted that Autoweek is covering this issue from the motorsports angle, but even so, Stand Up Nashville seems to be doing the bare minimum to represent its interests.

Why is it so hard to give the racetrack the same requirements as the soccer stadium?? If Bergeron is so adamant about the racetrack being a good neighbor, give the same requirements that the soccer stadium has and move forwards. SMI is probably not truly willing to subject themselves to random sound testing because it is probably pretty unprecedented. Look at the noise level that came out of the Music City Grand Prix. Sure people complained, but it is once a year. Just like the Nascar event will be. The Noise Mitigation that has been presented multiple times shows data that the local racing events will be much quieter than previously, yet Bergeron wants "more data".

The SUN bit was also interesting because when I spoke with the SUN rep they weren't even talking about Community Benefits Agreement or anything like that. They indicated that they just wanted public conversation (which has also been very common). It almost seems like SUN presented their survey and then went silent on the matter. 

Lastly, isn't the environmental impact of a project like this standard operating procedure? Why has this not been approached yet by either side?? I would think the soccer stadium had a fairly robust impact report and because the renovation of the racetrack is so extensive that would've been the first things SMI would go get done. It is also possible that SMI has not done one yet because if they don't have a contract why would they spend that money? 

Ultimately I do feel like Bergeron is grandstanding wherever he can and it is just getting in the way of things.

[downtownresident]

Just now, Bos2Nash said:

Why is it so hard to give the racetrack the same requirements as the soccer stadium?? If Bergeron is so adamant about the racetrack being a good neighbor, give the same requirements that the soccer stadium has and move forwards. SMI is probably not truly willing to subject themselves to random sound testing because it is probably pretty unprecedented. Look at the noise level that came out of the Music City Grand Prix. Sure people complained, but it is once a year. Just like the Nascar event will be. The Noise Mitigation that has been presented multiple times shows data that the local racing events will be much quieter than previously, yet Bergeron wants "more data".

The SUN bit was also interesting because when I spoke with the SUN rep they weren't even talking about Community Benefits Agreement or anything like that. They indicated that they just wanted public conversation (which has also been very common). It almost seems like SUN presented their survey and then went silent on the matter. 

Lastly, isn't the environmental impact of a project like this standard operating procedure? Why has this not been approached yet by either side?? I would think the soccer stadium had a fairly robust impact report and because the renovation of the racetrack is so extensive that would've been the first things SMI would go get done. It is also possible that SMI has not done one yet because if they don't have a contract why would they spend that money? 

Ultimately I do feel like Bergeron is grandstanding wherever he can and it is just getting in the way of things.

I watched the Fair Board meeting, and Bristol reached out to SUN at the request of the board. It really does feel like Bergeron is trying to gum up the works and try to nitpick the Speedway upgrades to death. 

[nashvylle]

Interesting to see what comes from this... 

https://twitter.com/tnnaterau/status/1458077321831780360?s=20

[markhollin]

Nashville Post coverage of the Speedway Motor Sports $131.5 million acquisition of Dover Motorsports, which includes the Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County.

In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series, the Superspeedway also hosts NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series events. The track also announced a recent partnership with ASM Global to use the venue for entertainment purposes when not hosting races.

Speedway Motorsports is also in negotiations with Mayor John Cooper to revitalize the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, signing a letter of intent in March to renovate the track and add more grandstand seating.

The LOI states that SMI would be responsible for managing and operating the Fairgrounds Speedway under a new, long-term lease and assume financial responsibility for all track renovations and maintenance. It is subject to approval by the Board of Fair Commissioners and Metropolitan Council.

https://www.nashvillepost.com/sports/auto_racing/national-track-owner-buys-nashville-superspeedway/article_cbb33e04-419b-11ec-9a13-d78905fbdacd.html

[PruneTracy]

It will be interesting to see if SMI has any long-term interest in racing at the superspeedway if the Fairgrounds Speedway is still in play. Is this a bargaining chip in negotiations with Metro? Are they taking out a competitor for the date?

If they do have long-term interest, does that unlock the door to major renovations at the superspeedway? SMI intermediate tracks and superspeedways tend to have standardized features and they are not shy about spending money on upgrades.

• Quarter-mile Legends oval in the tri-oval (SMI owns Legends)
• Expanded garage area with fan zone, perhaps with relocating pit lane further into the tri-oval as well (like at Las Vegas and Kentucky)
• Upgraded/redesigned road course with layout separate from the oval (for track days, not necessarily NASCAR roval races)
• Short track and dirt track on-site (there are already pads laid out for this behind the backstretch although the short track seems unlikely if the Fairgrounds Speedway is still in play)
• Drag strip on-site (there was a pad for this but it was covered up by the warehouses, plus Music City Raceway is already in the market)
• Big-ass video screen on the backstretch, which may or may not be guitar-shaped

This is not to mention any capacity upgrades or addition of premium seating, condos, etc. of which SMI tracks have plenty.

Ultimately it would be nice to have both tracks, probably with the Fairgrounds Speedway in a midweek slot. But that seems unlikely from a financial perspective unless NASCAR throws SMI a bone (and I have little faith NASCAR leadership is going to extract their heads from their rear ends anytime soon).

[MLBrumby]

So this appears to be leading to Nashville having only one NASCAR car race per year, correct? At least it does show a longer term commitment to have a big race in Nashville. 

[Bos2Nash]

I could see a handful of things coming with the SMI acquisition.

• Scenario #1 is SMI keeps the superspeedway for the Cup races and moves the Xfinity and Trucks to the Fairgrounds once it is upgraded. They did a similar approach for a number of years with the Brickyard where the Cup cars were on Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the two lower series were on Indianapolis Raceway Park (now Lucas Oil Raceway I believe). I don't see this as an option because Nascar is taking the Cup series to the LA Coliseum for the Clash to start next season, so the small venue would not be a problem and I believe Nascar wants the downtown draw for the racetrack. A similar approach could be to flip this idea and bring Cup to Fairgrounds and put the Xfinity/Trucks out at the superspeedway.
• Scenario #2 is Nascar comes to Nashville twice a year with the Superspeedway being Fathers Day weekend and then the Farigrounds in the playoffs (this would eliminate Dover from the schedule). To me this makes the most sense because it gives Nascar a bit of flexibility where it could keep the massive, all 3 series weekend out in Wilson County on an all concrete racing surface (which is what Dover currently is), but then utilize the Fairgrounds in the playoffs when the trucks/xfinity are not at the same track as the Cup cars. There is no way the fairgrounds would be able to handle all 3 series the same weekend due to space constraints.
• Scenario #3 would be the Superspeedway maintains its Father's Day weekend event. The Cup Series comes to the Fairgrounds and the Xfinity/Trucks go to Dover (Xfinity already races once a year at Dover, but the Trucks dont have Dover on their schedule next year). This is what I believe should happen, but Nascar is very unpredictable with their schedule creation.

SMI has stated that there will only be one Nascar weekend a year at the Fairgrounds and that tells me they are aiming to really have the Cup Series on big time display for a city they have a strong connection to (remember they host their annual award banquet here now too). To me, that tells me Xfinity/Trucks are a long shot at the Fairgrounds due to the space constraints of the haulers, garage space and necessary infield upgrades for medical center and fan amenities. Not to mention I believe SMI will maintain the smaller oval along the front stretch for the smaller local race cars.

[markhollin]

Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Bristol Motor Speedway officials have reached a deal in principle that will bring a NASCAR Cup Series race back to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the deal.

The announcement is expected to come this week as the NASCAR Awards Celebration gets underway at Music City Center. 

The deal will include total renovation of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, where the city's last NASCAR Cup Series race took place in 1984. 

The deal is subject to approval by the Board of Fair Commissioners and Metropolitan Council.

If the deal is approved, Bristol Motor Speedway would agree to a long-term contract to lease and operate Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and assume financial responsibility for track renovations, operation costs and maintenance.

The Metro Council would issue no more than $50 million in bonds for renovations to the racetrack, with debt and project costs being covered by racing and event revenue.

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/11/29/nashville-mayor-announce-deal-bring-nascar-back-fairgrounds/8767259002/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021.11.30 NASH&utm_term=NASHtoday Subscribers - MASTER


And behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/sports/auto_racing/city-bms-finalizing-deal-for-nascar-to-return-to-fairgrounds-speedway/article_62a27d8e-5196-11ec-8ece-0fddca017bfc.html


And at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/12/01/mayor-john-cooper-bristol-motor-speedway.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_34&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

[Melrose]

The big thing missing still from the proposal seems to be  Bristol isn't covering  all debt payments from the project if revenue falls short, like the soccer team has to for theirs.    

[smeagolsfree]

Here is the rendering from Perkins Eastman from the Tennessean.