DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads off the track in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet after the CARS Tour late model stock car race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
For more than 40 years, NASCAR raced at the legendary Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway with at least one of its major touring series.
That ended in 2001 when it left the dated facility and instead opted to hold races at nearby Nashville Superspeedway, which had more seating, but sits 40 minutes outside of the city by car, with no public transportation that runs directly to the track.
The Fairgrounds still host smaller series on a regular occasion, and in 2011 voters passed an amendment to the city’s charter that would protect racing at the location. However, amid talks of a NASCAR return, some in the community are trying to get rid of the speedway for good, and they’re using nefarious means to do so.
A controversial push to get signatures on a petition to end racing at the Nashville Fairgrounds is raising eyebrows. NC5 Investigates obtained secret recordings of canvassers making what appear to be false claims. @LeviAIsmail reports pic.twitter.com/ckMOQm9QEp
— NewsChannel 5 (@NC5) July 29, 2026
NASCAR Protestors Aren’t Being Honest About Nashville Fairgrounds
An investigation by Levi Ismail of station News Channel 5 showed that petitioners hoping to get the speedway shut down aren’t telling the truth to people they’re hoping will sign the petition.
In several recordings caught on hidden cameras, petitioners tell people that the speedway is set to close down whether they sign the petition or not.
But that is not the truth!
Instead, a 2023 proposal shows that NASCAR was cleared to demolish “certain portions” of the facility. However, the proposal goes on to state that only certain portions of the grandstand would be torn down. And that NASCAR would go on to build newer, safer, and more accommodating grandstands in their place.
However, petitioners claiming they want to replace the track with affordable housing are telling residents that “NASCAR is destroying their old racetrack, so we’re saying we want to at least turn this spot into something that’s for the community.”
In one case, a petitioner told a prospective signee that “they’re getting rid of the track, but instead of letting corporate buy it, we’re giving people the choice to vote for affordable housing.”
“Yes. That’s confirmed. Either or, it’s getting demolished,” one man said when asked if the track’s demolition was confirmed.
There’s just one problem. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
NASCAR Wants To Return To The Track
NASCAR cannot demolish the track because it does not own the track. The track is owned by the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. In fact, NASCAR has discussed returning to the track if it can update the grandstands.
NASCAR recently made a similar return to famed North Wilkesboro Speedway, which hadn’t hosted a Cup Series race since 1996.
Whether or not it returns to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the speedway isn’t going away anytime soon, regardless of what petitioners tell people.