After Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled North Wilkesboro Speedway back from the brink, he turned to short track racing, making stops and taking part in events to draw a crowd. The latest stop came at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, where he took the wheel on April 11 in a CARS Tour Late Model race.
While he is backing a push to bring NASCAR back to the venue, residents near the Fairgrounds have pushed back. The battle goes back to March 2021, when the city struck a tentative deal with Bristol Motor Speedway to renovate the speedway. A survey of residents within two miles showed that 55% opposed the proposed expansion, while 34% backed it. At the same time, 74% flagged concerns, with noise and traffic topping the list.
Groups such as Restore Our Fairgrounds have sought to strike auto racing from the Metro Charter, arguing the land should serve housing, green space, and safeguards for Browns Creek. There were also fears that a multi-million dollar deal with Speedway Motorsports could leave the city on the hook if revenue bonds fall short.
Local activists and some council members also voiced anger over what they see as a lack of openness and public say in the talks. The dispute escalated into a legal and political fight, with opponents filing petitions to hold a referendum to bar racing at the site. Backers of the track, including Dale Jr., however, have made the case for its survival, citing its status as a 121-year-old landmark.
As a result, Dale Jr., who has raced at the Fairgrounds in the past, went back on Saturday, racing there for the first time in 26 years. He started 25th and made his way past 13 cars to take 12th on the 0.596-mile oval.
Speaking after the race, he addressed the row around the track.
“I feel like there’s a middle ground somewhere where we can all be happy. There’s already been a massive amount of development on the other side of the racetrack here. And I just feel like, in my personal opinion, I’d love for the racetrack to be here. I’d love for there to be grassroots short track racing here.”
“I think what they have right now is a great balance. And if they’re able to continue down this path and allow the track some ability to renovate, improve some of the facility for the fans, and so forth. I mean, I’d love for these places to stick around in any shape or form. For me, it’s not necessarily NASCAR or a bus,” he continued.
“I think that we have to make sure, regardless of what goes on, that this racetrack survives. And I think there’s some middle ground there that everybody could come to terms with, where we could continue to race here in the car store, continue to come back here, we love to.”
His run drew a crowd, though he played down his role in the larger picture. Borrowing from Josh Berry, he said it is hard to gauge impact, adding he would not know how much he helped unless he ran for mayor, and even then, a win would not be a given.
But he hopes Marcus Smith, who owns Speedway Motorsports (SMI), can find a way for Bristol to step in at Nashville and push through upgrades that serve the community while easing the load on those living nearby. Noise, he said, is a burden but one that can be managed, allowing racing to go on. Given another shot to race there, he said he would take it.
For now, a sellout crowd of over 12,500 fans at the 0.596-mile oval points to demand for the return of major racing at the venue.
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