Ultimately, the clock ran out on this legislative session and the intended efforts from Speedway Motorsports to revitalize Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway with a NASCAR Cup Series date will be decided by the next mayor and city council.
A deal that would award Speedway Motorsports a 30-year lease to operate the historic downtown short track was agreed upon in principle by outgoing mayor John Cooper and voted for by the Metro Fair Board of Commissioners needed to be read three times before a vote by the city council.
For a variety of political reasons, not a single reading made it to the chamber and Speedway Motorsports officially requested a deferral to the next legislative session on Tuesday during the monthly city council meeting.
“We’ve got great community support and support in the council. There just simply aren’t enough meetings left in the current term for the council to fully consider this, when you factor in the election and all of the other things going on,” Bristol Motor Speedway President Jerry Caldwell said Tuesday.
Caldwell, like Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith, remains confident there is a deal to be had regardless of the legislative body.
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“The agreement that came through the Fair Board is still there, (and) we have already, through different avenues, begun conversations with folks that will be potentially coming into office, and we want to make sure that we spend the time sharing the details around this,” he said. “We strongly believe that when you look at the facts and get away from any misinformation … around this deal, that we’ll get strong support and it makes a lot of sense.”
Smith told Sportsnaut in Nashville last week that he had five different paths to an agreement mapped out.
For the most part, candidates to become the next Nashville mayor have voiced opposition to a deal with Speedway Motorsports but they will plan accordingly based on who wins the election.
In the meantime, Speedway Motorsports will continue to work with local community outreach programs and local elected officials to massage the agreement into something that works for the community. It remains worth noting that a 2011 referendum was passed by the residents of Davidson County, Tennessee to preserve racing, a regional fair and the flea market at the city owned facility.
A soccer stadium has been built on the grounds over the past five years, placing the Nashville Soccer Club at opposition with the Speedway under the grounds that two 30,000 seat sporting venues next door to each other cannot coexist. For its part, Speedway Motorsports continues to be resolute that they can be good neighbors while also preserving the rich heritage of the oldest sporting venue in Downtown Music City.