Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials on Tuesday revealed their long-awaited $60 million renovation plan to bring NASCAR racing back to Nashville’s Fairgrounds Speedway.
This is the first public revealing of the renovation plan after several closed-door meetings between SMI officials and representatives of Nashville Mayor David Briley’s administration.
“This is your racetrack,” said Jerry Caldwell, Bristol Motor Speedway executive vice president told Metro Board of Fair commissioners, according to The Tennessean. “This racetrack belongs to the people of Nashville. We see tremendous potential … and are willing to offer our resources and experience in partnership with you.”
SMI’s plan would increase seating capacity of the .596-mile short track from its current size of 15,000 to 30,000, as well as include an expanded concourse, premium seating, pedestrian tunnels and sound barriers, according to The Tennesseean. Caldwell also revealed a financing plan that could be done through revenue bonds and revenue generated through the use of speedway property.
A previous funding plan by SMI for $54 million in bond payments and $2 million in a city cash subsidy was rejected by Briley’s administration, which wants the project to be a private investment and not include any funding from taxpayers, according to The Tennessean.
One other major obstacle remains: a new $275 million Major League Soccer stadium – and surrounding mixed-use development that would include private residences – will have one of its abutting walls only 20 feet from the Speedway’s main entrance. It has been a stumbling block that neither the city, the soccer team nor SMI have been able to reach a compromise on.
Nashville SC, the group that will bring MLS soccer to the city and is behind construction of the new stadium, has remained adamant that its plans are set in stone.
“Our group has worked diligently over the past eighteen months to engage with stakeholders, the Fairgrounds staff and the architects to design a stadium and surrounding development that safely serves the property and future users of the Fairgrounds,” Zach Hunt, a spokesperson for the MLS ownership group, said in a statement, according to The Tennessean.
“The Mayor and Metro Council made the boundaries for our project very clear and we’ve maintained our commitment to building a first-class venue within those boundaries.”
Metro council member Robert Swope told The Tennessean, “We have a chance, if we redo the speedway along with this (soccer stadium), to turn this facility into the crown jewel of Nashville. But that only happens if you bring an operator like (Speedway Motorsports) to help with the speedway renovations.”
