NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The debate over the future of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway seems to round a lap or two, every few years. Here’s the latest turn.

Built it up

Jasper Hendricks, the Chair of the Metro Board of Fair Commissioners tells our news partners at the Nashville Banner that a deal is imminent between Metro leaders and Speedway Motorsports INC, the parent company of Bristol Motor Speedway. The proposal would overhaul and improve the current track and grandstands. Unlike the last proposal, per Hendricks, there would be no financial obligation from the city of Nashville.

Once the renovations are complete, SMI plans to lure NASCAR into bringing NASCAR Cup races back to the fairgrounds for the first time since July 14, 1984. NASCAR Cup races are considered the highest level of races in the sport.

Tear it down

It’s great news for racing fans. But for neighbors that live close by, it’s the last thing they want to hear. “Its pollution, its noise, its traffic,” said Heidi Basgall Favorite, a longtime opponent of track expansion who has lived nearby for more than 20 years. “Why can’t we have a meaningful conversation about utilizing this property that doesn’t involve racing?”

Basgall Favorite acknowledges they moved into their home knowing the speedway was there. She claims there were rumors the track would be closing when she and her husband bought the home. Basgall Favorite is the founder of Nashville Opposes Track Expansion (NOTE) which is among a collation of other citizen groups calling for the track to to be torn down and returned to a green space that includes affordable housing options. Here’s the problem though — according to a provision in Metro’s Charter, racing is required at the fairgrounds. “The charter can change, it’s changed several times,” said Basgall Favorite.

Changing Metro’s Charter requires a countywide referendum. Setting one of those up is no simple task. Organizers would have to get 15% of all registered voters to sign their petition before a commission could determine if it should appear on the ballot. But Basgall Favorite thinks it’s a fight they can win. “We really want this referendum because we believe it will give Nashville the voice to actually ask what they really want,” she said.

We’ve been here before

The last time renovation talks got this serious out at the fairgrounds was back in 2023, under Former Nashville Mayor John Cooper. But a deal couldn’t get done before he and other Metro Council members left office. A major sticking point in the 2023 proposal was the amount of money Metro-Nashville would have to contribute to the plan. According to Hendricks, this new plan will not require public dollars.

If that’s true, that could impact whether or not the proposal would have to go before Metro Council. NewsChannel 5 asked Vice Mayor Angie Henderson. She told us “a deal involving public funds would have to go through Council at some juncture.”

What comes next

A spokesperson for Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell stresses there is no deal finalized at this time, and no announcement has been planned or scheduled. Julie Smith added, “We have known this administration will need to make a decision on the fairgrounds racetrack. We are focused on exploring all available options and the benefits they provide to Nashvillians and will continue to discuss with multiple stakeholders ways to improve the facilities at the Fairgrounds.”

Once details are announced, we may have a better idea of what authorizations will need to be made.

Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.

Nashville music school offering lessons for just 50 cents for families with limited income

Music lessons for just 50 cents! A Nashville music school has been providing that to area students for over 40 years including for the city’s current mayor. As a child, I always wanted to take piano lessons. I was able to for about 6 months but had to stop due to family finances. I would have loved to have had access to a program like this at the W. O. Smith Music School.

– Lelan Statom

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR argued in its latest court filing that Michael Jordan is suing the stock car series to earn a permanent charter that no other teams possess, and that neither 23XI Racing nor Front Row Motorsports has suffered any harm by racing as “open” entries.

NASCAR also indicated in its 34-page response filed late Monday that it has buyers interested in the six charters that have been set aside as a federal judge decides if the two teams can have them back for the remaining 11 races of this season. NASCAR is prepared to immediately begin the process of allocating the charters elsewhere.

These latest arguments are part of the ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI and Front Row against NASCAR in a fight over charters, which are essentially franchise tags. 23XI, owned by basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, were the only two organizations out of 15 not to sign extensions on new charter agreements.

All the teams were fighting to have the charters made permanent during more than two years of extension negotiations, but NASCAR refused and its final offer was a seven-year extension with an additional seven-year option beyond that. 23XI and Front Row won a temporary injunction to be recognized as chartered as the case heads toward a Dec. 1 trial date.

The injunction was eventually overturned and appealed by the teams. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell will hear arguments Aug. 28 on the matter. 23XI and Front Row as “open” teams do not receive the same financial percentages as chartered teams.

NASCAR asked in the filing that 23XI and Front Row return all money they were paid when they were recognized as chartered teams this season. NASCAR said the money would be redistributed to the 30 current chartered teams.

A rulebook change in July after the chartered status was stripped from the two organizations ensured that the six cars aren’t in danger of not qualifying for a race; starting spots are guaranteed to the 36 chartered cars in every 40-car field.

“Mr. Jordan has said he wants to use the litigation to grant him a permanent Charter that no other team has,” NASCAR alleged.

23XI and Front Row have maintained they will continue to race even if they must do so as open teams. NASCAR has argued that when the two organizations did not sign the extensions they lost all rights to charters and the sanctioning body should be free to move them.

NASCAR also argued that a court cannot order the private company into a partnership with teams it is not interested in doing business with.

NASCAR and IndyCar have partnered to share the race weekend at St. Petersburg in 2026, with the Truck Series race being held on Saturday, February 28, while IndyCar will take over the street course on Sunday, March 1. This marks the first collaboration between the two forms of motorsports on a street course.

The race at St. Petersburg is the opening round for IndyCar, also marking the Truck Series’ first event on a street course. Both races are set to be broadcast by FOX Sports. Fans could expect to witness the best of both worlds, starting with the IndyCar qualifying on Saturday, followed by the Truck race. Sunday will feature the IndyCar race.

The NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series will be held on the same race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Speaking on the partnership between the two forms of motorsports, co-owner, chairman, and CEO of Green Savoree Racing Promotions, organizers of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Kim Green, said in a statement:

“What a great new racing addition to the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to include the NASCAR trucks into Saturday’s show next year. Saturday will be packed for our fans with entertainment. We have INDYCAR qualifying and now an historic first with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race. And, as usual, it all culminates on Sunday with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season-opening event on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg.”

The St. Petersburg collaboration between NASCAR and IndyCar could pave the way for more partnerships of a similar kind in the future. Speaking to Motorsport.com, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer Ben Kennedy said:

“Yeah, potentially. We’re going to collaborate with them on the St. Pete race next year, and the good news is we have such a good relationship with Doug, with Bud, with Roger, the entire team over at IndyCar, and there are a lot of synergies as well, with them having FOX as a broadcast partner, we have FOX for the first part of our season. There are a lot of natural opportunities for us to work closer together, in particular on some of those races in the season.

“Something that we’ll continue to explore with them. I think St. Pete next year will be a good kind of case study for us. We’ve had examples of it, of racing at Indianapolis in the past, and even though we didn’t have as big of a presence there, IndyCar going to Iowa for a number of years, they came and raced at Richmond for a handful of years as well.

“Really important for us to continue to have the relationship. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more opportunities for us to work closer together with them.”

NASCAR’s secondary series, currently the Xfinity Series, has had the same title since 2015, as Xfinity sponsored the series. However, now, the sport has raked in a lucrative new sponsor as the title of the series will change in the 2026 season. Because of the name change for the second tier series, the two-time NASCAR Xfinity champion, Kevin Harvick, has fired some shots.

NASCAR’s Xfinity Series will be renamed to NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in the 2026 season. Xfinity had signed a deal to sponsor the sport for over ten years, matching the longest such deal in any NASCAR national series. The new deal with O’Reilly Auto Parts is deemed to be multi-year, as the exact length is unknown for now.

Kevin Harvick isn’t too happy with NASCAR’s second tier series’ name being heavily based on the sponsors. Harvick asserted that the series needed its own identity and not just the name of the company that paid for them to be showcased in the title. The 49-year-old asserted that the Cup Series and the Bill France Cup were true just to the primary series.

Moreover, the Truck Series was pretty straightforward as they were currently named the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Even if Craftsman were to leave as the sponsor, the series would still be titled Truck Series. As such, the two-time Xfinity Champion again questioned what the second series really was.

I think we need to work on is we need some identity for this series. We have the NASCAR Cup Series, and we have the Bill France Cup, and we have all these things that are true to the Cup Series. The trucks are the easy one, right? They’re just trucks. Even if Craftsman is not there, it’s still the Truck Series, and then you have the Cup Series. So, what is the Xfinity Series?

Kevin Harvick said on his show Happy Hour.

Kevin Harvick questioned if in 2026 the NASCAR Xfinity Series would be renamed to the O’Reilly Series, based on their brand new sponsor. Even then, the fans would be confused, with the new ones questioning what the second series even meant, as not many might be aware of O’Reilly Auto Parts. As such, Harvick called for a consistent identity for the Xfinity Series in the coming future, one that wasn’t entirely dependent on the sponsors.

 So, what is the Xfinity Series? So, next year, are we going to be O’Reilly Series? And then everybody’s going to be like ‘What the hell is the O’Reilly Series?’ I don’t know. I just think that we need some consistent identity for the Xfinity Series as to what is it.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kevin Harvick ‘really happy’ for the NASCAR Xfinity Series to have a new sponsor for 2026

NASCAR’s new deal with O’Reilly Auto Parts is considered to be great for the sport and more successful than Xfinity. The auto parts giant is already operating over 6400 stores across the U.S, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada.

Howard Augustine “Humpy” Wheeler Jr., who ran Charlotte Motor Speedway for 35 years, has died at the age of 86.

Charlotte Motor Speedway announced his death Thursday, and said Wheeler died the day before of natural causes. He was hired in 1975 by Bruton Smith, the speedway’s founder and longtime owner, and his fan-centered gimmicks, attractions and events earned him the moniker “the P.T. Barnum of motorsports.”

“Humpy not only made his mark with publicity, but also with a laser focus toward the fans. He would often tell his staff to pay attention to ‘the three Ts — tickets, traffic and toilets’ in order to ensure fans have the best possible experience. He would also say it was our job to put a little ‘technicolor in people’s black-and-white lives,'” speedway officials said in a statement.

A Belmont native known for his extravagant and often fiery pre-race shows at the track in Concord, Wheeler was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this year as the Landmark Award winner for outstanding contributions to the sport. In his induction speech, he spoke of the connection between his style and racing’s roots.

“Well, that’s what makes racing is people would step up and say hey we’re gonna have some fun this afternoon or tonight and that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. His pre-race “stunts,” as Wheeler called them, involved everything from school buses jumping cars and crashing to boxing matches, military exercises with artillery pieces and a giant “Robosaurus” turning cars into twisted metal with its claws.

Wheeler became known for his practical marketing acumen as well, including his idea to add lights to the entire speedway for NASCAR’s first night race in 1992. Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first track to build condominiums on-site under Wheeler.

Humpy spoke with WFAE’s StoryCorps Local in 2024, accompanied by his daughter Patti Wheeler. A motorsport broadcast executive, Patti was present to witness and chronicle the sport’s growth and transformation over the years. At StoryCorps they spoke about Humpy’s initial foray into the racing world, and one particular moment that stood out in a long career.

You can hear their full conversation here.

And throughout his career and after, Wheeler wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. He joined Charlotte Talks in 2013 to talk about NASCAR’s struggles at the time. He spoke about how those in positions of power in NASCAR “got too fancy and messed up” the sport.

You can find an archive of that show here.

Influencers broke into Kentucky Speedway and filmed it

Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile track in Sparta, Kentucky. The track first opened in 2000 and hosted NASCAR Cup Series events.

Following the race in 2020, the track has not hosted a NASCAR Cup Series event. While leaking a date on the NASCAR schedule, the track is still in use.

Kentucky Race Results: July 12, 2020 (NASCAR Cup Series)

The complex is occasionally rented for various events and uses. In 2021, the Ford Motor Company stored a fleet of vehicles awaiting chips amid a shortage.

Months ago, a group of influencers mistakenly thought the track was abandoned. They broke in and filmed their crimes.

Dozens of them have now been arrested…

Gallatin County Sheriff issues statement

“Several months ago, some influencers broke into the Kentucky Speedway,” the statement from the Gallatin County Sheriff opened.

“While there, they made videos and posted them to TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. In these videos, they call the Kentucky Speedway an ‘abandoned’ racetrack.”

“Kentucky Speedway is NOT abandoned! They still hold driving schools and other various events there occasionally. In addition, certain parts of the property are rented out to other companies.”

“Even if it was not in use, it is private property and marked as such.”

“Since the videos were posted we have charged and arrested dozens of individuals for trespassing and burglary. Many of which were creating additional videos, trying to steal, or just taking their own tour of the facility.”

“This is a reminder, going onto someone else’s property is illegal and it will not be tolerated. You will be prosecuted four your actions should you choose to ignore the property owner’s rights.”

They concluded, “Please share for awareness.”

Kentucky Speedway is currently owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC.

The Next Gen car currently used in the Cup Series, while generally disliked, is actually appreciated on 1.5-mile tracks. There has been a push to bring Kentucky Speedway back to the NASCAR schedule. With the announcement of the 2026 schedule, Chicagoland Speedway, a similar track has been added back to the schedule following an absence.

2026 NASCAR schedule released

Links

NASCAR | Kentucky Speedway