Bristol Motor Speedway Defers Fairgrounds Deal Until After Mayoral Elections

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Rendering of potential Fairgrounds Speedway renovations

Despite months of trying to get the Nashville Metro Council to approve Mayor John Cooper and Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS)’s deal to renovate the Fairgrounds Speedway, Bristol will defer until after the Mayoral election is decided.

The deal couldn’t get passed the Metro Sports Authority in July due to the board wanting to take time and gather information. The deal narrowly passed the Fairgrounds Board in a 3-2 back in mid-March. Since then, not much has changed.

Now BMS will wait till the next Metro Council term to pursue this deal. By this time, there will be a new mayor, likely one who won’t make this deal a priority as Mayor Cooper has this past year.

The deal would allow Bristol Motor Speedway to renovate and run the historic track, adding a new 30,000-seat grandstand, a re-paved track and the opportunity to host NASCAR races.

Among citizens and residents, the biggest concerns about this would be the increase in traffic, overwhelming the already busy area where GEODIS Park sits and the Fairgrounds host multiple events throughout the year. Sound pollution was another main concern in addition to how the renovation would be paid for.

Between June and now, there have been two polls conducted. In a poll from early June, commissioned by BMS and conducted by the D.C.-based Hart Research Associates, showed that 42 percent of voters supported the proposal when given a “barebones description of the deal.”

The analysis noted that as pollsters provided voters with details of the deal, the number of voters who supported Bristol Motor Speedway operating the speedway grew to two-thirds of the polling pool, according to story in the Nashville Scene. The poll received criticism as it had nine percent margin of error.

A poll conducted by the Washington-based GBAO Strategies on behalf of the Tennessee Laborers PAC surveyed 500 local voters from July 17-19, and showed only 14 percent of respondents expressing strong support. This poll’s main purpose was to gather information ahead of the Nashville Mayoral race. This poll had a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Metro Council member Freddie O’Connell leads the most recent polls for the election, and was vocally against the Titans deal with the city. He said he was not focused on the deal but looks forward to working on how to improve the Fairgrounds, including the speedway, in an interview with the Nashville Banner.

Lone Republican candidate Alice Rolli is narrowly in second pace according to recent polling, and has voiced support for the BMS deal with the city.

Steven Boero
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