Save the Speedway

Currently, the Tennessee State Fairgrounds and Nashville Speedway are in danger of being "redeveloped". An organization started by someone who moved to a neighborhood near the track is trying to get the city to "move" the Tennessee State Fairgrounds and Nashville Speedway race track, an impractical proposition.  Visit  savenashvillespeedway.com  and sign the petition to save this important part of racing history!

 

Track History

The first races were held at Nashville Fairgrounds speedway was on June 11, 1904.  The track was configured into a one and an eight-mile dirt oval and the races became an annual tradition occurring in conjunction with the Tennessee State Fair until the 1940's.   

In 1958, promoters Benny Goodman, Bill Donoho and Mark Parrish reconfigured the track into a half-mile paved oval.  On July 19, 1958, Charlie Griffin of Chattanooga won the first race held on the new track.  Weekly races became a fixture of the track along with the annual (later bi-annual) appearances of NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup. 

In 1969, the present 5/8-mile configuration was established with 35 degree banked turns.  The first Grand National race on the new banking was televised live on ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1970.  However, the turns proved too treacherous for the local sportsman racers and were modified to the current day 18 degree banking that exists today.

During the seventies many of Winston Cup's biggest stars visited the Nashville track with sell-out crowds in the grandstands.  Unfortunately, time and economics eventually lead Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway to be stricken from the ranks of NASCAR's Winston Cup Division in 1984,  However, the track continues to host weekly NASCAR series racing and continues to provide a training ground for future NEXTEL Cup stars.

Photo Notes

I began attending Grand National races in Nashville during 1972.  The collection of pictures contained on the website were obtained from driver postcards obtained at the track, postcard from the internet and photographs taken at the race track.  The track pictures taken from 1972 to 1980 were made with a Kodak instamatic 126 and an Anseco Pioneer 616; 1982 through 1983 with a Pentax 35mm and 1984 (Talladega) with a  Nikon FG.  All track photos are indicated with applicable race on individual car webpage.

I would also like to thank Russ Thompson, Tommy Marchman, Fred Marchman, Evelyn Hylton, Ray Lamm and Ray Pentecost for the contributions that they have made to this project.  The overall quality and thoroughness of the site would have been impossible to achieve without their support

Closing

This webpage is dedicated to the drivers, teams, track officials and fans that have made Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway one of the south's great sporting attractions.

 This site is also dedicated to my parents for enduring many pre and post races hours while I took photos, helped independent drivers in the pits and collected postcards.