🏎️ Racetrack fight gets messy

🏎️ The Fight Over the Fairgrounds Racetrack Is Getting Messy

What should be the future of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway? Two sides have formed thanks to a proposed ballot amendment, and things have been getting heated.

The Affordable Housing Contingent

The Citizens Against Racetrack Expansion for Nashville are petitioning locals to include an amendment on November’s ballot that would remove auto racing as a required activity at the Fairgrounds and replace it with affordable and/or workforce housing. The group has recently unveiled renderings of what the space could look like if affordable housing is built. [🎧 City Cast Nashville; NewsChannel 5]

• The petition needs 41,000 signatures to make it on the ballot. CARE members argue the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon is better suited to the traffic and sound NASCAR auto racing elicits.[Restore Our Fairgrounds]
• Last year, an ethics board found Fair Board chair Jasper Hendricks guilty of giving the impression of accepting favors from NASCAR in exchange for brokering a deal at the track. [Nashville Scene]
• A local magistrate has filed a temporary restraining order against Kevin Wisniewski for harassing and assaulting petitioners. Wisniewski is an employee of District 7 Democratic candidate Darden Copeland’s PR firm, which has worked on behalf of NASCAR to promote racing at the Fairgrounds. [Fox 17]

The Pro-Racing Contingent

The pro-racing contingent not only wants to keep the current Fairgrounds Speedway — the second-oldest continually operating track in the nation — but potentially expand it so NASCAR races can once again be held there. (NASCAR’s Cup Series left the track in 1984.) They argue racing has been an integral part of the Fairgrounds for more than a hundred years. [Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway]

• If Nashville decides to expand the racetrack for NASCAR, it would likely lead to more work for local union workers, whereas affordable housing projects rarely use union labor. Plus, pro-racetrack expansion folks argue racing is one of the few forms of inexpensive family entertainment in the area. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]
• They also criticize Nashville SC owner John Ingram for working to prevent the racetrack expansion despite previously saying he would support racing at the Fairgrounds. [NewsChannel 5]
• Petitioners have been accused of misleading the public in their push to end racing at the Fairgrounds. [NewsChannel 5]

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🎵 Popular Festival Cancels 2027 Run

Bonnaroo, one of Tennessee’s most popular music festivals, will not return in 2027. Organizers say the Farm needs a year of rest to recuperate from back-to-back storm years. Despite spending millions on infrastructure improvements ahead of this year’s festival, poor weather still plagued attendees, with muddy conditions, a temporary power outage, and an evacuation. [🔐 The Tennessean]

🚗 Farmers Market Faces Parking Challenges

The 12 South Farmers Market has lost 15 vendors and many customers after the closure of a nearby TDOT-owned parking lot. TDOT says it’s in talks with Metro Parks about selling the lot. According to the market’s owner, Mark Mulch, “this season has proved to us that if we can’t get larger parking back, I don’t see how we could continue.” [WSMV]

• 12 South is struggling with parking on multiple fronts. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🛣️ Toll Roads Will Avoid Popular Supermarket

The Pan-Asia Supermarket in South Nashville will no longer be demolished to make room for I-24 choice lanes. The company constructing the $9.2 billion voluntary toll roads, DriveTN, has redesigned the plans, sparing the supermarket, Noble Place Townhomes, and the Hickory Hollow Parkway Bridge. [NewsChannel 5]

• Despite its name, DriveTN is primarily led by groups outside the U.S., which is drawing criticism from State Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville). The company will also collect the tolls. [WKRN]
• TDOT is hosting two public community meetings about the toll roads on Sept. 8 and 9. [TDOT]

🏛️ Zoning Board Favors Cheekwood

Cheekwood has won the first confrontation with neighborhood homeowners challenging the nonprofit’s zoning. Last Thursday, the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals upheld an administrator’s decision to grant a parking garage permit to Cheekwood. However, the conflict is far from over. [Nashville Banner]

• Why neighbors want to shut down Cheekwood [🎧 City Cast Nashville]