Some of the biggest fights in sports are not played on a field. They are fought over land, money, and power. Right now, a giant turf war is ripping through Nashville. The battle is over the 122-year-old Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. What started as a simple local argument has exploded into a bitter, public war. On one side is NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports. On the other side is John Ingram, the billionaire owner of the local soccer team, Nashville SC.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Marcus Smith sharply outlined what happened during his appearance on the Dale Jr. Download podcast with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“I’ve reached out to [John] Ingram and his office many times, never had a call back,” he said. “I wish that he would. I don’t understand it. I’ve never had anything like it.”
That was not a one-off complaint. Smith, who has been the CEO of the company since 2015, said Speedway Motorsports has spent nearly a decade trying to make the Fairgrounds project work while staying active in the local community through Speedway Children’s Charities and other outreach efforts. The frustration is far-reaching because of what happened before GEODIS Park — home of soccer club Nashville SC — was built in 2022.
Ingram needed public support to build his 30,000-seat soccer stadium right next to the historic racetrack. Back then, he told the community he wanted to protect the speedway. But now that his stadium is built, Smith believes the billionaire is doing the exact opposite. Ingram is fighting hard to stop NASCAR from fixing the old track.
What makes the dispute so complicated is that both projects are next to each other at the Fairgrounds. Ingram argues that a renovated NASCAR facility would create terrible traffic next to his soccer stadium. Speedway Motorsports strongly disagrees, believing the two stadiums can easily share the space and create a massive, fun entertainment district.
The political fight has only intensified in recent months. A petition backed by anti-racing groups linked to Ingram has been pushing to completely ban racing at the Fairgrounds and replace the track with affordable housing.
But earlier this year, that group hit a brick wall. A local judge, Chancellor Patricia Moskal, officially ruled against the anti-racing group. She blocked their petition because the legal wording was confusing and failed to clearly explain what “affordable housing” actually meant.
Despite this, shady tactics continued. In late July, hidden cameras caught paid petition workers lying directly to citizens. The workers were tricking people into signing the petition by falsely claiming the track was already scheduled to be torn down. They also promised that signing would guarantee affordable housing. Neither of those claims is true.
But that is just a part of the story. At the heart of the dispute lies a racetrack that has been part of Nashville’s identity for more than a century.
Why NASCAR is Fighting So Hard to Save the Nashville Fairgrounds
Few racing venues in America, and honestly the world, hold as much history as the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
It is the second-oldest continually operating racetrack in the country, having opened for motorized racing in 1904, and it hosted NASCAR Cup Series races from 1958 through 1984. In 2011, Nashville voters approved a Metro Charter amendment by a 73% margin to protect racing at the site. That is why some of NASCAR’s biggest names have become directly involved.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has traveled to Nashville, met with local officials, brought the CARS Tour to the track, and even raced there himself to show the venue’s value. He has insisted that the problems locals kept highlighting while opposing racing at this cradle of American motorsports could be fixed.
“To be able to help the local community and [reduce] the burden on the local community… The noise is a burden, but we can fix that. We can make that better and continue to race here,” Dale Jr. had said.
On his podcast, he even suggested that Ingram just sit down and talk it out. He added that he thinks the speedway only became a threat to the soccer team once the track’s renovation plans became serious.
“I wish he would come to the table to have a conversation,” Dale Jr. said. “I would love to sit down with you and him in a closed room and just have a conversation.”
Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott has publicly backed the preservation effort. Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks has helped keep local racing events financially viable.
Veteran analyst Jeff Burton has also supported plans that address neighborhood concerns about traffic and noise.
“When you look at the plans being proposed, it’s not just about putting cars on a track. It’s about professional traffic management, structured parking solutions, and scheduling that respects the local calendar. A modernized facility handles ingress and egress completely differently than an old short track,” Burton said.
Smith, whose company, SMI, owns Nashville Superspeedway, which currently hosts Cup Series races, believes the Fairgrounds can become much more than a racing facility.
He described it as a community asset that could host food truck nights, family events, walking trails, and other local activities throughout the year. He also compared the Fairgrounds to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, another historic venue that was once considered for demolition.
For Smith, the issue has become bigger than NASCAR. He sees the Fairgrounds as a piece of Nashville history that has served generations of families. And after years of trying to reach the man at the center of the controversy, his message was strikingly simple. The conversation he wants has still never happened.