Poll from pro-Nashville Fairgrounds group finds opposition to NASCAR on site

A recent poll of Nashville voters on potential uses for Fairgrounds Nashville found a majority of respondents oppose NASCAR races returning to the site and favor development including public parks and affordable housing. 

The poll by GBAO Strategies, a Washington, DC polling and public opinion firm, surveyed 600 Nashvillians on February 13-17. It was funded by Fairgrounds Preservation Partners, a group that is advocating for the site to include rehearsal and performance spaces for musical artists, a public park on the racetrack site and a track for electric cars.

Questions specifically asked about support for NASCAR and an amendment that would require affordable housing and eliminate racing. 

On the racetrack question, 46% of respondents said they oppose expanding the speedway to permit NASCAR races while 38% support it. 

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When asked if they would vote for a Metro charter amendment to add affordable housing and end stock car racing, 58% expressed some support for it while 37% were against. 

“Clearly, Nashvillians believe that adding affordable housing and cleaning up a polluted waterway are far better uses of this public property,” Mike Kopp, co-founder of Fairgrounds Preservation Partners. “It’s time to stop running in circles, figuratively and literally.”

Debate about the best use of the Fairgrounds and the Nashville Motor Speedway has been a political hot potato among Metro Nashville’s elected officials for years. In 2011, a citywide referendum codified the Fairgrounds’ existence, with a majority of voters approving a charter amendment protecting the fairgrounds and speedway.

State lawmakers got involved in 2023, passing a law — ultimately struck down in court — that would lower the number of Metro Council votes needed to approve construction of a new NASCAR-ready track. 

The last NASCAR race at Fairgrounds Nashville was in 1984.