While he has nothing against the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway tri-oval, NASCAR Cup driver Chase Elliott would love to see the sport return to the Nashville Fairgrounds.
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The Fairgrounds is a 0.596-mile short track near the downtown part of Nashville that has been in a tug of war between various factions who would like to see the track upgraded and potentially host the Cup Series at some point, while other factions don’t want to see any improvements, while yet other factions have lobbied to have the track torn up.
But in a recent media availability, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver made it clear that he is definitely a supporter of the Fairgrounds. “I would love to have a (NASCAR) race at the Fairgrounds,” Elliott said. “It’s probably the coolest short track in America, and maybe even the world, just because of where it’s at…
“NASCAR was really built on short track racing and oval racing, and I just think that showcases who we are and what we do and what our discipline is the best. So when I look at the Fairgrounds, you have this facility that’s a short track and just happens to be one of the most fun I’ve ever raced on.
“I just think you have so many pieces of the puzzle right there that are already put together to be a grand slam and it would be such a shame to see it become a parking lot, which I know is what they want it to be.
“But I’d love to see it get one fair shot, one Saturday night Cup race in the middle of the summer and invite everybody who lives around there and give them a free ticket, invite the family and just hang out. Just give NASCAR a chance, just one night, and I think they’d have a lot of fun.”
Last few years have been all talk and little action
With so many different factions, even with Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Bristol Motor Speedway officials getting involved to bring significant investment and improvement to the Fairgrounds, many Nashville politicians and residents alike don’t want to see any changes forthcoming, to the point where many feel the real estate the track sits upon can be used for different purposes.
“It’s been nothing but a conversation over the past number of years,” Elliott said. “I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t giving up a little bit of hope on it. I just think that if something was going to happen, it seems like it would have gotten some traction by now.
“I haven’t given up total hope, but it’s kind of getting down to a do-or-die situation of where it goes from here. I don’t want to keep wasting time with it. If it’s sitting there and it’s ready and all that, I’d love to see it do something.
“I don’t know where it sits and what the process is like and how many hurdles they have to jump through and how many battles they’re having to fight… I’m just a fan of it, I love the racetrack, I’m just a racer and I’m certainly not in-tune with the politics of it and be educated enough on the subject of it.”
Asked Chase Elliott if he has any interest in running the All-American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds since it’s the week after the Cup finale at Phoenix. He said he wasn’t aware, and that might have to be a conversation now.
“That’s a good question. I’ll definitely look into it.”… pic.twitter.com/pMleb79i8g
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 19, 2025
If the Fairgrounds go away, Elliott might like to have one last shot on it. The All-American 400 Super Late Model race will be held there the weekend after the NASCAR Cup championship in Phoenix. When asked if he’d be interested in taking part in the race, Elliott replied, “That’s a good question. I’ll definitely look into it.”
