Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always had a soft spot for the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and will honor that enthusiasm by racing in its CARS Late Model Stock Tour event debut on April 11.
He confirmed the widely accepted rumor that he would enter that event on Tuesday during the latest episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast.
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“I’m racing at Nashville Fairgrounds April 11. … You know, I have a million things going on up here in my head? And looking around in there, I think it’s April 11, and I’m driving the Bass Pro Shops car at the Fairgrounds,” Earnhardt said. “Yep, for the CARS Tour. … I don’t know if there’s anymore I need to say. … I’m going to do a tire test here in a couple days so I’ll have a better idea of how fast it is.”
Earnhardt co-owns CARS Tour with fellow NASCAR luminaries Kevin Harvick, Justin Marks and Jeff Burton. It’s largely considered the most prestigious regional short track racing series in the country.
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Marks, who has a residence in Nashville, convinced Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge owner Steve Smith to serve as title sponsor for the event now called the Tootsie’s Music City Showdown, which also includes a CARS Pro Late Model Tour race.
NASCAR Cup Series races were held at Fairgrounds Speedway from 1958 until 1984. In the years since, it hosted the O’Reilly Series and Craftsman Truck Series until 2000 and now a monthly racing program every summer.
It’s future, which could include a revitalization and Cup Series date under a plan proposed by Speedway Motorsports, or demolition as pursued by Nashville SC owner John Ingram, is still being deliberated by the local political process.
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