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- NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell affirmed Nashville’s importance as a racing market, regardless of the specific track used.
- O’Donnell expressed support for Speedway Motorsports’ efforts to bring NASCAR back to the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
Steve O’Donnell hasn’t been on the job very long, but as NASCAR’s new president he’s been at it long enough to know the sport belongs in Nashville.
O’Donnell, who was promoted on March 31 when Steve Phelps became NASCAR’s first commissioner, was in Nashville on April 23 where he talked about the importance of the sport returning to its roots.
He mentioned the success at Nashville Superspeedway, where the fifth annual and newly-titled Cracker Barrel 400 race will be run on June 1, as well as the possibility of NASCAR returning the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
“I know there’s some debate about where you’re racing, whether its the short track (at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway) or out at the Superspeedway (in Lebanon), but for us just being present in Nashville is the main thing,” O’Donnell said. “We feel like we’ve got to tie in some things when we come downtown and do some different events to bring fans in. But absolutely, Nashville is a hugely important market for us.”
O’Donnell was a speaker at the Sports Business Journal World Congress of Sports convention at the Grand Hyatt.
NASCAR Cup racing returned to the Nashville area for the first time in 37 years when Nashville Superspeedway reopened in 2021 to host the Ally 400, now named the Cracker Barrel 400. Before that, the last Cup Series was at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in 1984.
O’Donnell, who has been with NASCAR for 30 years and previously served as chief operating officer, said he was elated when Dover Motorsports brought Cup racing to Nashville Superspeedway. The race earned even more solid footing in 2021 when Speedway Motorsports purchased Dover Motorsports.
Meanwhile, Bristol Motor Speedway, owned by Speedway Motorsports, has been working for several years on a deal with the Metro Nashville Council to bring NASCAR back to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
While SMI spearheaded the effort to return NASCAR racing to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, O’Donnell said NASCAR supports the effort.
“I think Speedway Motorsports has put a lot of work into that,” O’Donnell said. “It’s certainly a iconic facility that we’ve raced at. So we’d love to see (the effort) continue, but I think we’re really happy with where we’re at with the Superspeedway as well.”
O’Donnell said many NASCAR fans enjoy short track racing and a return to the 0.596 oval at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway would give fans another short track option.
“Certainly, when we look at the schedule in totality, we hear a lot from the fans about short tracks,” O’Donnell said. “It’s going to be important for us to continue to place those on the schedule for sure.”
O’Donnell routinely visited Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway early in his career when he specialized in NASCAR’s weekly series and appreciates the history at the venue, which started hosting Cup races in 1958.
“I spent a lot of time at the Fairgrounds,” O’Donnell said. “It’s certainly about the great (drivers), but also about the culture and just getting back to our roots. Racers who may not make it to the top level, but that’s ok; they’re local heroes. That’s what really started NASCAR and that’s what we’re really all about.”
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
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