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Nashville Superspeedway is a 1.330-mile (2.140 km) tri-oval intermediate speedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. The track has held a variety of racing series since its opening in 2001, including NASCAR and the IndyCar Series. It has been owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC (SMI) since 2021, with Matt Greci currently serving as the track's general manager. The track is served by Interstate 840 and Tennessee State Route 452. The track has a current permanent seating capacity of 25,000, with potential to expand to 38,000 with temporary grandstands. Along with the main track, the track complex also features a 1.8 miles (2.9 km) road course layout that uses parts of the main track along with an infield road course that is used to make a "roval". The complex initially planned to expand further to include a drag strip, short track, and a dedicated road course; however, these plans were scrapped. Initial plans for the track were announced in 1997 by Dover Downs Entertainment (last known as Dover Motorsports) as part of a rise of popularity in stock car racing in the 1990s and with hopes to bring back the NASCAR Cup Series to the Nashville area. The track opened in 2001 to host IndyCar and the second-tier NASCAR Busch Series (now known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series). However, a decade later, all major racing left the track due to poor attendance caused by the lack of a Cup Series race, and was essentially left desolate and abandoned for nearly a decade. In 2020, in a surprise move, Dover Motorsports announced the return of NASCAR racing; this time with the NASCAR Cup Series. Description Configuration The track in its current form is measured at 1.33 miles (2.14 km), with 14 degrees of banking in the track's turns, nine degrees of banking in the track's frontstretch, and six degrees of banking in the track's backstretch. Varying sanctioning bodies have disputed the length of the track; NASCAR's official measurement is at 1.33 mi, while IndyCar measures the track at 1.333 miles (2.145 km). Along with the main track, an infield road course was built with the main track's construction. According to The Daily News Journal, the course measured 1.3 miles (2.1 km), and held its first races in July 2001. Amenities The track is served by Interstate 840 and Tennessee State Route 452. State Route 452 was built as part of a project by the Tennessee Department of Transportation in 2000 in order to accommodate traffic for the track. According to The Tennessean, as of 2021, the track has a permanent seating capacity of 25,000, with potential to increase to 40,000 for NASCAR races with temporary grandstands. In 2023, a capacity with the temporary grandstands was reported at 38,000. At its peak, the track had a reported capacity of 50,000, with hopes of expanding to 150,000 according to a 2001 report by The Daily News Journal. Track history Planning and construction In the 1990s, a boom period of large-capacity and modern tracks that correlated with the rise of NASCAR occurred, with nationwide efforts being made to build tracks to lure a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race weekend. In November 1997, initial plans for a $25–30 million, 50,000-seat track to be built in the Nashville metropolitan area were made in a joint announcement between Dover Downs Entertainment (last known as Dover Motorsports) and Gaylord Entertainment (now known as Ryman Hospitality Properties), with hopes of the track hosting Winston Cup races. If successful, the track would be the first track to host Winston Cup races in Middle Tennessee since 1984, though the chance of success was met with heavy skepticism due to the track's small capacity. In the early planning stages, although track developers expressed desires to build the track and prioritize finding a location within Davidson County, they couldn't find a suitable 1,200-acre site, with developers getting suggestions to look outside Davidson County. Developers later stated that they planned to build an initial track that could hold 50,000, with potential to expand to 150,000 to 200,000 if needed. Delays, opposition By March 1998, although a location was not selected, developer Denis McGlynn stated that he was "confident" the track would be opened by 2000. The next month, McGlynn stated hopes of hosting various types of racing, including National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and IndyCar events. On May 21, while a site wasn't selected, developers stated that a final decision on the area was "three or four weeks away". Three days later, The Daily News Journal reported that McGlynn had narrowed down four potential sites, with speculation on where being placed in Rutherford County and Wilson County. By July, although construction had been scheduled to start by this point, nothing was done, with plans to announce a location being delayed by several weeks, putting the project in jeopardy. However, that same month, the News Journal reported that a 1,600-acre location that was owned by Harding University in northern Rutherford County was being considered, along with a second undisclosed location. By the end of the month, the company began to attempting to buy the land along with other smaller parcels. The project saw mixed reception from property owners around the Rutherford County location, with some who were asked by Dover Downs Entertainment thinking of refusing to sell their property. To further compound problems, many local residents stated concerns of increased traffic and noise, with guarantees of a Winston Cup date still being thought of as a longshot. In August, Dover Downs announced plans to build a more extensive project, with hopes of building an industrial park; the budget for the track complex increased to $125 million, with Dover Downs having options to buy 2,600 to 2,700 acres of land. In October, Dover Downs opted to file a separate rezoning request for 1,600 acres of land along the Wilson County border, deciding to submit both plans; although the Rutherford County plot was preferred, the company considered moving the entire project solely to Wilson County due to about 230 acres of land not being sold by disinterested property owners. By mid-October, the Rutherford County plan saw increased criticism from residents, with holdouts still adamant on not selling. On October 20, the company announced that the project had moved entirely within the bounds of Wilson County due to the holdouts in the Rutherford County plan. After a delay of two weeks was announced for Wilson County officials to scrutinize the rezoning plans, the rezoning request was approved to be heard on November 7; by this point, plans had expanded for the complex to include a drag strip, road course, dirt track, and a short track. A vote between Wilson County officials to approve the rezoning was scheduled for December 21; on the day of the vote, the rezoning was approved by a vote of 22–3. The track's approval led to fears of potential decline for the neighboring Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, which whil.... Discover the Joe Nelms popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Joe Nelms books.