NASCAR opponents file charter amendment to stop Fairgrounds racing

Auto racing opponents are fighting an old Metro Charter amendment with a new one. A well-resourced coalition of community and advocacy organizations, with support from Councilmember Terry Vo, filed a new charter amendment this week that would cut “auto racing” as a required activity at the Fairgrounds Nashville. The proposal revives a years-long struggle over racing and would rewrite language added to the charter in 2011 by referendum that enshrined auto racing in the city’s governing document.

Today’s broad anti-racing coalition cites environmental concerns and quality-of-life threats to a neighborhood that has drastically changed in the 15 years since an insurgent “Fairgrounds Yes” campaign won charter protections for racing at the Fairgrounds Speedway. That effort, backed by Darrell Waltrip and steered by Darden Copeland, captured locals’ resentment toward rapid city change and then-Mayor Karl Dean.