This weekend may be the last car racing event ever at the historic
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Our illustrious mayor has decided that there are better things to do with this property, and
has completely ignored the fact that this race track has been part of this city and its culture for about 50 years.
Like the mayor, I came here from someplace else, but it didn't take long
for me to realize how special this race track is to the drivers who raced here for decades, and to the many fans who've been
attending racing events since this speedway opened.
Regardless of the many petitions signed in support of the speedway and the expo center that is home to the very popular
flea market, our mayor has tried to fast-track the plans to close the facilities in favor of "something that will provide
jobs," as he quoted on the evening news yesterday.
This is complete nonsense, and the only likely outcome of this charade that the property will remain vacant just as
the Starwood property is now. That was another stupid idea that was sold to the public in a similar way. Where are the condos
we saw in the wonderful architectural drawings on the news? It was all a lie, and we lost a great music venue because of it.
The mayor, who is a stranger to the south, will destroy something that cannot
be replaced, and will also destroy the incomes of the many flea market vendors and employees at the fairgrounds. The Dillards
flea market option at Hickory Hollow smells a lot like the Starwood condo bullshit; just another song and dance routine to
appease the general public and to help counter resistance to his plans.
Even those folks who don't care about car racing and flea markets need to understand that history is what makes a city special and unique, and it's
what brings tourists and tourist dollars to our region every year. The Fairgrounds Speedway has enough history on its own
to justify a racing museum on the site, and there would still be plenty of land left over for our mayor to explore other business
options and opportunities.
The following
plea is for the mayor of Nashville:
"Mr
Mayor, please consider other options. The folks at the flea market don't need to lose their incomes in hard financial times,
and we don't need to lose any more than what we've already lost in the recent floods. Go to a few races and feel the spirit
of the speedway, or take a walk around the flea market and talk to the vendors so you can see that this place is more than
just a race track and a few buildings.
It's
about the people. It's about the history. If life to you
is only defined in dollars and cents, then you'll probably never get it."
