When the Metro Charter Revision Commission officially certified a petition on Monday morning to ban racing at the fairgrounds, firing a starting gun might have been appropriate. The long-awaited approval began a 90-day process for NASCAR opponents to gather voters’ signatures behind a referendum that would strike “auto racing” from the Metro Charter in favor of “affordable housing” as a required fairgrounds activity.
Neighbors, lobbyists, politicians and corporate interests duke it out over racing at the fairgrounds
The anti-racing effort needs a bit more than 40,000 names — 10 percent of active county voters — not including extras for insurance. By Wednesday evening, the campaign, backed by passionate anti-racing neighbors and paid consultants alike, had activated green-shirted canvassers armed with clipboards and pens.
“Our signature-gathering effort is now underway and our coalition looks forward to engaging with Nashvillians about the future of the fairgrounds speedway site,” reads a statement to the Scene from Mike Kopp, a Music Row executive who co-founded the anti-racing group Restore Our Fairgrounds.
Current organizers, who declined to share daily totals with the Scene, have until mid-September to return enough signatures to the Metro Clerk, who then passes the petition to the Davidson County Election Commission. If the DCEC certifies the required number of signatures, the petition will head to voters after another 90-day time window, likely placing the referendum on the August 2027 ballot that includes the mayoral and Metro Council races. The anti-racing campaign initially targeted the 2026 midterm elections, but a series of delays — including a legal challenge from retired race car driver Neil Chaffin — knocked the plan off course.
A referendum effort aiming to write fairgrounds racing out of — and affordable housing into — the city charter approved in second pass
Campaign strategists have tried to expand the referendum’s appeal beyond racing opponents, of which there are plenty — particularly nearby neighbors who cite quality-of-life concerns due to noisy and frequent track events. The inclusion of “affordable housing” in the referendum advances an issue at the heart of local affordability woes. Protecting Browns Creek, which runs adjacent to the track and suffers from runoff pollution, might draw in environmentalists. A national canvassing firm had "Petition Circulator" jobs posted as early as Friday for $22 to $24 per hour.
Just 15 years ago, a referendum put auto racing into the Metro Charter as an official fairgrounds activity required by law. This summer’s campaign seeks to take it out. Since 2011, The Fairgrounds Nashville has been a flashpoint for city growing pains made visible by Geodis Park being raised next to the deteriorating grandstands of Nashville’s fairgrounds racetrack.
A storied loop, the track has been eyed for renovations by NASCAR operator Speedway Motorsports, which operates the nearby Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County. A deal seemed imminent under former Mayor John Cooper and his lieutenant Ben Eagles, a racing fan; Mayor Freddie O’Connell, now in his third year as mayor, has avoided contract negotiations with Speedway Motorsports and left the racetrack controversy idling.
For now, keep an eye out for a new brush with local politics at the usual foot-traffic hotspots like Centennial Park, 12South and Shelby Park. With billionaires on both sides, there might even be a counter-campaign in the works.
