The ethics board was split on three charges considered during the daylong hearing, dismissing two and upholding one.
The dismissed charges related to Hendricks’ attendance at a NASCAR gala in 2023 and his alleged sharing of confidential information in news stories. The board upheld a charge that more generally accused Hendricks of violating ethical rules prohibiting public officials from giving “the impression that any person can improperly influence, or unduly enjoy their favor in, the performance of their official duties.” (Read the full complaint, and the Metro Department of Law’s analysis of it, here.)
Speedway-area residents allege Jasper Hendricks accepted gifts, negotiated secret deal
That substantiated charge was based on a general appearance of improper influence, board members said, including in text messages between Hendricks and lobbyist Matthew Kuhn about an August inquiry by the Nashville Banner.
Hendricks told the Banner that a deal between Metro and Speedway Motorsports Inc. to renovate the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and bring back top-tier NASCAR races to the facility was imminent. In an interview, Hendricks detailed changes between the looming agreement and a different one from 2023. No agreement has publicly materialized in the months since.
In text messages, Kuhn advised Hendricks about how to respond to the inquiry.
"I wouldn't feel the need to say anything," Kuhn wrote. "Don't share any details. He's fishing for sources."
He then suggested a quote Hendricks could use.
Ethics board member Chris Sabis described the exchange as “poor judgment,” while board member Brigid Carpenter said it left a “very troubling” impression.
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“As a properly registered lobbyist, as defined by Metro law, I am deeply concerned the board found communication with a board member to be improper,” Kuhn told the Banner on Monday. “I don’t believe that decision is supported by law.”
While the board said the value of Hendricks’ attendance at the 2023 gala likely exceeded the $100 gift limit, they did not find that the event was related to his service as fair board chair, citing his long history of working with NASCAR and related entities predating his appointment to the board. Hendricks said he was invited to the private event, which included a Flo Rida concert, by 23XI Racing, a NASCAR team owned by Michael Jordan.
Hendricks described the hearing and allegations as “stressful, humiliating and emotionally draining.”
He also sought to convince the board that he had no knowledge of a looming track deal when he told the Banner that he did.
“I had no clue what was going on,” Hendricks said, claiming that he was trying to sound in-the-know.
Hendricks accused the complainants of weaponizing the process because he supports racing and they do not.
“This complaint is not about ethics,” he said. “It’s about power.”
The board stopped short of accepting the complainants’ recommendation that the board urge Hendricks' resignation or recusal from all future racing discussions.
"The pattern of the closeness of the relationship, I can see how that would give an impression to the community," said Metro Councilmember Delishia Porterfield, a nonvoting member of the board.
This article first appeared on Nashville Banner and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
