Music City Motorplex
Encyclopedia
Fairgrounds Speedway is a NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series racetrack located at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee
. The track is one of the oldest tracks in the United States
. The track held NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) races from 1958 to 1984. Major feature and touring series winners at the track win a guitar.
The track was converted to a half-mile paved oval in 1957, when its began to be a NASCAR series track. The speedway was lengthened between the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The corners were cut down from 35 degrees to their present 18 degrees in 1972. The track was repaved between the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
In September 1904 another series of races was organized. Most of the entrants came directly to Nashville from the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri
. Racing pioneer Barney Oldfield
was one of the entrants. People marveled at cars driving over 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour).
The track began holding annual events in September 1915 to coincide with the state fair. Many of the same drivers from the Indianapolis 500
brought their cars down to Nashville.
Local tracks sprange up and began running weekly Saturday night shows (collectively called the "Legion Bowl"), and the local racers competed at the track for the 1954 through 1957 State Fairs. In 1958 car racers decided to build a paved racetrack. The racers ended opposition from horse racers by building a horse track. The racers got a 10-year lease from the state fair board in order to build a paved 1/2 mile track which shared the frontstretch with a 1/4 mile track. On July 19, 1958, the first race was held at the new speedway. Races were held only on the 1/4 mile track (except for special events).
A 1959 NASCAR Grand National race of 200 laps in 1959 was unique; it was the first time an entire starting field (12 of 12 cars) finished the race, one of four instances it has happened in NASCAR Nextel Cup history. That would not happen again until 36 years later, when the entire field at the 1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400 finished the race.
The original cars (since 1948) were 1930s model cars called "Modified Specials". By 1964 the parts for cars were too hard to find, so the track changed to newer 1950s model cars called "Late Model Modifieds". Some of the early stars of the track decided to retire.
. The Alabama Gang (from Hueytown, Alabama) included future NASCAR legends Bobby Allison
, Donnie Allison
, and Nashville native Red Farmer
.
Coo Coo Marlin
was the first back-to-back champion in 1965/1966. 1968 champion P.B. Crowell decided to retire, and hired the talented young Darrell Waltrip
to drive his car.
Several changes happened at the track in the 1960s. Lights were added to the 1/2 mile track in 1965, and races in the main division moved to the big track. A fire burned the grandstands at the 1965 State Fair. Weekly Tuesday night races were added, and fans were awed by the crazy Figure-8 drivers barely missing each other as they crossed each other's paths. New grandstands were built and the track was lengthened (and banked to 35 degrees) in 1969.
The 1970s also featured talented drivers that would progress to NASCAR's highest division. Second generation drivers Sterling Marlin (son of Coo Coo) and Steve Spencer (NASCAR) Mike Alexander (NASCAR) (son of car owner R.C.) were all track champions. Alabama Gang member Jimmy Means took the track title home to Alabama in 1974 before he moved on to NASCAR's Winston Cup.
, Sterling Marlin
, Mike Alexander
, Darrell Waltrip
, Bill Elliott
, and Dale Earnhardt
. Third generation driver Bobby Hamilton
won track championships in 1987 and 1988.
. Mike Reynolds won the 1991 track championship. Mike Alexander won the 1992 track championship. Chad Chaffin
won the 1993 and 1995 track championships. Andy Kirby
won the 1994, 1996, and 1997 track championships. Joe Buford won the 1998 and 1999 track championships
In 1995, the track returned to the NASCAR circuit, hosting a yearly NASCAR Busch Series race and later, a yearly NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Those races would move to the new Nashville Superspeedway
in 2001.
and South Boston Speedway
.
The 2007 schedule featured races in NASCAR's two regional series, including Grand National (Busch East) and a Whelen Modified (Southern) event.
In 2009, Music City Motorplex was to host an ARCA RE/MAX Series
event on June 20, but it was announced on February 20, 2009 that the race would be moved to Mansfield Motorsports Park in Mansfield, Ohio
.
In 2009, the tracks prestigious All American 400 was canceled and not rescheduled because of severe rain and political issues with Nashville mayor Karl Dean, who has wanted the track and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds closed in order to redevelop the site. Controversy over the proposal has meant the track will race in 2010, although only with "major" events as the Champion Racing Association has taken control, with Tony Formosa holding rights to racing in 2010.
A capacity crowd of 13,998 watched Joe Weatherly
win the first NASCAR race on August 10, 1958.
Geoff Bodine
beat Darrell Waltrip
for his second career win in the last Winston Cup race at the track.
NASCAR left the track because the grandstands are too small, and because of a dispute over who would manage the track took place prior to the start of the 1985 season.
Of the 42 Cup races, Richard Petty
has nine wins, with Darrell Waltrip
right behind with eight wins. Waltrip won 5 of 6 races between 1981 and 1984. Waltrip's victory in the 1988 Busch Series event gives him the career best nine wins total at the track. Counting NASCAR
, USAC
, ASA
, and local track races, Waltrip holds the all-time track record for wins with 67.
races in 1984, 1988, 1989, and from 1995 to 2000. The track was replaced on the schedule by the newly opened Nashville Superspeedway
.
events between 1996 and 2000. The track was replaced on the schedule by the newly opened Nashville Superspeedway
.
Mike Alexander
- 2 time track champion
Casey Atwood
- 1996 Rookie of the Year
Bunkie Blackburn
- regular weekly competitor
Joe Buford
- 4 time track champion
Chad Chaffin
- 2 time track champion
Mark Day
- 2006 track champion
Jeff Green
- 1 time champion
Bobby Hamilton
- 2 time track champion (plus 2 time champion in a lower division)
Andy Kirby
- 3 time track champion
Coo Coo Marlin
- 4 time track champion
Steadman Marlin
- Grandson of Coo Coo Marlin son of Sterling Marlin part time Busch series driver and part time Fairgrounds competitor
Sterling Marlin
- 3 time track champion
( Steve Spencer ) - Track Champion, Rookie of Year, Tenn. State Champion, Track Record Holder
Jimmy Means
- 1 time track champion
Jeremy Mayfield
- regular weekly competitor
Chase Montgomery
- ran the full 2000 season
Deborah Renshaw
- became the first woman to ever lead a NASCAR sanctioned series when the young woman climbed to the top of the points standings at Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville.
Darrell Waltrip
- 2 time track champion
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Whelen All-American Series racetrack located at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. The track is one of the oldest tracks in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The track held NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) races from 1958 to 1984. Major feature and touring series winners at the track win a guitar.
Track configuration
The speedway is currently an 18 degree banked paved oval. The track is 0.596 mile (0.95916664 km) long. Inside the larger oval is a quarter-mile paved oval.The track was converted to a half-mile paved oval in 1957, when its began to be a NASCAR series track. The speedway was lengthened between the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The corners were cut down from 35 degrees to their present 18 degrees in 1972. The track was repaved between the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
Track history
The track first featured "horseless carriages" and motorcycles on June 11, 1904 on a 1 1/8 (1.125) mile dirt oval. Races were canceled after a motorcycle ran in to the back of a car that was lining up. Harness (horse) racing events were also held at the track.In September 1904 another series of races was organized. Most of the entrants came directly to Nashville from the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Racing pioneer Barney Oldfield
Barney Oldfield
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield was an automobile racer and pioneer. He was born on a farm on the outskirts of Wauseon, Ohio. He was the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour on an oval...
was one of the entrants. People marveled at cars driving over 60 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour).
The track began holding annual events in September 1915 to coincide with the state fair. Many of the same drivers from the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
brought their cars down to Nashville.
Local tracks sprange up and began running weekly Saturday night shows (collectively called the "Legion Bowl"), and the local racers competed at the track for the 1954 through 1957 State Fairs. In 1958 car racers decided to build a paved racetrack. The racers ended opposition from horse racers by building a horse track. The racers got a 10-year lease from the state fair board in order to build a paved 1/2 mile track which shared the frontstretch with a 1/4 mile track. On July 19, 1958, the first race was held at the new speedway. Races were held only on the 1/4 mile track (except for special events).
A 1959 NASCAR Grand National race of 200 laps in 1959 was unique; it was the first time an entire starting field (12 of 12 cars) finished the race, one of four instances it has happened in NASCAR Nextel Cup history. That would not happen again until 36 years later, when the entire field at the 1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400 finished the race.
The original cars (since 1948) were 1930s model cars called "Modified Specials". By 1964 the parts for cars were too hard to find, so the track changed to newer 1950s model cars called "Late Model Modifieds". Some of the early stars of the track decided to retire.
1960s
The 1960s also frequently brought drivers from outside Nashville, most notably the Alabama GangAlabama Gang
The Alabama Gang was the nickname for a group of NASCAR drivers who set up shop and operated out of Hueytown, Alabama, near Birmingham, Alabama. In the late 1950s, young auto racer Bobby Allison left Miami, Florida, looking for an area that had more opportunities to race. He discovered central...
. The Alabama Gang (from Hueytown, Alabama) included future NASCAR legends Bobby Allison
Bobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
, Donnie Allison
Donnie Allison
Dunkiny "Donnie" Allison is a former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. He was part of the "Alabama Gang," and is the brother of 1983 champion Bobby Allison and uncle of Davey Allison...
, and Nashville native Red Farmer
Red Farmer
Charles "Red" Farmer is a former NASCAR racecar driver.-Racing career:His first race was at Opa-locka Speedway near Miami, Florida in a 1934 Ford in 1948. He became famous as a member of the Alabama Gang and he considered his hometown to be Hueytown, Alabama...
.
Coo Coo Marlin
Coo Coo Marlin
Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver who spent 14 years in the series.-Local track history:...
was the first back-to-back champion in 1965/1966. 1968 champion P.B. Crowell decided to retire, and hired the talented young Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
to drive his car.
Several changes happened at the track in the 1960s. Lights were added to the 1/2 mile track in 1965, and races in the main division moved to the big track. A fire burned the grandstands at the 1965 State Fair. Weekly Tuesday night races were added, and fans were awed by the crazy Figure-8 drivers barely missing each other as they crossed each other's paths. New grandstands were built and the track was lengthened (and banked to 35 degrees) in 1969.
1970s
The bankings in the corners proved to be too fast, so the banking was reduce to 18 degrees. The new ownership decided to hold no weekly races in 1979.The 1970s also featured talented drivers that would progress to NASCAR's highest division. Second generation drivers Sterling Marlin (son of Coo Coo) and Steve Spencer (NASCAR) Mike Alexander (NASCAR) (son of car owner R.C.) were all track champions. Alabama Gang member Jimmy Means took the track title home to Alabama in 1974 before he moved on to NASCAR's Winston Cup.
1980s
The track returned to hosting weekly races in 1980. In 1984, the top NASCAR series fielded its final race at the facility after disputes with city government and track management. The new headline division featured smaller Camaro-type bodies called "Late Model Stock Cars". The new division caught on slowly, and only 13 drivers competed in the first race. The division finally caught on in 1987. NASCAR stars that raced in 1987 or 1988 included Bobby AllisonBobby Allison
Robert Arthur Allison is a former NASCAR Winston Cup driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers. His two sons, Clifford Allison and Davey Allison followed him into racing, and both died within a year of each other....
, Sterling Marlin
Sterling Marlin
Sterling Marlin is a retired NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He is the son of late NASCAR driver Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, and a son, Steadman, who sometimes races in the Nationwide Series....
, Mike Alexander
Mike Alexander (NASCAR)
Mike Alexander was an American racing driver. He won the NASCAR Weekly Series national championship in 1983. He also raced in Winston Cup and in the Busch Series.-Career before national racing:...
, Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
, Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
, and Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
. Third generation driver Bobby Hamilton
Bobby Hamilton
Charles Robert Hamilton, Sr. was a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Hamilton owned Bobby Hamilton Racing, which fielded three entries in each NCWTS event...
won track championships in 1987 and 1988.
1990s
The 1990 season was dominated by Jeff GreenJeff Green (NASCAR)
Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship...
. Mike Reynolds won the 1991 track championship. Mike Alexander won the 1992 track championship. Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin is a NASCAR driver. He has raced in all three of NASCAR's major series and is currently a free agent. Chaffin was a two-time track champion at the historic Nashville Speedway USA, where he met his friend the late Andy Kirby.-Sprint Cup:Chad made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004 at...
won the 1993 and 1995 track championships. Andy Kirby
Andy Kirby
Andy Kirby , is a former stockcar driver, most notably in NASCAR. Kirby did not initially begin with NASCAR, where his career would end. Instead, Kirby quickly earned his reputation as a motorcycle racer in the Southeastern United States...
won the 1994, 1996, and 1997 track championships. Joe Buford won the 1998 and 1999 track championships
In 1995, the track returned to the NASCAR circuit, hosting a yearly NASCAR Busch Series race and later, a yearly NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Those races would move to the new Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
in 2001.
2000s
The track was renamed "Music City Motorplex" for 2004 by new promoter Joe Mattioli III, whose family owns Pocono RacewayPocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
and South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway or "SoBo" is a short track located just outside South Boston, Virginia, U.S.A.. SoBo is located approximately sixty miles east of another area familiar to most NASCAR fans, Martinsville. It is owned by Mattco, Inc, the Mattioli family trust that owns Pocono Raceway, with...
.
The 2007 schedule featured races in NASCAR's two regional series, including Grand National (Busch East) and a Whelen Modified (Southern) event.
In 2009, Music City Motorplex was to host an ARCA RE/MAX Series
ARCA RE/MAX Series
-History:The series started as a local touring group. Led by John Marcum, the Midwest Association for Race Cars was formed with drivers like Iggy Katona and Nelson Stacy being early drivers.The series became a part of the Daytona Speedweeks in 1964...
event on June 20, but it was announced on February 20, 2009 that the race would be moved to Mansfield Motorsports Park in Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
.
In 2009, the tracks prestigious All American 400 was canceled and not rescheduled because of severe rain and political issues with Nashville mayor Karl Dean, who has wanted the track and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds closed in order to redevelop the site. Controversy over the proposal has meant the track will race in 2010, although only with "major" events as the Champion Racing Association has taken control, with Tony Formosa holding rights to racing in 2010.
NASCAR Winston Cup track history
The track held at least one Cup race each year from 1958 to 1984.A capacity crowd of 13,998 watched Joe Weatherly
Joe Weatherly
Joseph "Joe" Weatherly was a two-time NASCAR championship driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National championships in 1962 and 1963, three A.M.A...
win the first NASCAR race on August 10, 1958.
Geoff Bodine
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers . Bodine currently lives in Cornelius, North Carolina....
beat Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
for his second career win in the last Winston Cup race at the track.
NASCAR left the track because the grandstands are too small, and because of a dispute over who would manage the track took place prior to the start of the 1985 season.
Of the 42 Cup races, Richard Petty
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
has nine wins, with Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
right behind with eight wins. Waltrip won 5 of 6 races between 1981 and 1984. Waltrip's victory in the 1988 Busch Series event gives him the career best nine wins total at the track. Counting NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
, USAC
United States Automobile Club
The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, the USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500...
, ASA
American Speed Association
The American Speed Association is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana and currently is headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. ASA was most famous for a national touring series which began in 1973 but was...
, and local track races, Waltrip holds the all-time track record for wins with 67.
Busch Series events
The track held 9 Busch SeriesBusch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
races in 1984, 1988, 1989, and from 1995 to 2000. The track was replaced on the schedule by the newly opened Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
.
Craftsman Truck Series events
The track held 5 Craftsman Truck SeriesCraftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
events between 1996 and 2000. The track was replaced on the schedule by the newly opened Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
.
List of notable weekly drivers
The number and quality of former weekly drivers to reach the upper levels of NASCAR demonstrates how high the competition level must have been at the track, and the importance that the track has had to the sport.Mike Alexander
Mike Alexander (NASCAR)
Mike Alexander was an American racing driver. He won the NASCAR Weekly Series national championship in 1983. He also raced in Winston Cup and in the Busch Series.-Career before national racing:...
- 2 time track champion
Casey Atwood
Casey Atwood
Casey Lee Atwood is an American race car driver. Atwood is currently a free agent in NASCAR. He married his longtime girlfriend, Laura, in 2005. Atwood and Laura have two daughters, Kaylee and Emma...
- 1996 Rookie of the Year
Bunkie Blackburn
Bunkie Blackburn
James Ronald "Bunkie" Blackburn was a NASCAR racecar driver.-Career:Blackburn's father owned and operated the Fayetteville, North Carolina racetrack....
- regular weekly competitor
Joe Buford
Joe Buford
Joe Buford at Franklin, Tennessee) is a racecar driver.-Career prior to NASCAR:Buford began his career at Duck River Speedway in 1989. He took his father's advice and started racing at Nashville in 1991. He was an instant success, winning three races and the "Rookie of the Year" honors...
- 4 time track champion
Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin is a NASCAR driver. He has raced in all three of NASCAR's major series and is currently a free agent. Chaffin was a two-time track champion at the historic Nashville Speedway USA, where he met his friend the late Andy Kirby.-Sprint Cup:Chad made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004 at...
- 2 time track champion
Mark Day
Mark Day (NASCAR)
Mark Day is a former NASCAR driver, racing for a number of years in NASCAR's higher division. In addition, his family currently owns the #05 31-W Racing Chevy in the Busch Series. That team races in that series on a part-time basis and full-time in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.-Craftsman Truck...
- 2006 track champion
Jeff Green
Jeff Green (NASCAR)
Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship...
- 1 time champion
Bobby Hamilton
Bobby Hamilton
Charles Robert Hamilton, Sr. was a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Hamilton owned Bobby Hamilton Racing, which fielded three entries in each NCWTS event...
- 2 time track champion (plus 2 time champion in a lower division)
Andy Kirby
Andy Kirby
Andy Kirby , is a former stockcar driver, most notably in NASCAR. Kirby did not initially begin with NASCAR, where his career would end. Instead, Kirby quickly earned his reputation as a motorcycle racer in the Southeastern United States...
- 3 time track champion
Coo Coo Marlin
Coo Coo Marlin
Clifton "Coo Coo" Marlin was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver who spent 14 years in the series.-Local track history:...
- 4 time track champion
Steadman Marlin
Steadman Marlin
Steadman Marlin is a part-time NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #95 Sadler Brothers Dodge in select races in the Busch Series. Marlin, the son of Sterling Marlin and grandson of the late Coo Coo Marlin, was born in Columbia, Tennessee on October 29, 1980. He made his NASCAR debut in 2000...
- Grandson of Coo Coo Marlin son of Sterling Marlin part time Busch series driver and part time Fairgrounds competitor
Sterling Marlin
Sterling Marlin
Sterling Marlin is a retired NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He is the son of late NASCAR driver Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, and a son, Steadman, who sometimes races in the Nationwide Series....
- 3 time track champion
( Steve Spencer ) - Track Champion, Rookie of Year, Tenn. State Champion, Track Record Holder
Jimmy Means
Jimmy Means
James "Jimmy" Means is a former Winston Cup/Nextel Cup owner/driver. Currently, he is an adviser for Front Row Motorsports and owns his own team, Means Racing. He competed in NASCAR for eighteen years in mostly his own equipment, posting seventeen career top-tens...
- 1 time track champion
Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas...
- regular weekly competitor
Chase Montgomery
Chase Montgomery
Chase Montgomery is a racecar driver. He currently owns a small business and continues to pursue a racing career. He lives in Wilson County, TN. He is now married and a father.-Career before NASCAR:...
- ran the full 2000 season
Deborah Renshaw
Deborah Renshaw
Deborah Renshaw-Parker is a former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver. She currently does not have a ride.-Pre-CTS:...
- became the first woman to ever lead a NASCAR sanctioned series when the young woman climbed to the top of the points standings at Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville.
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
- 2 time track champion