Nashville Labor Group Calls for Priority Rights in NASCAR Fairgrounds Speedway Renovation

The future of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is uncertain as various community groups push for different outcomes. One group wishes to end racing at the venue and repurpose the land, while another group wants to preserve the track’s history and continue the racing tradition.

The LiUNA Local 386, a union representing 1,000 construction and service workers, supports keeping racing. They are campaigning against removing auto racing as a protected activity in the city charter and any development at the track that could threaten local jobs.

The union aims to ensure that redevelopment does not financially burden taxpayers. Attending races is seen as one of the last affordable entertainment options in Nashville, and union members are determined to maintain this activity. Ethan Link, the union’s business manager, expressed this sentiment in a press release.

Link said, “The Nashville Fairgrounds and Speedway have always been a place where working Nashvillians could gather, celebrate, and participate without being priced out. Any development on public land should protect affordable, accessible spaces, create good local jobs, and ensure that the local community benefits.”

Who is the union opposing?

Before LiUNA made its stand, a group of Nashvillians began a petition to remove racing as a protected activity at the fairgrounds. Nashville SC owner John Ingram also opposed plans for a major renovation of the track, advocating instead for affordable housing to be built on the site.

However, Mayor Freddie O’Connell provided a counter-argument, stating that Nashville has over 500 acres of land available for housing development elsewhere in the county, making it unnecessary to demolish the racetrack for this purpose.

A release from his office read, “Nashville does not have to choose between housing and history. There are better places to build housing without sacrificing a historic asset that generations of Nashvillians have shared.” While this statement may resonate with the union members, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold.