Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a premier motorsports venue located in Lebanon, Tennessee, a suburb near Nashville. It features a distinctive 1.33-mile (2.14 km) D-shaped tri-oval track with a concrete surface, making it one of the fastest and uniquely challenging circuits in NASCAR. The speedway serves as a major racing and entertainment destination in Middle Tennessee, known for blending high-speed racing with the region’s rich musical culture.
History
The track opened in 2001, developed by Dover Downs Entertainment (later Dover Motorsports) amid the 1990s surge in stock car racing popularity. Initially, it aimed to bring premier racing events, including NASCAR and IndyCar series, to the Nashville area. The superspeedway quickly hosted the IndyCar Series Firestone Indy 200 along with NASCAR’s Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) races. Despite these successes, the track struggled to secure a NASCAR Cup Series race, crucial for long-term viability, leading to low attendance and eventual cessation of major events after 2011. For nearly a decade, the venue was largely inactive.
In a resurgence, Nashville Superspeedway was acquired by Speedway Motorsports, LLC in 2021. That year marked the return of NASCAR with the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, re-establishing the track as a significant presence on the national racing calendar. The track has since grown in stature, hosting not only NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series races but also the 2024 INDYCAR SERIES championship finale, embodying a full spectrum of premier motorsports competition again.
Most Famous Races Held
The venue is best known for hosting NASCAR events, particularly the Ally 400 Cup Series race which debuted upon NASCAR’s return in 2021. Historically, the track was a mainstay for NASCAR’s Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series through the 2000s. The IndyCar Firestone Indy 200 was also a marquee event until 2008. The speedway gained distinction in NASCAR circles for the unique tradition of awarding Gibson guitars painted in vibrant designs as trophies to race winners, connecting motorsport with Nashville’s musical heritage.
Track Information
Nashville Superspeedway’s 1.33-mile concrete oval features 14 degrees of banking in the turns, with 9 degrees of banking on the front stretch and 6 degrees on the backstretch. The all-concrete surface is distinctive, shared by only a few NASCAR tracks such as Dover and Bristol. The D-shaped configuration incorporates four turns and wide racing grooves, offering fast speeds and multiple passing zones. The facility has permanent seating for approximately 25,000 fans, with the capability to expand up to around 38,000 with temporary grandstands for major events. The complex also includes a 1.8-mile infield road course called a “roval,” leveraging parts of the oval alongside interior road sections.
Access to the speedway is facilitated by nearby Interstate 840 and Tennessee State Route 452, the latter constructed specifically to handle race traffic. Design plans to further expand the site with additional tracks like a drag strip and short track were considered but ultimately shelved.