Inside a busy week in Nashville's racetrack debate

Here's an overview.

Charter Revision Commission, take 2

Organizers seeking to ban racing at the fairgrounds via ballot measure will be back at the Metro Charter Revision Commission on Thursday with new language they'd like to put before voters.

• The first attempt at putting their measure on the November ballot was rejected for technical reasons.

The latest: Proponents believe they've addressed that concern with new revisions.

• If the commission signs off, the referendum proposal will be subject to a legal challenge in Chancery Court.
• If the plan passes legal muster, then the hard work of garnering about 53,000 signatures from Nashville voters can begin.

The intrigue: A coalition of environmental groups, including the Nature Conservancy in Tennessee, delivered a letter to Mayor Freddie O'Connell on Wednesday expressing support for the referendum effort.

• The environmental groups want to clean up nearby Brown's Creek.

Mayor's office to brief Metro Council

Mayor Freddie O'Connell's team is looking to get ahead of the racetrack issue, starting with a Metro Council briefing on Jan. 27.

• The mayor's office wants to explain the legal and financial obligations attached to the racetrack.

Zoom in: The city's charter mandates that the racetrack be maintained, a requirement newer council members may not know about.

• The track needs up to $41 million in repairs and maintenance, according to a 2023 consultant's assessment.

What we're hearing: At the briefing, O'Connell's team is likely to make the case that the city has three options: do nothing, pay for improvements out of the regular capital budget or enter into a public-private partnership to finance an upgrade. Considering the charter obligation, the mayor's office doesn't consider doing nothing to be a serious option.

• O'Connell is facing some pressure from Republican leaders in state government to get a deal done with Speedway Motorsports Inc.
• Indications are that O'Connell's office wants to make a decision before the ballot measure process plays out.

Bill would protect racetracks from lawsuits

State Sen. Mark Pody filed a bill last week seeking to protect racetracks across the state, including the fairgrounds speedway, from nuisance lawsuits and other legal action.

• Pody, a Wilson County Republican who represents a small section of Davidson County, tells Axios he wants to shield racetracks from possible lawsuits from neighboring residents who moved in after the tracks were in operation.

What he's saying: Pody used the example of the Nashville Super Speedway, located in his district in Wilson County.

• "I don't want a homeowner, or developers, or a business to come in and down the road say, 'The racetrack's too loud. It's too noisy. There's too many smells, too much traffic.' I'm trying to give that racetrack the opportunity to say, 'We were here first. Anybody that bought in this area or had an issue shouldn't have bought here.'"
• Pody says he supports the proposal to upgrade the fairgrounds racetrack and try and secure NASCAR's return for economic development reasons.

Historical marker for Cumberland Park

A new historical marker was installed last week, honoring the location of the old Cumberland Park, which was once at the site of the current Nashville fairgrounds. The park was also home to a horse racing track.

Between the lines: Both sides of the debate say the property's history supports their argument.

Zoom in: Racing opponents want to emphasize the history as a park and before it became a racetrack.

The other side: To racing fans, the property is hallowed ground. After horse racing, cars raced on dirt tracks until the current track was paved in the late 1950s.

• Future racing stars like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip raced at the Nashville fairgrounds.