The Early Days

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. 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.

1950s

Local tracks sprang 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.

The track was converted to a half-mile paved oval in 1957, when its began to be a NASCAR series track.

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 front stretch 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 Gang. 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 speedway was lengthened between the 1969 and 1970 seasons.

1970s

The banking 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 Allison, Sterling Marlin, Mike Alexander, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, and Dale Earnhardt. Third generation driver Bobby Hamilton won track championships in 1987 and 1988. Second generation driver and son to Fairgrounds Native Tony Formosa SR., took the 1989 Fairgrounds LMSC Championship Title Nicky Formosa.

1990s

The 1990 season was dominated by Jeff Green. 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.

The track was repaved between the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

2000s

The track was renamed “Music City Motorplex” for 2004 by new promoter Joe Mattioli III, whose family owns Pocono Raceway 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.

2010s

The speedway is currently an 18 degree banked paved oval. The track is 0.596-mile (0.959 km) long. Inside the larger oval is a quarter-mile paved oval.