NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell expressed strong interest in returning to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway after observing a recent race featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. He noted that while the event demonstrated NASCAR's potential in Nashville, the process to make a return is challenging.
What NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell said about sport returning to Nashville Fairgrounds
NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell kept a close watch on Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on April 11 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran in the Tootsie's Music City Showdown late model stock car race before a capacity crowd.
The zMAX Series CARS Tour race, in which Earnhardt finished 12th and his teammate Caden Kvapil won, served as a litmus test for O'Donnell on what NASCAR's return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway would be like.
O'Donnell, who was a guest on the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast on April 14, said he wants to see NASCAR return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway more than ever and that the zMAX Series was proof NASCAR belongs in Nashville. However, he said the effort to get NASCAR back to Nashville is an "uphill battle."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with driver Chad McCumbee after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes through qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with his crew after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with driver Chad McCumbee after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Racing fans cheer qualifying drivers at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. gears up to race in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. gears up to race in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbs into his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. waits to start in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
1 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with driver Chad McCumbee after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
1 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with driver Chad McCumbee after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
2 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. goes through qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
3 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with his crew after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
4 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with driver Chad McCumbee after qualifying in his #8 Chevy at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
5 / 9
Racing fans cheer qualifying drivers at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
6 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. gears up to race in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
7 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. gears up to race in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
8 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbs into his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
9 / 9
Dale Earnhardt Jr. waits to start in his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 11, 2026.
WHAT EARNHARDT RACE DID FOR NASHVILLE: What Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s race did for Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway
"Nashville is one of our most historic tracks; we'd love to be there," O'Donnell said. "We'd love to be in both places in Nashville (including Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon), it's a great market ... obviously, we've got a lot of hard-core fans there. I was glad to see the CARS Tour go there. It was a great crowd, which was awesome. So hopefully that builds a little more momentum and gets (Nashville stock car racing) back in the limelight, especially from the media."
The effort to bring NASCAR back to Nashville for the first time since 1984 has faced resistance from some local residents and advocacy groups since it was first proposed in 2021 by Speedway Motorsports president and CEO Marcus Smith, who also wants to renovate the track.
"Listen, it's been a weekly dialogue, right?" O'Donnell said. "I know Marcus is trying to get there. It's been an uphill battle, which I don't understand. When you think about the noise and everything, I mean they've got concerts (at nearby Geodis Park) and all kinds of stuff, they've got soccer. But it's tough right now."
While Earnhardt was in town for the zMAX Series race, which he co-owns with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks, Earnhardt said he has reached a point where he is more concerned with the track simply surviving than with NASCAR returning.
“I think that we have to make sure, regardless of what goes on, that this racetrack survives,” Earnhardt said while he was in Nashville.
O'Donnell said the placement of Geodis Park was the first sign that he saw that bringing NASCAR back to Nashville could be a challenge.
"They built the soccer stadium really right on top of the race track," he said. "It didn't allow for a lot of movement and a lot of things going on," O'Donnell said. "That was the first kind of red flag. Then there's a pretty vocal group there about noise ordinances, what can you do? But there's been a lot of plans put together around what we could do to offset some of that."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What NASCAR'S president said about sport returning to Nashville Fairgrounds
Steve O'Donnell stated he wants to see NASCAR return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and believes recent events show NASCAR belongs there, but acknowledged the effort is an uphill battle.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. participated in the Tootsie's Music City Showdown late model stock car race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 12th in the Tootie's Music City Showdown race.
The zMAX Series CARS Tour race served as a litmus test for NASCAR's potential return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, indicating strong local interest and support for the sport.
LIV Golf's future appears uncertain as reports suggest Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund may withdraw funding after investing $5 billion. Despite assurances for the 2026 season, the tour faces challenges from low ratings and strong competition from the PGA Tour.
Mike Trout's 446-foot HR joins him with Aaron Judge in Yankee Stadium lore.
Detroit Tigers projected to take a risk on a 6'3" prep bat in the MLB draft.
Arshdeep Singh makes history as the first PBKS bowler to reach 100 IPL wickets!
California's top high school football prospects are on the move this weekend.
Viktor Hovland shines with a 64 at RBC Heritage, Gotterup scores 70.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.