Former FOX broadcaster Kenny Wallace changed his tune about the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway drastically. Wallace has now opened up about closing the Fairgrounds for good. 

In the latest episode of Coffee with Kenny, the former NASCAR driver spoke about closing down the fairgrounds speedway and expanding the new Superspeedway that hosted the Cracker Barrel 400 last weekend. 

"Maybe we just need to forget about the Fairgrounds," Wallace said in a video posted to his social media account on June 3, before later adding, "We had 30,000 people at Nashville Superspeedway. I don't think you're ever going to fit 30,000 people into the Fairgrounds."

The shift is particularly striking as just three years ago, Wallace made a YouTube video taking a tour of the track. In that video, he voiced support for preserving the track and maybe even adding it to the Cup series calendar. 

The Fairgorundstrack has been stuck in a legal battle for quite some time. The track had signed a deal with Speedway Motorsports Inc. to modernize the track to host races in the future.

However, the developments have been in limbo due to the opposition from the locals. They have cited reasons such as congestion, noise, parking limitations, and other things affecting the area. 

Back in March, the track came under threat from a developer. The plan was to smash the historic track to the ground and build affordable housing.

As of now, the process has been brought to a halt as the Fairgrounds gears up to host the Pro Late Model 100 on June 27. 

Wallace asked his viewers whether they felt the Fairgrounds track should be saved or scrapped. He even asked if people felt current track situated in Lebanon, Tennessee, should be expanded.

"(Should we) build a short track out there in Lebanon right next to the (Superspeedway). Just seems like the thing to do," Wallace said. 

Unfortunately, the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is not the only iconic racetrack under threat. 

Locals Come Together to Save Greenville Pickens From Being Torn Down

South Caronlina's historic Greenville Pickens Speedway, which hosted NASCAR legends like David Pearson, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt, came under threat earlier this year.

Plans to develop Pickens County seemed to be heading towards a decision to demolish the track. A public vote back in April deemed the track historic. But the speedway wasn't in the clear yet. 

But a recent ruling by the Pickens County Planning Commission during a meeting took a vote, which was 6-1 against the speedway being torn down. 

Opened in 1964, Greenville Pickens is one of NASCAR’s oldest sanctioned speedways. It has also given the locals their unique identity, who consider the racetrack a part of the community's heritage.

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit