Comments on: Racing History Takes A Beating In Nashville

By: Mike Davis

Mike Davis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:25:30 +0000

ive been attending races here all my life starting in 1963, im 50 years old now and have so many wondeful memories and great times at this track. i feel like this track is part of me, part of my life. have met so many friends here and we would all gather down in turn one, sitting in the lower bleachers together. i sure am gonna miss this place. ive seen so many great races, who can forget the great finish with Darrell Waltrip and Bunkie Blackburn, and the 777 of the great Marty Robbins ( Devil Woman ). Coo Coo and Red Farmer, all the great battles they had here. Charlie Binkley tearing the fence down on the front stretch in the Permatex 300. so long Fairgrounds Speedway. we love you and will miss you greatly.

By: morton

morton — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:16:21 +0000

Robert Harmon is right the All American is a joke. Not a 400 lap race and only thing it has going for it, it is Nashville. It is sad to see a place like that close but when you operate a facility as good as Nashville like a 3rd rate track this is the end result. Sorry Folks just the truth.

By: Tammy Brewington

Tammy Brewington — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:33:11 +0000

I’m confused on what Mr. Harmon means when he says the 400 is now a joke. It’s certainly not a joke to those of us who are trying to keep this place afloat and the race alive. I’ve work here as the PR Manager since this past February and I can personally attest to the fact we’ve all given it a 1000000% effort and we’re not just rolling over playing dead…yet. We may lose it all, but we’ll go down fighting. It ain’t over yet…

I knew and really like Mr. Bob Harmon and he was a great, great promoter, but I think Jesus Himself could be promoting this place now and it would do little good because we’re fighting against the government and all we have to rely on is our own ingenuity and some of the local press and few councilmen. So, I think our current promoter, Danny Denson, has done a fabulous job considering he and his partner have funded EVERY SINGLE DIME out of their pockets for the most part. We were given little time to secure any sponsors, so we’ve been solo over here all year. I think Danny should be commended for his effort…

By: larry woody

larry woody — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:10:06 +0000

Robert, thanks. Your dad was a long-time friend and the last of the old-time racing promoters.
If Bob Harmon were around today he might be able to solve a lot of NASCAR’s problems; he knew how to put fans in the seats.
I miss Uncle Bob, just as I miss a lot of what used to make racing so much fun.
All the best — LW

By: ROBERT HARMON

ROBERT HARMON — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:49:06 +0000

ITS A SSAME MY DAD BOB HARMON WAS HE WAS THE GRAND DADDY OF THE THE ALL AMERICAN 4OO WHEN IT WAS A REAL RACE AND NOT A JOKE. ILOVE RACING HATE TO SEE IT GO HAD MANY OF GOOD TIMES THERE .WITH MARK COLLIE CELERBERTY RACE IT WAS A BLAST THING I GUESS COME AND GO BUT IT WILL SURE BE MISSED LIKE UNCLE BOB HARMON ONE OF THE GREAT SHORT TRACK PROMOTERS OF ALL TIME . I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HELP MY DAD GET WERE HE WAS I REALLY THANK YOU MR LARRY WOODY FOR BEING A FRIEND .

By: larry weakley

larry weakley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:33:10 +0000

Dear Larry, I cant begin to tell what todays news has done to me,being apart of The Fairgrounds Speedway, since i was a small boy,i saw my first race there in 1961,fell in love with the place.Im honored to be Gm of The Fairgrounds Speedway. Im very hurt over what this mayor and fairboard have done to this special place! Ive met so many great drivers and friends thru the years,im gonna dearly miss them all! Sundays race will be the worse day of my life! Mayor, You can take my race track but you cant take my memories! I love You Ole Girl!!!

By: fighting mad

fighting mad — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:02:21 +0000

ispent my whole life either sitting in the stands, working on a race car, or even owning a few race cars at that place. i along with a few thousand people have worked endless hours to get a car together just to show up and ENTERTAIN people whom work endless hours just to show up and watch, now let’s see, ENTERTAIN. isn’t that what the titans do, predators, sounds, vanderbilt, and the opry, i don’t understand how some elected official (ha) can just up and propose to shut us down out of the thousands of run down properties along the city of nashville. re-elect naw i don’t even think so. fight drugs, not the mayor, he wants to give the public a place to go smoke a fat one, well i will tell MAYOR D___. he better bulid another jail cause with the violence that will come out of this deal he will need the xtra space. drugs and drive-by’s, just building another project housing. these old country boys are not started with the fight. money don’t mean nothing. this is PERSONAL. i need an amen. cause its fixin to get dirty.

By: Wanda Williams

Wanda Williams — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:43:02 +0000

I have been attending races at Fairgrounds Speedway since the late 1970’s. It will be a very sad day when the track closes, it is so much a part of Nashville history. But when you have a corporation like HCA interested in the property and a mayor who is not a race fan you just can’t win. Some people run for puplic office and once there they forget about the people who put them there. I was at the Fairgrounds every Saturday night this summer and they had a good crowd, and the drivers put on a good show for the crowd. Why is it that the Nashville Historic Society can’t do anything to help save the track. The try to save other things around the area some with not nearly as much history as the track. Or better yet we put Dean in office let us put the track up for public vote and let all the people have a say in what happens to it. The track has been here since 1904 and should in my opinion be on the Nashville Historic Registry. This track has been home to many great drivers and some second and third generations. It is so sad that it has to come to an end. I would also like to congratulate Mr Woody on his induction into the Hall of Fame. I also want to take this time and thank Danny Denson for a memorable 2009 season. The track will be missed but it will never be forgotten.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:02:14 +0000

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By: Old Racer

Old Racer — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:50:39 +0000

I do not live in the Nashville area, but I have attended the races there many times. It is a shame that politicians can manipulate things to serve their own agendas, as Mayor Dean is doing in this case. I hope the citizens of Nashville remember this at the next election.
As for the track, I attended my first Grand National race there, as well as the last one before The Fairgrounds was dropped from the schedule, watching most of the greats in racing battle for the win. It will be a sad day when the last lap is run, but I will cling to my memories of The Fairgrounds for the rest of my life. God Bless you Mr. Woody, and congratulations on being selected to the Hall of Fame. I believe you deserve it more than anyone else, and have been a part of the Speedway for as long as I can remember. Farewell Fairgrounds, we’ll remember you always.

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Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:55:35 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jim Pedley, The Racing Geek. The Racing Geek said: One of the most legendary short tracks in America is closing its doors after this weekend. That makes me incredibly sad! http://bit.ly/O2YLv [...]