Richard Petty wants NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway
Richard Petty came to Nashville this week for two purposes − to be inducted into the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame and to throw his support behind the effort to bring NASCAR Cup Series racing back to the historic venue.
The greatest driver in NASCAR history with 201 career victories said he would like to see the contract agreed upon by the Mayor's office, under former Mayor John Cooper, and Bristol Motor Speedway, for a partnership to renovate the track at a cost of roughly $100 million be approved by the Metro Council so the door could be opened to bring back top level racing to Nashville.
"I would like to see NASCAR come back here like it came back to Wilkesboro (North Carolina) to show the history to people that this is where it all started," the 86-year-old Petty said Tuesday. "I mean they wouldn't have that big race track on the other side of town (Nashville Superspeedway) if it hadn't been for this race track here. It took tracks like this to nurture NASCAR into growing into what it has become."
The NASCAR Cup Series returned to the Middle Tennessee area after being gone for 37 years when the Ally 400 started being run annually at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021.
The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race moved to North Wilkesboro Speedway this year and will return in 2024. Petty said he would like to see the All-Star Race continue to move and suggested it come to Nashville if the Fairgrounds Speedway is renovated.
"I like that they're having the All-Star Race at Wilkesboro and would like to see them keep moving it around," Petty said. "They could come to Nashville for a year or two or whatever and I think it'd be great. I think the fans would really appreciate it."
When it comes to fans Petty said Nashville has always been located in an idea spot for a NASCAR Cup Series race.
"There's a lot of fans not just in Tennessee but you go west from here and there's a bunch of fans in the midwest that maybe can't come all the way back to Charlotte or Martinsville but they could come here," Petty said. "It's what, five of six hours for them to get back home? That makes this a central location because they could come from the Carolinas here but they could also come from Oklahoma and Nebraska or wherever."
The project, which would allow Bristol Motor Speedway a 30-year lease to operate, manage and maintain the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, failed to reach a final vote by the Metro Council in its last term. It will be back on the agenda for 2024.
The contract was approved by the Nashville Fair Board and Nashville Sports Council.
Petty, who was inducted into the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class in 2010, suggested during his induction speech at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame, that an effort be made to put Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on the National Register of Historic Places in order to protect the venue.
"They can't tear it down if you do that," Petty said.
FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY TIMELINE: Timeline: The rocky road of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway renovation proposal
Petty, who competed in 1,199 career races and had 720 top-10 finishes, won nine NASCAR Cup Series races at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, most of any driver.
"This is one of the few tracks that my dad (Lee) ran, I ran, my son (Adam) ran and my grandson (Thad Moffitt) ran," Petty said. "So four generations have Pettys have run this racetrack and that makes it very special to me."
George Plaster announces celebrities for his Celebrity Bowling Night
Longtime sports media personality George Plaster has announced the celebrities who will participate in his third annual Plaster and friends Celebrity Bowling Night.
The event is Nov. 27 at Hermitage Strike and Spare. It benefits Last Minute Toy Store and Martha O’Bryan Center.
The celebrities include Will Perdue, Watson Brown, Kelly Holcomb, Candice Storey Lee, Scott Sanderson, Derrick Mason, Sean Henry, Willy Daunic, Maurice Fitzgerald, Kevin Stallings, Mark Griffin, Bubba Miller and Kelly Ziegler.
There is room for more teams to sign up to bowl with a celebrity. The cost is $800 per team or $200 for an individual who will be placed on a team.
Register for the 6-8 p.m. or 8-10 p.m. sessions by emailing plastergeorge@gmail.com.
Former Clarksville Academy star Eddie Ricks III is OVC freshman of the week
Two-time Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist Eddie Ricks III from Clarksville Academy, now a freshman at Morehead State, is the Ohio Valley Conference freshman of the week. Ricks, a 6-foot-7, forward, averaged 10.3 points 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in games against No. 3 Purdue, No. 24 Alabama and Shawnee State.
Ricks was matched up with reining national player of the year Zach Edey against Purdue.
Scott Wallace is back at Fisk's sports information director
Scott Wallace returned this week as the sports information director at Fisk.
Wallace previously served in the same position from 2012-14 and 2019-23.
He spent the last 10 months on the Tennessee State sports information staff. New Fisk athletics director Valencia Jordan, a longtime TSU athletics administrator, rehired Wallace.
“Fisk has a rich tradition and untapped potential,” Wallace said. “Working under a legend like AD Jordan is going to be explosive. She has high standards and high expectations.”
Jordan also hired longtime Nashville radio personality Ernie Allen as public address announcer for the Bulldogs men's and women's basketball games. Allen is host of "Let's Talk With Ernie Allen" on 92Q Radio.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Richard Petty wants NASCAR All-Star Race back at Nashville Fairgrounds
