Dale Earnhardt Jr.who grew up racing Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, will return to the historic track to compete in a race on April 11.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame driver entered the Tootsie’s Music City showdownwhere he will drive his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the CARS Tour late model stock car race.
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This will be Earnhardt’s first time racing at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway since competing in the BellSouth Mobility 320 Busch Grand National race in 1999.
“Obviously Dale Jr. is the fan favorite, we just think it’s going to be a great night of racing,” said Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway promoter Bob Sargent. “The Nashville area and surrounding community have wanted Dale to race here again for quite a while. We just had to find the right date to accommodate his schedule.”
Earnhardt co-owns the CARS Tour with Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. The group purchased the latest series of models to support grassroots racing and develop future talent.
DALE JR. WANTS NASCAR AT FAIRGROUNDS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. to compete in Xfinity Series race if NASCAR returns to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway
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Earnhardt, winner of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races and recipient of the Most Popular Driver title 15 consecutive times, has expressed support for NASCAR’s return to Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway for several years. In 2021, he told The Tennessean he would race the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series if the sanctioning body returned to the Nashville Fairgrounds.
“I still remember the first time I came to race here,” Earnhardt said at the time. “We came here and tested; Jeff Green and Mark Green came with me because they had a little experience with this race track. I fell in love with the place after the first lap.”
Earnhardt’s father, Dale Sr., also raced at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway throughout his career.
“I knew the history of the track, I knew my dad’s history here,” Earnhardt said in 2021. “I knew Nashville and what Nashville was. So it was always a little perplexing to me why we weren’t competing here in the Cup Series and why that disappeared for whatever reason.”
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Earnhardt retired from NASCAR Cup in 2017 and is now a television analyst and owner of JR Motorsports. He will face a talented field in the CARS Tour race, Sargent said.
“He will be going up against some very, very talented competition, both from the CARS circuit regionally and all the regulars at Nashville (Fairgrounds),” Sargent said. “They will all have a chance.”
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge owner Steve Smith said the honky tonk will make sure drivers have fun in Nashville.
“I’m excited to be a part of the CARS Tour in Nashville,” Smith said. “It’s one of the best races in America, and it belongs at such an iconic track and city. I grew up across the street from Fairgrounds Speedway and am a huge supporter of racing in Nashville. I can’t wait to see these guys race and welcome the teams to Tootsie’s afterward.”
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For more information on tickets, visit Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
Contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article was originally published on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the Nashville Fairgrounds to race
