Just Sayin’
by Terrell Davis
Will Common Sense Win at Fairgrounds Speedway?
It's December and once again, here we go down the "what's going to happen with the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway next year" road. At a time when the track's management should have sponsorship deals wrapped up and rules meetings behind them, we find that not only are there no sponsorships, rules, etc, in place...there isn't any management.
And this time, we can't lay all the blame on the Fair Board. After all, that august board of born again racing enthusiasts, did dole out a whopping two-year contract (God bless those generous souls) to Bobby Hamilton, Jr. and Chad Chaffin earlier this year.
Disagreements, shall we say, in management philosophies, caused Chaffin and Hamilton, Jr. to dissolve their partnership.
After what appeared to be some initial success with the announcement of a sponsorship deal with a couple of Mike Curb and Scott Borchetta's companies, the term "hell in a hand basket" comes to mind when describing the ensuing Fairgrounds racing season.
Bounced checks, supply problems and finally the announcement that the anticipated All American 400 Weekend had been cancelled, wrecked Hamilton, Jr.'s efforts. The Fair Board sent Hamilton, Jr. on his way, leaving racers once again wondering "what the....".
But wait! There might actually be a glimmer of light at the end of the old Speedway's tunnel. Sterling Marlin, Mike Alexander and Chad Chaffin head a group of investors presenting a proposal to the Fair Board that would allow a one-year reprieve for the historic speedway. Granted there is at least one other group (and maybe more) that will also present a proposal, but Marlin's group, Tennessee Racing Associates, LLC (TRA), is the most prominent. The group of ten investors, successful in their own business endeavors, seems to be the logical choice. But, we must remember who has the final say in this matter....the Fair Board. And, as history has proven, sometimes logic and the Fair Board simply can't be used in the same sentence.
Also the question arises that if a two-person partnership couldn't survive, how can a ten-person partnership stand a chance?
One name addresses that question...Joe Williams. Without having even secured the lease, TRA has already made a smart move in naming Williams general manager. His charge will be to help secure the lease and then run the day-to-day operations of the speedway.
Williams, who heads his own company, Common Sense Consulting, brings a lifetime of successful race management experience to the table. He has learned from some of the best promoters in the racing business. Bob Harmon, Gary Baker and Joe Carver are among those Williams cites as his mentors. Add his business and work history successes, his association with Nashville and mid-state media and it's clear that Williams is the one ingredient that the last several promoters have been missing.
TRA is, in our humble opinion, the best chance Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway has had at being truly successful since Bob Harmon headed the operation in the mid-1990's.
All of the promoters since Harmon have either had grand ideas or the Speedway at heart, but they have all been lacking that one missing ingredient that TRA has put into place....common sense.
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It's December, gotta be headin' South!
It's nearing the first week of December so it's time to do something I look forward to each year. To use a line from my favorite singer/songwriter, John Hiatt, I drive south with the one I love to a racing event that I really like (I love my wife, I like racing).
That's right, it's Snowball Derby time! And I can't wait to get to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL and watch four days filled with racing that will be topped by the 44th running of the Snowball Derby.
Track promoter Tim Bryant and his crew have brought the Snowball Derby back to prominence in the world of short track racing event. The list of winner's names read like a who's who from the racing world. It even includes Darrell Waltrip and Kyle Busch.
Yes, my wife and I drive south to what admittedly is work, but "fun work", this time each year. We love Pensacola and believe me when I say, Pensacola loves us and the other 30,000 or so race fans that spend a lot of money in the first week of December each year. That's a time when the Pensacola tourist season has been winterized, so the large bonus income for lodging, meals and area attractions is more than welcomed. Businesses love the income and Pensacola loves the huge tax revenues that are generated from the racers and race fans.
Pensacola and Nashville share one thing in common...both are heavily reliant on tourism for tax revenues. Even Nashville's mayor has shown how important the out of Towner's money is by obligating Nashville taxpayers to close to three quarters of a billion (yes, with a 'B') dollars for a convention center.
Pensacola and Nashville also have another thing in common...both are known for having or having had the best short track racing programs in the nation. Going to Pensacola's Snowball Derby reminds me of the way it use to be when the All American 400 was held at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. There were lots of race fans and participants spending a lot of money thus generating a lot of tax revenue.
Pensacola embraces the Snowball Derby and Five Flags Speedway while Nashville's mayor wants to bulldoze the greatest short track racing facility in America. It's about time the Nashville mayor used some common sense and, like the city leaders in Pensacola, embraces the Fairgrounds as one of the true diamonds in Nashville's sports crown. All it takes is a little common sense!