The track first featured "horseless carriages" and motorcycles on June 11, 1904, on a dirt oval. Races were canceled after a motorcycle ran into the back of a car that was lining up.
Harness horse racing events were also held at the track. In September 1904 another series of races was organized. Most of the entrants came directly to Nashville from the
1904 World's Fair in
St. Louis, Missouri. Racing pioneer
Barney Oldfield was one of the entrants. People marveled at cars driving over . The track began holding annual events in September 1915 to coincide with the state fair. Many of the same drivers from the
Indianapolis 500 brought their cars down to Nashville. Local tracks sprang up and began running weekly Saturday night shows (collectively called the "Legion Bowl"), and the local racers competed at the track for the 1954 through 1957 State Fairs. In 1958 car racers decided to build a paved racetrack. The racers ended opposition from horse racers by building a horse track. The racers got a 10-year lease from the state fair board in order to build a paved mile track which shared the frontstretch with a mile track. On July 19, 1958, the first race was held at the new speedway. Races were held only on the mile track (except for special events). A 1959
NASCAR Grand National race of 200 laps in 1959 was unique; it was the first time an entire starting field (12 of 12 cars) finished the race, one of four instances it has happened in Cup Series history. That would not happen again until 36 years later, when the entire field at the 1995 Tyson Holly Farms 400 finished the race. The original cars (since 1948) were 1930s model cars called "Modified Specials". By 1964 the parts for cars were too hard to find, so the track changed to newer 1950s model cars called "Late Model Modifieds". Some of the early stars of the track decided to retire.
1960s The 1960s also frequently brought drivers from outside Nashville, most notably the
Alabama Gang. The Alabama Gang (from Hueytown, Alabama) included future NASCAR legends
Bobby Allison,
Donnie Allison, and Nashville native
Red Farmer.
Coo Coo Marlin was the first back-to-back champion in 1965/1966. 1968 champion P.B. Crowell decided to retire, and hired the talented young
Darrell Waltrip to drive his car. Country music legend
Marty Robbins raced often at the track in his signature purple and yellow race cars. Several changes happened at the track in the 1960s. Lights were added to the mile track in 1965, and races in the main division moved to the big track. A fire burned the grandstands at the 1965 State Fair. Weekly Tuesday night races were added, and fans were awed by the crazy Figure-8 drivers barely missing each other as they crossed each other's paths. New grandstands were built and the track was lengthened (and banked to 35 degrees) in 1969.
1970s The bankings in the corners proved to be too fast, so the banking was reduced to 18 degrees. The new ownership decided to hold not weekly races in 1979. The 1970s also featured talented drivers that would progress to NASCAR's highest division. Second generation drivers Sterling Marlin (son of Coo Coo) and Steve Spencer (NASCAR) Mike Alexander (NASCAR) (son of car owner R.C.) were all track champions. Alabama Gang member Jimmy Means took the track title home to Alabama in 1974 before he moved on to NASCAR's Winston Cup.
1980s The track returned to hosting weekly races in 1980. In 1984, the top NASCAR series fielded its final race at the facility after disputes with city government and track management. The new headline division featured smaller
Camaro-type bodies called "Late Model Stock Cars". The new division caught on slowly, and only 13 drivers competed in the first race. The division finally caught on in 1987. NASCAR stars that raced in 1987 or 1988 included
Bobby Allison,
Sterling Marlin,
Mike Alexander,
Darrell Waltrip,
Bill Elliott, and
Dale Earnhardt. Third generation driver
Bobby Hamilton won track championships in 1987 and 1988.
1990s The 1990 season was dominated by
Jeff Green. Mike Reynolds won the 1991 track championship. Mike Alexander won the 1992 track championship.
Chad Chaffin won the 1993 and 1995 track championships.
Andy Kirby won the 1994, 1996, and 1997 track championships. Joe Buford won the 1998 and 1999 track championships. The
ARCA Racing Series held a 200-lap race in 1992. In 1995, the track returned to the NASCAR circuit, hosting a yearly
Busch Series race and, later, a yearly
Craftsman Truck Series race. Those races would move to the new
Nashville Superspeedway in 2001.
2000s The track was renamed "Music City Motorplex" for 2003 by new promoter Joe Mattioli III, whose family owns
Pocono Raceway and
South Boston Speedway. The 2007 schedule featured races in NASCAR's two regional series, the
Busch East Series and
Whelen Southern Modified Tour. In 2009, Music City Motorplex was to host an
ARCA RE/MAX Series event on June 20, but it was announced on February 20, 2009, that the race would be moved to
Mansfield Motorsports Park in
Mansfield, Ohio. In 2009, the track's prestigious All American 400 was canceled and not rescheduled because of severe rain and political issues with Nashville mayor
Karl Dean, who wanted the track and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds closed in order to redevelop the site. A ballot measure protecting the track was passed and the track continued to operate.
2010s and 2020s The All American 400 was resurrected for 2012. It was cancelled in 2018, but returned in 2019. The
CRA Super Series and Southern Super Series also race at the track. The
ARCA Menards Series has visited the venue since 2015 with a 200-lap race titled the
Music City 200. The
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series had a doubleheader race in 2019, with the quarter-mile track covered in dirt. In December 2018, then-track operator Tony Formosa Jr. reached an agreement with
Speedway Motorsports and its main Tennessee track
Bristol Motor Speedway to co-operate the facility and make the necessary upgrades for the track to host
NASCAR Cup Series,
NASCAR Xfinity Series and
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races again and continue to host weekly racing events.
Speedway Motorsports is in talks with Nashville council about bringing
NASCAR sanctioned events back to the facility, as well as renovating the track. In December 2021, Speedway Motorsports reached an agreement in principle with Mayor
John Cooper on a plan to revitalize and bring the NASCAR Cup Series back to the speedway. ==Races==