|| *Comments on Memphis International Raceway:* View the most recent comment <#64> | Post a comment <#post> 1. Cooper posted: 03.14.2010 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Memphis Motorsports Park, founded in 1986 on a 400-acre tract, was an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. It is currently owned by Dover Motorsports, Inc., which is seeking a buyer for the complex. It includes a 3/4-mile short track which used to host NASCAR Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races, and an ASA Late Model Series race. An adjacent 4,400-foot (1,340 m) drag strip used to host such events as National Hot Rod Association, American Drag Racing League, AMA Dragbike Championship Series and the Super Chevy Show. Prior to the closure of this track, Ron Hornaday Jr. won the final Camping World Truck Series race on June 27, 2009 and Brad Keselowski did on October 24, 2009 in the Nationwide Series' 11th and final race at MMP. Memphis Motorsports Park closed October 30, 2009. Its parent company, Dover Motorsports, Inc. announced that it was ceasing all operations at Memphis Motorsports Park and that it would not be promoting any events in Memphis in 2010. The Memphis facility had been under an agreement of sale to Gulf Coast Entertainment but Gulf Coast was unable to secure financing. 2. Rusty posted: 05.16.2011 - 4:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The track was sold and has re-opened. But a return to NASCAR seems unlikely. They already have Tennessee covered well with Bristol and Nashville. It is too bad because this was a fun track. 3. chris o posted: 07.03.2012 - 11:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was sorry to see this track close, but happy it is reopened, maybe it will be brought back onto the Busch and/or truck schedule. 4. Tyler (fourturns.blogspot.com) posted: 08.23.2012 - 11:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It makes me so sad that this track is closed to NASCAR. I went to every single Nationwide Series and Truck Series race here -- it was a blast. Parking wasn't that bad other which made it even more worth while. The main problem with the track was probably the attendance -- there werent many grandstands at all, all of them were on the frontstretch, none in the turns or backstretch. If it had stayed opened to NASCAR, seats probably would have to be added. As you can clearly tell, I live in Memphis and wish NASCAR would come back -- I wouldn't care if it was an ARCA or Truck Series race. 5. DH101 posted: 07.16.2014 - 11:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Recently hosted the X-1R Pro Cup series race, one of the bigger races this track has held since its reopening. I really really hope that NASCAR returns here. If the attendance issue like the guy above me says then they should add more grandstands. This track is too awesome not to continue 6. FrontRowMotorsportsFan posted: 09.26.2016 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Any races going on here recently? 7. Tylor Thaber posted: 09.26.2016 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @6 Club stuff. Nothing special. Hey, something 's better than nothing. 8. Seibaru posted: 12.11.2016 - 1:05 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) IT'S BAAAAACK! ...Memphis is aboard the NASCAR East schedule. 9. 02Justin10 posted: 12.11.2016 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) NASCAR needs to send at least the truck series back to this venue... BUT WAIT... It can't happen anytime soon because we are locked into underwhelming schedules for the next 4 years...terrific! 10. Seibaru posted: 12.11.2016 - 1:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The East Series is a start, I suppose... 11. George Costanza posted: 06.02.2018 - 2:09 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) According to Jayski, the owners of Memphis are actively talking to NASCAR about bringing back the Trucks and Xfinity. I hope this deal works out. 12. Rider77 posted: 06.02.2018 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#11 here's that article http://www.espn.com/jayski/nxs/2018/story/_/id/23668897/memphis-raceway-wants-back-xfinity-trucks-schedule I really hope this is true. I enjoyed how these standalone tracks helped make the trucks and Xfinity series unique when I started watching in 2001. Nazareth, Pikes Peak, Memphis, Mansfield, IRP, all were such unique and cool racetracks. If anything it helped take the sport to more areas, even if it wasn't cup cars. 13. Timothy Eklund posted: 06.02.2018 - 11:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hell I would give it a date anyways. I never got to see Trucks or xfinity race at it but I did watch the K&N race in 2017 and it was pretty good. 14. A posted: 02.23.2019 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Memphis has more on the calendar for 2019. USAC Silver Crown in March, K&N Series in June and CRA Late Models in July. Good to see, especially since Memphis is such a fun and interesting place to visit! 15. Yeet posted: 01.12.2020 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Do you think that we might see this track return come the large changes in the 2021 schedule to come? 16. Sector posted: 01.12.2020 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder if the large schedule changes, including tracks added to the Cup schedule that haven't been on the schedule beforehand, is partially the reason Jimmie Johnson is retiring after 2020 on top of his recent struggles? 17. rm posted: 01.12.2020 - 9:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If that is a factor, I doubt it's anywhere near the top of the list. Especially if one of the main changes being kicked around is a condensed season. Don't think it's too far out of the realm of possibility to be on a Truck/Xfinity schedule soon, whether that's in 2021 or even further down the line I'm not sure. I think one of the issues with Memphis is that they host very few actual races on the oval these days, I don't think either NASCAR or the track want to have the place jump straight into the deep end and go for a Cup date when it hasn't done anything higher than the K&N/ARCA level since reopening. 18. Mile501 posted: 01.13.2020 - 10:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @16 - That could be part of it, along with a brand new car that he would have to learn. 19. Sector posted: 06.05.2020 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Are they still in the talks about Memphis? I saw somewhere that Memphis was on the schedule for the Truck series on April 19th, 2021. 20. Yeet posted: 06.05.2020 - 10:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @19 yes Memphis still desires both XFINITY and Trucks to return to the track. Also, where'd you find that information on that truck date? 21. Statscrash posted: 07.21.2020 - 12:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Nashville Super Speedway can come out of nowhere to land on the 2021 Cup schedule I hope we can see Memphis again in the future 22. Noah posted: 09.29.2020 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Supposedly has a truck series race for 2021 but we will see when announced tomorrow. The truck series is rumored to return to a mostly short track schedule,with most of them being tracks that currently have ARCA/West/East races. South Boston,Caraway,and Evergreen were other tracks mentioned as supposed dates for 2021,but we will see tomorrow. 23. Gopher88 posted: 09.29.2020 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @22, really? If it's true, NASCAR's about to make a number of changes that would have taken them 15 years to put into place had they come up with these same ideas in 2015 or so. It feels like they're kind of done with trying something new every once in a while, feeling it out, and then deciding whether or not they want to keep it. Now they're just trying to fix everything bad at once (not sure I'm sold with that strategy). 24. GoRC10 posted: 09.29.2020 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @22 According to...? Hint: Wikipedia and Reddit aren't "sources". 25. Dennis posted: 09.29.2020 - 8:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @22 Also we won't know the Xfinity & Truck schedule till a later date. According to Jayski: NASCAR is expected to release the full 2021 Cup Series schedule on Wednesday afternoon. XFINITY and Truck Series schedules will be released at a later date. 26. DI9_ForLife posted: 09.29.2020 - 8:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Christ! If all this turns out to be true, this will be the most changes NASCAR has made in my lifetime. This is just insane! 27. Mile501 posted: 09.30.2020 - 9:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @23 - I think COVID led NASCAR to make more rapid changes. This year, they were forced to make a lot of changes quickly, and they realized it could be done. It probably changed their whole mindset regarding how rapidly changes can be made. 28. John posted: 11.20.2020 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) @24 I can't find the article but I remember a couple years ago reading something from someone in NASCAR who said the Truck Series was going to be getting more short tracks. 29. JSPorts posted: 11.20.2020 - 3:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That would be awesome, if true. However, it seems like the 2021 schedule realignment would've been the perfect time to do it, and it didn't happen, so I doubt it will (at least not anytime soon.) There are only 3 short track races on the 2021 schedule (plus 2 dirt tracks.) I'd like to see about 4 short tracks & 3 dirt tracks, at least 1 more of each. 30. TxRacer posted: 12.02.2020 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bad news: isn't on the 2021 mainstream arca schedule We will see if the east series comes back 31. John posted: 12.17.2020 - 2:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Because of that I wouldn't read Memphis not getting a 2021 NASCAR Top 3 series date as something bad. As far as Cup series going there, Bristol struggles a lot with attendance + now they're adding Nashville Superspeedway which is 4 hours away from Bristol & Memphis + the amount of people who would choose Memphis over Nashville a new track they're trying to get people to go because of the people who want short tracks and are disappointed about the fairgrounds not getting a race = I can't imagine Memphis getting a Cup date. 32. John posted: 12.17.2020 - 2:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @29 "However, it seems like the 2021 schedule realignment would've been the perfect time to do it, and it didn't happen" The opposite is true. They wanted as few standalone events as possible because of the caronavirus situation. They weren't going to add new standalone events no matter what. 33. possum posted: 12.17.2020 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @31 - one could make the reverse arguement: Nashville is part of an already over-served Southeastern market (as witnessed by the declining attendance at Bristol)(*). Memphis would draw on a large area of MS, LA, AR, and MO which has a sizeable race fan population (look at the number late model drivers, especially in the dirt series, who come from that area) and no accessible NASCAR track. Especially with Gateway (whateverthehell stupid name it has now) only getting Trucks, Memphis would seem to have the better potential than Nashville. (* this was, of course, the arguement NASCAR made to justify replacing N Wilks and Rockingham with the likes of Loudon and Joliet. And, of course, it's since been shown to be a totally wrong-headed arguement. So I make it above purely for purposes of discussion, not that I actually think it would work that way). 34. John posted: 12.18.2020 - 1:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) (My posts #32 and #31 are in opposite order.) @33 It's easy for us to complain about NASCAR but we're not in their shoes. There are probably totally valid reasons why they choose Nashville over Memphis. Look, they want to add more short tracks to the Cup Series, so the fact that they choose Nashville Superspeedway over Memphis tells me they had a legitimate reason to make that decision. I read and listen to a lot of different racing things, I wish I would have saved the link to this because I don't remember where I heard this....the reason NASCAR got rid of the short tracks in the Truck & Xfinity Series was because they thought they were competition. Wow, these local short tracks provide such great racing, you can see so much of the track, and it would be so much cheaper than a NASCAR race, I would rather go to that than a NASCAR race. And honestly, at the time that was the smart business move. The #3 racing series having less quality racing, well it's not the end of the world. But in hindsight, we now see that was the wrong move. The short tracks in the country are dying, where are the great race car drivers going to race? How much will this hurt the quality of drivers we have in the future? There is a major backlash among the fans to have more short track races, and even having them in the #3 series will make these fans a lot happier, and most importantly it creates more awareness of NASCAR in areas that have moved on from it. Communities that moved on from NASCAR will start talking about it again because they have a race in their area. It creates discussion around the water cooler in the areas, and hopefully it gets these people to think about NASCAR again and get invested in it again. And then they'll end up going to a Cup Series race. It's a smart idea to have these short tracks in the Truck Series in different parts of the country to create a discussion about NASCAR throughout the country. And I can also understand why they left them at the time they did. It's not as simple as track A provides great racing, track A must stay on the schedule no exceptions. 35. Mile501 posted: 12.18.2020 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR chose Nashville due to track ownership. Dover Motorsports owns both Dover and Nashville, and this way that company gets to keep 2 dates. Adding Memphis wouldn't have accomplished that. 36. John posted: 12.18.2020 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @35 If that's the case I wonder what will happen with Pocono and their 2 dates. NASCAR doesn't own it and I can't see Pocono keeping 2 dates with the 2021 schedule only being fase-1 of the schedule changes according to NASCAR's Ben Kennedy. 37. Mile501 posted: 12.18.2020 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @36 - I think Pocono going from 2 weekends per year to 1, with the doubleheader, was a deal that was worked out so they could keep both races. 38. DeeganFan posted: 12.18.2020 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @36 Pocono would probably have grounds to sue if they lost their date. 39. possum posted: 12.18.2020 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @34 - well, as Mile pointed out, they do have valid reasons, altho they have nothing to do with the quality of racing. And for the record, I think going back to Nashville is a great thing - I just wanted to point out that there are a lot of good reasons why giving Memphis a date would also be good. Certainly I'd rather see a race there in preference to second dates at places like Kansas or Las Vegas (for that matter, I'd rather see a race there than at Sonoma or Watkins Glen). You're mistaken on why NASCAR took the short tracks from the Xfinity and Truck series, tho. While NASCAR did go thru a period where they saw short track racing as competition, and did everything they could to weaken it (while simultaneously boasting about the "NASCAR Home Tracks" program on the TV), the reason Xfinity and Trucks moved to doing multi-day shows with the Cup series is because the track owners wanted it, and ultimately what ISC wants is what NASCAR does. Back in the day when people used to travel long distances to attend Cup races, every track wanted to have something on Fri and Sat, so those people would spend their money at the track, and not at whatever other touristy things were nearby. And NASCAR was only too happy to accomodate them, and present the result as a "good thing". 40. possum posted: 12.18.2020 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @38 - very definately so. When NASCAR allowed Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre to buy N Wilks and move the race dates to somewhere else, they established a precedent that race dates are things of value, and that they are owned by the track; thus you can buy the track and take possession of (and subsequently use) those race dates. Any attempt by NASCAR to take (as opposed to purchase) a race date from a track owner would certainly be met with a lawsuit (no garauntee they'd win, but I'd say the odds are in their favor, which is why NASCAR hasn't tried). 41. Corey posted: 12.18.2020 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @39 I remember back in the day, the reason some of the short tracks lost dates was because NASCAR set a minimum purse requirement and these tracks couldn't meet it. It probably made it easier to align the schedules more and lead to a rise in Buschwhacking. The argument at the time was that families could buy cheaper tickets and still see some Cup stars race on Saturday. @40 They might have with Pocono and Dover, but it appears deals were struck with both owner groups that allowed them to keep two dates. Pocono has the double-header and Dover was allowed to keep the second provided that moved it to Nashville. It's gotten to the point where each companies dates don't even have to be at a track they own. SMI is promoting the race at COTA and NASCAR is doing the same at Road America. 42. GoRC42 posted: 12.18.2020 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @38 On what legal grounds? @40 Exactly how can NASCAR prohibit the sale of a track? Sure, they can make things very difficult for an ownership group, but that's an entirely different legal argument than the one you presented. Again, what legal theory and/or concept (not your opinion) prohibits NASCAR from taking a race date? 43. John posted: 12.18.2020 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There have been rumors of WWT/Gateway getting a Cup date. It's owned by Dover Motorsports. I wonder if Dover will join Chicagoland, Iowa, and Kentucky. I still don't recommend a Memphis Cup date. I'm pretty sure my post about it being competition was part of the reason but I guess not the main one. 44. MSportRev posted: 12.19.2020 - 7:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @43, Actually, Gateway closed in 2010 and re-opened under the ownership of Curtis Francois in 2012. Dover Motorsports no longer owns Gateway Also in 2011, Dover Motorsports auctioned off Memphis International Raceway, which was bought by Palm Beach International Raceway. 45. John posted: 12.19.2020 - 2:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh ok. I was aware of Memphis I wasn't aware of WWT/Gateway. 46. possum posted: 12.19.2020 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @42 - I did not say NASCAR can prohibit the sale of a track. Go read my post again, and this time try to actually understand the words. The answer to your question is clearly explained there. 47. GoRC42 posted: 12.19.2020 - 8:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @46 You clearly implied it with "When NASCAR allowed Bruton Smith and Bob Bahre to buy N Wilks and move the race dates to somewhere else" Explain to me again how NASCAR could prohibit the sale. Read your own posts next time. 48. Spen posted: 12.19.2020 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @47 They aren't talking about selling a track, they're talking about taking away a race date. NASCAR has contracts with each track owner, and the contracts likely include a clause about exactly how many races per year they get. If they took a race date away from Pocono, they could sue. 49. gearhead15 posted: 12.20.2020 - 5:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR is deathly afraid of an antitrust lawsuit since NASCAR is also in the track ownership business. That's why just the threat of lawsuits have been rewarded with race dates in the past. 50. TTaylor944 posted: 12.20.2020 - 11:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The lawsuit over Kentucky getting a Cup date drug out for years. The lawsuit that ended with Rockingham falling off the schedule drug out for years. Could you give us an example of what you just described? 51. wisconsinracefan posted: 12.20.2020 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TTaylor944, You got your lawsuits mixed up. Rockingham falling of the schedule was due to the Texas Lawsuit. The Texas lawsuit was about giving the track a 2nd cup date. Kentucky did have a lawsuit, but it ended up with SMI giving up one of Atlanta's 2 races. 52. possum posted: 12.20.2020 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @47 - if I word it as "when NASCAR allowed Bahre and Smith to move race dates elsewhere, after buying N Wilks", would it be any clearer to you? I know English is a hard language, but try to follow the obvious meaning of a sentence. @48 - as explained in the post GoRC is unable to comprehend, NASCAR set a precedent with the sale of N Wilks, that the race dates are part of the track property, rather than something owned by NASCAR. Ergo, any attempt by NASCAR to take a race date will result in a lawsuit. 53. JSPorts posted: 12.20.2020 - 8:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race dates aren't "owned" by anyone. Tracks have contracts for a certain number of years. Since some tracks are owned by the same groups, they can re-allocate those dates to different tracks that they also own (like moving the 2nd Dover race to Nashville.) If NASCAR were to take a date away from an ownership group, that would break the contract they have. However, those contracts run out eventually, and NASCAR could easily remove a track from the schedule at that point. 54. German500 posted: 12.24.2020 - 10:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) > The short tracks in the country are dying, where are the great race car drivers going to race? The problem is that the Cup can only run on racetracks that are at least 1/2 mile long. The mass of the ovals is 1/3 or 3/8 of a mile long. In order to achieve the contractual minimum length of 250 miles per race, you would have to drive 667 or 750 laps there. What is there left? 3/4 mile and 1 mile Milwaukee - 1.032 mi Rockingham - 1.017 mi Pikes Peak - 1.000 mi Iowa - 0.875 mi Memphis - 0.750 mi 5/8 mile Evergreen - 0.646 mi IRP - 0.686 mi LaCrosse - 0.625 mi (North Wilkesboro is in disrepair) Nashville - 0.596 mi Oswego - 0.625 mi Thompson - 0.625 mi 1/2 mile Airborne - 0.500 mi Baer Field - 0.500 mi Concord - 0.500 mi Five Flags - 0.500 mi Greenville-Pickens - 0.500 mi Gresham - 0.500 mi Hawkeye Downs - 0.500 mi Illiana - 0.500 mi Jennerstown - 0.522 mi Madison - 0.500 mi Marshfield - 0.500 mi (Middle Georgia is in disrepair) Mobile - 0.500 mi Montgomery - 0.500 mi (Myrtle Beach is demolished) New Smyrna - 0.500 mi Salem - 0.555 mi Sandusky - 0.500 mi South Georgia - 0.500 mi Spencer - 0.500 mi Spokane County - 0.500 mi Stafford - 0.500 mi Toledo - 0.500 mi Winchester - 0.500 mi Wisconsin - 0.500 mi 55. German500 posted: 12.27.2020 - 8:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I forgot the Kern County Raceway in California with 0.500 mi - the track which replaced Mesa Marin Raceway. 56. DeeganFan posted: 12.27.2020 - 9:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @55 Concord is gone, and Spokane County doesn't hold races on the oval anymore because of low car counts. 57. JohnG posted: 12.28.2020 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @54 "The problem is that the Cup can only run on racetracks that are at least 1/2 mile long." I imagine the Cup Series is going to have to race at tracks that can hold 36 cars and still have enough room for them to race each other. Because of that I say the minimum is 5/8 miles. Of the tracks you mentioned Rockingham is unrealistic, Iowa loses 7 figures of money annually so it's unrealistic so much so that Penske doesn't want to buy it, not Milwaukee they have Road America, I talked about Memphis previously, IRP is tricky because Penske owns Indianapolis, I don't know if the others you mentioned are realistic that are 5/8 miles+ 58. Corey posted: 12.28.2020 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @57 Both Bristol and Martinsville are smaller then 5/8 mile and they can handle the Cup series just fine. The issue you might have with smaller tracks is so they have an adequate pit area for cars to be serviced during the race. 59. JSPorts posted: 12.28.2020 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Memphis has had 43 cars in an Xfinity race, so they could definitely handle 36-40 Cup cars. 60. JohnG posted: 01.01.2021 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @58 Martinsville is .526, Bristol .533, I still think that .026 less is too much to allow 36 cars to have enough room. @59 I wasn't referring to Memphis 61. DeeganFan posted: 01.02.2021 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @60 Mansfield had 36 trucks on a .500 mile track. 62. Mile501 posted: 01.02.2021 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And South Boston had 36 trucks on a .400 mile track. In fact, South Boston had a 43-car field once, but that was the last Busch race there, and I'm not sure how it went. 63. Fuzzy posted: 01.03.2021 - 10:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oxford is only 1/3 mile and they ran 47 cars there once in the late '80s. 64. JohnG posted: 01.03.2021 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @61, 62, 63 I'm not saying it's not possible to run races like that, but the actual racing on the track will be too clogged up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: