Amid efforts to return NASCAR to Nashville, Tenn., the stock-car racing sanctioning body revealed Wednesday that its Cup Series awards banquet would be moved from Las Vegas to Nashville this year. The 2019 awards ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 5 at Music City Center in downtown Nashville.
“This year, we set a course to look at everything we do through a different lens, including how we celebrate the champions of our sport,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said. “Nashville’s energy, vibrant entertainment scene, and deep-rooted lineage in motorsports informed our decision and we believe our fans and industry will embrace the move to the Music City.”
NASCAR's top series raced near downtown Nashville on the half-mile track at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds through 1984. The NASCAR Xfinity and Gander Outdoors Truck series continued to race there through 2000 before moving to a newer, larger track near Lebanon, Tenn., in 2001. That truck shut down in 2011, and NASCAR left the Nashville area.
Efforts are being made, specifically by Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway promotor Tony Formosa and Speedway Motorsports Inc., the parent company of several tracks that host NASCAR, to bring NASCAR national-level racing back to Nashville.
“From the ‘Birthplace of Country Music’ in Bristol to the home of country music in Nashville, we join all Tennesseans in welcoming the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards Ceremony to the Volunteer State,” Bristol Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell said. “Music City never misses a beat when hosting high-profile events, and every race fan will want to join in when the stars of NASCAR roar into town for this season-ending celebration.”
Bristol Motor Speedway is an SMI property.
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