New owner has big plans to revive Nashville Superspeedway, may bring back NASCAR and IndyCar - MotorSportsTalk

Racing fans in and around Music City may soon be singing a happier tune if Robb Sexton has his way.

Sexton is the new owner of Nashville Superspeedway, having recently purchased it for $45 million from Dover Motorsports Inc. (owner of Dover International Speedway).

Sexton has lots of plans for the Gladeville, Tennessee (a suburb of Nashville) facility that saw racing suspended there three years ago and no longer hosts any NASCAR events, yet is still very popular as a test track for NASCAR teams.

And potentially bringing back NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, the Nationwide Series and even the Verizon IndyCar Series is on Sexton’s long-range wish list.

“Never say never,” Sexton, 60, told LebanonDemocrat.com’s Larry Woody when asked if he would try to bring back NASCAR and IndyCar.

“It’s a great facility and we’re going to put it to use,” Sexton added. In addition to giving a rebirth to racing there, NSS may also become an entertainment venue for potential things as concerts (a natural for Music City) and other events.

NASCAR ran both Trucks and Nationwide cars at the 11-year-old NSS for nearly a decade, while the IndyCar Series called the 1.3-mile track home for eight seasons before it also departed.

Founder and CEO of technology company NeXovation Inc., Sexton told Woody that he may even break out blueprints that were drawn up several years ago to add a drag strip, short track and dirt track to the complex.

“We plan to develop the entire facility,” Sexton said. “We have a comprehensive business plan that involves using the track 52 weeks a year, with a primary emphasis on the motorsports community. Our focus is on a motorsports identity.

“This is not just a lark, thinking that maybe we can make it work,” he said. “For two years we have taken a hard look at it, formed a business model, and concluded that it is do-able.”

Sexton isn’t stopping at just buying NSS. He also wants to purchase Germany’s famed Nurburgring facility.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

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