NASCAR: If not Nashville, where will NASCAR go for more short track racing?

Memphis International Raceway

What better way to stick it to Nashville if they end up derailing NASCAR’s return completely than heading to Memphis International Raceway? The 0.75-mile tri-oval only recently completely reopened with a K&N Pro Series East race in 2017.

Memphis remains on the K&N Pro Series East schedule to this day, but last spring, speedway president and general manager Pam Kendrick expressed her desire to see the track return to the Xfinity Series and Truck Series schedules in the near future. Both series raced there from 1999 to 2009. Racing ceased when the track was closed in 2010.

In today’s climate, why should Kendrick stop at the Xfinity Series and Truck series? If NASCAR wants more short tracks on the Cup Series schedule, she ought to throw Memphis in there.

Improvements: Memphis has the seating and most of the facilities for Xfinity Series and Truck series racing, but  it will need more grandstands for a Cup Series race unless NASCAR wants to add midweek racing to scheduled for the 2021 season and beyond. In that case, seating capacity may be fine.

That just leaves a better garage and an infield care center with space for a helicopter to land. Both could be achieved in a relatively short amount of time, but areas for campers are a must if the track isn’t going to be surrounded by grandstands.

What it has going for it: The location is great. The track is a 20-minute drive from downtown Memphis and in a rural enough area to be away from all those pesky residents who like to complain about noise, even though they chose to move close to a race track.

Having hosted major NASCAR races for a decade, Memphis already has a SAFER barrier, which is a huge plus. Additionally, it has a really unique shape, which will help it stand out. The shape reflects a combination of Darlington Raceway and Richmond Raceway.