The group claims that NASCAR is getting rid of the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, but there are no such plans to tear down the track.
The speedway has a grand history as it first held races in June 1904 and started to organize annual events in September 1915. Over the years, the track developed into what is now viewed today.
However, people around the area where the racetrack and the Nashville Soccer Club stadium are located claim that the track's days are numbered. They say that NASCAR is not generating enough revenue to keep the place running.
The problem with that claim is that NASCAR doesn't even own the track, the city does.
Joe Williams, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Famer, said on News Channel 5 Nashville that he finds humor in the group's efforts to get the track gone.
Williams: “NASCARs never lost a dime at this place. Never.”
Reporter: “That one got you?”
Williams: “Oh, it did. That's funny. I had not heard that one.”
The petition says that citizens of Nashville wish to replace the racetrack with affordable housing. Most signees think that the track is being demolished, so they sign their names, not knowing they are being deceived.
No one has 100% confirmed who's paying the signature gatherers. One of the workers said they were employed by "CARE of Nashville."
CARE is a group that has long engaged in efforts to keep NASCAR away from the track since plans emerged to return to the historic speedway at the start of the decade.
Williams: “A signature on this petition gathered under false pretenses destroys the future of this facility.”
News Channel 5 says that if a person signed the petition but felt mislead, they can submit a written notice to the Metro Clerk's office to remove their name once the petition is turned in.
