Nashville Superspeedway drew 260K fans in 2023. How the Ally 400, NASCAR impact Wilson Co.

The Ally 400 and NASCAR race weekend, now considered a June staple at the revitalized Nashville Superspeedway, is providing two impacts to Wilson County.

Race weekend is coming up and the venue is quickly garnering national attention from eager race fans.

Here's how the weekend and the rest of the year are shaping up:

Ally 400 weekend

About 105,000 people were on the Nashville Superspeedway property last year for the Ally 400 weekend, the venue's Director of Communications Alan George said.

This year’s races start with the Rackley Roofing 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at 7 p.m., Friday and go through the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday.

The Shoney’s in Lebanon is a business that experiences a boost with an estimated 500 more customers than a typical weekend, General Manager Patrick Lissner said, noting that it's a roughly 10% increase.

“Utilizing that track for what it’s made for is really good for the area,” Lissner said. “You see (customers) Friday all the way to Monday morning.”

The Nashville Superspeedway was built 2001 by Dover Motorsports Inc., and held NASCAR and Indy Racing League sanctioned events, but largely closed as a race track in 2011 because it was unable to attract a NASCAR Cup series race.

The track, built on about 1,250 acres in Wilson County and about 150 acres in Rutherford County off Interstate 840, reopened as a track with the NASCAR Series Ally 400 in 2021.

Additional hotel room supply in the Greater Nashville area and consumers who are increasingly cautious with discretionary income in the present economy have impacted the lodging business overall, said Kris Patel, owner of three hotels in Lebanon.

That landscape makes the Ally 400 weekend and several other Nashville Superspeedway events that draw well important.

All three of Kris Patel’s hotels are sold out this weekend at a rate that is $60-$100 higher than normal per room, which makes the race "still a good event to have,” he said. Patel owns the LaQuinta Inn, Comfort Suites and Econo Lodge in Lebanon.

Sam Patel, owner of the Quality Inn on South Cumberland Street in Lebanon, expects a sellout this weekend from the race, but said it hasn’t come back as quick as past years.

Year-round Superspeedway impact

The Nashville Superspeedway held 74 events over 211 days in 2023, George said. The venue brought in about 260,000 people, including the Ally 400 weekend and other auto race and auto-themed events.

The Nashville Superspeedway also will be the venue for the 2024 IndyCar Big Machine Music City Grand Prix that is moving from downtown because of construction issues with the Tennessee Titans future stadium, according to previous reports. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is scheduled for Sept. 15.

“Having the speedway back up and going with the (NASCAR) race itself is that it magnifies the other days of the year because it’s a stadium with more notoriety,” Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said. “That is a really big impact in my mind outside of the (Ally 400) weekend and one that brings – hotel motel tax, sales tax and gasoline tax.”

Emergency services

The Wilson County Emergency Management Agency provides 30 personnel and equipment that includes three ambulances and two fire trucks, Director Joey Cooper said.

Last year, WEMA had 39 calls for service with nine hospital transports, the majority related to heat.

The Wilson County Sheriff's Office is the lead law enforcement agency with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol and Lebanon Police Department also participating.

Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan expects 40-65 officers on the grounds at all hours starting Thursday with higher numbers during race times.

Race schedule

7 p.m., Friday, June 28: Rackley Roofing 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

4 p.m., Saturday, June 29: Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

2:30 p.m., Sunday, June 30: Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Nashville Superspeedway, NASCAR impact a Middle Tennessee county