The site first hosted motorized competition on June 11, 1904, featuring "horseless carriages" and motorcycles on a 1+1⁄8 mi (1.8 km) dirt oval. This inaugural event was marred by a collision when a motorcycle struck a car lining up for a race, leading to the cancellation of subsequent heats. In September 1904, racing pioneer Barney Oldfield and other entrants from the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis participated in a new series of races where speeds exceeded 60 miles per hour (97 km/h). Annual events coinciding with the state fair began in 1915, drawing drivers from the Indianapolis 500.
In 1958, local racers sought to replace the existing dirt surface with a paved track. To overcome opposition from horse racing interests, the racers constructed a dedicated horse track and secured a 10-year lease from the state fair board. The new paved 1/2-mile track, which shared a frontstretch with a 1/4-mile track, held its first race on July 19, 1958.
The track was converted to a 0.250 mi (0.402 km) paved oval in 1957 to accommodate NASCAR series racing. Between the 1969 and 1970 seasons, the speedway was lengthened and the corners were banked to a steep 35 degrees. This configuration proved to be excessively fast for the era's technology, leading to a significant redesign in 1972 that reduced the corner banking to the current 18 degrees.
The 1960s were defined by the "Alabama Gang," a group of drivers including Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, and Red Farmer who frequently traveled to Nashville to compete. Local legends also emerged during this period, including Coo Coo Marlin, the track's first back-to-back champion in 1965–1966, and Darrell Waltrip, who began driving for 1968 champion P.B. Crowell. Country music star Marty Robbins was also a regular competitor, driving signature purple and yellow cars.
The facility has undergone several structural changes driven by safety and operational needs. Lights were added to the 1/2-mile track in 1965, allowing the main racing divisions to move to the larger circuit. That same year, a fire destroyed the grandstands during the State Fair, necessitating the construction of new seating. The track was later repaved between the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
In 2003, the facility was renamed "Music City Motorplex" under the promotion of Joe Mattioli III. The track faced a significant existential threat in 2009 when Nashville Mayor Karl Dean proposed closing the site for redevelopment. This resulted in the cancellation of the All American 400 that year, though a subsequent ballot measure protected the track and allowed operations to continue. In 2021, an agreement in principle was reached between Speedway Motorsports and the city to revitalize the facility and bring the NASCAR Cup Series back to the venue.
The track held NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup races annually from 1958 to 1984. The first of these 42 races was won by Joe Weatherly before a capacity crowd of 13,998. A 1959 NASCAR race at the track remains unique in Cup Series history as the first time an entire starting field finished the race. Richard Petty recorded nine wins at the facility, while Darrell Waltrip secured eight Cup wins and holds the all-time track record across all sanctioned events with 67 victories.
NASCAR departed the track after 1984 following management disputes with the city government. The final Cup race was won by Geoff Bodine, marking the second career victory for Hendrick Motorsports (then All Star Racing). The track later hosted the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series between 1995 and 2000, before those events moved to the Nashville Superspeedway in 2001.
The speedway hosts the All American 400, a prestigious super late model stock car race established in 1981. It has also been a frequent stop for the ARCA Menards Series (since 1992) and the ARCA Menards Series East. Other hosted categories include:
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series: Held a doubleheader in 2019 on a dirt-covered version of the quarter-mile track.
Superstar Racing Experience (SRX): Hosted its 2021 season finale featuring Chase Elliott and Hailie Deegan.
Regional Series: The CRA Super Series, Southern Super Series, and CARS Super Late Model Tour maintain annual or periodic events.
Figure-8 Racing: Introduced in the 1960s as a weekly Tuesday night attraction.
Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville remains a significant cultural landmark in American short-track racing. It is featured in several racing simulations, including the NASCAR Racing series and iRacing, which scanned the facility in 2019. The track is notable for launching the careers of numerous NASCAR champions, including Bobby Hamilton, Sterling Marlin, and Jeff Green. In recent years, Deborah Renshaw made history at the track by becoming the first woman to lead a NASCAR-sanctioned series points standing. The facility currently operates adjacent to Geodis Park, a soccer stadium opened in 2022.
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