The cat got out of the bag when a Nashville TV station reported that the City of Clarksville, Tennessee, is in negotiations to purchase Clarksville Speedway. Track owner William Scogin said he has no signed deal, but confirmed negotiations are ongoing.
“City leaders in Clarksville are considering buying the site of the speedway to transform it into a ‘world class’ recreational complex,” reported WZTV. “The city council says funds for the purchase are ‘already budgeted and on hand.’”
Scogin is asking $7 million for the 83.4-acre property that Clarksville Speedway resides on.
“Whenever we have an agreement, there will be racing for two more years from that date,” Scogin said on Wednesday. “There is no done deal yet. When will it happen? Hell, I don’t know. I would like to make a deal first before the news gets out about the track being sold.”
Scogin said he approached the City to gauge their interest.
“I approached them quietly,” said Scogin. “Houses are being built everywhere around the speedway, and I did not want to see this land developed for housing. Recreational purposes for the land are what I would like to see. It’s the right thing for most everyone involved.”
At Scogin’s stage in life, he realizes the time to develop an exit plan is now.
“I’ve owned the track for 23 years, and now it is time to roll,” Scogin said. “I’m getting older and if I’m going to get out [of the speedway business], I’m going to do it my way.”
Scogin stressed, though, Clarksville Speedway as a business is sound.
“Everything with the speedway is fine financially,” said Scogin. “But that is because I have so much more going on besides racing — a fair, circus, gun show, drifting, and a festival of Christmas lights — just to name a few things.”
Clarksville Speedway’s property would fit the City’s needs according to its mayor, Joe Pitts.
“We have been looking for a site in this area of the City for a transformative Recreation Complex,” Pitts said, “and the purchase of the speedway property makes perfect sense.”
There’s no timeline on when the deal will be finalized.
“When dealing with the government, you have to go to meeting after meeting after meeting,” said Scogin. “I was simply trying to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s before I announced anything about the sale. Now, everyone is putting their two cents in and it is not helping us out.”
Clarksville Speedway has released its full 2024 schedule, with its signature Tuckasee Toilet Bowl Classic set for February 29-March 2.
“When the deal happens, I will put a formal post out there explaining what we did and why we did it,” Scogin said. “Until I have a signed document in hand, it’s racing as usual.”
As far as racing for the Clarksville area, Scogin remains cautiously optimistic.
“All I can say is that I hear there is a lot of stuff in the works,” said Scogin. “Will another track be built? You never know what is going to happen in the future. All you can say is about the here and now.”
The Outside Groove Director of Photography has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
