City of Clarksville (Tennessee) and Clarksville Speedway officials confirmed this week the impending closure of the 62-year-old multi-purpose motorsports facility.

The City of Clarksville announced in a news release that it had finalized a deal to purchase the 83-acre speedway site for $7 million, with plans to convert it into a recreational complex for the residents of North Clarksville, to include a walking trail, a gym, an indoor aquatic center, and playgrounds. The deal will also facilitate the completion of identified road widening work and improvements at a cost savings to the city.

The City Council in January approved the funding necessary to allow the city’s mayor to enter into the purchase agreement with Speedway owner William Scogin. Clarksville Speedway issued its own clarification to the news release, confirming the sale but assuring racers that the dirt oval, the 1/8-mile drag strip, and the drifting course would continue operations as planned through 2025.

“The time has come to take the first step toward a World-Class Recreation Complex in North Clarksville, while making infrastructure improvements for this fast-growing part of our City,” Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts says. “When he came back in early Fall of 2023, we were ready to move forward with discussions.”

“When William approached me in 2020, we were not ready to discuss the acquisition of this property. The pandemic was in its early stages, and the city had not fully developed Transportation 2020+, our infrastructure plan, so the time wasn’t right,” Mayor Pitts said.

The speedway, opened in 1963, is located an hour to the northwest of Nashville. In addition to regular dirt track and drag racing events, the site also hosts the Montgomery County Fair, a circus, a long-running motorcycle charity run to benefit area children, and a popular Christmas light display.