Dover may lose one of its two NASCAR weekends to Nashville area track

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2012_NASCAR_Sprint_Cup_Series_FedEx_400_at_Dover_International_Speedway
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The Monster Mile may be on track to host  one NASCAR weekend in 2020.

The Nashville Tennesseean reported that  Dover Motorsports is moving toward hosting a  race weekend at its mostly idle Nashville track.

Dover International Speedway has hosted two race weekends each year for decades. The track lost one race weekend this year, due to coronavirus-related restrictions on big events.

The loss of the weekend would be another blow to the Dover-area economy, which has already seen the cancellation of the 2020 Firefly Music Festival.

Discussions came after NASCAR earlier held an awards event in the music capital.

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The Nashville track site was purchased in the 1990s,  during a period of expansion for the Dover-based track operator and NASCAR,  The goal was to eventually host a major race at the complex outside the city.

When race weekends and other options  did not materialize, the company went on to sell other track holdings but kept the Nashville site, while selling off land within the  1,200-acre complex.

Meanwhile, the Dover track, like others on the NASCAR circuit, suffered from a decline in attendance, with Dover Motorsports removing nearly half of its seats. 

The changing attendance patterns make the track more attractive to NASCAR and Dover Motorsports as attendance revenues drop. Nashville, even with a smaller number of seats,  may be able to attract sponsors in an area that at least until recently had a vibrant economy.

Dover Motorsorts plans to make upgrades to the Nasville  complex.

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