Planning Commission OKs Superspeedway master‑plan amendment to allow televised collector‑car auctions with limits

The Wilson County Planning Commission voted Feb. 20 to approve a recommendation that would amend the Nashville Superspeedway master plan to permit year‑round auto sales tied to a televised, high‑end collector‑car auction.

Planning staff presented the application for Map 141 Parcel 26 and said the property—originally approved for C‑4 planned commercial uses in 2001 and amended in 2017—already allows a range of event uses. Staff recommended approval with conditions limiting all sales and event activities to the infield, capping events at six days per calendar year, and requiring annual written notice to the planning office and coordination with the sheriff’s office and emergency services.

Matt Greci, general manager of Nashville Superspeedway, told commissioners the proposal is intended to satisfy a State of Tennessee licensing requirement for the type of auction and to grow a nationally‑televised event organized by Mecum Auctions. Greci described the event as primarily a four‑day public auction with additional load‑in and load‑out days, expecting roughly 300–400 cars per day during the auction and estimating total auction volume in the $30 million–$35 million range. He said most vehicles would arrive on enclosed trailers and that the advertised public activity would be contained within the facility’s infield.

Greci also highlighted a community benefit: he said Speedway‑affiliated charitable efforts distributed more than $240,000 to Tennessee nonprofits last year and that the operator seeks to prioritize local charities in future giving. Several commissioners pressed the applicant about traffic management, whether 'six event days' included preparatory load‑in/load‑out days, and how the facility would prevent long‑term vehicle storage. Greci responded that the public auction is structured as a four‑day event with load‑in/out making the overall limit up to six days and reiterated that operations would be contained on the infield and coordinated with public safety officials.

Commissioners approved the staff recommendation by voice vote; planning staff said the amendment will be forwarded to the Wilson County Commission for final action and will appear on the county commission’s March agenda, pending publication notice requirements.

What happens next: The county commission must grant final approval under county procedure. The planning commission’s approval includes the staff stipulations described above; any future request to expand event days would require returning to the planning commission and county commission for further approvals.