In advance of the inaugural “Ally 400” NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, June 20, Nashville Speedway will have a Goodyear Tire Test on March 23. The track will host Steve Letarte and Hall of Famers Darryl Waltrip and Dale Jarrett. Tentatively scheduled to take part in the test are current Cup drivers Kurt Busch, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.
NASCAR's trip to Nashville is not far off
The tire test will be the first on the 1.33-mile concrete track since its reopening for NASCAR races. The venue is in Lebanon, Tennessee. However, the tire test is not open to the public.
Waltrip is part of a group that is helping new Nashville Superspeedway president Erik Moses. The Hall of Famer is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (1981, 1982, 1985) and recently retired from the NASCAR on FOX broadcast team. Another Hall of Fame inductee, Dale Jarrett, who won the 1999 championship, will be joined by former crew chief for NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte. The trio will participate in an informal press conference in the track’s media center.
Moses’ group of contributors have included NASCAR analyst Liz Allison, wife of the late Davey Allison, who is also in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, former executive vice president of Dale Earnhardt Inc. Ty Norris and Nashville recording industry mogul Scott Borchetta.
Last August, Dover Motorsports, Inc. announced that Moses, a veteran sports executive and seasoned venue management leader, would lead the track’s fortunes. In doing so, the graduate of the University of North Carolina and Duke University School of Law became the first black track president in NASCAR.
2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch (No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing), Christopher Bell (No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing), and Chase Briscoe (No. 14 Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing) are tentatively slated to take part in the tire test.