Two roadblocks have emerged in the ongoing talks between Speedway Motorsports and Mayor David Briley about bringing a NASCAR race to Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway — clashing with plans for the new Major League Soccer stadium.

Briley's administration has not seen details on how the upgrades necessary to bring NASCAR to the fairgrounds would be financed.

And the feasibility of a major upgrade to the racetrack remains questionable since the soccer stadium project will place a building so close to the track that the current operator says he’ll have trouble putting on races in the future.

Despite those major questions, a top Speedway Motorsports executive expressed optimism about the company’s talks with the city. Speedway Motorsports owns eight NASCAR tracks, including Bristol Motor Speedway in East Tennessee.

Earlier this year, Speedway Motorsports and current track operator Tony Formosa entered into a subcontractor agreement that clears the way for NASCAR's return to Nashville. Both Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR have said Nashville is an ideal market for a future race.

Part of the site plans for the soccer stadium development places a mixed-use apartment building and parking garage about 20 feet from the current front entrance to the racetrack.

Formosa said a building in such close proximity would make the flow of fans into and out of the stadium impossible. He also doubted whether a building located so close would allow for future upgrades at the racetrack.

“You have to have that open for emergency vehicles, and for people to enter,” Formosa said. “That’s the main gate.”

A possible solution to the financing question appears to be on the table with state legislation that would redirect tax revenue generated at future NASCAR-sanctioned races to help pay for upgrades at the racetrack.

“Mayor Briley is happy to entertain a common-sense proposal to revitalize the iconic track at the fairgrounds,” Briley’s spokesman Thomas Mulgrew said, adding that the mayor has met with the group on several occasions to discuss various options.

"To date, (Speedway Motorsports) has not presented an option that was either practical considering the planned MLS stadium or financially feasible considering the mayor’s insistence on private investment in any proposal," Mulgrew said.

Potential for private-public funding

Speedway Motorsports and its advocates are backing state legislation filed earlier this year by state Rep. Kirk Haston, R-Lobelville, and state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga.

The bill — currently lingering in a subcommittee — mirrors similar legislation for professional sports facilities in Memphis and Nashville. It would redirect state and city sales tax generated at any NASCAR-sanctioned event and use that revenue to pay for debt issued for track upgrades.

The legislation wouldn’t touch sales tax revenue set aside for public education, so the initial estimates are that the bill would redirect $598,500 annually for the estimated three ticketed NASCAR events.

Nashville would also be able to impose an additional sales tax on tickets to NASCAR races and use that revenue for upgrades as well.

Details on what upgrades are necessary and how much they’ll cost have not been released.

"The bill would provide capital for the community to develop and maintain the raceway,” Haston said. “It helps to reinvest into a better product as it proceeds on."

Jerry Caldwell, general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, said it is possible to redevelop the racetrack with a private-public partnership funded by revenues generated within the fairgrounds — including by racing fans.

“With all the public support for racing, we are hopeful that plan can be fully vetted and debated,” he said.

Without a formal financing plan in place, it’s too early to know if the financing mechanism created by the bill would be enough to pay for the improvements needed at the racetrack.

Little wiggle room left at fairgrounds

Even if the financing comes together, the logistical question raised by the close proximity of the mixed-use building to the racetrack makes the likelihood of future upgrades questionable.

There's little wiggle room to relocate the buildings on the 117-acre fairgrounds.

An overhaul of the fairgrounds is already underway to make room for the $275 million soccer stadium and surrounding mixed-use development. The new expo center and fair buildings, which are moving to the northeast end of the site, are expected to be operational by August.

The Fair Park recently opened on the underutilized, flood-prone south end of the fairgrounds that is flanked by Brown’s Creek. It includes eight multi-use soccer fields, a 1.3-mile greenway, a dog park and other amenities. The fields, made of fiber-reinforced turf, will also be used for temporary parking for fairground events.

“Locating one of the mixed-use structures next to the race track entrance will pose an obvious challenge to staging major events of any kind, both operationally and from a public safety standpoint,” Caldwell said.

The group, he said, sees a potential for "modest adjustments" for the mixed-use site that could leave room between the new buildings and the track that would provide a "safety environment" for all fairground users.

Caldwell did not offer specifics on what the adjustments would look like.

It took substantial political work to pass the soccer stadium financing plan. Even with a one-year delay in its opening, the stadium project is working under a tight timeframe, and it’s unclear if the John Ingram-led ownership group is amenable to rearranging buildings in its project to accommodate upgrades at the racetrack.

A spokesperson for Nashville SC, Zach Hunt, did not respond to specific questions about the concerns regarding the proximity of the track and the mixed-use building.

“We remain committed to being a good neighbor and strong partner with all existing fairgrounds users and stakeholders and are focused on delivering a state of the art soccer stadium that all of Nashville will be able to enjoy," Hunt said. "We will continue to work with the Fair Board, Metro Council and the mayor’s office as they make other important improvements to the fairgrounds.”

Racetrack raises quality of life concerns

Auto racing in the midst of the residential area has been a pervasive political issue and neighbors are sure to have questions about whether more races equal more quality of life concerns.

Council member Colby Sledge, whose district includes the fairgrounds, said he is not in favor of adjusting a site plan that has already gone through more than a year of public input and review by several Metro boards and commissions.

“The proposal is neither feasible nor respectful of the very public process surrounding fairground improvements,” he said.

Formosa, the current track operator, has fought to run cars during school hours and has also gone past his practice deadline on a weeknight, according to Sledge.

“I cannot come to residents with any negotiations regarding the track when the operator continues to violate this contract and community trust,” Sledge said. “These regulations and deadlines have been in place for years. I want to have a productive conversation regarding the track, but it is impossible with the operator's continued violations.”

Caldwell reiterated that if “all stakeholders truly agree that the fairgrounds speedway is an important part of Nashville’s history and future,” then a compromise to include a slight modification to lease boundaries would be in the best interest of everyone.

In a public referendum in 2011, Nashville emphatically voted to amend the city charter to guarantee that auto racing remains at the fairgrounds.

“We met recently with Mayor Briley to talk about a redevelopment vision to return the historic fairgrounds speedway into a showcase venue to host major races and become a one-of-a-kind events venue for Nashville,” Caldwell said.

“This redevelopment can be accomplished in such a way as to reduce impacts to the surrounding neighborhoods and create a true renovation of the historic fairgrounds property.”

Nashville a 'hot interest' for NASCAR

Despite the open-ended questions of financing and logistics, Caldwell expressed optimism.

There’s burgeoning support for bringing NASCAR races back to Nashville in racing circles. A-list names in the sport like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip and Kurt Busch have lauded the short-track speedway as among the best in the world, and Nashville is a desirable market as an entertainment mecca and booming tourist destination in the Southeast.

Nashville has a long history of auto racing, and some of the most successful drivers in the sport’s history cut their teeth here.

NASCAR's top racing series left Nashville in 1984, although the fairgrounds hosted NASCAR races off and on into the 2000s.

“There is a great amount of interest from the motorsports industry to bring NASCAR back to the Nashville fairgrounds,” Caldwell said. “The drivers and fans love the idea of returning to one of racing’s most historic and important tracks and cities. We frequently hear from drivers, race teams and fans inquiring about when Nashville will be on the NASCAR schedule. A look at social media demonstrates that major racing in Nashville is one of the hottest interests among drivers and racing fans.”

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Reach Nate Rau at 615-259-8094 and nrau@tennessean.com. Follow on Twitter @tnnaterau. Reach Yihyun Jeong at 615-487-1431 and yjeong@tennessean.com. Follow on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.