Tennessee Racing Associates, LLC today announced the hiring of Nashville native and Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Fame member Joe T. Williams as general manager of the group’s efforts to secure the racing lease at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds for 2012.
“I am honored to be considered,” said Williams. “There is much work to be done, starting with the lease, but I sense a commitment of time and resources by a great group of investors that can make this work.”
Williams brings an eclectic history to the task, including radio and television, race track management and public relations, writing and industrial health and safety. He has had success in both the private and governmental sectors.
Williams was also one of the architects of the facility’s resurgence in the mid ‘80’s when it became the top weekly track in the country, averaging over 11,000 fans per event, after losing two NASCAR Cup dates in a bankruptcy fiasco.
“I have had the great fortune of learning from master promoters like Bob Harmon, Gary Baker and Joe Carver,” he said, “people with a passion for both the sport and the business of racing. The market is not the same as it was, but with the excitement of local racing and the benefit to neighbors, drivers, fans and advertisers, it can be.”
