The Old Nashville Fairgrounds and the Nashville Speedway

Scott Walker August 31, 2022

In June of 1904, the Nashville Speedway was home to “horseless carriage” and motorcycle races. At the time, the track was made of dirt and would host harness horse racing on special occasions.

By September of 1904, a new racing series was introduced to Tennesseans that involved the modern marvel… cars. Some racing around the bend at speeds of 60-miles-per-hour.

Several years later in 1915, a few drivers from the Indianapolis 500 decided to head to Nashville to take a few runs around the small track. Growing in popularity, the races grew larger and larger audiences into the 30’s and 40’s. However, it wasn’t until 1958 that organizers decided to pave the track.

The old Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway held their first NASCAR Grand National Race of 200-laps in 1959. Music City continued to host a leg of the NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup Series races up until 1984.

In the 2000’s, the track was renamed the Music City Motorplex. Today (2022), the track is known as the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and hosts a number of races to include the Bass Tire 100, the Camping World SRX Series and more.

He once drove big rigs for a living

Scott Walker July 31, 2022

Like a song on the radio, his words stick with you throughout the day. “Are you gonna put this picture in a watermelon patch; or a cornfield like a scarecrow,” he asked as the shutter clicked. “Cornfield,” I replied. I then asked, “Where are you from?” He got serious and calmly replied, “Well, I'm originally from my mother, but was born in Florida [ending his reply with a slight laugh].”

Frank said that he drove a tractor trailer truck for about 35-years, giving up drinking while in the midst of that career at age of 47. “Even when I did drink, I couldn't stand being around people who were drunk,” suggesting the drama was too much. Continuing he said, “I'm a maverick, do you know what that is? It's someone who's a loaner.” He marches to the beat of his own drum.

“A trailer full of condoms, that was the most interesting thing I ever hauled across country,” Frank said. He then added, “When I drove through the desert in California, I would try to outrun the trains – sometimes pushing the semi to 90 and 100 miles per hour – but never could, those trains run so fast out there.”

Frank, whose real name is Franklin, turned 78 this past April and he still rides his bike almost daily. He lives outside near the foot of Lookout Mountain, but he loves it. The outdoors are home to this U.S. Marine from a different time period of life, one where people were often kinder, yet tough as nails. I guarantee you this... he has never met a stranger and never will.

He was born in a different era during WWII on April 29, 1944. 17-Months later in September of 1945, WWII was over.

17-Days before Frank's 1-year birthday, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's final message was prepared on the morning of April 12, 1945. One of the statements in his address included, "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith." Roosevelt never gave his speech and died several hours later on the afternoon of April 12, 1945.

Second Avenue in downtown Nashville in late February, 2022.

One year and two months after the December 25th bombing in Nashville

Scott Walker March 10, 2022

Just three days after the bombing in downtown Nashville, TN on December 25, 2020, FBI Special Agent in Charge Doug Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office released the results of forensic tests of human remains recovered from the blast site on 2nd Avenue. DNA examinations of tissue samples by both the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI laboratory in Quantico, VA, were consistent to those of Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, TN.

Above photos were captured on February 19, 2022 - One year and two months after the December 25, 2020 bombing on Second Avenue in downtown Nashville, TN.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 2021

Scott Walker August 13, 2021

A crowd of more than 140,000 spectators were in downtown Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Fans from all over the globe filled hotels throughout Middle Tennessee. The event reportedly generated over $20-million in revenue for Nashville and the 8-counties that surround the Metro area – and that number doesn't include the funds used to organize and set-up the 3-day race (Aug. 6, 7, 8, 2021).

Winning the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday evening was Marcus Ericsson from Sweden. Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, his Honda powered IndyCar won the race after smashing the nose of his ride into car number 14. 30-Year-old Ericsson finished within 1.5596 seconds of his teammate Scott Dixon.

Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge during Sunday racing in Nashville, Tennessee - Aug. 8, 2021.

One of the highlights of the race occurred when the 27-cars traveled over the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge. In fact, the bridge over the river was a first for the IndyCar circuit in the U.S. and one of only a few courses in the world to cross over a river the size of the Cumberland.

Known for their speed, the IndyCars were reported to have hit 185 miles per hour as they traveled 80-feet above the Cumberland River while crossing the 553-yard bridge (1,660-feet in length). The straightaway at the start and end of the bridge, including the roadway leading up to and away from the bridge, was approximately 2,200-feet, which made it the longest straightaway for IndyCar this season.

Lot’s of wrecks took place on the race course that included 11-turns in the 2.17-mile run. One of those wrecks (above) involved #48, Jimmie Johnson. Evidently, Johnson tweeted that the course was really “bumpy.”

Murfreesboro's MTSU played a role in helping to ensure safety measures were in place. The MTSU School of Concrete and Construction Management helped to design and build the racing barriers along the course and on pit row.

Age in the aging

Scott Walker October 22, 2018

Age is an interesting thing. America is getting older and for a first time by year 2030, all Baby Boomers will be older than age 65. In other words, one in ever five residents in the United States will be of retirement age.

Boundaries?

Scott Walker September 10, 2017

Boundaries, who said we need those? She was a female barbarian…

In life we set these imaginary boundaries of what is off limits for males or females when in reality those limits should never be set to begin with. I am not talking about things that are taboo or bad, but instead things that anyone can do or should be able to do.

Take for example the right to vote. Prior to August 18, 1920 women were not allowed to vote in America. But why? It took over 70 years to make that right happen. In fact, the movement started in 1848.

It wasn’t until 1972 that discrimination based on sex was banned in America. It was called the Equal Rights Amendment. However, most of the wording for the amendment was first drafted in year 1923. The person who wrote it was Alice Paul who was born in 1885 and died just five years after the passage in 1977 at the age of 92, but she saw the change.

As for the boundary breaking woman photographed, she is part of a bachelorette party… her party. She will soon be married.

Benjamin Franklin once stated, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” I think that quote easily holds true today as many people are closed minded and unwilling to see both sides. Some are unwilling to learn the backgrounds of others to better understand why they made the choices they made.

Free will is something we were given by God. While some have free will that will lead to trouble, it is not for us as a society to judge. We can lead, but to conspire or form group hate will not lead anyone anywhere.

My thought is simple… How you decide to walk is not up to me, but I can lead in some small manner if I feel that I should. Keep in mind that I too may fall, but don’t judge me as I don’t judge you.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ― Anne Frank

Stay true to yourself

Scott Walker September 9, 2017

His words… “Stay true to yourself and don’t bend to other people.” He has done both, once the later in the past, but now only the first... at age 47 today.

Don’t allow others to lead you in a direction that your heart tells you otherwise. Be honest with yourself and your desires in life. Communicate what you feel wholeheartedly.

Joan of Arc, who led the French Army at age 18 to victory over the English, once stated, “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”

Sadly, Joan was later captured after her victory and burned at the stake. The young heroine of France died at age 19.

Anime hits Tennessee

Scott Walker November 22, 2016

Anime is a style of Japanese film and TV animation that is mainly aimed at adults. It was created in the 1980’s and is short for “Animeshon.” In English, that would be “Animation.”

An Anime convention is in Murfreesboro today and I thought it would be interesting to capture a few shots. This is one of the many characters I saw. Different.

Many of the characters in Japanese animation are quite flamboyant and strange. It is often described as being visually striking, which is one reason it stands out and has so many artistic followers today.