GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This weekend, the Nashville Superspeedway will be the center of the racing universe. There may be one man we can thank for that.
Don Huebner may not set any course records driving his UTV around Nashville Superspeedway, but as the facilities manager, he sure stays racing around the track.
I talk to Don in the player above.
"We do everything. All the repairs, all the event set up, all the event tear downs.," said Huebner, as they drove down Pit Lane.
He's constantly answering questions, giving guidance to his five team members and when all else fails. He is happy to jump into the forklift and do it himself. Huebner has become a jack of all trades, mastering it by being on staff here since day one. "They were finishing the construction in 2001, and hired on as the maintenance guy," he said.
But it hasn't always been a smooth ride. In 2011, Nashville Superspeedway shut down. The racing stopped. All of the staff was laid off, except for a few security guards and Huebner.
"I’ll tell ya, it was very disheartening. Everyone put their blood, heart and souls into this place," said Huebner.
The sprawling campus was now his full responsibility.
"I was the only one here," he said. "There was always something to do."
When he wasn't mowing their 700 acres, he was keeping the vacant buildings in good working order. The solitary position lasted 10 lonely years. "Looking back at it, I wish I would have bought a dog, have somebody to ride around with," said Huebner.
Just when he thought a wrecking ball was inevitable, in 2021, they got the green flag to return to racing. "It just was satisfying to know we didn’t give up," he said.
A big reason why Dover Motorsports could afford to reopen Nashville Superspeedway — the track was kept in such good condition. Huebner gets emotional thinking about watching the very first lap of the Ally 400 in 2021 from turn four near the maintenance shed.
"I stood right over there and watched the first lap. That made my hair stand on end," said Huebner.
Now, as Don races continues to race all around the speedway, he swells with pride knowing if it wasn't for him, this place may have never gotten back on track.
"There’s just never been a day I didn’t want to come to work," he said. "I sort of joke around sometimes that they may own it, but you’re at my track."
Amidst their own grief and facing hatred these gentlemen worked to save lives. Forrest Sanders brings us a history lesson that's ripple effects are still evident across Nashville.
-Carrie Sharp
