Tennessee's Crossville Dragway Gets New Lease on Life for 2025 as Fitzgerald Motorsports Park
Originally opened in 1978, Crossville Dragway has enjoyed some successful seasons in the middle-east area of Tennessee. Hosting everything from Pro Mods to no-prep, Street Outlaws to a street-car series, the track has gone through several owners, and even a few leases.
But a popular social media figure and business owner has recently stepped up to take the facility to the next level in 2025.
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Hunter Blake Fitzgerald, the owner of Fitzgerald Performance and host of several successful shows, stated in a recent video that he still can’t believe he’ll be the new head of the facility in just four months.
“It was always a goal of mine to get ahold of this place,” said Fitzgerald. “The minute I heard that the drag strip was coming up for lease, I hopped in my truck, I drove straight to Crossville to meet the current leaser to work out an agreement to purchase all his track equipment. and to get the lease signed.”
Originally constructed in 1977 and first operated as Crossville Dragstrip in the spring 1978, the track’s grand opening was done with an International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) 2-day national race. Unlike some of the other tracks surrounded the area, Crossville was designed from the beginning as an eighth-mile drag strip.
By 1982, the track was on its third owner, and not long afterwards, the track was closed for a few years. The fourth owner picked it up, invested some money in it, and reopened the track under a new name, Cumberland Raceway Park, in 1987.
Four years later, the track was sold to a new owner, who renamed it I-40 Dragway, a cue to the track’s location next to the I-40 highway, and the entire facility is visible when traveling east on I-40.
The same owners continued to run the facility until 2015, and despite some upgrades and new owners coming in, the track closed again for a few years. Michael Newcome negotiated a lease deal starting in 2018, and the track was re-opened under its fourth name, Crossville Dragway. Newcome announced a few weeks back that 2024 would be his last year at Crossville Dragway.
That brings us to the new lease holder Fitzgerald, who will change the track’s name to Fitzgerald Motorsports Park, and expand the use of the facility as well. “As of January 1st 2025, we are taking over the lease for the drag strip, and turning this place into much more than a drag strip.”
A recent video from Fitzgerald’s YouTube highlights some of these ideas:
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Hunter Blake Fitzgerald and Fitzgerald Motorsports Park.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com