"Built in 1977, high-banked at 26 degrees, and nicknamed 'Little Bristol' — Newport Speedway sat idle after 2017, was bought and rebuilt in 2024, and makes its first-ever CARS Tour appearance in 2026."
Location: Newport, TN (Cocke County) Track Type: High-banked paved oval Length: 0.400 miles Surface: Asphalt Banking: 26° Built: 1977 Capacity: ~4,000 2026 CARS Tour Date: October 3 (Late Model Stock + Pro Late Model doubleheader — series debut)
Overview
Newport Speedway is a four-tenths-mile high-banked asphalt oval in Newport, Tennessee, in Cocke County on the eastern edge of the state near the Great Smoky Mountains. Its defining feature is the banking: at 26 degrees in the corners it is steep enough to have earned the nickname "Little Bristol," and it makes the small track race far bigger than its length suggests. The zMAX CARS Tour Presented by SoundGear visits for the first time in 2026.
History
The track was built in 1977, originally as a dirt oval, before being paved and reshaped into its current 4/10-mile, 26-degree high-banked configuration. It ran weekly late model and midget racing through the 2017 season and then went quiet. In April 2024 the speedway and its adjacent salvage-yard property were purchased by new owners who launched an extensive renovation — new grandstands, LED lighting, sound system, fencing, and infield facilities — with the grand re-opening pushed to November 2024 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The 2026 CARS Tour Debut (October 3)
Newport makes its first-ever CARS Tour appearance on October 3, hosting Race 13 as a Late Model Stock and Pro Late Model doubleheader. It is one of two fresh faces on the 2026 calendar alongside the returning Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, giving the series a steep, freshly renovated East Tennessee bullring in the championship stretch. For the full slate, see the 2026 CARS Tour Schedule and the Standings & Trackers.