NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new sound study presented by engineers contracted from Bristol Motor Speedway say renovations to the Nashville Fairgrounds racetrack will cut the noise in half.

“We can make a significant improvement to that sound impact on the community for all the motor sports events that take place out at the fairgrounds,” BMS General Manager Jerry Caldwell said.

The engineer said between a sound mitigation wall on one side of the speedway and muffler regulations the perceived noise would drop by 50 percent, but neighbors don’t buy it.

“If they could achieve a 50 percent reduction in sound for racecars or loud event venues, they’d be doing this all over the country,” Neighbor Heidi Basgall Favorite said. “They’re trying to use buildings as sound mitigation, well that’s like bouncing a ping pong ball. It’s going to hit and it’s going to bounce all over.”

BMS said a part of the potential contract with the city to renovate the speedway would include conditions limiting races to ten weekends per year, curfews, and a reduction in practice days.

“I moved here knowing there was a track there and I don’t really mind the current track. But what’s being proposed is such an increase to what we currently have. And it’s so different than what’s currently there,” neighbor Tanya Deane said.

Caldwell explained that there is still no price tag attached to the expansion plan, but his team is working with the city to come up with the final design. He said without their contract the renovations would likely not be completed.

“This allows us to restore the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway to its rightful place and address some of these quality-of-life concerns with the community, but without us being involved in this plan then I don’t believe those things would happen,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell hopes to have a contract finalized within the next few months in order to have a full season in 2023. Neighbors say there are still more questions they would like answered before the city signs on to the deal.