RaceTrac Opens First Memphis Store as Tennessee Convenience Wars Heat Up

RaceTrac has opened its first Memphis location, kicking off a Tennessee expansion that will add several more stores by the end of 2026. The company said the new site "marks an exciting milestone as RaceTrac continues to bring its travel center experience to new communities."

Geography does most of the talking here. The Memphis travel center sits along the I-40 corridor, roughly the halfway point between RaceTrac's established Dallas/Fort Worth and Nashville markets. That gives professional drivers and long-distance travelers a legitimate stopping option on a stretch that previously lacked one. A chain that lives on diesel traffic rarely picks a spot by accident.

RaceTrac also put a small amount of money where its press release is. The company donated $2,500 to the Memphis Youth Development Group, a gesture it framed as proof of its intent to act as a community partner. Modest, yes. But grand openings are as much about local goodwill as gallons sold.

What's happening across Tennessee?

RaceTrac isn't the only operator betting on the state. On Monday, Nov. 16, Buc-ee's will cut the ribbon on its third Tennessee location, this one in Murfreesboro, with the ceremony set for 12 p.m. CST.

The numbers behind that store explain the chain's cult following:

• 74,000 square feet of retail space at 3355 Elam Rd.
• 120 fueling positions
• The full food lineup: Texas BBQ, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries

Local officials are treating it as an event, not a store opening. Murfreesboro Mayor McFarland and Rutherford County Mayor Allen will attend, along with members of the Murfreesboro City Council and the Rutherford County Commission. When two mayors show up to sell gasoline, the tax base is doing the math.

What does this change for convenience retail?

Wawa already answered part of that question. In June, the Pennsylvania-based chain opened its first Tennessee store in Clarksville, and local outlet WSMV reported it was only the first of many — Wawa plans up to 50 locations across the state over the next 10 years. That's five stores a year, every year, for a decade.

Stack the three moves together and Tennessee looks like the most contested convenience market in the country right now: RaceTrac anchoring the I-40 freight corridor out of Memphis, Buc-ee's adding destination-scale stores in Middle Tennessee, and Wawa planning a statewide buildout from Clarksville. For c-store operators already in the state, the question isn't whether competition arrives. It's which of three well-funded rivals lands in their trade area first — and whether their fuel pricing, food program and footprint can survive the comparison. Expect the map to keep filling in through 2026.