Music City Grand Prix
| IndyCar Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Nashville Street Circuit |
| First race | 2021 |
| Laps | 80 |
| Most wins (driver) |  Marcus Ericsson (1) |
| Most wins (team) | Chip Ganassi Racing (1) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | HONDA (1) |
| Circuit information | |
| Length | 2.17 mi (3.49 km) |
| Turns | 11 |
The Music City Grand Prix, known as the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is an IndyCar Series race that was held at the Nashville Street Circuit in Nashville, Tennessee. The inaugural running of the race took place August 8, 2021, With Sweden's Marcus Ericsson winning it. His teammate Scott Dixon finished Second and James Hinchcliffe finished Third with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal rounding up the top 5. After winning pole position and leading 39 laps, Herta was running in second place to eventual race winner Marcus Ericsson. Lap after lap, the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda tried catching Ericsson’s No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, and lap after lap the American was unable to overtake the Swedish racer.
Colton Herta won the pole position and led the field to the green .Herta lunged after Ericsson on lap 69 but was unsuccessful, losing over a second after locking up his brakes in turn 9. Six laps later, Herta would lock up his tires again in turn 9, but this time his car would slide through the corner and hit the tire barrier, destroying the right front suspension and eliminating the 21-year-old on the spot, relegating him to a 19th place finish.
History
Background
On September 16, 2020, the IndyCar Series announced the addition of the Music City Grand Prix as a street circuit race in downtown Nashville for its 2021 schedule.[1][2] This announcement came after three years of discussion between Nashville sports and tourism officials and IndyCar executives, which had previously resulted in three failed proposals for a race in Nashville. The Music City Grand Prix will be privately funded and has a three-year contract for IndyCar Series races.[3][4] Nashville's successful hosting of the 2019 NFL Draft was one of the deciding factors in the race becoming a reality, according to Penske Entertainment Corporation President and CEO Mark Miles.[3][5] The Tennessee Titans will serve as a host for the race.[4]
The Nashville Street Circuit measures 2.17 miles (3.49 km) and includes 11 turns.[1][3][4] Running adjacent to Nissan Stadium, the circuit's most notable feature is its 3,578-foot (1,091 m) straightaway across the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, which spans the Cumberland River.[1][4] The bridge layout makes the track the only one on the IndyCar circuit and one of the few in the world to cross a significant body of water.[3][4] Top speeds for the IndyCar race are expected to be around 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). The track varies in width from a minimum of 37 feet (11 m) to a maximum of 80 feet (24 m).[1] As at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Nashville Street Circuit will use a different location for starting the race (between turns 3 and 4) than the finish line.[6] Middle Tennessee State University's School of Concrete and Construction Management will be creating concrete mixes for the track's barriers and pit row.[7]
Music City Grand Prix CEO Matt Crews noted that the event organizers plan to "limit traffic interruptions as much as possible".[4] Track designer Tony Cotman intentionally avoided Nashville's major streets so as not to adversely affect tourism.[3] Discussing the design of the circuit, he called the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge "one of those landmarks where you see that bridge on TV or in photos and you’re going to know exactly where it is. It’s like seeing the Queen Mary in the background at Long Beach."[6] Cotman also noted that he expects turns 1, 2, and 7 to be the best passing locations on the circuit.[6]
The Music City Grand Prix became the first new street circuit race for the IndyCar Series since the Grand Prix of Houston in 2013.[1][4] It also became Nashville's first IndyCar race since the Indy 200 was held at Nashville Superspeedway between 2001 and 2008.[3][8] The Music City Grand Prix becomes the sixth street circuit race of the 2021 season, joining the doubleheader at Detroit along with races at Long Beach, St. Petersburg, and Toronto. All of these races have been run since at least 2012, however, and more recent events on street circuits have already become defunct, including races in Baltimore, Boston (which was never held), and Houston.[3]
Two-time IndyCar Series champion and Nashville-area native Josef Newgarden called the race "the number-one destination outside of the Indy 500".[1] He further opined that "it is going to showcase the town of Nashville probably the best way possible."[4] Nashville mayor John Cooper called the race "a catalyst for our economic recovery".[5]
2021
The inaugural Music City Grand Prix is scheduled for 5:30 pm EDT on August 8, 2021.[9] During the August 6–8 race weekend, the GT America series, the Trans-Am Series TA2 class, and the Stadium Super Trucks will also be competing as support series.[10][11][12]
Race results
NTT IndyCar Series
| Season | Date | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||||
| 2021 | August 8 | Marcus Ericsson
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 80 | 173.6 miles (279.4 km) | 2:18:50 | 99.074 | Report |
Support events
GT America Series
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ||
Trans-Am Series TA2
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ||
Stadium Super Trucks
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ||
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ryan, Nate (September 16, 2020). "IndyCar adds Nashville to its 2021 schedule with Music City GP Aug. 6-8". NBCSN. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Blackstock, Elizabeth (September 19, 2020). "Take A Lap Around IndyCar's Music City Grand Prix Circuit In Nashville". Jalopnik. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g Brown, Nathan (September 16, 2020). "IndyCar announces 'a heck of a party' in return to Nashville for 2021 Music City Grand Prix". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Organ, Mike (September 16, 2020). "IndyCar Series Grand Prix coming to Nashville in 2021 with a unique track". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Davis, Chris; Bowles, Laken (September 15, 2020). "IndyCar announces Music City Grand Prix race for 2021". WTVF. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Malsher-Lopez, David (September 17, 2020). "IndyCar's new Nashville street course: the track designer's guide". Motorsport.com. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Tennessee university tapped to help Music City Grand Prix". Associated Press. November 16, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Organ, Mike (August 28, 2020). "Roger Penske, other IndyCar executives' visit brings Grand Prix closer to Nashville streets". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Streets of Nashville". IndyCar Series. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Trans-Am's TA2 Class Added To Music City Grand Prix". Speed Sport. November 21, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "GT America Added To Music City Grand Prix". Speed Sport. November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Rev Up Nashville – 30 Days Until Green Flag for Big Machine Music City Grand Prix NTT IndyCar Series Race". Music City Grand Prix (Press release). July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
External links
| Preceded by Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
IndyCar Series Music City Grand Prix |
Succeeded by Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix |