One of the longest summer breaks in the IndyCar Series in memory in recent times it has already counted the hours. With the end of the Olympics just around the corner, American motorsports are beginning to claim their place on the television grid, and American cars will look to return from their five weekend holidays with the same positive inertia as the previous tests. For this, nothing better than one of the most anticipated events of the year, the debut of the Nashville street circuit.
The test is called Music City Grand Prix, in honor of the nickname of a city that is one of the main centers of music industry and culture in the United States. The race will take place on a 2.17 mile street circuit (3,492 kilometers), whose paddock and main straight are located in the parking lot next to the Nissan Stadium It hosts the games of the American football (Nashville Titans) and soccer (Nashville SC) teams of the city. Its main characteristic, and a large part of the length of the track, is located on a long bridge. Crossing the Cumberland River, the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge) is dominated by a huge arch, and is the main visual attraction of the event.
The circuit walk this bridge completely in both directionsWith the two steps being the best overtaking opportunities, with a small section of twisty corners on the other side of the river, and with changes of direction in both directions that will lead to braking in support and more than one tire lock. Due to the relatively short length of the main straight, it will be in the second step of the bridge, the one that derives the competitors in the parking lot, in which the start will be given and career highlights. A situation similar to that which occurs at the Mid-Ohio circuit, the first corner being notably wider than the rest of the circuit.
Nashville’s history with the racing world is closely linked to the Fairgrounds Speedway, a small oval less than a kilometer that hosted NASCAR races between 1958 and 2000, with the main category traveling there until 1984. Its national event status ended with the construction of the Nashville Superspeedway, a triangular oval with an unusual concrete surface throughout its 2,145 meters. It was in this oval where IndyCar started racing in 2001, in a summer test in July whose first winner was Buddy Lazier, and in which the trophy presented to the winner was a custom Fender Stratocaster.
The Nashville 200 lasted until 2008, when disagreements with the company in charge of managing this and other circuits led to its departure from the calendar, three years before the aforementioned company temporarily closed it. However, in recent years the city has made a great effort to become a core of American motorsports, with Superspeedway himself reviving with a NASCAR Cup Series race, the Fairgrounds ambitious to do the same while organizing Superstar Racing Experience races, and this Music City GP that intends to join the party.
Other urban events in the past failed due to poor planning, reliance on public funds, inexperienced organizers, or multi-million dollar debts, such as the famous adventure in Baltimore (2011-13), the last new urban in which IndyCar ventured, and the Boston circuit that never saw the light of day in 2016. On this occasion, the financing is made up 100% with private funds and guaranteed by important figures from the racing, automobile, finance and music industries, and the excellent promotion of the event has made it possible to hang the ‘no tickets’ sign, with more than 60,000 tickets sold for the day of the race.
Its last three editions were won by Scott dixon, the only driver on the current grid who knows the triumph in this city. Others who competed in this oval were Helio Castroneves, with three third places (2003, 2004 and 2008), and three drivers who participated in the last round after the reunification of Champ Car without great fortune: Will Power, Graham Rahal and Ryan Hunter-Reay. For the rest, it will be ‘just’ their fourth street or semi-urban race of the season, the first of three in a row, capped off a second round at the Indy GP circuit, and the last oval race of 2021 at Gateway.
Álex Palou arrives at this event looking to retain his 39 advantage points in the general with many conditions against: Ganassi’s poor performance in urban areas, the fact that Dixon has been better on these tracks, Andretti’s good work with these configurations and the motivation of local Josef Newgarden, who also arrives in full swing streak. All this, in an event that will feature the first 27-car grid outside the Indianapolis 500 since the 2013 Long Beach Grand PrixThanks to the presence of Santino Ferrucci in the third Rahal, Cody Ware in the third Coyne and Castroneves, who makes his debut as a full-fledged driver of Shank’s second car.
Music city grand prix sessions and schedules – nashville
* The races will be broadcast live through Movistar Sports (Spain), Clear Video (Latin America) and Duck.TV (Mexico)