Nashville to host IndyCar street race in 2021 season
IndyCar will hold a street race in downtown Nashville in 2021 and will be called the "Music City Grand Prix", marking a return to the calendar for the city
The "Music City Grand Prix" will be held 6-8 August next year, using a 2.17-mile track that features a unique water crossing.
The Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL team Tennessee Titans, will serve as the paddock for the event, and in the course of the 11-turn track, cars will race across the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge into downtown Nashville and back.
This will be the first new street course added to the IndyCar calendar since 2013, and has been designed by renowned track specialist Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting. The agreement guarantees the event for at least three years.
Mark Miles, president and CEO of IndyCar's governing body Penske Entertainment, declared: "The Music City Grand Prix will be a one-of-a-kind NTT IndyCar Series experience anchored in the heart of Nashville's action-packed, exhilarating downtown corridor.
"Nashville is a world-class city and global entertainment capital that provides an exceptional platform for our series."
Nashville was previously represented on the calendar with its Nashville Superspeedway oval, which last appeared on the IndyCar calendar in 2008.
Miles continued: "From professional sports teams and top live music acts to a burgeoning food and culture scene, it is a perfect home for a racing event of this magnitude.
"Urban street festivals have become a huge part of our DNA at IndyCar and this three-day festival will highlight everything Nashville and the sport have to offer, providing international travellers, racing enthusiasts and local thrill seekers alike with an experience of a lifetime."
Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, said, "From the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Finals to the 2019 NFL Draft, Nashville knows how to host sporting events of all kinds while making them a party.
"The Music City Grand Prix underscores why Nashville was named Best Sports City in 2019, and we look forward to the national and international marketing it will bring to the city."
Nashville's mayor John Cooper added: "Nashville is a special place, and the announcement of the Music City Grand Prix truly marks a huge step forward for our community as we look to the future and a return of our thriving and unique entertainment scene.
"This announcement could not have come at a better time. The event represents a tremendous private investment in the city and a catalyst to our economic recovery."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The long evolution of Dallara's Indy 500 winner
How to be an ace engineer: Leading IndyCar race engineer Michael Cannon
IMSA Laguna Seca: Ganassi Cadillac holds off Tandy Porsche for victory
Ferrari announces HP as new F1 team title sponsor
Raul Fernandez set to get 2024 Aprilia MotoGP bike at Jerez
Ford simulator boosting M-Sport WRC Puma performances
Mooted F1 points system like "putting a plaster on a big cut" - Ocon
The apprenticeship that will aid Ilott's IndyCar to WEC switch at Jota
The long evolution of Dallara's Indy 500 winner
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments