What you need to know about Music City Grand Prix this weekend on the streets of Nashville (2024)

Some of the world's best drivers are about to do what some Nashville residents could only wish for: Drive through empty downtown streets at 180 mph and make a lot of noise.

The IndyCar Series takes to the streets of Nashville this weekend for the inaugural Big MachineMusic City Grand Prix. The three-day eventis expected to bring tens ofthousands of people to areas around Nissan Stadium, and it'll include three days worth of concerts and require a number of downtown street closures.

Here's everything you need to know about this weekend's events in and around Nissan Stadium.

MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX MAP: See the track route for the race in Nashville this weekend

So what is going on near Nissan Stadium this weekend?

Racing! And music!

The weekend's festivities all lead into the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix IndyCar race, but there are cars on the track all three days. Besides practices Friday, there will be Saturday and Sunday races for the SRO GT American and Stadium Super Truck series. There isalso Trans Am Series race on Saturday. All of these in the streets of Nashville, including the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Sunday's inaugural IndyCar race is scheduled for 80 laps, which equals 173.6 miles, on the 2.17-mile course, and will be televised on NBC Sports Network beginning at 4:30 p.m..

Tickets?

Reserved seating is sold out, according to the event. 3-day General admission tickets are still available; they allow access in and around the reserved seating areasand the paddock, and they include access to all concerts and events, but with no seat included.

Fans can leave and re-enter the event as long as they have their tickets available to scan.

Parking?

Fans had the option of purchasing parking along with their tickets through the Titans on Ticketmaster, and the Music City Grand Prix recommends that fans looking for parking this weekend find somewhere on the other side of the river and use the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to make their way to the track.

The rideshare queue is located between thehotel shuttle pick-up/drop-off area and the premium motorhome lot on Woodland Street.

Road closures?

Several roads in and around the course will be closed starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, along with the Nissan Stadium parking lots.

What can I bring?

Similar to Titans games, there is a clear bag policy, according to the event. Clear bags must be no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. Non-clear bags (i.e. small purses, bags, etc.) cannot be larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches.

Is this event cashless?

Yes. Fans with cash can purchase gift cards at the event to use on food, merchandise, etc.

Music?

Yes! All three days, music will be featured on two stages. The New Sound of Nashville stage opens at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday and at 9 a.m. Sunday

On the main stage, Drew Green will perform at 5:15 p.m. Friday, followed by a Freedom Friday Tribute concert featuring Brooks & Dunn, Vince Neil, Tyler Farr and others. On Saturday, Tim Dugger performs on the main stage at 5 p.m., followed by a Jon Pardi concert at 8:30 p.m.

On Sunday, DJ Hish will host a prerace party at 1 p.m., and the Grand Ole Opry will host a postrace concert featuring The Oak Ridge Boys, Danielle Bradbery, Justin Moore and more.

A side note: Cece Winanswill provide a non-denominational worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday.

What else should I know about this track?

Let's talk about the actual race course, which is in use for the first time.

The finish line is in front of Nissan Stadium's east end, and drivers will haveleft (Turn 1) and right-hand (Turn 2) turns before driving onto Korean Veterans Boulevard (Turn 3) heading toward downtown.

The cars will head into a big braking zone before a left-hand corner(Turn 4) onto First Avenue. Drivers will follow First Avenue as it weaves toward Peabody Street (Turn 5), where they will turn left (Turn 6). A short ride on Peabody will lead to a left turn (Turn 7)back onto First Avenue, followed by a right-hander (Turn 8) back onto Korean Veterans Boulevard.That'll be the longest and most high-speed stretch of the course, and it includes the start line for the course.

Another big braking zone will prepare drivers for a left-hander (Turn 9) onto Interstate Drive. Turn 10 is another left turn, this time onto Russell Street.Turn 11, the final one on the course, is a left turn that sends cars along the side of Nissan Stadium's east end toward the finish line.

Whew. That's a lot. TL;DR: Watch this.

Now, I remember Helio Castroneves won this year's Indy 500. But what else should I know about thisIndyCar season?

In bullet-point form:

• Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou and McLaren's Pato O'Ward have signaled a shift at the top of the series with strong seasons. Palou leads the points standings and has two wins, while O'Ward is second in points and also has two wins.
• Nashville's Josef Newgarden finally earned his first win of 2021 last time out at Mid-Ohio. Newgarden has contended often this year, but some poor luck leaves the two-time IndyCar champion 69 points out of the points lead. Newgarden is certainly going to be a favorite Sunday with a good qualifying performance.
• Andretti Autosport has struggled, with veterans Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay residing outside the top 10 in points while rarely factoring in to the end of races. Colton Herta, who has a victory this season,has been the team's best driver in 2021.
• It has been, well, a mighty struggle for Jimmie Johnson. Inexplicably, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has focused on a road course-only schedule in his rookie IndyCar seasondespite his obvious ability on ovals. Johnson is 28th in points and has no top-10s, though one could be satisfied that Johnson has been running at the finish in six of seven starts.