NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As NewsChannel 5 reported last week, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will remain part of the IndyCar calendar after this season, taking a new marquee spot on the schedule while featuring a new downtown track.
IndyCar and race officials announced the new three-year agreement at Nashville Underground Thursday evening. The deal includes moving the race to the final week of the schedule in mid-September with both the winner and the series champion being crowned on Broadway, which will be the signature piece of the new-look track.
The weekend will wrap up on Monday night with the IndyCar Championship banquet inside the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which will also be the location of the finish line of the new track which will run just over two miles.
The new layout was necessitated by the new Titans Stadium which is scheduled to begin being built in 2024. Race cars will start on Fourth Avenue and turn left on Korean Veterans Boulevard before heading east on the bridge that has now become the Grand Prix’s iconic TV shot.
Much of the current layout east of the Cumberland River will be scrapped with cars doing a quick turn around pit row and the paddock before heading back across the river on the bridge. Upon their return to downtown, drivers will turn right on First Avenue down to Broadway where they will roar between dozens of Honky Tonks filled with race fans before heading back towards the finish line between the Schermerhorn and Walk of Fame Park.
