NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix returns to Nashville this weekend with an expanded race on an even bigger stage, and organizers believe that package can help make this year’s event the best ever.
The race has a lot to live up to. Last year’s Grand Prix had a IndyCar record 653 passes, including Josef Newgarden’s last lap pass to capture the checkered flag. It was Newgarden’s first win at his hometown race.
“I wanted to win this race, and we finally did that last year,” Newgarden said at a media event Friday. “I would love to go back-to-back. We have done that before at other tracks, but it’s so hard to do.”
Now Newgarden and IndyCar return for year six of the Grand Prix. After a successful three-year run as a street race in downtown Nashville, the event has settled in at Nashville Superspeedway with entertaining races the past two years.
With cars pushing 200 miles per hour on the 1.33-mile concrete oval, it is one of the fastest tracks in the world, and second only to the Indianapolis 500 on the IndyCar circuit.
“The ground shakes and your nerves and everything else, your hair stands on end,” said Scott Borchetta, whose companies have been title sponsor of the race since year one. “If you haven’t seen an IndyCar race, I really hope you’ll come out and join us. There’s nothing else like it.”
This year’s race expands from 300 to 400 miles, making it one of the longer events on the IndyCar schedule. The 75 extra laps will add one, maybe two pit stops to the race strategies of teams and will add to the number of daring passes and drama fans can expect to enjoy.
“Fans are going to see the same great show,” Newgarden said. “But strategy-wise it changes it for us. You know, we have to add a pit-stop. The way you approach building the car is a little different. But it’s going to be the same show.”
The race has become a favorite for fans and drivers alike. This year it will get an even bigger spotlight.
After a summer in which IndyCar has benefited from getting lead-ins from World Cup matches, on Sunday the Music City Grand Prix will directly follow the trophy presentation of the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain. The potential television audience could provide IndyCar a ratings opportunity that could rival the Indianapolis 500.
“This is a very, very big opportunity for us to grab a lot of fans,” said two-time IndyCar series champion Will Power. “I don’t know, what is it? 50 million people watching the World Cup? I mean, it’s going to be a lot of people. We need to put on a show.”
The spotlight will also once again shine on the city of Nashville, which has a reputation for hosting big events and will once again receive a national and even global audience for a major sporting event.
Those eyeballs often turn into future visitors that continues to drive the city and state’s thriving tourism industry.
“It’s great for our state, great for our city,” said Mark Ezell, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “We love having IndyCar race fans here. We have music to match that.”
The race was specifically moved to July to have the World Cup lead-in on TV to increase exposure for both the sport and the city, but Borchetta says he hopes it is a one-year change. He prefers hosting the race over Labor Day weekend when there are no major events in Nashville. It would also allow the Grand Prix to return to the final weekend of the IndyCar schedule when they would have a chance to host perhaps the championship deciding race.
The 2027 IndyCar schedule will be officially announced in September.
