Categorie: NASCAR/Auto Sports

Photo: Courtesy of IndyCar

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NASHVILLE – The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will have a new venue for the 2024 NTT IndyCar season, moving the race to the Nashville Superspeedway.

Due to the upcoming construction of the new Tennessee Titans stadium, MCGP Chief Operations Officer (COO) Scott Borchetta, has announced that the best path forward for this year’s event is to run at Superspeedway on the same weekend as previously announced. This remains the IndyCar Series season finale on Sunday, Sept. 15 on NBC.

“With construction set to begin for the new Titans Stadium, the Grand Prix operations team knew they’d be faced with new challenges, knowing that the course used for the first three years would have to change dramatically for 2024’s race,” Borchetta said. “With several key locations around the stadium not available as in years past and with the proposed course change to run through the streets of downtown Nashville, we simply don’t have the proper space needed by the race teams nor the proper access for downtown businesses and residences to execute the world-class event that is expected by our amazing fans, IndyCar teams and sponsors.”

“With the significant challenges of the proposed new layout and unknowns with the new stadium construction, which has been the center of operations for the first three years of the Grand Prix, the decision has been made to move the 2024 race to the Nashville Superspeedway.”

Borchetta reiterated the strong relationship the MCGP has with both the Titans and the city of Nashville and that they plan to race in the streets of downtown Nashville once it is accessible for both the track and the fans.

“The Music City Grand Prix has been more than a race. It’s a festival that celebrates both Nashville and racing,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “We appreciate Scott Borchetta and Big Machine’s vision and partnership and look forward to the race returning to downtown Nashville in the future. I’ve enjoyed attending all three Music City Grand Prix races and appreciate their continued commitment to Nashville. Racing at the Nashville Superspeedway will add new intrigue to this year’s event.”

The NTT IndyCar Series raced at the iconic, 1.33 mile, D-shaped oval from 2001-08. Six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon is the last driver to reach victory lane at the venue, with a commanding “three-peat” in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Nashville Superspeedway is known for its high-intensity, wheel-to-wheel action, and as the season finale it will be the first oval in a decade to decide an NTT IndyCar Series championship (Fontana, 2014).

“Nashville Superspeedway is ideally suited to our highly competitive and extremely intense style of racing, and we look forward to adding a Speedway Motorsports track to our schedule,” Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles said. “Our fans will eagerly anticipate watching a championship be decided on a high-speed oval, with NBC providing a must-see network telecast to viewers around the country. Scott and his team will do a terrific job organizing our finale weekend, and I’m incredibly appreciative of their efforts to pivot and find a fitting venue for our fans, drivers and teams.”

Indy NXT by Firestone, the developmental series for the NTT IndyCar Series, will also shift its 2024 championship finale to Nashville Superspeedway.

More details on weekend festivities, schedule and ticket options will be forthcoming. The event remains committed to a presence downtown leading up to the race, with activations and entertainment celebrating the finale to be unveiled at a later date.

Photo: Courtesy of Trackhouse Racing.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla– The NFL season has come to an end, NASCAR will be taking center stage with the Daytona 500 kicking off the 2024 NASCAR season on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Since Covid, NASCAR has grown in popularity, seeing a boost in attendance and TV ratings. NASCAR has also grown a lot, adding new qualifying rules, adding dirt tracks as well as racing through the streets of Chicago. With all this growth, it’s hard not to get excited. But if you’re not a NASCAR fan or haven’t followed the sport in a while, where do you start?

For Nashville, this is one of the best times to be a NASCAR fan since the late 1970’s. The Ally 400 race is becoming a must-see and must-attend event and Music City has hosted the annual NASCAR Awards the past three years. Plus there are a handful of Nashville teams and drivers that fans can get pumped for.

Nashville-based Trackhouse Racing team and Ross Chastain

One team that is really easy to get behind is the Nashville-based Trackhouse Racing team. They launched in 2021 with Mexican-born driver Daniel Suarez. Ross Chastain joined in 2022 after a quiet debut season. Chastain gave Trackhouse its first win at the 2022 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. He would win again at Talladega before Suarez picked up his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series win at Sonoma. Chastain finished second in points and Suarez finished 10th.

Suarez’s No. 99 car was sponsored by famous honky tonk Tootsie’s at multiple races throughout the past two seasons.

In 2023, Trackhouse continued its success with a huge win at the Ally 400 at the Nashville Superspeedway when Chastain won the pole (the team’s first) and then won the race. He would finish the season ninth in points with 10 top-five finishes and a win in the final race of the season.

This season should be another big season for Trackhouse as Chastain has solidified himself as a legit championship contender and a driver who is not afraid to make enemies on the track. His rough-and-tumble personality has made him into a bit of a heel in NASCAR. This team and driver is a great choice to follow going into the 2024 season.

Chastain is starting 21st and Suarez is starting 13th at the 2024 Dayton 500.

Hendersonville native Josh Berry joins the Cup Series

Another highly anticipated driver going into 2024 is Hendersonville, TN native Josh Berry. Berry had major success the past two seasons with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team JR Motor Sports at the Xfinity Cup level. Last season he signed with Stewart-Haas Racing to take over the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Kevin Harvick who retired.

Berry won five races for JR Motor Sports including three races in 2022. These include wins at Dover, Martinsville, and two in Las Vegas. He finished 2022 and 2023 with 11 top-five finishes in each season. Now he has the chance to show off his skills in the Cup Series full-time.

He already has Cup experience, making 10 Cup Series starts, with a second-place finish on April 2 at Richmond Raceway while subbing for the injured Chase Elliott.

Berry is starting in 30th at the Dayton 500.

Big Machine Racing back with a new driver in 2024

Another Nashville team to keep an eye on this season is Big Machine Racing in the Xfinity Series. The team started in 2021 with driver and Nashville native Jade Buford.

It was founded by CEO and founder of Big Machine Label Group Scott Borchetta who is an avid racing fan and driver. He grew up racing in California and has raced in the Trans Am Series for a number of years.

Though the team didn’t see much success in 2021, it picked up its first win in 2022 when Tyler Reddick took over the No. 48 car and won at the Texas Motor Speedway. But in 2023, the team decided to make Parker Kligerman the full-time driver of the No. 48 car.

He went on to have a solid season, picking up seven top-five finishes including a second-place finish at Road America. His efforts put him and the team in the playoffs for the first time ever.

The team is entering its fourth season and will need to pick up steam if it wants to be a competitor in the increasingly competitive Xfinity Series. Kligerman has proven himself as the driver. The team will have a lot to prove to NASCAR if they want more sponsors and possibly a second driver.

Kligerman will start fourth at the United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Fans can catch the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. CT.