On Thursday evening, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES announced that they will come back to Nashville in 2024, but in a much different capacity. Instead of utilizing the streets around Nissan Stadium, they’ll move more towards downtown on the famed Broadway area.

INDYCAR and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix have announced the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES finale is moving to Nashville on Sept. 13-15, 2024.

All roads along the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will lead to Nashville, as the year-long championship battle will be settled and a champion crowned on downtown Nashville’s iconic Honky-Tonk row. The 2024 season awards ceremony will also take place in the Music City, on Sept. 16 at the iconic Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

More than 250,000 fans are expected to converge on downtown Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, which has quickly become one of the sport’s marquee events since its debut in 2021 and will become a championship-crowning celebration watched by viewers across the globe. The new 2.17-mile, seven-turn circuit will continue across the iconic Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge and route directly past the Country Music Hall of Fame. The racecourse will run through the city’s honky-tonk district, home to bars owned by the biggest names in country music, including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, John Rich and Blake Shelton. Each day of racing will culminate with a takeover of Broadway and a massive street party that only Nashville can throw, featuring live performances by many of music’s biggest artists.

Considered one of the world’s finest venues, Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center will host the 2024 INDYCAR Victory Lap Celebration on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Located in the heart of downtown Nashville, the building boasts distinctive design elements that pay homage to the history, culture and people of Middle Tennessee. The Schermerhorn has been a favorite venue for legendary artists spanning different genres, from country music stars like Dolly Parton to contemporary pop sensations like Harry Styles.

“Nashville and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix team are ready to host a can’t-miss, action-packed event that transforms the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale and elevates it to an even higher peak on the global stage,” said Mark Miles, president & CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. “Next year’s race in Nashville will be an unbridled celebration of the most fierce and competitive motorsport on the planet, set against the backdrop of an innovative and breathtaking stage that includes one of the premier global entertainment districts in the world. We’ll have more to share soon on an entire weekend of activities, both on and off track, that fully taps into the growing reach and relevance of an ascendant and marquee city.”

While the season finale is moving to Nashville, this year’s final venue on the 2023 schedule, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, will remain on the 2024 calendar. More details about the entire 2024 season schedule will be forthcoming.

“WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca remains a beloved, historic venue for our teams, drivers and fans in an important and scenic market,” Miles said.

“The fact that INDYCAR has chosen Nashville and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix as the crowning event is a testament to our fans, partners, stakeholders and truly the Nashville hospitality industry as a whole,” said Matt Crews, CEO, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. “The ability to promote our city and state year-round and bring our race into the heart of Nashville is an absolute honor. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix continues to grow to levels that I never dreamed could have been possible.”

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has become a marquee event for Tennessee and across the motorsport landscape, bringing fans from all 50 states and dozens of countries annually. With a global TV audience in over 200 countries and territories, the Grand Prix is elevated across a worldwide stage.

“Tennessee is already leading the nation in automotive manufacturing, hospitality and entertainment, and this announcement takes it to the next level, as the focus will be on world-class racing in the Volunteer State for the entire 2024 INDYCAR season,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “As the home state of two-time series champion and current Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden, it just makes sense that Tennessee would host one of the biggest races of the season. With the national and international spotlight on Nashville, the world will see what Tennesseans already know to be true – that there’s no better stage for racing than Music City.”

For more information and to receive future news on the 2024 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, please visit www.musiccitygp24.com.

Here are my takeaways from Thursday’s announcement.

Great Move For a New Layout

There’s a multitude of layers here. One of which is changing a layout that’s been INDYCAR’s version of Daytona or Talladega.

The two races so far run on these city streets were messy ones. Out of the 160 combined race laps turned, 43% of them were under caution periods with 38% of the cars being loaded back on the haulers early after crashes.

The inaugural race saw 9 cautions for 33 laps. Last year’s was one less yellow (8) but more caution laps (36).

St. Pete this year had five cautions for 26 laps (26%) and last year one caution for eight laps (8%). Long Beach had just two cautions for seven laps (8%) this April and four for 14 (16.4%) last year.. Detroit had seven cautions for 32 laps (32%) this year but last year on Belle Isle it was one caution but for no laps as it happened at the end. Toronto last year was four cautions for 15 laps (17.6%) and three for 16 laps (18.7%) last month.

So, a change is a good thing, especially when incorporating Broadway.

It’s also nice that they kept the bridge in the plans too because the bridge is arguably the face of this race so far. No where else in the world do cars race on a bridge of this magnitude. So, to incorporate Broadway and keeping the Bridge is a great move.

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Good Move For New Season Finale Venue

I also like the fact that they’re moving the season finale around again anyhow. This past year will be the 3rd time in the last 5 years that Laguna Seca hosted the finale. However, in a day and age of competitiveness in the NTT INDYCAR Series and the championship seemingly every year coming down to the final race among multiple drivers, is this track the best suited to host a clinching race?

It’s one that you don’t tend to get a lot of passing on. Alex Palou won by 30 seconds last year. So does it move the needle in such an importance race?

Laguna Seca truly doesn’t.

You don’t tend to see packed grandstands their because well, there aren’t many. The atmosphere is lackluster. While it’s a fun track and a drivers track, I don’t know that it suits the common fan.

I mean when you think championship you think a big event. Super Bowl. Final Four’s. World Series. NBA Finals. Each venue is always packed. It’s a huge marquee event that lands more eye balls than normal on it.

This one unfortunately doesn’t do it. In the early portion of the NFL schedule, I don’t see this race other than a get the year over with event. Which is why this move makes a ton of sense.

It moves the finale closer to the core fan base and will have that big event feel. A street race on broadway is massive and will have a huge atmosphere to crown the INDYCAR season champion.

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INDYCAR Creating Revolving Championship Race Door – In A Good Way

While Laguna Seca had become the norm for the final race lately, there were also exceptions too. 2018 ended in Sonoma. 2019 was at Laguna, but 2020 and 2021 were on a pair of street circuits in St. Pete and Long Beach before moving back to Laguna for the last two seasons.

Should INDYCAR start allowing tracks to bid on the final race? Could that be an extra stream of revenue coming in?

I mean NASCAR has discussed this the last few years but haven’t ever actually done it. They ended the year in the playoff format from 2004 through 2019 in Homestead. In 2020 they moved it to Phoenix as they’ll end the year out west for this year and next too. Which brought the question up as why aren’t they moving it around like they initially discussed?

INDYCAR due to some unforeseen circumstances has. I mean, look at the Super Bowl. It’s moved around each year. So is the NCAA Tournament. Big championship deciding events are shuffled around each year. INDYCAR has indirectly done that the last five years and makes you wonder if that should stay.

Some current drivers are open to it.

Part of the argument though would be that it makes it an even bigger event. It’s not just another race on the schedule that so happens to crown a champion. The track and the series would build it up. Plus, it doesn’t give a distinct advantage to any one driver each year if a certain track remains as the last race and that driver may or may not be good there.

There’s no doubt that Honda has the street and road package figured out for 2023. Chevy has ovals. That will undoubtedly swap in the coming years due to the teams finding areas of improvement and fixing them. It ebb and flows.

If you’re good on one discipline, why test or focus there? Focus on your weaknesses instead. So, moving the finale around keeps it fresh and doesn’t allow one team or manufacturer to get a huge advantage.

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Is It Okay To End The Season With a “Wild Card?”

The biggest question of all is, does street racing best serve as the best landing spot for a season finale? Laguna Seca and Sonoma have been almost a race that seemed like it was going through the motions. Just trying to get by and end the season in one piece. It lacked any real drama.

Ending on the streets?

You can’t just get out of the way here. Plus, this is almost like INDYCAR saying we’re ending at Daytona or Talladega.

Nashville is their wildcard and with so much carnage over the first two years of this event, it would most create that street fight mentality for the championship meaning that it’s absolutely not over until the checkered flag falls.

On a natural free flowing road course, you can get off track and not pay too much of a penalty for doing so. Overstep the boundary in Nashville, you’ll find the wall. Find the wall, your championship hopes could be over.

Plus, you could get caught up in someone else’s mess too.

I think it’s a welcomed wildcard for the fans and something that we’ve done in twice since 2020 actually. The door is opened now to it and one that can be a huge advantage to move around still if need be.

Nashville is it in 2024 and is a massive win. It’s a booming market and INDYCAR has adapted to make it feasible to come back even with a deterrent by losing the current layout due to construction for a new Tennessee Titans stadium.

NASCAR comes here. They have their banquet here too. So now will INDYCAR.