Matt Fraver
Nashville, fasten your seat belts and start your engines for the summer’s most exhilarating event as the Music City Grand Prix speeds into Nissan Stadium August 6 through 8.
A fan-favorite dating back to 1994, the Grand Prix is a three-day event in which dozens of the sport’s top drivers come together to bring the thrill of the race to fans beyond the track. An inaugural event to the heart of Music City, the three-day international festival of speed and sound will be staged on a temporary 2.17-mile grand prix circuit in downtown Nashville and around the Nissan Stadium campus. The course will cross the Cumberland River via the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge, making the Music City Grand Prix one of the only events in motorsports to cross over a major body of water.
“I hope that everyone that comes out, whether they are a race fan or a festival fan, takes the time to experience some of the racing firsthand. Experience the speed, power, and appreciate the overall engineering that goes into creating these rocketships on wheels,” says Christian Parker, president of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. “Whether you choose to become a race fan going forward or not, just so long as you take the time to see these cars flying past at 200 miles an hour by you is something most people won’t get to experience in their lives.”
This year, Grammy-nominated pop artist Justin Timberlake will be joining fellow speed machine fanatics Gil West (former Delta Airlines Chief Operating Officer), Justin Marks (NASCAR team owner and driver), and Grammy-winning artist Pitbull in ownership of Music City’s Grand Prix Group. In addition to Timberlake’s popularity in the realm of lyrical sound, he is no stranger to the rhythm of a revving engine. The pop star sponsored British driver and close friend Dan Wheldon, who won the 2011 Indianapolis 500, through his William Rast clothing line.
Although mechanical mastery will be at the forefront of the event’s agenda, atendees can also expect exquisite cuisine from local vendors. For foodies seeking an unmatched experience for your tastebuds, Nashville’s Josef Newgarden at Detroit Club RPM, located at The Bridge Building, is easily accessible and included with pre-purchased event tickets. Nashville-original food trucks will also be scattered along the racecourse, as well as the dozens of favorite local restaurants that line the downtown streets.
And in true Nashville fashion, there will be plenty of live music performances throughout the weekend. Headliners including Jon Pardi and Brooks & Dunn will take centerstage along with several other special guest artists, following race festivities. The action-packed weekend concludes with with a live Grand Ole Prix show from the venue on August 8, featuring Alan Jackson along with Justin Moore, Riley Green, Danielle Bradbery, and Callista Clark.
“It will be a great reward for everyone to see how Nissan Stadium can be reimagined,” Parker says. “How we will create this temporary street course just adjacent to downtown so that we’re able to take advantage of all of the wonderful things downtown has to offer.”
Ticket packages range from VIP three-day, all-access passes to single- day general admission vouchers, and all concerts are included with individual tickets and three-day passes.
See you at the starting line for a weekend filled with the best of racing, music, and food for a Grand Prix that’s uniquely Nashville. (musiccitygp.com)