[Stevensville Mike]

Well, one more oval track was just added to the 2024 calendar. Not so much an original plan, but a 'Plan B':

https://racer.com/2024/02/14/indycar...ille-speedway/

By Marshall Pruett | February 14, 2024 11:00 AM ET

Recent questions regarding the health and future of the Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville have been addressed with the news that the event will move from its downtown venue to Nashville Speedway in September.

Scott Borchetta, the event’s primary sponsor through his Big Machine music and spirits company, and who will take over the operation moving forward, explains.

“Nashville is a world-class sport and entertainment market that loves its racing,” Borchetta said. “In its first three years the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix successfully established itself as a major event in Nashville and it has tremendous potential for growth, so I couldn’t be more excited to make this statement regarding its future.

“With construction set to begin for the new [Tennessee] 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. 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, (a big loop that utilizes the Korean Vets Memorial Bridge, First Avenue, Broadway, Fourth Avenue, and Korean Vets Blvd), 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 hopes to have the Nashville Speedway Grand Prix return to Tennessee’s streets at some point in the coming years. The move takes IndyCar back to closing its championship on an oval for the first time since 2014 when Team Penske’s Will Power was crowned at Fontana in California.

“This has no bearing on our great relationship with the Tennessee Titans,” Borchetta said of the NFL team whose new stadium construction has taken local priority.

“The team’s management has been nothing but supportive regarding the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix and we fully intend to continue conversations with them and the City of Nashville as to when the right time will be to return to the streets of Nashville. We feel that we’ve landed on the best option for a great race experience, for both fans and race teams, by moving to Speedway Motorsports’ Nashville Superspeedway.”

Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles welcomed the opportunity to add another oval to the calendar.

“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,” he 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.”

The 1.33-mile concrete oval played host to IndyCar under the Indy Racing League banner starting in 2001 and held its final event as the IndyCar Series in 2008.

[jdull99]

GREAT news!!!

I was hoping this would make IoW

Lets get people talking about it, and hopefully Roger, and company, realize people like seeing open cars on RACE TRACKS (oval ones espcly) and NOT street tracks...

Too bad Cup runs in NY that day...we could only dream of a day when nascar was off on days when Indycars were on ovals and maybe guys like Larson & Blaney could get some laps (Ryan keeps talking about it - proly mostly after the media asks him about it).

[Stevensville Mike]

Oh, I am still amazed that Nashville Speedway was brought back from the dead whilst Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland are still abandoned, but I am also pleased that they got out of that Nashville street circuit thing and are going to finish on an oval.

[Hubie48]

It wasn't a race but more of an event. That course they set up was flat horrible for racing. Narrow as a stairwell and dang few passing areas. IMO it was a total joke but fit in well with the series.