Latest news with #MusicCityGrandPrix
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Music City GP plans Palou party, envision ‘Monaco of the South' by '27
At his current pace, Alex Palou might turn the season finale in Nashville into a championship celebration by clinching his fourth title in five years prior to the Music City Grand Prix in Tennessee on Labor Day Weekend. Sponsors and Indy Car officials understand the reality of the circumstance, with Palou potentially wrapping up a championship in Portland. 'I think we need to celebrate what Alex is doing,' said Scott Borchetta, founder of the race's title sponsor Big Machine and Borchetta Bourbon. 'This is Michael Schumacher time. This is (Ayrton) Senna time. This is Jeff Gordon time. So if he has to clinch in Portland, which is possible, we've got to make sure people come and see one of the greatest of all time. This guy is on the precipice of four championships in five years. You just put the biggest crown jewel in that crown, and you don't want to miss this guy. He's just a little bit better than everybody else. '... Yeah, he probably will clinch, so we're already prepared for that. You don't want to miss it. It's still going to be a showdown. It's still the battle of Music City. You've still got to see this race.' President of the Music City Grand Prix Anne Fischgrund said Borchetta turned over management of the September race to Penske Entertainment with future plans for the race to return downtown from the oval at Nashville Superspeedway as soon as 2027. 'I can tell you there's a lot of interest in the race returning downtown. The mayor is absolutely in favor of it,' Fischgrund said. 'There's a lot of development going on, not just the stadium but we refer to that part of Nashville as the East Bank, and there's a huge development happening all across that area in the East Bank. 'So what we're trying to do is have conversations to build it into the infrastructure. If we do this right -- the vision has always been, let's be the Monaco of the south. So we've got a lot of work to do, but the conversations are ongoing, and that's my hope.' Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Fox Sports
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Dennis Hauger Leads Nashville Open Test in Oval Debut
INDYCAR No previous oval experience, no problem for Dennis Hauger. Andretti Global rookie Hauger led the INDY NXT by Firestone Open Test on April 1 at Nashville Superspeedway on his first-ever day of driving on an oval, turning a top lap of 187.564 mph in the No. 28 Rental Group car. Hauger, from Norway, leads the standings in the INDYCAR development series after winning the season opener March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. SEE: Test Results 'First test on an oval, and it was a really cool experience,' Hauger said. 'I had a lot of fun out there. Good day at the office, and I'm looking forward to coming back here later in the season.' Series veteran Myles Rowe was second fastest on the 1.33-mile concrete oval, which will host the 2025 series finale Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 31. Rowe's best lap was 187.491 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports/Force Indy car. Rookie Lochie Hughes helped Andretti Global produce a 1-3 finish on the speed charts, as he was third at 186.651 in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship entry. Veteran Salvador de Alba kept the good times rolling for Andretti Global, fourth at 186.602 in the No. 27 Group Indi car. Fellow veteran Caio Collet rounded out the top five at 186.054 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports machine. Collet was the only one of the top five to turn his fastest lap during the morning session. A total of 19 drivers turned 2,953 laps without incident today. Series veteran Jonathan Browne was the busiest driver, recording 194 laps in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing car. The next INDY NXT by Firestone event is the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park (11:30 a.m. ET, FS1, INDYCAR Radio Network). recommended
