Individuals

Bill & Mary Allison  Samuel Alverson  Steven G. Asplundh  Janet & Jim Ayers  Charles Ball  Patrick G. Barraza  Todd & Susan Bauerle  Casey Bearden  John Beatty  George Bennett  Robbie Berger  Jeff , Charlotte, & OliveBrauer  John Brennan  Teddy & Sheila Byrd  Gregory Carpenter  Buzz Cason  Christopher Cathey  Greg Christy  James Clancy  Dan Clark  Rick Clay  Skip Cottrell  Katherine & Keith Crosthwaite  Kevin Crumbo  Adam & Chelsea Davis  Steve Degolia  Bobby DeVoursney  Oles Drobocky  Lynn & Steve Dugas  Hillary Dzialowski   Jon Ellison  Jason Enochs  Mark & Linzi Feldman  Kirk Finnerty  Steven P. Fittes  Don & Joyce Friedman  Matthew Friedman  Robert A. Frist Jr.  Chris Fuller  Mike Gillespie  Mike & Tana Greene  Kristin Hackett  Renny Harrison  Mark Humphreys   Bruce Jacob  Scott Kacic  Jim Kacmarcik  Karen Keene

Judy Keener  Karl & Mona Kelley  Harriet Kretschmer  Caroline Leeker  Jeff Leskovar  Johnny Lindahl  Julia Makris  Hillary Dzialowski & Madison Marlatte  Lance Marrow  Kirk Marston  Stephen Light & Angel Massey  Gary McDaniel  Ken & Susy McLawhon  Steve Meadows  Melissa Metz Jamie & Brittany Mikolinski  George Nicolich  Bond E. Oman  Jake Omen  Timothy Pearcy  Kel & James Pellegrino  Richard & Mary Winn Pilkington  Ryan Pregel  Proctor Teague & Andy Proctor  Ross & Jill Robinson  Amanda Ross  Mark & Karen Sanders  Nicole & Evan Sanders  John Sanzo  Anthony Seiffert  Jordan Sekulow  Matthew Sherbin  Cindy Sisson  Dr. Otto Slater  Pat Smith  William Sullivan  Gerald Szykulski  Josh Thompson  Marshall Towe  Steve and Sheri Tracy  David & Debbi Vulcano  Braxton Walcott  Darryl Waltzer  Ronald Weber  Jerry Westlund  Keith White  Justin Wilson  David C. Wolford  Kenneth Wright

Companies

A Step Ahead Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC Advanced Urology of Clarksville TN AFG Claims Service, LLC Allison Partners, LLC Amy Doyle, The Nashville Luxury Team Atkinson Remodeling Avenue 58 LLC Benson Holdings Big Machine Big Visual Group Caerus Management Carver Construction Company Castle Homes Chateau Properties CHEM-DRY of Brentwood Clarksville Smiles Clint Elliot Survey Cyprus Creative Partners LLC D&H Development, LLC D&M Development, LLC Destin Plastic Surgery Dotlich Contractors Equipment Controls Company Equipment Finders Inc. Flight Solutions, Inc. German Motorworks LLC Given Entertainment Graham Healthcare Group Hannah Land & Cattle LLC Harper Auto Square Heartlight Ministries

iLEX Consulting Group LLC Infinity Hospitality Group Internetwork Engineering Kairos Private Wealth KBJM Architects Lucky Pennies Properties M C Painting, Inc. McKeeman Communications Group, Inc. Mi-Jack Music City Fire Arena Football Team NashComm Inc. Nashville Ready Mix, Inc. Natchez Stone - Clay Staley NetJets OE Experiences Paramount Builders Pinnacle Financial Partners Precision Walls, Inc. Prometheus Fuels Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing RT 65 LLC Sharp Transport SmileDirectClub Star Community Builders TBH - David Merrell Tectonic Management The Rutledge - Four Seasons Nashville, LLC The Standard Club Transcard Wesley Financial Group, LLC Wise Manufacturing Inc. WORLDMAKR Projects Yada on Franklin Younker Media

Individuals

Jennifer Aasen Jason Abbott Chris Adams Christopher Allen Brandon & Danetta Allen Kris Allfrey Bart & Amy Allmand Amy & Paul Amend Pend & Jena Armistead George & Lydia Armistead Alex Assouad Albert Ayotte Robert Bagley Oliver Bahr Jeff Bain Robert Batcheller Zachary & Keith Bates Mark & Karen Bazzarri Alan Bechler John J. Becvar Josh Billue Stacy & Robert Birley Art Blanchford Candice Blessing Ms. Jennifer Cranford & Mr. Hans Bohlmann Andrew Boisselle Ken Bolin Paine Bone Steve Bouffard Rick Starkey & Tina Boykin Robert Bragg Michael Braun Tom Brecht D. Joe Breeden Andy Brennan Vincent Brown Doug Brown Wayne Roland Brown Stanley Bryan Anthony Bryant Jackie & George Bryce Mark & Suzanne Buchanan Billy & Mandee Burgess John & Heidi Burnett Chris Butcher Gina Cabrera Scott Calhoun Miller & Mary Alice Callaway Philip D. Campbell Blake Cannon Ed Carter Ryan Casserly Edward Chaney Scott Charlton Monica Cintado Claude Clausing Doc Claussen Brian Clements Kraig Cline Eric Coghlan Melanie Coleman Daryl Collins Paul Collins John Colmer Charles Colon Paul Cooke George Coontz Timothy M. Cooper Kevin Corcoran Mr. & Mrs. Josh Cornell Jason Cornwell Monica Cougan Kevin Cox Austin & Bill Cox Chris & Leslie Crabtree Ben Crabtree Scoot Crandall George Crawford Scott Crews Chris Crider Bonne & Gary Crigger Hollis Cryan Michael & Rowena Cuffe Alan Cummings David Daponte James-Devon Darville Brandon Davenport Darrick Davidson Carl & Sherry Davis D. Michael Davis Eric De Jong Russell Delaigle David Denise Amrat Surati & Hiren Desai Mark & Dawn Detelich Kevin Detert Eddie & Andrea Dixon Ross E. Doan Alfred D'Onofrio Michael Dover Carol & Kristopher Doyle Chris Drew John Drillot Laura & Dr. James Eason Donnie Eatherly Matthew Eckert Doran Edwards Philip Eggers Dino & Coni Elefante Derrek, Crystal & Cindy Eller Craig Ennis Bruce Esworthy Wallace Evans K.M. Fallon The Lance & Dodd Families The Pepper Family The Klang Family The Furbee Family The Landman Family The Manquist Family Dr. Dan Wagner & Family The Scobee Family The Dentner Family John P. Fanning Jeremy Fetty James Fields Ron Fincher Mark Finney Clem Fisher Jonathan Fletcher Chris & Tina Forino Russ Franklin Robert Frist Robert Arreola & Melissa Gabriel Ladson Gallivan Jerry & Fran Galu Jr. Joe Ghilardi Ron Gilbert Andy Gilley Mike Gilner Chris Glattes Timothy A. Glynn Robin Goddard Scott Gordon David Green Nate J. Greene Johnny Guffee Scott & Kathy Hadfield Everett Hall John Halsell Rick Hamilton James Harper Cheryl Harris Melinda Haws Craft Hayes Eric Hedberg Patrick, Amy & Mary Hedge David Henley David Hepner Brad J. Herbek Ward Herst Dan Higley Gerald Hill Chris S. Hill Kalei Hockman Robert Holroyd Reginald C. Holsey Pat Howell Emmett Murphy & Warren Huddleston Brian Gant & Melissa Hudson-Grant Eliza Huffman Brandon Hughes Lee L. Hunsaker Dr. George Hurst Wes Hutcheson Eric Jackson Brent Jacobs Terrill James Tyler Jeffery Jan Jennings Jack & Nicole Jeong Ramiro & Marie Jimenez Kierstin Jodway Pam Johnson Adrienne Jones Michael Jordan Nickolas Jorgenson Alex J. Joyce Patrick Julian Ralph & Kim Kear Dan M. Keiser Ed Kelley Garey Keltner Terry Kennard Curt Kennedy James Kerns Samantha Khazzam Dave Killean Rick Kimsey David J & Carrie L King Brian J. & Patricia Kirkpatrick Ralph & Kathy Knauss MacKenzie Kohnle Scott Kozicki John Kozlowski Tracy Adams & Matthew Kraatz Jason Kraycirik Grey Ladd Walter & Cindy Lampertz

Neal Lampley Derek Lanham Kevin Lanke David LaRoche Dan Laufman Stephen Lewis John Lewis-Smith Chris Liberto Arby Lipman Armando Lomeli Tommy Long Karen Long Bill Loughlin Steven Luboniecki Geoffrey Lysaught Alicia Maart Steven Macwilliams Michael Malone Allen Manes Dr. Elizabeth Mann Darek Marino Dylan & Brian Martin Charles Martin Chris Mashburn Danny Mathes Walker Mathews William Mathieu Bill McAllister Tim McAuley Greg McCammon Brian Morgan & Jason McCann Hal & Brenda McCard Frank A. Iorio & Anthony McClester In Memory of Kevin McCombs Dr. John & Diane McCormick Bruce McIntosh Family of Jason McMurray Patrick McMurtray Austin Meador Eric Meadows Craig & Kelly Mears David Meister Ray Methvin Chase R. Michael Rick & Robin Michel John Mick Michael Miller Joe & April Miller Jeremy Miller Gayle Minard Bill Minkoff Dustin & Andrea Minor Thom & Dell Mitchell Mike & Tina Moffatt Nancy Montgomery Phil & Lechelle Moore David & Laura Moore Katherine Morgan Richard J. Morrison Brandon Mosley Dale Murray Russell Neal Patrick M. Neumann Philip Odisho Don O'Guin Tom Olson Mike O'Malley Tomo Ota Jason Pagan Jim Painter Katie Parker Amit Patel Kunal & Vruta Patel Aashish Patel Pinal Patel Darren Pendley Bill Perkins Alex Perotti Brad Perry Daniel Peterman Michael Peters Victor Phillips Christian Pierce Bill & Sharon Piper Cameron Plato Pamela Kurio Poe Donald J. Polak R. Shannon Pollard Jack Polson Ryan Carignan & Crystal Powers Brian Prentice M.D. John Proctor Preston Quirk Ian A. Rahal Erik Randesi Barry Rankin Bob & Patsy Receveur John Clay Reed Jeffrey Reed Cliff Retief Tyler Miles & Patrick Reynolds Scott Rich Kurt Richardson Richard Robinson Daniel Rousseau Daniel T. Rousseau John & Lisa Rouwenhorst Andrea Rowe Bobby Ruck David Sadler Todd Sale Geoff Sanderson Drs. Christopher & Amy Savoie Steve & Patsy Sax Matt & Cammie Schaefer Robert Daniel Schick Jr. Joseph R. Schmidbauer Roy Schmidt Bill Schmutte John Schultz Jimmy & Louise Scott Matthew Seddon Cameron Sexton John Shafer Linda A. Shafer Dale Shaffer Paul Shea David Shell Johnny Simpson Sinister Diesel Dustin Sjuts Dennis Skarvan Marc Sleenhof Micki Slingerland Tom S. Smith James Smith Diatri Soegomo James Somma Shawn & David South Jim Sovine Jon Sowa Jamie D. Spurlock Kimberly R. Staines Brian Stallard Ben & Christy Stanga Paisley Starks Michael Starling David & Petra Strickland Edward & Ashley Stringfellow Amrat Surati Ramesh Surati Jeremy Swain Andrew Swatley Joshua & Melissa Swayze Grady Tabor Josh Tatum Greg & Jill Taylor Lynne Teckman Sam Tedrowe Michael Thayer Sheila Thayer James McKinley Thomason Laura Elise Thomason Bruce Thompson Andrea Thomson Shannon Tibbals Lewis Justis & Terry Tibbott Gregory Tidwell Johnny Titshaw Sonny Topiwala Patrick Toulon Anthony Trawick Tony & Tina Trujillo Tyler Underwood Darren Valencia David Van Lerberg Andrew VanLandingham Lisa Viland Trevor Vinz Bill & Tracy Wade Jonathan Walters Lloyd Wang Robert Warren Wade Warren Chandler Welling David West Butch West Jerard White Joshua White Dick White Heath White David Wilbur Joey Williams Jim & Lisa Wilson Greg Wilson Lerry Wilson John Wimberly Steven & Carolyn Winters William & Tammy Wolfe Christopher Wood Brad & Lesa Wood John Woodbury Tiffany Woody Scott Woolery Dennis Wright Steve Ynzunza Robert O. Young Brent H. Young Brian Young David Young George M. Yurcic Mr. & Mrs. Reid E. Zwickel

Companies

Action Electric Inc. Allegra Marketing Print Mail Nashville Aspen Construction Bass, Berry & Sims Bell Law, PLLC C.P. Consulting Cardin Dist. Co., Inc., Steve Spivey Chris-More Inc. CircleTrackSupply.com City Auto Sales, LLC Commercial Roofing Specialties Comstasis, LLC Cumberland Supply Company Inc. Cutting Edge Lighting, Inc. Dan Ryan - Ryan Partners Danny Roberts Consulting Delta Dental of Tennessee Destin Jewelers (dba The Jewel) Direct Beverage Distribution, Inc. Elite Trailer Sales & Service Empower Electric, LLC English & Company Equipment Finders Inc. Evolution Event Solutions Feltus | Hawkins Design Flight Solutions, Inc. Full Octane Insurance, LLC Greenbriar Landscape Company Inc. Greg Hubler Automotive GRL MD Medspa | Aesthetics H.C. Blake Company Inc. Hamilton County Endodontics (Carmel, IN) Hanson Financial Services LLC Harris Properties, LLC Healthy Smiles Dental I.C. Thomasson Associates, Inc. Imagine Hospitality Management Jennings Investment Group, Inc.

Jones Development KBJM Architects Kevin Dunn - CarTronics Larkin Express Logistics Larry King & Associates Lazarus Global, LLC Lealand Constructors Lipman Family Farms Massey Motors Matt Shaw - The Car Stables Matt Shaw - Wealth Management Group MILES Auto Spa Motive Global Capital Nashville RV Navarro Creative Group NuCell LLC Oak Property LLC Pancoast Benefits Patterson, Hardee & Ballentine, PC Peg Leg Porker Spirits, LLC Phoenix Investment Partners Pileggi Asphalt LLC Porsche of Nashville Professional Consulting & Development, LLC RacerCollect.com Randy Center Rocky Top Collectibles Safezone, LLC Scott Equipment SJW Retail Properties Spectrum Renovations, Inc. SQJ Investments, LLC Tactive TAI Investments The Duckpin Boys The Irving Group The Safe House Tony's Foodland - Joelton, TN Visual Concepts Audio / Video Wolfe & Travis Electric Co. Wynter Home LLC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 10, 2021) – Sunday’s inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix became the most-watched NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on cable in NBC Sports history dating to 2009 with the highly anticipated event in Music City averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.212 million viewers on the NBC Sports Network.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, the first new temporary street circuit on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule since the Grand Prix of Baltimore debuted in 2011, also is believed to be the most-watched INDYCAR cable race in 23 years (2.218 million – ESPN in 1998). The race, won by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson, surpassed NBC Sports’ previous cable rating record of 934,000 viewers for Mid-Ohio in 2016.

The streaming across NBC Sports’ digital platforms delivered an Average Minute Audience of 11,500 viewers, another NBC Sports record for an INDYCAR race excluding the Indianapolis 500.

On a local front, the city of Nashville delivered an outstanding 5.6 rating that was tops nationally. Following Nashville among the nation’s top five markets were Indianapolis (2.6), Knoxville (2.0), Greenville-Spartanburg and Louisville (both at 1.7).

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (August 16, 2021) – The inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix not only delivered a successful weekend on track for race fans but produced off of it as well for several community organizations and event partners in Nashville. The race week, which included the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, GT America, Trans Am and Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks, featured a number of programs and events ranging from those aimed at providing fundraising to recognizing and showing appreciation for military and first responders. “Being an active community partner and engaged corporate citizen is a critical part of our mission,” said Chris Parker, President of Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. “We want to use our platform and the visibility that it provides to engage our fans and make them aware of the great work and important services our community partners provide here in Middle Tennessee.”Among the highlights from last week’s event:

Raising nearly $35,000 for Rocketown by staging a pedal cart race for children during last Thursday’s FanFest event on Broadway. + Raising nearly $25,000 for the Martha O’Bryan Center and also providing once-in-a-lifetime race weekend experiences for the organization’s donors. + Facilitating a donation of $25,000 to the Daniels Center at Middle Tennessee State University courtesy of G. Harbaugh Foundation. + Raising more than $6,000 for Walk Bike Nashville by staging the Music City Pedal Prix on track Saturday morning of race weekend. + Over 200 participants in the Walk Bike Pedal Prix + Donating more than 800 pounds of food courtesy of Levy Restaurants to the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Donating more than 7,000 tickets to military and first responders courtesy of the Wesley Financial Group and the company’s Freedom Friday initiative. Tyler Luellen, James Wells and Michael Sipos, three of the six Metro Nashville Police Department officers who heroically responded to the Christmas morning bombing in downtown Nashville, were treated to a VIP experience by the event organizers that included special visits with NTT INDYCAR SERIES stars Jimmie Johnson and Marcus Ericsson and being acknowledged at the drivers’ meeting. The organizers also honored the military by having Korean War veteran Jim Markham, a 66-year member of the American Legion, join INDYCAR legend Dario Franchitti in the pace car to lead Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon on the track’s ceremonial lap that included crossing the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge. + Four-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves visiting with the children at the Martha O’Bryan Center and also producing public service announcements for the organization. Castroneves also visited the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to personally thank hospital staff and the LifeFlight team for their efforts with the pandemic. + GT America driver Rob Holland visited the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center on Saturday of race weekend to offer words of encouragement to the youths. He also made a promise to the group that when he returned to Nashville next year that he would give those interested an internship with the series or one of the teams. + In-kind donations to the American Cancer Society, Friends of the Smokies, Boy Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Monroe Carroll Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. + Conducted onsite organ donor registration effort for Tennessee (DCI) Donor Service

About Big Machine Music City Grand Prix:  Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is a three-day international festival of speed and sound featuring the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, SRO GT America, Trans Am and Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks racing series. The event aims to create a comprehensive world-class international destination event that highlights Nashville, Tenn., the Music City and the Mid-South region. It will include music, food, culture and entertainment centered on the speed, technology, skill and excitement of up-close urban INDYCAR and other forms of racing. As a privately funded event, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is owned and operated by 615GP, LLC. More information is available at www.musiccitygp.com.

Friday Night: Wesley Financial Group's Freedom Friday lineup including Brooks & Dunn, Vince Neil, Drew Green, Tyler Farr, Jamey Johnson, Chase Rice, Mark Collie and John Elefante

Saturday Night: Jon Pardi and Tim Dugger

Sunday Night: Grand Ole Prix featuring Opry members The Oak Ridge Boys plus special guests Danielle Bradbery, Callista Clark, Riley Green, and Justin Moore

About Big Machine Music City Grand Prix:
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is a three-day international festival of speed and sound featuring the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, SRO GT America, Trans Am and Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks racing series. The event aims to create a comprehensive world-class international destination event that highlights Nashville, Tenn., the Music City and the Mid-South region. It will include music, food, culture and entertainment centered on the speed, technology, skill and excitement of up-close urban INDYCAR and other forms of racing. As a privately funded event, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is owned and operated by 615GP, LLC. More information is available at
www.musiccitygp.com.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 8, 2021) – Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Ericsson started the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race airborne. By the end, he was sky high.

Ericsson overcame an early incident to turn in a masterful performance and win the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in downtown Nashville. He outlasted his teammate - six-time series champion Scott Dixon - by 1.5596 seconds for his second victory of the season. James Hinchcliffe of Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport finished third for his best effort of the season.

“It feels amazing,” said Ericsson, whose previous win this season came at Detroit. “I think it backs up what I said, that that was probably the best performance of my career to keep him behind for that long. When he pulled off behind me, I was thinking this is not going to work. We've seen all weekend how fast he's been. I'm thinking, I'm not going to be able to hold him back.

“I just went into my myself and tried to focus on where can I save most fuel where he cannot attack me, where can I push to make sure I stay ahead. I was really trying to just use all my experience to try and figure out how I was going to keep this guy behind. I was really proud of doing that. I think he definitely deserved to be on the podium, so I feel bad for him crashing. But that also showed he was pushing to the limit as well to try to get that victory.”

This could have easily been the Music City Miracle sequel as Ericsson rammed into the back of Sebastien Bourdais on a restart on Lap 5, sending his Honda airborne and likely out of contention in the 80-lap race. Ericsson had heavy damage to the nose of his car and incurred a stop-and-go penalty, but his crew got him back on track and keen team strategy suddenly placed the third-year Swedish driver in contention with the dominant polesitter, Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian.

“Got some good airtime,” Ericsson said. “I thought my race over there. Then we had to repair the car. I got a stop-and-go (penalty). We were dead last. It was all about trying to recover. I think the car got some damage, as well, from that flight. There was definitely some damage on the car."

“I thought I would try and recover as many positions as possible and have a solid, what, top 15 was sort of my game plan after that incident. Then, yeah, the team did a great job with the strategy. Pit stops were great. There were so many incidents. For sure there was a little luck there, as well, no doubt about that.”

Ericsson took the lead from rookie Romain Grosjean on Lap 56 and was well aware that Herta would be charging through the field after a pit stop dropped him to seventh. By Lap 63, Herta had passed Dixon for second and had his sights on Ericsson, who had extensive wear on his Firestone red alternate tires.

Ericsson continued to fend off all of Herta’s charges and the dramatic duel ended when Herta made contact with the Turn 9 tire for the ninth and final caution on the challenging and technical 2.17-mile temporary street course. INDYCAR officials red flagged the race at this stage to ensure a finish under green, but Dixon was unable to mount any serious runs on his teammate to steal the win in the two-lap shootout.

Nashville’s Josef Newgarden of Team Penske started 12th and finished 10th in his hometown race, 7.5286 seconds behind Ericsson.

For full race results, click here.
For the video news feed, click here.
For driver video quotes, click here.

Notes: The 27-car field was the second largest of the season, with the traditional 33-car field of the Indianapolis 500 the only one larger to date. … Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup champ in his rookie NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign, was disqualified for unapproved work to his car by his crew during the first red flag period. He completed 18 laps and finished 26th. … Dario Franchitti, a four-time INDYCAR SERIES champion and three-time Indy 500 winner, served as the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Grand Marshal and delivered the command to the drivers to start engines. The Scottish-born Franchitti spent more than a decade as a resident in the Nashville suburb of Franklin. … Robert Stout won the second race of the Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks weekend doubleheader, earning a 1.0268 margin of victory over Jacob Abel in the 11-lap race. Robby Gordon, who won Saturday’s SST race, rounded out the podium. … Bret Curtis won the second race of the GT America doubleheader while Jason Daskalos and Jeff Burton finished second and third, respectively. … Gary LeVox, lead vocals for Rascal Flatts, performed the National Anthem while 12-time Grammy Award-winner gospel singer CeCe Winans delivered the invocation prior to Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

For more information on the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, visit musiccitygp.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @musiccitygp.

About Big Machine Music City Grand Prix:
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is a three-day international festival of speed and sound featuring the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, SRO GT America, Trans Am and Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks racing series. The event aims to create a comprehensive world-class international destination event that highlights Nashville, Tenn., the Music City and the Mid-South region. It will include music, food, culture and entertainment centered on the speed, technology, skill and excitement of up-close urban INDYCAR and other forms of racing. As a privately funded event, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is owned and operated by 615GP, LLC. More information is available at www.musiccitygp.com.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 7, 2021) – Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian earned the NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position in Saturday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying for the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in downtown Nashville.

Herta, who was fastest in both practice sessions this weekend, continued to dominate the speed charts with a lap of 1 minute, 13.6835 seconds (102.601 mph) on the 2.17- mile temporary street course to secure the NTT P1 Award
and top starting position. The pole was Herta’s second of the season – the other came at St. Petersburg – and sixth of his career. He is expecting quite an opening lap in this 80-lap race featuring the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Nissan Stadium campus.

“I think this is going to be the craziest start of the year,” said Herta, who has converted his last three pole positions into victories. “We're going to be going quite quick from where the start zone is going into off-camber a second-gear corner. That's like 60 miles an hour, 70 miles an hour. So definitely, it's going to be interesting. “There's not a whole bunch of ways to bail, turn into the corner. If guys are committing three-wide, it could get a little bit messy. You're probably expecting to see something happen on the opening lap, in the opening corner.” Herta was followed by the Chip Ganassi Racing duo of six-time series champion Scott Dixon and current championship points leader Alex Palou. Dixon will start second after his lap of 1:14.2327 (101.842 mph) while Palou will start third with his lap of 1:14.6316 (101.298 mph). “This track is busy, man,” Dixon said of this technical and challenging layout. “That's the best description you can give it. There's no rest part. Even the straights are bumpy. Getting into the braking zones after the straights are really difficult because the car is really loaded, change of direction, things like that. It's a tough track.”

Rounding out the Firestone Fast Six qualifying shootout, Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi (1:14.6646 / 101.253 mph) will start fourth, Arrow McLaren SP’s Felix Rosenqvist fifth (1:15.0045 / 100.794 mph) and rookie Romain Grosjean sixth (1:15.3980 / 100.268 mph). Nashville’s Josef Newgarden of Team Penske will start 12th (1:15.5062 / 100.124 mph) in the 27-car field but incurred some misfortune in qualifying. In the second round of the three-round format, he crashed into the Turn 11 wall on his final lap. The incident caused damage to Newgarden’s car and also caused his fastest lap in the session to be invalidated for causing a local yellow condition. His invalidated lap was fast enough to have advanced him to the Firestone Fast Six. “I was just trying to make up the deficit from yesterday and today,” Newgarden said. “Pretty pumped for tomorrow. Just wish we were a little higher up. Trying to claw some performance there and just overpushed. You can’t wreck and not get penalized. That’s on me. That’s how it works.”

For full qualifying results, click here.
For the video news feeds, click here.
For driver video quotes, click here.

Sunday’s schedule will feature the NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup at Noon CT and will be followed by the second race of the weekend for both Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks (1:45 p.m.) and GT America (2:45 p.m.). The inaugural race weekend culminates with the 80-lap Big Machine Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR SERIES race beginning at 4:30 p.m. (NBCSN). The musical entertainment will be highlighted by the Grand Ole Prix concert featuring the Oak Ridge Boys on the main stage beginning at 7 p.m.

Notes: In addition to receiving the NTT P1 Award, Herta also received the Bryan Clauson Pole Award, which paid tribute to the late racer and helps promote the event’s partnership with the Tennessee Donor Services to raise
awareness for organ and tissue donation. Clauson was just 27 when he lost his life in a 2016 racing accident, but his decision to be an organ donor saved lives. His parents, Tim and Diana, and sister, Taylor McLean, were on hand to present the award. “Yeah, first time I got to meet them, which was really nice,” Herta said afterward. “I didn't know Bryan, I never got to meet him. What he was able to do in Sprint cars, even coming over to INDYCARS, is really awesome. Yeah, it was awesome to meet them. To get the Bryan Clauson Pole Award is really special; a really cool trophy that kind of remembers him. That's definitely one that will go into the trophy case.” … Palou qualified third but will start ninth Sunday, though, as he will receive a six-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after testing last month. … Mike Skeen went wire to wire to win the Trans Am race over Thomas Merrill. … Robby Gordon outdueled Matty Brabham by .5046 of a second in a dramatic final-lap dash to win the Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks race. Robert Stout finished third in the timed, 11-lap shootout. James Sofronas won the timed GT America race. … The Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge will be lit tonight and Sunday evening in red, white and blue to commemorate the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. The lighting is courtesy of the Big Machine Music City’s partnership with the Martha O’Bryan Center.

For more information on the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, visit musiccitygp.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @musiccitygp. Limited single-day grandstand seating and general admission tickets are available at musiccitygp.com/tickets, Ticketmaster.com or by calling the Tennessee Titans’ ticket office at 615-565- 4650.

About Big Machine Music City Grand Prix:
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is a three-day international festival of speed and sound featuring the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, SRO GT America, Trans Am and Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks racing series. The event
aims to create a comprehensive world-class international destination event that highlights Nashville, Tenn., the Music City and the Mid-South region. It will include music, food, culture and entertainment centered on the speed,
technology, skill and excitement of up-close urban INDYCAR and other forms of racing. As a privately funded event, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is owned and operated by 615GP, LLC. More information is available at
www.musiccitygp.com.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 6, 2021) – Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport with Curb-Aganjanian posted the fastest lap in Friday’s opening NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice for the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in downtown Nashville.

Herta recorded a lap of 1 minute, 16.5875 seconds and an average speed of 98.711 miles per hour on the 2.17-mile temporary street course that includes the Nissan Stadium campus and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge.

“We’re just getting to grips with the track,” Herta said. “Obviously, we came here with a really good package. We were fast right away, and I felt very comfortable getting up to speed."

“It’s a little nerve-wracking, the first time you have to go flat over the bridge with the bumps because the last thing you want to do is for the car to bottom and you send it into the wall on a straight; you kind of look stupid with that. The simulations we did beforehand were on point for what we expected, and it made my job a lot easier.”

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon on Chip Ganassi Racing was second with a lap of 1:16.9653 (98.226) and followed by rookie Romain Grosjean of Dale Coyne Racing with RWR at 1:17.1305 (98.016).

Nashville’s Josef Newgarden of Team Penske was 12th with a lap of 1:17.6603 (97.347).

The top six spots were Honda-powered drivers while Chevrolet was led by Arrow McLaren SP driver Felix Rosenqvist, who had the seventh-fastest lap at 1:17.2264.

For full practice results, click here.

Saturday’s schedule will be highlighted by the second NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice at Noon CT followed by qualifying/Firestone Fast Six at 3:30 p.m. Other action includes Trans Am qualifying (11 a.m.) and race (1:20 p.m.);
GT America qualifying (2:50 p.m.) and race (7:25 p.m.); and a Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks race (7:25 p.m.). The musical entertainment will feature Jon Pardi on the main stage at 8:30 p.m.

The inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is set for 4:30 p.m. Sunday live on the NBC Sports Network.

For more information on the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, visit musiccitygp.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @musiccitygp. Limited single-day grandstand seating and general admission tickets are available at musiccitygp.com/tickets, Ticketmaster.com or by calling the Tennessee Titans’ ticket office at 615-565-
4650.

About Big Machine Music City Grand Prix:
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is a three-day international festival of speed and sound featuring the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, SRO GT America, Trans Am and Crosley Stadium SUPER Trucks racing series. The event aims to create a comprehensive world-class international destination event that highlights Nashville, Tenn., the Music City and the Mid-South region. It will include music, food, culture and entertainment centered on the speed, technology, skill and excitement of up-close urban INDYCAR and other forms of racing. As a privately funded event, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is owned and operated by 615GP, LLC. More information is available at
www.musiccitygp.com.

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