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.