Ever been to Lebanon, Tennessee?
How about neighboring Mt. Juliet?
You’ll find a tremendous number of good, hospitable people looking to welcome you into these small towns, with clean hotels and plenty of restaurants to serve you meals.
It’s not Nashville and that’s exactly the point, but they do have a gem of a small oval racetrack and this past weekend they did a heck of a job in hosting the NTT IndyCar Series final race of the season which saw Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta win for the first time on an oval in his career while also crowning Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou with his third series championship in four years on a track that makes open wheel race fans forget all about street racing rather quickly.
To add some perspective, it’s necessary to look at just how the Nashville Superspeedway became the alternative track for this year’s successful IndyCar finale which saw the competitors traveling at nearly 200 mph on a 1.3-mile banked oval.
After being staged as a street race from 2021 through 2023, promoter Scott Borchetta had to move the event to the Nashville Superspeedway due to the construction of the new Nissan Stadium which accommodates the Tennessee Titans, which prohibited the use of the area surrounding the construction site of the stadium as part of the temporary street course.
Recognizing the dilemma, Borchetta who has been the driving force behind this event since day one, shifted the race to the nearby oval and as a result, far better racing was enjoyed by those in attendance, which is what exactly can occur when you switch from a temporary street course to a fast banked oval, one that also hosted several IndyCar Races previously from the years 2001 to 2008.
Many wondered how moving the race to the oval would impact attendance, and l would argue the difference was not as significant others predicted, considering that many of those included in the calculation of total attendance for the previous street races did not purchase a ticket, but rather flocked into the downtown Nashville area for the parties and festivities.
That fact itself lends to how IndyCar can balance great oval racing with the nightlife of the Music City and offer the best of both worlds to those who want either faction.
The fancier hotels, bars and restaurants can still provide the ambience while filling their coffers, and great oval track racing can be enjoyed by everyone, not just purists like myself who don’t need the gimmick of IndyCars motoring over a bridge above a body of water as part of a course that just doesn’t lend to the type of great racing that’s provided at the oval venue.
While the aforementioned stadium construction originally presented a dilemma in terms of the party IndyCar had planned for the street event, it actually caused a change that produced far better racing while serving as a capable stage for both better competition and a suitable venue in which to crown the NTT Series Champion before a gathering of highly appreciate race fans who prefer the oval format.
Notes: Alex Palou entered a select group of drivers when collecting the third Astor Cup of his incredible driving career at Ganassi Racing.
The affable Spainard has not only established himself as the one to beat, he’s raised the proverbial bar in terms of talent and consistency.
Lost in the excitement of the Palou coronation was a splendid duel between Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward down the stretch, which saw Herta collect the first oval win of his career. Herta, who resides in the Nashville area expressed both the significant joy and relief related to finally conquering an oval event.
The charismatic O’Ward finished second with yet another Nashville resident Josef Newgarden rounding out the podium in third place.
Will Power entered the day as the only threat to overtake Palou for the championship but quickly fell behind after having to pit early due to his seat belt popping loose, thereby compromising his safety and ability to remain amongst the leaders. Power would fall five laps behind due to the unfortunate pit stop and never regained position.
As with every off-season in the NTT IndyCar Series, there are always driver changes and after running his last race for Arrow McLaren, Alexander Rossi is a free agent. The talented but sometimes mercurial Rossi has an Indy 500 win on his resume and should announce soon where he’ll be hanging his helmet in 2025.
It’s worth mentioning again that no one works harder than Scott Borchetta in terms of promoting an IndyCar race. His resiliency and financial commitment to the Music City Grand Prix is unmatched and he is without question, solely responsible for salvaging the event after it appeared to be in trouble due to the construction surrounding the original street circuit format.
IndyCar could use more promoters like him as he’s a great partner.
Danny Bridges, who knows a good oval event when he sees one, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
