IndyCar: Dario Franchitti named Grand marshal for Nashville race
INDYCAR SERIES legend Dario Franchitti has been named to the Grand Marshal honorary position for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR Series race on Sunday, Aug. 8.
Franchitti will give the official “start your engines” command to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES starting driver field prior to the green flag for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the temporary street circuit in downtown Nashville and around the Nissan Stadium campus (4:30 p.m. CT, NBCSN).
“Taking a sport that I love to a wonderful city and area that I called home for over a decade is a perfect match and I’m honored to be the Grand Marshal for the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix,” said Franchitti, who lived in the Nashville suburb of Franklin. “The NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers and teams will put on a cracking show and with my friend, Scott Borchetta, involved as the title sponsor I’m sure this event will be a huge success.”
Over an illustrious 17-season career that began in 1997, Franchitti’s accomplishments are highlighted by four INDYCAR SERIES championships (2007, ’09, ’10 and ’11) and three victories in the iconic Indianapolis 500 race (2007, ’10, ’12). He won his first series crown and Indy 500 with Andretti-Green Racing in 2007 and the other three series championships and two Indy 500s driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Franchitti recorded 31 wins and 33 poles in 265 career starts and ranks among the top 10 in the sport’s history in wins (10th-tie), poles (8th) and laps led (8th with 4,579). He retired followed the 2013 season.
Franchitti, a 48-year-old native of Edinburgh, Scotland, was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in 2017 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2019.
He remains active in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as a team advisor for Chip Ganassi Racing.
The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will be a three-day urban festival of racing and music from Aug. 6-8 featuring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, GT America, Trans Am Series and Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Trucks. The musical entertainment is highlighted by nightly on-site concerts featuring Brooks & Dunn, Jon Pardi and Alan Jackson, among others. All tickets inlcude access to concerts each day on any stage. Ticket packages and limited single-day tickets are available. Please visit musiccitygp.com/tickets or ticketmaster.com for more information or to purchase today