IndyCar: Sunday Morning Report from the Music City GP
It is race day in Nashville for the Music City GP NTT IndyCar Series and the INDY NXT by Firestone races. Let’s catch up.
After a very wet day yesterday, the weather today looks better for today. It will be almost 90 degrees by race time for the IndyCars, but it should be dry. Rain is predicted for early morning but that could miss the racetrack.
Scott McLaughlin will start from pole for the 2nd year in a row,
The race here the last two years has been so crazy, we do not think anyone can imagine or plan what will happen today. Could we have more yellow laps than green ones? Will the drivers settle down, and will the race be run entirely green from start to finish?
Doubtful, IndyCar drivers love to crash into each other and the walls.
Scott McLaughlin, the pole sitter for today’s race, has several plans for executing the race. Maybe plan A to Z. No one knows how things will play out until the green flag drops at 11:23 am CT.
The restart zone for single file restarts has been moved to between Turn 9 and Turn 10. This should allow drivers to accelerate on the straightaway and not in a turn. And maybe save on some yellow flags.
Next year will be a different layout for the track on the streets of downtown Nashville. Due to the building of a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans, we are being moved to a new location, including racing down Broadway, a main street in downtown where various other events occur weekly. The Korean War Veterans Bridge will still be part of the track.
Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi commented on the new venue that we will be running next September.
“The new layout should be calmer, but it all comes down to corner widths and radii and where the bumps and trick parts are. I am honestly surprised that this race is such a disaster.”
“If you look at it compared to Detroit this year, it is not that much tighter. If anything, it is not as tight as Detroit, And Detroit was a good race. It had some issues but ultimately, it was a good race. I do not understand why we can not drive normally here.”
“Having the race, next year on Broadway, is the next best thing to F1 in Las Vegas. Where else can you have the energy and excitement and the interest in motorsports than on Broadway in Nashville? It is pretty awesome.”
Marcus Ericsson, the 2021 winner of this race, is also pumped about having Nashville be the final race of the season next year.
“The heart of IndyCar racing is in the Midwest. I love going over to the West Coast and race there. Portland and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca are a great part of the championship and really fun races. To end the season there doesn’t feel the same energy as coming here for the season finale.”
“When I heard about it, I thought this will be good. Crazy but good.”
Today’s race is scheduled to start at 11:30 am.
Lucille Dust reporting live from Nashville