As a new fan of IndyCar during the 2024 season, it hasn't been very difficult to fall absolutely in love with the sport. After I attended the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, it was a no-brainer to add at least one more IndyCar race to my calendar this season. The level of access, welcoming environment, proximity to the cars, technology, teams, and even drivers makes IndyCar stand out from the rest when it comes to racing in North America.
When attending Long Beach, the FanAmp team and Barista Josh attended in a Media capacity - which we replicated for Nashville with a few added 'friends' - the queens of IndyCar content creation Track Talk. Before we get started, while FanAmp attended as media, ANY fan can have VERY close to the level of access that media has to races... A point that makes IndyCar stand out in a world of Formula 1 races where paddock passes go for $10K+.
Our team was lucky enough to be hosted by a very unique property in Downtown Nashville - Placemakr Premier SoBro. Before I sing the praises of this hotel (and there are many), I suggest that IndyCar fans stay in Downtown Nashville, rather than closer to the Nashville Superspeedway (actually located in Lebanon, Tennessee). Part of the unique and exciting nature of attending the IndyCar Season Finale in Nashville, is the city of Nashville itself. Staying in the heart of Nashville gives you direct access to the music, sights, sounds, and food of the town - and it is very easy to get to the track (which I will discuss later in this article)!
Placemakr is not your typical hotel that you'd find in Downtown Nashville - they offer a unique style of living in Apartment-style units. Each member of the team stayed in a different style of Studio/ 1-Bedroom unit boasting beautiful city views, balconies, full kitchens, and an expansive living space.
With your stay, you will also have access to all building amenities including a pool, hot tub, LARGE gym, sauna, indoor lounge space, and meeting rooms. Returning to our rooms after long days at the track to a space that actually felt like a home rather than a tiny hotel room ensured we were relaxed and comfortable the entire stay.... and if you've ever been to a race (whether IndyCar or F1), you know how important it is to feel relaxed and comfortable in your space.
The best part of our stay was the proximity of Placemakr to Broadway's restaurants and bars and all of the IndyCar events downtown. It was mere steps away from events such as the Pit Stop challenge and the Bridgestone Building where we attended a media event.
If you're looking to attend the IndyCar Nashville Grand Prix next year - book your stay with Placemakr Premier SoBro!
One of the unique parts of attending an IndyCar race as media is the ability to attend special events.
On Thursday afternoon, Barista Josh and the FanAmp team were invited to a press conference hosted by Bridgestone, Firestone, and IndyCar to affirm a continuing partnership between Firestone and IndyCar through 2030 as the series' tire provider.
Along with cameos from the Firestone Firehawk, IndyCar drivers Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon as well as IndyNXT driver Jamie Chadwick helped the corporate teams announce the contract extension. We were able to grab time with Jamie to discuss her IndyNXT season and what her goals are for break and next season:
The most exciting part of this entire experience was the ability to ride in street-legal IndyCar 2-seaters. Personally, this was a dream of mine for the season... and what a better way to get this opportunity than racing through Downtown Nashville in the rain to kick off the finale weekend!
Although this was an event specific to creators and media, fans could watch the rides go through Nashville for hours through Thursday afternoon! A taste of the weekend to come!
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday a large portion of our days were to be spent on track. While we had parking provided through IndyCar, there are a number of options for IndyCar fans looking to get to and from the track.
Renting a car is the option we opted to choose as we needed to be at the track early in the day and on media day (Friday). You can choose to rent a car from the Nashville Airport or in Nashville itself at the car rental hub of 3100 Charlotte Ave. For Thursday - Monday a rental was about $200.
The drive itself is 40-45 minutes from Downtown Nashville. This time did not vary by much, even when accounting for traffic. Although the circuit seems to be far from Downtown, the drive is easy and there is plentiful parking at the track and you can reserve a spot for $100 for the entire weekend.
The Music City Grand Prix offered a shuttle between Downtown Nashville and the Music City Grand Prix for $35 round trip each day or $60 round trip if bought as a package. Although our team did not take the shuttle, it was a popular way to get to and from the Superspeedway for fans!
As with any other race, you could take an Uber or Lyft to the track, HOWEVER, the Rideshare pick-up and drop-off point was a HIKE from the entrance to the circuit for many fans. If you choose to rideshare, you should consider paying for the shuttle instead.
On Friday of the Music City Grand Prix the teams generally partake in most of their media obligations as well as get their drivers ready for the weekend including track walks and engineering meetings.
Our team was lucky enough to have time scheduled with Pato O'Ward from Arrow McLaren, Pietro Fittipaldi from Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Jack Harvey from Dale Coyne, and Will Power from Team Penske (championship contender).
We arrived to the track at 11:30 AM to pick up our badges from the IndyCar credential center and drove to the infield for team and media parking. Every track has a very different paddock and media setup. While Long Beach had a massive paddock and media center inside of a convention center, Nashville's paddock was much smaller with all garages connected to each other and a very small media center.
On Friday, the much more condensed paddock was not an issue as we were amongst some of the only non-team members in attendance.
With the paddock being... less than busy, it was easy to run into friends and drivers alike in the IndyCar world. HOWEVER, nothing could've prepared us for the man we came face to face with towards the end of our day.
Logan Sargeant.
While this isn't news, seeing our favorite ex-F1 driver in the Nashville Paddock was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
The FanAmp team opted to not take part in the media pen... which is exactly what it sounds like. Drivers are placed into a pen that is surrounded by various types of media including traditional broadcast media, print writers with their voice recorders, and some of your favorite creators such as MakLovesMotorsport!
This particular media pen was held at The Nashville Underground on Broadway on the top floor of a multi-story entertainment space. This is where we met up with Championship Contender and 2x Title Holder Will Power.
This space was also used for a fan festival during/after the media pen hosted by the Music City Grand Prix. While our team didn't stay for these festivities, if you want to learn more about activities for IndyCar Fans in Nashville or Track Talk Live (the event that we hosted Friday night!) check out that article here [COMING SOON].
Saturday was a packed schedule for EVERYONE at the speedway. Not only were there 2 practice sessions and Qualifying for IndyCar - there were those same sessions for IndyNXT!
It's important to note that there was severe rain immediately following IndyCar Qualifying, so sessions were delayed.
Our team, admittedly watched only Qualifying as Free Practice 1 was very early in the day and Free Practice 2 was severely delayed by rain (thanks to the Hurricane)!
We watched Qualifying from the Pit Lane, which many people with paddock passes on Saturday could do! It was incredible watching the teams and cars prepare just under our feet for their two fastest laps of the weekend! AND of course Kyle Kirkwood's POLE!
We, also, took some time to chat with Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske about his qualifying performance (with a 9 place penalty applied), and helped him set up a heist to 'steal' the championship from Alex Palou and Will Power. Spoiler alert - It didn't work...
However, the one place for fans to watch Saturday (and Sunday) that is an incredible view of the entire oval is the GIANT grandstand across the track from the paddock.
From the grandstand you quite literally have a view of the entire oval -especially in the higher rows. If you're investing in a 2 day pass ($130), pay a bit extra for the higher rows!
General admission is also a good place to watch the track, but only the parts directly in front of you. As a fan, I'd spend a bit extra to have a seat in the grandstand!
Compared to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the fan zone and activities were much smaller, but still high quality! The fan zone was located next to the grandstand and had a number of pop-ups including Instax for commemorative photos, a merch store, food and beverage stands, and games.
However, the biggest draw of going to the fanzone were the concert stages! Nashville IS Music City and this IS the Music City Grand Prix, so there was a full festival lineup including the lead singer of Rascall Flats, Daughtry, and Diplo!
Unfortunately, after the sessions on Saturday, there would have been a meet and greet for the Indy NXT drivers, but due to rain and FP2 being pushed - this event was cancelled.
Want to learn about other activities in Nashville at the IndyCar Finale? Check out our article INCLUDING Track Talk Live [COMING SOON].
It's finally race day! Final race of the season! This day was pretty straightforward - IndyNXT race, IndyCar pre-race, IndyCar race, PODIUM!
Only caveat... there was something VERY exciting planned for the fans in the morning...
Bright and early at 9:30 AM Sunday morning, the drivers and teams held a meet and greet to meet every fan who wanted pictures, things signed, and a GREAT TIME.
EVERY fan regardless of ticket type can meet any driver they desire. You heard that right…. EVERY FAN and EVERY DRIVER.
We even heard that after the time was up, Josef Newgarden STAYED to meet every fan.
Before the race, our team spent time walking around the paddock and watching the teams set up for the race (which was an afternoon race). All of the drivers were milling about the paddock and excitement was HIGH.
There were dozens of fans in the paddock and paddock pass upgrades were priced at around $100 if you want this experience!
At around 1:00 PM (an hour or so before the race), the cars and drivers were sent out to the grid. Even if you don't have a paddock pass, fans opted to stand at the exit of the paddock... but that's not all.
If you had a paddock pass upgrade, they allowed you onto the grid during the lineup while the driver intros were happening! While our team was allowed to stay on the grid a bit longer than others due to our media access, fans can get up close and personal to the cars AND walk on the track JUST before the race. Simultaneously, for fans who stayed at the grandstands and fan zone, Diplo played a set and led driver intros!
Although we had passes to watch the race from the pit, I will say it is a much better vantage point at the Nashville Superspeedway to watch from the grandstands. That being said, we crossed the field and joined the MASSIVE crowd to watch the race with all of the fans!
The view was incredible, even in the lower rows you could easily see the entire track (with a bit of head turning). Additionally the tracking tower that lists the order of cars was directly in front of the grandstand, so you could follow who was leading!
Personally, my group had many Andretti and Colton fans with us, so we enjoyed the race. We especially enjoyed watching the man operating the flags directly to our right - I'm not exaggerating when I say its IMPRESSIVE.
One caveat of getting around the Nashville Superspeedway is that you have to take a shuttle to get from the grandstand to the infield paddock. Now, this only took us about 10 minutes, but we did hear that it took others upwards of 30 minutes to get around, so if you do want to go back and forth - BUDGET TIME.
Although you technically need paddock or media passes to enter the podium - located adjacent to the pits and paddock - they were allowing ANY fan into the podium ceremony!
They led with Alex Palou's IndyCar Championship trophy and followed with the podium ceremony for the Music City Grand Prix (Colton Herta, Pato O'Ward, and Josef Newgarden).
Thank you for following along on this experience with the FanAmp Team! We hope to see you at future IndyCar Races!
1. Want to learn more about the IndyCar Grid? IndyCar Grid Guide
2. Want to learn about attending an IndyCar Race? Fan Guide: IndyCar Tickets
3. Already an IndyCar fan and want somewhere to connect with other fans? Join our Track Talk Base
4. We hosted TRACK TALK LIVE at this race! Check out our experience hosting this event: [COMING SOON]
