Music City Grand Prix Becomes Most Watched IndyCar Race In NBC Sports History

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Marcus Ericsson crossing the finish line at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Photo: by: LAT/Big Machine Music City GP

The inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix became the most-watched NTT IndyCar Series race on cable in NBC Sports history, dating to 2009, with the highly anticipated event in Music City averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.212 million viewers on the NBC Sports Network.

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, the first new temporary street circuit on the IndyCar Series schedule since the Grand Prix of Baltimore debuted in 2011, is also believed to be the most-watched IndyCar cable race in 23 years (2.218 million–ESPN in 1998). The race, won by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson, surpassed NBC Sports’ previous cable rating record of 934,000 viewers for Mid-Ohio in 2016.

The streaming across NBC Sports’ digital platforms delivered an Average Minute Audience of 11,500 viewers, another NBC Sports record for an IndyCar race excluding the Indianapolis 500. On a local front, the city of Nashville delivered an outstanding 5.6 rating that was tops nationally. Following Nashville among the nation’s top five markets were Indianapolis (2.6), Knoxville (2.0), Greenville-Spartanburg and Louisville (both at 1.7).

Over 100,000 thousand spectators came to the temporary track this past weekend which included three days of racing and concerts.

Marcus Ericsson Wins Inaugural Big Machine Grand Prix In Exciting Fashion

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Marcus Ericsson celebrating the Big Machine Music City Grand prix win in Victory Circle. Photo: Courtesy of Elicity PR.

After three-days of racing, concerts and special ceremonies, IndyCar newcomer Marcus Ericsson walked away victorious in the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix with Scott Dixon taking second and James Hinchcliffe in third. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver took the lead around the 58th lap after a string of cautions, holding off the fastest car of the weekend and the pole winner Colton Herta and teammate Dixon.

Ericsson had one of the most improbable wins of the season so far after colliding with Sébastien Bourdais nose-first on a restart on the fifth lap of the race, launching his car into the air before hitting the pavement. He had to replace his front wing but didn’t suffer any significant damage.

“I thought my race was over there,” said Ericsson in a post-race press conference. “There was definitely some damage on the car but I thought I’d try to recover as many positions as possible and try to get top 15, which was my game plan from there.”

Ericsson was also hit with a penalty forcing him to the back of the field. However, with nine cautions and two red flags, Ericsson and others were able to fuel up and change tires without losing significant laps. He quickly found himself in first with about 20 laps to go and never looked back.

“It feels amazing,” said Ericsson. “I think it backs up what I said, that that was probably the best performance of my career to keep [Herta] behind me for that long. When he pulled off behind me, I was thinking this is not going to work. We’ve seen all weekend how fast he’s been. I’m thinking, I’m not going to be able to hold him back.”

Photo: Courtesy of Elicity PR

Herta kicked off the weekend on Friday with the fastest lap in the first practice, running a 1:1.58 lap ahead of Dixon and Alexander Rossi. Ericsson ran the fifth fastest at 1:17.21. Herta also took the second practice, running the fastest lap at 1:15.35 and showing how comfortable he was on the new course. On Saturday afternoon, he won the pole, his second of the season, with the fastest lap of 1:13.68, one half of a second difference between P2 and almost a full second faster than P3.

“The car felt really good on the [Firestone tires],” said Herta in a post-qualifier press conference on Saturday. “I feel really confident for tomorrow. The car was really stable and something I could probably take right into the race and be happy with.”

The race started over the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge but quickly went into a caution after Dalton Kellett‘s car stalled on lap two, giving just a taste of things to come as many drivers had issues with their cars stalling after cutting turns. The race was tight as many drivers had issues turning some of the corners without making contact with other drivers or the wall. Turn eight coming off the bridge, was where many drivers faced difficulties all weekend. However, Herta took advantage of turn eight and was fast off of it all day.

Herta raced brilliantly and led 39 laps, fighting his way back towards the top after falling out of the top 5. With just over 60 laps to go, Herta was in sixth but passed Romain Grosjean, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe and Dixon to take second. Herta trailed Ericsson by 1.5 seconds, but the Swedish racer continued to keep a great pace into the final 10 laps. There was fear that Ericsson was low on fuel and couldn’t push the car to the limit to keep Herta off, but that all changed when Herta went into the wall with only five laps to go.

“I feel terrible,” said Herta in a post-race interview with NBC Sports. “We had the car all weekend to win and I just threw it away. I feel really bad, but I’m okay. I know I didn’t get my hands off the wheel, but they’re okay… This [track] is brutal.”

At the end of the race, 33 laps had been driven under caution, forcing the race go later than planned and unearthing concerns as the sun went down with no proper lights for the street course. The race finished in time, though, with Ericsson winning his second career IndyCar race and picking up 51 points for the championship standings.

“I was really trying to just use all my experience to try and figure out how I was going to keep [Herta] behind me,” said Ericsson. “I was really proud of doing that. I think he definitely deserved to be on the podium so I feel bad for him crashing, but that also showed he was pushing to the limit as well to try to get that victory.”

Nashville’s Josef Newgarden of Team Penske started 12th and finished 10th in his hometown race, 7.5286 seconds behind Ericsson.

Scott Borchetta & Big Machine Take The Racing World By Storm [Interview]

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Scott Borchetta. Photo: by Nathan Morgan for BMLG

Big Machine Label Group has solidified itself as one of the top independent record labels in Nashville and in the country, discovering and signing artists like Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line and Lady A. Founder and CEO Scott Borchetta has become one of the top music executives in the industry, but this past year he and Big Machine made the leap beyond music.

Big Machine and Big Machine Distillery have become one of the biggest sponsors in motorsports over the past few years and have made huge strides in making its name in the sport. Borchetta, an avid racing fan and current driver in the Trans Am series, has taken the Big Machine name and created a whole new image for it within the racing world.

“We’re a 10-year overnight success because we’ve been sponsoring races at Indy for the last decade,” Borchetta tells The Sports Credential. “But it takes that much time and a few ‘aha’ moments. You’ve got to be patient in motorsports and you’ve got to understand how it works, what works, and what kind of products work with it. For a lot of years, I did it as a vanity thing. I just wanted us to be there.”

Borchetta started racing motocross as a 9-year-old in southern California. When he discovered he had a talent for it he started competing in BMX in its early years. From there, the next logical move would be to go to motorcycles, but Borchetta’s father wasn’t going to let that happen. At that point, he started racing quarter midgets, which he did for years. But in the mid-90s, Borchetta started racing legend cars and quickly found the success he was looking for.

“Brooks & Dunn and Mark Collie started racing legends cars, so I started racing with them and I started winning. I became the state regional champion in legends cars, and won a couple of big races, including one of those televised Charlotte Tuesday night feature races on TV,” he shares. “It was a lot of fun. I decided that if I was ever going to move up to big cars, that was the time to do it.”

Borchetta continues, “In 1998, we started racing in the super truck division at the fairgrounds in Nashville. The first season was terrible, the second season we started to look like we knew what we were doing, and then the third season I finished second in points. I won the next three championships in a row. We won my last championship on Sept. 3, 2005. I opened Big Machine on Sept. 1, 2005, so I knew that was going to be my last race.” Borchetta retired from racing as he put all of his blood, sweat, and tears into creating the now-massive BMLG.

He admits that he started racing too late in life to make a career out of it and wasn’t going to put the early stages of Big Machine in jeopardy after so much work and investment. It wasn’t until he met NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham in 2016 when Borchetta rediscovered his love for driving. Evernham invited him to race and, though weary at first, Borchetta agreed to a track day.

“I went over and did a track day with Ray, At some point he said, ‘Man, you’re pretty good. You should come and race with us.’ But I told him no,” Borchetta explains. “I was flying home thinking about it and ended up talking to my wife about it. She said, ‘Why are you even asking me? Ray wants you to come and race. You’re going to do it, so just go do it.’ That was her way of giving me her blessing. Shortly after I started racing vintage and SVRA series and we started doing really well with that. We ended up winning the group six championship.”

Borchetta currently competes in the Trans Am Series and will be at the inaugural NTT IndyCar Series Music City Grand Prix, of which Big Machine is the title sponsor. On top of that, Borchetta started his own NASCAR Xfinity Series team this year with flagship driver Jade Buford. The Big Machine NASCAR team has seen major success in its first season, racking up 11 top 20 finishes and only failing to finish four out of 18 races.

“I expected us to do this good honestly,” says Borchetta. “Buford is a very talented driver, and Patrick Donahue is a very talented crew chief. It’s taken a minute for them to learn each other, but Patrick has been very smart and protective of Jade while letting him learn the cars.” He continues, “I thought we could run this well, and I think that when I look at the rest of the season, we’re a top 15 threat every week. Once you’re a top 15 threat, you’re a top 10 threat. I can see us getting a couple of top 10 finishes before the end of the season.”

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix IndyCar being craned onto to the rooftop of the Four Seasons Private Residences Nashville. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Big Machine Label Group

Borchetta’s biggest racing event and achievement, however, will undoubtedly be the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix this weekend (Aug. 6-8). It will be set on a street course through downtown Nashville with the weekend also featuring multiple concerts, a Trans Am Series race, two SRO GT America races, and the highly anticipated IndyCar Grand Prix on Sunday.

“The idea to run downtown started 15 years ago with Joe Mattioli. Joe could never get the right people together or the right traction, but Matt Crews and I were both aware of that idea. Matt was the one who took the baton, and really came up with a great concept and we got the support. It was a great plan, and it worked.”

Once Big Machine and Borchetta’s name were attached to the event, it took off. “The requests for tickets the week leading up to the race have been nonstop,” Borchetta shares.

The hype and excitement for this Grand Prix has been equal or close to that of the Indianapolis 500, but it is the years of work from Borchetta and so many that have made this event a reality. Taking his childhood passion, Borchetta has made it into something not just for himself, but something that could grow into a legitimate business and an experience that could be shared with others.

“It’s been a ton of work, but it’s been very gratifying,” says Borchetta. “We are going to have a knock down, drag out, rock & roll Big Machine Music City Grand Prix party in the streets.”

Big Machine Racing’s Success Shines In First NASCAR Xfinity Season [Interview]

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Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 Chevrolet. Photo: by HHP/Harold Hinson.

NASCAR’s 2021 season is going down as one of the most exciting seasons in the sport’s history. The organization added seven road courses for the first time in 50 years, raced on dirt at Bristol, and made its long-awaited return to Nashville Superspeedway. NASCAR has also seen new teams in both the Xfinity and Cup Series grow and reach impressive success, bringing exciting racing to fans across the country.

One of these teams is CEO and founder of Big Machine Record Group Scott Borchetta‘s Big Machine Racing (BMR) which boasted its first-year NASCAR driver Jade Buford. BMR has racked up 11 top 20 finishes this season with Buford in the No. 48 Chevrolet and crew chief Patrick Donahue. The team’s success this season is truly amazing when you remember that this is the team’s first year, as well as Buford’s first full season driving a NASCAR stock car. Borchetta, however, is not surprised by their quick success.

“I expected us to do this good, honestly. Jade’s a very talented driver and Patrick is a very talented crew chief,” says Borchetta. “I thought we could run this well, and I think that when I look at the rest of the season, we’re a top 15 threat every week. Once you’re a top 15 threat, you’re a top 10 threat. I can see us getting a couple of top 10 finishes before the end of the season.”

Out of the 18 races Buford has driven in so far, he has only failed to finish four times, even scoring a top 10 start at the Lottery 250 at the Nashville Superspeedway in June. Buford, a 33-year-old Brentwood native, has been racing most of his life in sports cars and in the Porsche Club of America Racing. As he shares with The Sports Credential, his transition from sports cars to NASCAR was quite the difficult one.

“This is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done,” says Buford. “Every weekend is kind of a big question mark. ‘How’s this going to go? Is it going to come easy or is this going to be pretty difficult to learn on the fly especially with no practice and no qualifying?’”

Jade Buford. Photo: by HHP/Chris Owens.

Even with the uncertainty, Buford is proud of what he and the BMR team have done so far in their inaugural season. He is currently sitting at No. 23 in the Xfinity Series Driver’s Poll out of 66 who have competed this season. NASCAR is a difficult sport to compete in, not to mention to see consistent and positive results. However, the Nashville-based team is doing just that.

“It’s been pretty incredible. Watching the team grow has definitely been really cool to be a part of from the ground up,” Buford shares. “I think it’s a pretty impressive transformation. Then to rack up 11 top 20 finishes… We exceeded our expectations, if nothing else.”

Buford and Borchetta met at the Circuit of the Americas track in 2018 racing sports cars, sharing a plane ride home back to Nashville. They quickly became friends as Borchetta invited him to race Enduro motorbikes, soon putting him behind the wheel of an Xfinity car. Borchetta knew Buford had talent and wanted to give him the chance to race in NASCAR fulltime.

“I think it’s all driven by talent. If you don’t have the talent, what do you have?” explains Borchetta. “While we sponsored other drivers and race teams, [Buford] was someone who was super talented but wasn’t going to get a shot which led to me sponsor him for some races last year in Xfinity. We got to the end of the year and I knew he deserved a chance to drive full time.”

Starting a NASCAR team was not a longtime plan-in-the-making for Borchetta, but actually came about from the opportunities that had come his way. With a driver like Buford, an experienced crew chief like Donahue, and Borchetta’s passion and knowledge of the sport, he felt that BMR might be able to give the NASCAR Xfinity Series a shot.

“There wasn’t a premeditated idea to start our own team at any point, but I’ve always loved the idea,” admits Borchetta. “Once we started going through the opportunities, I went to Jade and Patrick Donahue, and said, ‘What if we just start our own team? We know how to race. We can figure out the rest of this.’ From there, the stars aligned. It’s unreal what happened from the time we decided to do it–getting the cars, getting the team together, and putting the race cars on the track. I was already was looking in our advertising budget and was going to allocate that much to Jade’s sponsorship. Looking at all the numbers, for not that much more we could go by our own assets and have our own team and be in full control. So that was the decision.”

This Sunday, Aug. 8, NASCAR returns after its break to race at the historic Watkins Glen International road course, a track that Buford won at in 2018 when he raced in the Pirelli World Challenge in the Mustang GT4. It’s a track he loves and one that he’s been waiting for all year.

“I hope we unload well. If we do, we should have our best day of the year there,” says Buford. “I’ve had a lot of success there. It’s a track I’m really familiar with, and Patrick and I have already talked about what we really want to do there.”

With the season more than halfway finished and 14 races to go, Buford and the Big Machine Racing team have already proven they can race and compete at the professional level. However, Borchetta had no plans of being a one-shot deal or a “one hit wonder.”

“Oh, yeah, we’re not here to visit,” Borchetta states. “We’re here to stay.”

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Announces $100,000 Contest For Fans

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The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has launched the $100,000 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Freeplay Challenge hosted by Action 247. The contest will run leading up to the 2021 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Aug. 8 in downtown Nashville.

Founded in 2020, Action 247 is a Nashville-based, Tennessee sportsbook offering a wide variety of sports betting games with a world-class customer experience. Fans can enter the contest by visiting the Action 247 website and making 10 picks before the race begins on Sunday afternoon.

“Our partnership with Action 247 gives our fans a great opportunity to be a part of the race while getting a shot at a $100,000 cash prize,” says CEO of Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Matt Crews. “This freeplay contest, like our event and our partners at Action 247, is entertainment that only Music City can serve up.”

“We are ecstatic to partner with such an incredible event, and the $100,000 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Freeplay Challenge will be a key part of the weekend action. We’re Nashville-based and Tennessee’s only locally owned and operated sportsbook, so it means a lot to be part of such a massive event in our hometown” says Tina Hodges, Action 247’s president.

Players that make every pick correctly will share a $100,000 cash prize. The contest will officially begin on Aug. 3.

Trackhouse Racing Adds Ross Chastain For The 2022 Cup Season

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The Nashville-based Trackhouse Racing has announced Ross Chastain as the team’s second driver starting in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season alongside Daniel Suárez. Chastain currently drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, who was bought by Trackhouse in June. The purchase opened the door for Trackhouse to add a second driver to the team.

“Ross is a young, aggressive driver that we believe has the talent to win races at the Cup Series level,” says Founder and Owner Justin Marks. “We think his personality and work ethic will fit perfectly with Daniel as we build our organization for the 2022 season and beyond.”

In 101 Cup races, Chastain has driven for Premium Motorsports, Spire Motorsports, and Roush Fenway Racing before he was signed to a full-time ride driving the No. 42 Camaro with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. In 22 races this season, driving what is considered the best ride so far in his young career, Chastain has posted two top-five finishes, including a runner-up finish at Nashville Superspeedway and seven top 10 finishes.

“This is another dream come true for me,” says Chastain. “Trackhouse is one of the most interesting organizations in the garage. The enthusiasm they bring off the track and the program they are building on the track is exciting. Working with Daniel and Justin, however I can, is my number one priority. I know that I can help build our Chevrolets to be as strong as possible.”

Trackhouse Racing, a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group, was founded in 2020 by Marks. In October of 2020, Trackhouse announced it would field the No. 99 in the NASCAR Cup Series with Suárez behind the wheel. Trackhouse Racing formed an operational alliance with legendary Richard Childress Racing operating out of Welcome, North Carolina. In January of 2021, Trackhouse announced musical artist Pitbull as a co-owner and transcendent ambassador.

“I am very happy with the selection of Ross as a teammate next year,” says Suárez. “He brings a lot to the table. I am looking forward to start working with him and making our two Trackhouse cars as fast as possible. I know we are going to win races.”

Suárez will continue to drive the No. 99 in 2022 while Chastain will take over the No. 1 that has visited victory lane 22 times in Cup racing history.

Big Machine Debuts Borchetta Bourbon Ahead Of Music City Grand Prix

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On the heels of IndyCar’s return to Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, Big Machine Distillery is paying homage to Nashville’s earliest known IndyCar race with the debut of Borchetta Bourbon, a limited release, cask-strength, single barrel bourbon.

Big Machine Distillery, owned by music mogul Scott Borchetta and operated by his brother Mark Borchetta, have a decades-long passion for motorsports. After Nashville-based mega-brand Big Machine was announced as the title sponsor of the Music City Grand Prix earlier this year, launching a limited-edition cask strength bourbon was the perfect way for the Borchetta family to commemorate the sport’s return to the city.

“The initial idea and vision for Big Machine Distillery was based on the desire to have a proper Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey, as all things Big Machine have been born in Tennessee,” says Scott Borchetta. “Today that vision is realized with Borchetta Bourbon. It honors our family name, it was distilled at our central distillery in Lynnville, Tennessee, and it highlights the genius of our master distiller Clayton Cutler. Mark has gone to great lengths and personally picked one-of-a-kind barrels that are exclusive to this release. For fans of extraordinary brown spirits, this limited run is not to be missed.”

The bourbon’s uniquely designed bottle is adorned with a photo of one of Nashville’s earliest known open-wheel races held at Tennessee State Fairgrounds Speedway in 1911. Topping each hand-numbered bottle is a bronze collectible replica of the Marmon Wasp, the winning car from the very first 500-mile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway held that same year.

The extremely limited allocation of Borchetta Bourbon will be available to Big Machine Music City Grand Prix suite holders and sold in select stores throughout Middle Tennessee ahead of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, as well as in Indiana for the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Oak Ridge Boys To Headline Show After Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

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The Oak Ridge Boys. Photo: Chris Hollo

Country Music Hall of Fame inductees The Oak Ridge Boys are set to headline the Grand Ole Prix show following the NTT IndyCar Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 8. Alan Jackson was originally set to headline the show but had to dropout due to tour-related travel logistics.

“We are honored and, to be quite honest, very excited about performing in Nashville after the Grand Prix,” says The Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall. “Thank you Grand Ole Opry for inviting us to take part in this historical event. Let’s go racing, Nashville!”

The Nashville-based Opry has rarely in its history taken its iconic show outside its home venue and is proud to include The Oak Ridge Boys in such a special night. Danielle Bradbery, Callista Clark, Riley Green, and Justin Moore are also scheduled to perform. The Opry show at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will close out the three-day festival, where fans and attendees will get a chance to experience the true heart of Nashville, as the Opry has been home to country music for 95 years.

Sunday night’s show will start at 7:00 p.m. and will take place on the Main Stage, adjacent to the Fan Zone and sponsor display area near the pedestrian bridge. All concerts are included with individual tickets and three-day passes. Limited single-day grandstand tickets, general admission tickets, and festival add-ons can still be bought on the Grand Prix’s website.

The Oak Ridge Boys’ new album Front Porch Singin’ is available now from Lightning Rod/Thirty Tigers. This is the group’s fourth collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. The Oak Ridge Boys also recently released the music video for their single “Love, Light, and Healing” from their new album which premiered on CMT and was directed by Brandon Wood of IndieBling.