After many attempts, Nashville native Josef Newgarden has finally won the legendary Indianapolis 500, etching his name into motorsports history.

Newgarden is already considered a NTT IndyCar great, winning two race championships, but had never won “the Greatest Spectacle in Racing” until now.

His win came in the final lap, when he dramatically passed 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson on the back straightaway with an outside move just before Turn Three and snaked down the front straightaway to victory in the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet.

Ericsson fell just .0974 of a second short of becoming the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2002. It was the fourth-closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

“Everyone just kept asking me why I haven’t won this race,” Newgarden said. “They [look] at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it. I wanted to win it so bad. I knew we could. I knew we were capable. It’s a huge team effort, as everybody knows. I’m so glad to be here.”

Like always, it was an exciting and intense race, especially in the final 20 laps or so, which saw tons of red flags and huge accidents. There were also 52 lead changes, the third-highest total in Indianapolis 500 history.

Indy 500 rookie Benjamin Pedersen was the top finisher among the four rookies in the field, after being eliminated from the race in a late multi-car accident. That incident triggered the last of the event-record three competition-related red flags, all in the final 15 laps of the race.

The scintillating finish came in a one-lap showdown for victory after the third red flag. Pedersen, the No. 33 Bitnile.com Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter and the No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet of Graham Rahal were collected in a chain-reaction collision on a Lap 196 restart after the second red flag.

After the incident was cleaned up, the remaining cars returned to the track from pit lane on Lap 199 behind the hardtop convertible Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Pace Car, which peeled off the track at the end of that lap to create the last-lap dash for glory.

Ericsson got a big jump on the restart with the green and white flags in the air and led in Turns One and Two on the 2.5-mile oval. But Newgarden gained ground in Turn Two and darted to the outside on the back straightaway with the crowd of more than 300,000 on their feet in rapture.

Newgarden powered past Ericsson, clearing his rival just before entering Turn Three. It appeared Ericsson looked to return the favor on the front straight, but Newgarden used the same snaking driving maneuver to hold him back. It was only the third time in Indy 500 history a driver used a last-lap pass to win.

“I was just trying to stay locked in,” Newgarden said. “I was emotional the last 10 laps because I knew we were in a position to fight for this win at the end. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew it was going to come to some last-lap shootout like it always is these days, which is exciting but stressful for us.”

With the win, Newgarden also took home a huge cash prize earning $3.666 million from a total purse of $17,021,500.

After record-breaking payouts in 2022, this is the largest purse and largest winner’s payout in the century-plus history of “the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The year’s average payout for NTT IndyCar Series drivers was $500,600, which also exceeds last year’s average of $485,000.

Newgarden will split $20,000 with Team Penske and his chosen charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network and Wags and Walks Nashville, for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

Fans can see the Music City native and Indy 500 winner on Aug. 4-6, when the NTT IndyCar Series races through the streets of Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.

The third annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has revealed its lineup for the Freedom Friday Tribute Concert, presented by Wesley Mortgage. Artists slated to perform include Chris Janson, Brian Kelley, Vince Neil of Motley Crue, Gavin DeGraw and other special guests, along with Sixwire.

The show will take place on Friday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. on the Zyn Main Stage on the Nissan Stadium campus. Local media personality Kelly Sutton will serve as the event emcee.

The Freedom Friday concert will honor members of the military, police, fire, first responders and frontline heroes on the opening day of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix’s three-day festival of motorsports and music in downtown Nashville. The 160th Special Ops Aviation Regiment will perform a helicopter aerial demonstration and a pre-concert flyover by the 101st Airborne Division. In addition, Wesley Mortgage will be providing free rides on the Ferris Wheel all weekend.

“We are proud to partner with Wesley Mortgage to honor the heroes who serve and protect us on a daily basis—and excited to announce our Freedom Friday line-up,” says Jason Rittenberry, President & COO, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. “This is a small token of appreciation to those in the service that allow us to live lives of safety and freedom—and enjoy events like this year’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.”

Other artists slated to perform during the day are American Blonde, Jillian Cardarelli, Connor McCutcheon, Ryan Griffin and Zoee on the iHeart Music Stage, located in the Fan Zone.

All active and retired military members as well as first responders (law enforcement, fire fighters, EMTs and frontline medical workers) are eligible to receive free admission for up to four (4) general admission tickets for a full day of racing from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights, GT America, Trans Am Series and Stadium SUPER Trucks along with the tribute concert. Those eligible, can use a Wesley Mortgage Freedom Friday link to receive tickets.

The Nashville Superspeedway has a handful of new entertainment and ticketing options ahead of this summer’s NASCAR triple-header weekend which includes exclusive, premium hospitality areas and a local bands competition.

“This is more than a weekend of NASCAR racing, this is an opportunity to experience the best and most exciting entertainment in Music City,” says Nashville Superspeedway General Manager Matt Greci. “We’re delighted to match the ever-growing demand from our fans for elevated offerings, and this year’s options present a can’t-miss opportunity to go behind the scenes for a weekend with NASCAR’s finest.”

Winners of the local bands competition will be compensated while also receiving an offer to perform a 45-minute set on the Fan Zone stage.

Bands and musicians interested in entering the competition can click here to register today for a chance to play in front of thousands at Nashville Superspeedway. Preference will be given to applications submitted prior to May 19. Prospective participants must submit a video recording (ex. Electronic Press Kit  and live performance) to be considered for an audition.

All performances will take place on the Fan Zone stage, which is located in front of Nashville Superspeedway and is easily accessible. Bands and musicians of any age and genre can participate in the competition.

Notable performers during Nashville Superspeedway’s previous NASCAR weekends include Charles Esten, HunterGirl, Jeverson, Daves Highway, Reyna Roberts, Noah Hicks, A Thousand Horses, Brandon Lay, Resurrection – A Journey Tribute, Kylie Frey, Leaving Lennox, Taryn Papa and Tyler Rich.

The premium ticket options for this year’s race are also new and offer exclusive experiences that make the Ally 400 a special event on the NASCAR calendar. Here are the exclusive hospitality spaces available:

Pit Road Club, an open-air hospitality space with shared lounge seating and a rooftop viewing deck. Guests will also have access to exclusive climate-controlled areas. Located in the infield and just beyond pit road on Turn One, is a remarkable setting and provides unparalleled vantage points of the race.

• Includes: Sunday pre-race driver’s meeting, all-inclusive food and beverages from opening until one hour post-scheduled green flag (cash bar one hour after actual green flag), Sunday Pre-Race Track Pass, access to Parker McCollum’s pre-race concert and driver introductions, one Infield parking pass per four tickets purchased, premium appetizers, entrees, desserts, snacks, domestic beer, seltzer, soda and water.

Green Room Lounge, a high-end, climate-controlled hospitality space with an open-concept tent consisting of indoor and outdoor lounge seating on action-packed Turn Four. This exclusive hospitality area also features a patio deck.

• Includes: Sunday Pre-Race Track Pass, access to McCollum’s pre-race concert and driver introductions, one VIP Gate One parking pass per four tickets purchased, all-inclusive food and beverages from opening until one hour post-scheduled green flag (cash bar one hour after actual green flag), premium appetizers, entrees, desserts, snacks, domestic beer, seltzer, soda and water.

Turn Four Terrace, a space which provides semi-private, open-air chalets with open stadium seating. Adjacent shared lounge spaces are available to enjoy with fellow race fans. Cooling misters will keep guests refreshed during all of the race day thrills.

• Includes: Sunday Pre-Race Track Pass, access to McCollum’s pre-race concert and driver introductions, one VIP Gate One parking pass per four tickets purchased, all-inclusive food and beverages from opening until one hour post-scheduled green flag (cash bar one hour after actual green flag), premium appetizers, entrees, desserts, snacks, domestic beer, seltzer, soda and water.

Available for groups of any size or individual parties, these premium areas can be purchased by contacting Austin Hahn at ahahn@nashvillesuperspeedway.com or 615.289.2631. Pricing starts at $1,400.

IndyCar season is underway and the third annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is gearing back up for its busy weekend between Aug. 4-6 with tons of new additions to the festivities as well as a night time race under the lights.

When putting together a massive weekend event like this, there is a lot work to do, especially in the preparation aspect. Three years in, Music City Grand Prix (MCGP) President & COO Jason Rittenberry and his team are still working around the calendar to improve, enhance and make this race weekend one of the best and most unique in IndyCar.

“The biggest difference between years two and three and years two and one is that we really took a step back and looked at what worked, what didn’t work,” said Rittenberry in an interview with The Sports Credential. “From year one to year two, we didn’t change a whole lot because we didn’t feel like with just one year, with it being an inaugural year, being such an anomaly, being the first major event back after Covid, we didn’t feel that we could make judgements and decisions on things that worked or not after one year.

“We really wanted to wait after year two and that’s what we did.”

He and his team took time reflecting on the first two races and listened to what fans had to say and how the MCGP can make the overall experience better. Almost all the changes for the 2023 event came from direct conversations with fans, said Rittenberry.

One of the biggest changes are going to be the times of certain events throughout the weekend. Fans will have a chance to watch the SRO GR and SRO GT races under the lights on Saturday night while getting the featured Big Machine Music City Grand Prix IndyCar race at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, helping fans beat the mid afternoon heat in August. The event will end by 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 6. There will also be changes to the concert times as the MCGP team knows how long the days are and want to give fans ample time to watch racing and enjoy the concerts as well.

There will not be a Grand Ole Opry concert onsite this year due to the timing decisions they’ve made, but the main concert taking place on Saturday, Aug. 5, will be at 6 p.m., immediately after the final NTT IndyCar Series practice, allowing fans to watch the practice and hop right over to the main stage rather than spreading them out. In the two previous events, the IndyCar practice ended around 5:30 p.m. but the concert began between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.. Fans who only were interested in seeing the NTT IndyCar series events weren’t staying those three extra hours to wait for a concert.

Nashville in August can be brutal and the heat during race times can be rough. Obviously, dealing with the heat and the weather is difficult but important for the MCGP team. That’s why they’ve decided to move events to either late at night or before noon.

“It is warm in August and there’s not a lot we can do about the forecast and about the weather, and there’s not a lot we can do about the date we were awarded from IndyCar so we have to make the best of that,” said Rittenberry. “We heard the fans and that the heat around 2-3 p.m. in the afternoon is the hottest part of the day, so we took a hard look at our schedule and worked with our partners at the sanctioning bodies and TV networks and got several of the races moved. Most importantly, the Saturday GT America race, which is going to be the coolest part of the weekend, we’re racing at night, under the lights.”

To also help fans battle the heat, they are double the shade tents around the Nissan Stadium campus. They’ve also added more air conditioned inside areas, allowing fans a break from the elements to cool off a bit.  The ultimate goal is to give attendees the best possible experience and make it as comfortable as possible with what Mother Nature gives.

Rittenberry and his MCGP team know that hardcore racing fans will be at the event regardless of the concert times, the heat or whatever comes their way. These changes being made are not only for the casual racing fan but for those who want to come to this event that aren’t big racing fans but want to get in on the fun. Making this a festival for all walks of life to enjoy is a top priority for Rittenberry.

“For those fans that are experience seekers, that just want to go to any event in the city that’s fun, that’s the fan we’re trying to reach,” said Rittenberry. “To them I would say, we’re not just a race. The race is part of it, it’s the reason we have this party and it’s a three day party, three day festival with music, food vendors, adult beverages. Everything you’re looking for in an event and all the things that make all the other events in the city fun we have here. We just happen to have a race going on at the same time.”

One thing that will be the same and will continue to be attractive to both racing and non-racing fans is the event’s proximity to Lower Broadway and the fact that the race isn’t like any other IndyCar race or any other street course race. It’s very unique and the MCGP team is continuing to make it unique as not only a destination event for racing fans, but a great local attraction for Middle Tennessee residents.

“There is no other race in North America that has Broadway just a bridge away,” says Rittenberry. “So that’s what we’re embracing with Nashville’s Downtown district and embracing that as part of our event and honestly taking advantage of that.”

Another reason this race is so special is because of its partnership with Big Machine Label Group. Nothing helps the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix standout more than the fact that one of the city’s most successful independent record labels is the main sponsor. BMLG artists like Tim McGraw, Jon Pardi and Carly Pearce have been some of the headlining performers over the past two years. Founder & President of BMLG Scott Borchetta was an integral part of bringing this street race to Nashville as Borchetta is an avid racing fan and competitive driver himself racing in the Tran Am Series and being a NASCAR Xfinity Series owner.

“We have the best partner and best sponsor of any race by far and that’s because of Scott’s passion for motorsports, his passion for this city and his passion for this event being a phenomenal and top notch event,” said Rittenberry. “Scott wants everything to be the best as we do, and is partner that wants that not only as a title sponsor but an owner. He’s an owner and investor in this race and Big Machine with all of their different companies.”

With all this growth and expansion, it’s safe to say the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is becoming a mainstay event in Nashville. But as the East Bank development project continues to rollout and the likeliness of a new Titans Stadium being built is becoming a reality, it begs to ask if this event will continue and renew once the current deal with the city is over. But conversations between the city, MCGP team and the Titans have been underway and plans are being made to keep the race on the streets of Nashville regardless if Nissan Stadium stays or if a rebuild happens and the Cumberland River project is done.

“We’re in the process of signing a three year extension with IndyCar and the city. So the race isn’t going anywhere, we will be here, we will be in Downtown Nashville, we will be racing on the streets. What that course design layout looks like, I can’t tell you beyond 2023,” states Rittenberry. We have been in meetings with Metro, public works with NDOT (Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure) and Nissan Stadium for over six months and are in regularly scheduled meetings to follow up and to stay in the loop on the progress of what’s happening here.

 

“We are currently looking at other designs for the course, what other options may be considered for us. Our track designer Tony Cotman is doing that now so when that happens, whether that is after the 2023 race, after the 2024 race or whenever the stadium is approved by Metro Council and they start construction we will be prepared and we will be ready.”

With all this preparation and all the work that’s put into this event, Rittenberry’s favorite moment has been and still is when that green flag drops in the main racing event. All the work leads up to that moment where all eyes turn to the track and the talented drivers to watch the race he and his team put on.

“It’s when it all comes to life and you just sit back and say ‘this is what we’ve worked for for a year,'” Rittenberry shares. “I remember my very first time as a young 25-year-old general manager in NASCAR when I stepped out on that stage and welcomed 50,000 fans to a NASCAR race and then two minutes later they fired the engines and made that first lap, right then I knew I was doing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that’s what made it all worth it.”