Familiarity is key for Music City GP at Nashville Superspeedway

For the second year in a row, IndyCar will conclude its season at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee.

On Aug. 31, the 17th and final race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season will take place in the shadow of one of America's most intriguing markets. 

After the series raced on the streets of Nashville from 2021 to 2023, the construction effort for the Tennessee Titans' new stadium and scheduling conflicts with the Titans in 2024 forced Borchetta and IndyCar to turn to the 1.33-mile oval in order to stay in the Nashville market. 

On Wednesday, it was announced that Borchetta Bourbon, which was created by Scott Borchetta, a former race driver and racing enthusiast who founded the Big Machine Records label that signed Taylor Swift in 2005, will sponsor the race, officially named the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix. 

Borchetta, who has been involved with the promotion of the race since 2021, and race president Anne Fischgrund both believe that fans' familiarity with the event in its second year will be key in regards to promoting the final race weekend of the 2025 IndyCar season. 

"When it comes to live events, familiarity is key," Borchetta said. "It was Mount Everest last year to get the race moved from downtown, which was never going to happen. Had we tried to stay downtown, we would've been the most embarrassed promoter of all time, because the race could not happen. The mayor made it clear that if there was a Titans game on our race day, we're not racing." 

With a Smoky Mountain-sized obstacle facing him, Borchetta went to work in early 2024 to find a way to keep IndyCar in the Nashville spotlight despite the change in venue. 

"We turned everything that we had to educating people about the new prospect and reality that we are now racing at the Nashville Superspeedway," Borchetta said. "I loved the road circuit, I hope it comes back. But as far as fan experience, being able to navigate the Nashville Superspeedway is so easy. I had many fans tell me that as much as they enjoyed the downtown race, they were able to get into the pits easier. The traffic was better. The parking was better. So the overall fan experience was better for them." 

A fan base with a year of knowledge regarding IndyCar's championship weekend is one that Borchetta hopes to get back to the facility in August. 

"That breeds a comfort of, 'I know what I'm going to get'," Borchetta said. 

Fischgrund noted that the consistency the event will bring to fans in recent years is a major draw for a marquee weekend. 

"We know in the near future we will be at Nashville Superspeedway," Fischgrund said. "That brings consistency to the fans and to the experience that we will continue to grow off of." 

"We don't want to recreate the wheel," Fischgrund continued. "We want customers to know where they'll be parking, know how to get tickets, know how to enter the venue, know how to access the garages — all of those key things that make the IndyCar experience what it is, we're going to be as clear as we possibly can." 

Penske Entertainment has taken over the reins as the promoter of the event from Borchetta, but the music mogul and racing fanatic has helped turn the event into a lively way for IndyCar to conclude its season. 

Both the Indy NXT and IndyCar Series finales at Nashville Superspeedway will take place on Aug. 31. 

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.