Motorsports with Emily: How to Indycar
Emily Cobb | September 18, 2024
Emily poses with Arrow McLaren Driver Nolan Siegel's car.
I, like many others, am part of a new generation of motorsports fans. What started as a harmless Formula 1 (F1) TV race watch in Belgium, in French no less, quickly spun out into a full addiction. Which is why last weekend I hopped in my sister’s MINI Cooper and made my way up to Nashville, Tenn. for an exciting new experience: an IndyCar race.
You can buy the tickets online through the IndyCar website. Ticket options include general admission, paddock passes, camping experience, premium experience and grandstand seats. There are other options available like tickets for students and families. There are also different ticket options depending on how many days you want to attend. I did the general admission weekend pass for $60.
Heading there, I had no idea what to expect. I only knew a handful of things about IndyCar, and most of them were F1-related. Like why good pitstop strategies are needed and how a grid penalty works. As far as IndyCar specifics, I could tell you this Big Machine Music City Grand Prix was held on an oval with a few dozen drivers and that was about it.
I knew the experience would be fun, with the opportunity to explore a new city and see live racing with even a former Formula 1 driver, Romain Grosjean. However, I must admit that I was wary of what I would be able to experience with a general admission ticket.
Much to my surprise, what I experienced with just a bit of money was insane, especially with the amount of following the sport has.
Though we just had general admission parking, it was a breeze and took no time. There were plenty of volunteers to help guide you, and the walk to the entrance only took five minutes. There was no line, they simply check your digital tickets and have you walk through a metal detector. Once we entered there were dozens of popups set up, including places to buy team merch, food and copious amounts of alcohol. Some stands were free, including Mission tortilla race car-shaped chips, an Instagram booth to take a free Polaroid and a racing simulator.
The weekend started on Saturday with Indy NXT, a feeder series for NTT IndyCar, and NTT IndyCar practices and qualifying. The practices allow drivers and teams to execute pitstops, get a feel for the track and car and warm up. Qualifying consists of each driver driving laps alone and setting two fast laps which then get averaged. The 27 drivers are then placed in a lineup, from fastest (pole position) to slowest.
If you have gotten bored just reading that, trust me it is much more exciting in person. The sheer noise from the engines and rush of the wind when the cars pass going almost 250 mph is enough to enthrall car enthusiasts and regular folks alike.
With the general admission tickets, you are able to line up on either side of the grandstands a few feet away from the track. We showed up right as the Indy NXT practice 2 started, roughly an hour before qualifying, and despite that, we had no trouble securing a spot right on the fence.
Practice gives attendees endless sights to see; from drivers suiting up to pit crews changing tires to cars overtaking one another. It was enough to make me bite my nails with both excitement and anxiety.
Photo of NTT IndyCar cars lining up to qualify from the general admission area.
After a thrilling qualifying where Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood set pole position, we explored the city of Nashville. There are endless good eats there (keep your eyes peeled for our next release!) and sights to see. Later in the night, we stopped to get gas at a Shell in Lebanon, and I could not help but admire a nice Corvette that had pulled into the station by us. When the driver got out, something about him seemed familiar. When he turned around, and I saw a bleach-blonde mullet, I quickly realized it was none other than Santino Ferrucci, one of the drivers.
I worked up the courage before timidly saying his name, and to my shock and relief, he looked up with a confused expression on his face. It led to us having a short but sweet conversation wishing him luck on the race. This oddly enough solidified my impression that most of the drivers, despite their popularity and talent, do not get recognized too often in public. Especially by 20-year-old girls.
We arrived the next day at noon and ran into a bit of traffic, but nothing unenjoyable or unmanageable. The walk to the entrance took a few minutes longer due to the parking lot being fuller.
Once we arrived, we went back to our general admission spot which was certainly more filled. There, much to our curiosity, a new barrier had been put up. Before we knew it, to our surprise all of the drivers slowly began to trickle out and make their way to the pre-race festivities we were unaware would be taking right by us at the trackside stage. Most of the drivers interacted with the fans, dishing out high-fives and autographs and posing for photos. Two of the drivers I asked stopped for photos.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver Ferrucci stopped for a photo and had a quick chat with me about the Shell experience. He instantly had me rooting for him, anyone who can rock a mullet like that gets an automatic point in my book. He finished P6.
Meyer Shank Racing driver David Malukas stopped for a photo (I swear he willingly agreed!). He finished P9.
The race started at 2:30 pm, and held my attention with a vice-grip. We were curious though as there were a few empty sections scattered throughout the grandstand. Thus, my sister went to inspect, and to our pleasure we were able to join the grandstand with no extra charge. There the view was spectacular, allowing us to see practically the whole oval and pit lane.
A photo taken after the race from a spot in the grandstands.
This grand prix consisted of 206 laps and lasted just under two hours. As Colton Herta who drives for Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian crossed the finish line, followed closely by Pato O’Ward, he accomplished his first oval win ever. The crowd erupted in cheers, and as Herta circled back around and did a few donuts he received a standing ovation. As his team ran to him I could truly feel how magical the whole experience was. To have thousands of fans gathered in support of something they love is truly special. Herta finished the championship standings in P2. Let’s just say me complimenting him on his hair as he walked by after the fan zone gave him that extra boost of confidence.
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou won the championship, his third total, and joined Herta doing donuts shortly after.
Palou celebrates winning his third NTT IndyCar Series championship. He finished P11 at the Nashville Grand Prix.
I think motorsports are undergoing a truly transformative time. Between Netflix producing shows like Formula 1: Drive to Survive and 100 Days to Indy a new younger audience is stumbling across the vast world of motorsports. I know before I was a fan I could not escape the occasional F1, NASCAR or IndyCar clip on my TikTok and Instagram. There is no doubt that these sports have to quickly learn how to maximize trends, whether by making silly Instagram reels or interacting with fans in unique ways.
Live music, affordable tickets, good times and a nice vacation make attending an IndyCar Grand Prix worth it. I think even for folks who are not motorsports fans they would enjoy it between the high energy and fast-paced nature. I can confidently say that I was not bored once throughout my time there.
I highly recommend going, you never know who you will run into at a Shell gas station!