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.
Though motorsports are not popular at Warren Wilson College (WWC), I believe athletes and sports fans alike would find relevance and entertainment in attending a race. It has elements we Owls love: fast-paced, energetic, competitive and team-oriented!
You can buy a variety of tickets online through the IndyCar website. I chose the general admission weekend pass for $60.
Heading there, I had no idea what to expect, and much to my surprise, what I experienced with just a bit of money was insane.
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. The 27 drivers then qualify and are placed from fastest (pole position) to slowest.
Once we entered the venue there were pop-ups set up, including places to buy team merch, food and drinks. Some stands were free, including Mission tortilla race car-shaped chips, an Instagram booth to take a free Polaroid and a racing simulator.
With the general admission tickets, you can line up on either side of the grandstands a few feet away from the track.
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. Later in the night, we stopped to get gas at a Shell in Lebanon, and there a nice Corvette pulled in. When the driver got out, and I saw a bleach-blonde mullet, I quickly realized it was none other than A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver Santino Ferrucci.
We had a short but sweet conversation, wishing him luck on the race. This, oddly enough, solidified my impression that most IndyCar drivers, despite their popularity and talent, do not get recognized often in public. Especially by 20-year-old women.
Race day general admission was busier, and a new barrier had been put up, allowing drivers to make their way to the pre-race festivities. Most drivers interacted with the fans, dishing out high-fives and autographs and posing for photos. Two of the drivers I asked stopped for photos.
Ferrucci took a photo with Cobb, he finished P6.
Meyer Shank Racing driver David Malukas, who finished P9.
The race started at 2:30 pm and held my attention with a vice-grip. To our pleasure, a few minutes in, we were able to join the grandstand at no extra charge. There, the view was spectacular, allowing us to see the whole oval and pit lane.
A photo taken of Cobb after the race from the grandstands.
This grand prix consisted of 206 laps and lasted just under two hours. Colton Herta, driver for Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian, accomplished his first oval win ever.
As Herta did a few donuts, he received a standing ovation. As his team ran to him, I truly felt how magical the whole experience was. To have thousands of fans gathered in support of something they love is truly special. Imagine a WWC sports game times 100! Sports truly strengthen the community, something we see here at WWC through cheering on our own athletes.
Herta finished the championship standings in P2. I guess my complimenting him on his hair as he walked by gave him that extra boost of confidence!
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou won the championship and joined Herta in doing donuts.
Palou celebrates winning his third NTT IndyCar Series championship. He finished P11 at the Nashville Grand Prix.
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.
Live music, affordable tickets, good times and a nice vacation make attending an IndyCar Grand Prix worth it for athletes and sports lovers alike! 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!