Indycar and the Music City Grand Prix made official what everyone has known. Nashville will be the site of the season finale for the next three years. The September 1-15 weekend will run on an altered course since the currentrack layou will soon be consumed for the new Tennessee Titans footbal stadium.

I love going to Nashville. It’s a great vity with lots of fun things to do. I am not partticularly enamored with the race track as it is now nor the event itself. The new layout keeps the Big dipper profile but looks more compact, although the track appears to have a lot of square corners. I’m glad they kept the bridge. That is by far the best part of the course.

There are advantages to a finale in the central part of the country. Most of Indycar’s core fans live within five to seven hours of Nashville. The race will end around 4 pm Eastern. The finale at Laguna Seca ends after 6 pm Eastern, which means not many people are still watching to see the champion crowned. September weather in nashville is bound to be more pleasant than the hot humid conditions fans have had to endure the last two years. The wweather for this weekend’s race doesn’t look much cooler. And there is the vibe.

Weather Tech Raceway is a very cool track in avery remote location. I don’t feel much energy from the crowd there. The season finale feels like any mid season race. Nashville’s downtown is full of energy, and the first two races at Nashville had an excited group of fans.

The downside to a finale in Nashville, for me, is that i don’t think a street course is the fairest track on which to decide a champion. I would much prefer the finale take place on an oval. I hear there is a great one in Iowa. A street race can turn into a parade, and as we saw when Long Beach was the finale in 2021, a contender can be taken out by a back marker early.

I am hearing that Weather Tech Raceway will remain on the schedule. I’m guessing sometime after St. Pete. Who would like to see Long Beach and Weather Tech on back to back weekends? This writer would.

Overall the new finale venue I think is a good move for the series. Indycar does not move date lightly,especially as radically as they are doing for 2024. Let’s see how it works out.