How Helio Castroneves' opinion of Music City Grand Prix bridge changed from 'ludicrous' to 'amazing'
Legendary driver Hélio Castroneves has gone from wondering what in the world IndyCar was thinking when it included the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix to being thankful the bridge will be part of the race's future.
On Thursday, IndyCar and Music City Grand Prix officials announced a new contract to keep the event in Nashville for a fourth year and even longer. And that the bridge will be part of a new course.
"I thought it was ludicrous when I first heard about having us go over a bridge. I was like 'What are they thinking about and why are we doing this?' " Castroneves said looking back to the race's inaugural year in 2021. "But honestly they pulled it off. It turned out to be amazing."
The bridge quickly became the most recognizable feature of the 2.17-mile course with 11 turns. Thankfully no cars went off the bridge in the first two years but several safety boats have been stationed in the Cumberland River just in case.
After traveling over the bridge (north to south) in the opposite direction from the way drivers go now they will pass by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Schermerhorn Symphony Center before going down Broadway in front of the honky tonks.
"I remember my first time over the bridge and I wasn't thinking about it because you're so low to the ground you don't know you're on the bridge until you see you're going up," Castroneves said. "The bridge was a little bumpy that first year. They shaved off some of the concrete after that year because it was just too bumpy and hopefully this year it will be even better."
Unfortunately for Castroneves, who was in Nashville on Wednesday, he didn't get to check out the bridge on the driver's track walk Thursday. He was in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for an SRX race. He'll return to Nashville Friday in time for Saturday's qualifying and the race Sunday (11:30 a.m., NBC).
"I'll skip the track walk but hopefully my engineers will be able to tell me what's happening out there," Castroneves said.
Castroneves, 48, finished ninth in the 2021 Music City Grand Prix and 13th in 2022.
Castroneves, who first raced here at the Nashville Superspeedway from 2003-11 when IndyCar ran there, expected the Music City Grand Prix contract to be extended.
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"Nothing surprises me about Nashville," he said. "This is a place they can continue to create sort of like a DNA in IndyCar. Long Beach has had a street course over 40 years, which is remarkable, and St. Petersburg is close to going over 10 or 12 years now. Nashville is the perfect place to follow the same trend."
The first two Music City Grand Prix races had a total of 17 caution flags and several crashes. Castroneves said the track layout being as tight as it is with so many turns is to blame for some of the race's delays along with the drivers being aggressive as the season winds down and they try to climb in the points standings.
"Certainly the track characteristic creates that," Castroneves said. "Because there are areas where you can pass and every street course is like that, you just throw yourself into it. This place invites you to do that and that's why you see so many accidents."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: IndyCar in Nashville: Helio Castroneves likes Music City Grand Prix bridge
