Nashville Street Circuit (Music City Grand Prix)
Nashville Street Circuit (Music City Grand Prix) at a glance
- Location
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Type
- street circuit
- Length
- 2.17 mi (3.492 km)
- Turns
- 11
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt (public downtown streets and a bridge deck)
- Opened
- 2021
- Owner
- City of Nashville / Speedway Motorsports (event promoter)
- Website
- musiccitygp.com
Track map and layout
The Nashville Street Circuit was built through downtown Nashville and across the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Cumberland River, giving IndyCar a signature straightaway more than 3,500 feet long that crossed open water, a feature no other circuit on the schedule shared. The 2.17-mile, 11-turn layout combined that long bridge run with a tighter, more technical infield section threaded around what was then Nissan Stadium and the SoBro entertainment district, producing a circuit that mixed high-speed bridge passing with slow, bumpy street corners. The course hosted IndyCar for three seasons, 2021 through 2023, before construction of the new Nissan Stadium made the downtown footprint unavailable and the event moved to Nashville Superspeedway, an oval roughly 30 miles away, starting in 2024. The street circuit itself has not hosted a race since 2023.
Named corners and sections
- Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge straight. The circuit's signature straightaway, run across the bridge over the Cumberland River; the longest and fastest section of the lap.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Nashville Street Circuit (2021-2023) | 2.17 mi | 11 turns; downtown circuit including the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge |
Events and race weekends
The Music City Grand Prix ran on the downtown Nashville street circuit for three seasons, from its 2021 debut through 2023, as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES round typically held in August. Construction of a new Nissan Stadium beginning in 2024 removed the downtown site the circuit depended on, and the event — keeping the Music City Grand Prix name — relocated to Nashville Superspeedway, an oval track about 30 miles east of downtown, for 2024 and 2025. As a result, the original street circuit itself currently has no annual event; whether racing returns to downtown Nashville streets in the future has not been confirmed as of this writing.
Getting there and parking
Nashville International Airport is the main gateway, roughly 15-20 minutes from downtown by car. When the street circuit was active, it sat in the heart of downtown Nashville, walkable from most downtown hotels; the relocated Nashville Superspeedway event is instead reached by driving east of the city toward Lebanon, Tennessee.
- Nashville International Airport (BNA) · about 15 min drive
The current Music City Grand Prix runs at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, not on the original downtown street circuit — check the event's venue each year before planning travel.
Hotels and camping near Nashville Street Circuit (Music City Grand Prix)
For the street-circuit years, downtown Nashville hotels near Broadway and SoBro were within walking distance of the course. With the event now held at Nashville Superspeedway, visitors typically stay in Lebanon or Mt. Juliet near the speedway, or commute from downtown Nashville hotels for a longer drive.
Where to look
Downtown Nashville (Broadway/SoBro) for anyone visiting the city generally; Lebanon and Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, for the current Nashville Superspeedway event.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
The Nashville Street Circuit was built from public downtown roads and a public highway bridge, closed to traffic only for race weekend, so there was never a public trackday or driving program on the layout even while it hosted IndyCar. Since 2023 the streets have returned fully to normal city use and no racing event runs there.
Spectator guide
During its three seasons, the Nashville Street Circuit drew large downtown crowds with grandstands along the bridge straight and around the stadium infield section, capitalizing on the skyline and riverfront setting. That venue no longer hosts the race; current Music City Grand Prix spectator information applies to Nashville Superspeedway instead.
Seating
Historic (2021-2023): grandstands along the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge straight and around the Nissan Stadium infield section.
Weather
- Aug: Hot and humid in Nashville, typically highs in the upper 80s to low 90s°F
History of Nashville Street Circuit (Music City Grand Prix)
A bridge as the centerpiece
The Nashville Street Circuit was built for the inaugural Music City Grand Prix in August 2021, designed specifically to showcase downtown Nashville by routing IndyCar across the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Cumberland River, a straightaway of more than 3,500 feet that made it the only bridge crossing on the IndyCar calendar. Marcus Ericsson won that first race, and the event immediately drew large downtown crowds and heavy local promotion tied to Nashville's entertainment-district identity.
Three seasons downtown
The circuit hosted the Music City Grand Prix again in 2022 and 2023, becoming a fixture of Nashville's summer events calendar alongside the city's country-music and entertainment scene. The layout, threading a long bridge straight into a tighter, technical infield section around the old Nissan Stadium and SoBro district, was well liked by fans for its scenery even as some drivers noted the bumpy, low-grip street surface.
Forced to move
The circuit's future was cut short by a decision unrelated to racing: the City of Nashville and the Tennessee Titans moved forward with building a new, enclosed Nissan Stadium on the same downtown riverfront site the circuit depended on, with construction beginning in 2024. That made the existing street circuit footprint unavailable, and organizers relocated the race — keeping the Music City Grand Prix name — to Nashville Superspeedway, an oval roughly 30 miles east of downtown in Lebanon, Tennessee, starting with the 2024 season finale.
Present day
As of this writing the Music City Grand Prix has run at Nashville Superspeedway for the 2024 and 2025 seasons rather than on the original downtown streets, and the bridge-crossing street circuit that made Nashville distinctive on the IndyCar calendar has not hosted a race since 2023. No public announcement has confirmed whether IndyCar will return to a downtown Nashville street circuit once the new stadium is complete.
Frequently asked questions
Does IndyCar still race on the Nashville street circuit?+
No. The original downtown street circuit hosted the Music City Grand Prix from 2021 to 2023; since 2024 the event has run at Nashville Superspeedway, an oval about 30 miles from downtown, because stadium construction removed the street circuit's site.
How long was the Nashville Street Circuit?+
The downtown layout used from 2021 to 2023 was 2.17 miles (3.492 km) with 11 turns, including a straightaway across the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Why did the Music City Grand Prix move to Nashville Superspeedway?+
Construction of a new Nissan Stadium on the downtown riverfront site the street circuit used made that layout unavailable starting in 2024, so the race relocated to the Superspeedway oval while keeping its name.
Can the public drive on the Nashville Street Circuit?+
No. It was built from public downtown streets and a public bridge closed only for race weekend; there was never a public trackday program, and the streets are now in normal city use.
Who won the first Music City Grand Prix?+
Marcus Ericsson won the inaugural race on the downtown street circuit in August 2021.
Other tracks nearby
- Nashville Superspeedway · 22 mi · oval
- Loretta Lynn's Ranch · 54 mi · motocross
- NCM Motorsports Park (National Corvette Museum) · 60 mi · road course
- Barber Motorsports Park · 182 mi · road course
- Talladega Superspeedway · 184 mi · oval
- Atlanta Motorsports Park · 189 mi · road course
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.