Street Track Failures: Episode 49 - Nashville

The Indycar season has just begun, yet for this year we will have one street circuit event that will not be returning from 2023. It's one that several of you have wanted me to do an episode on, and it's maybe not surprising to see why, given how lively the action was.

[@TheChrisD]

Another wrench was thrown into Nashville earlier this week, when the 2024 version of the rulebook was published and the delineation between short oval and superspeedway was increased to 1.4 miles - which means Nashville Superspeedway is now considered a short oval, and thus bigger aero.

[@DW98rosy]

IndyCar just *had* to ruin this race before it happens, didn't they?

[@Dat-Mudkip]

What moron made that decision? People call the one mile Phoenix Raceway a short oval, and I've always felt that was stretching the definition a bit. But whoever decided Nashville SS would qualify as a short oval needs to get their head checked.

[@maxb148]

​@Warren12 but if they can't race until the stadium is rebuilt this isn't a one year temporary race, the stadium is only going to be completed for the 2027 NFL season so they have 3 seasons at least of the oval if they want to keep a race in Tennessee.

[@DaveyZee72]

@@DW98rosydoesn’t that mean it’s going to be the same aero package as Iowa? If so it’ll only mean lower top speed but plenty of pack action. Last time IndyCar raced on this oval it was a bit meh.

[@vfr800anon5]

Good. The high aero was the best oval racing of the dw12 era

[@rainingmoneyx]

I honestly want to see Belle Isle talked about, not as a failure but titled "Street Track Success?"

[@Kingofweasles]

I'm very cool with a few "Street Circuit Success" videos myself. Long Beach, Toronto's Exhibition Place circuit, Belle Isle Park in Detroit... Maybe not enough for a full series, but definitely an idea for an "April Fool's Day" gag.

[@Lego_Huracan_SuperTrofeo]

As someone who went to Belle Isle since 2013, it was fantastic and was always packed. So many Racing series iconic moments, sad to see it gone off the calendar.

[@AlonsoRules]

the only street track that's had 3 goes on the IndyCar schedule

[@DuffyBlanco]

Here’s a few candidates for the “Street Track Success" series: Monaco (duh) Pau Long Beach Adelaide Melbourne St. Petersburg Toronto Macau

[@ramblinman4197]

With the exception of the year that the track came apart and the race had to be shortened, I actually went from thinking Belle Isle was a snoozer to thinking it was pretty good for a street race... it seemed like teams other than the "big three" could pull off a win there... which is probably why it had to be replaced. :(

[@patmanbnl]

Most remember this as being the place where Marcus Ericksson went airborne on a restart pileup and ended up winning the race.

[@Hammerhead547]

Fun Fact: The original design for the perspective F1 track in miami actually utilized the old circuit that IMSA ran at in the 80's with an added extension consisting of racing down a 2 mile bridge then turning 180 degrees and racing down the other side of the same bridge.

[@ericmarchesini4883]

I’m glad that we are racing at Nashville Superspeedway for the season finale.

[@enricoromanoblasi7980]

I'd really love to see an episode about Cagliari, which hosted F3000 for a couple of years in the early 2000s. Funny thing is, it's my hometown and I found out about it only last year, despite I'm a huge motorsport fan ahahahah

[@Ian0530]

Going to this event every year in person was awesome. One of the best all-around racing events I've ever been to. The IndyCar race might not bave been very exciting every year but seeing so many series on track that weekend and all of the other things happening around the track every day was incredible.

[@rollingthunder8378]

I wouldn’t say Nashville was a failure. The city isn’t allowing them to return because of the construction. Once the construction is done they will return. Now the track does cause some chaos but when they aren’t wrecking the racing was great

[@AuraHero]

The last race ended up being far less of a crash fest and was quite entertaining.

[@AeroGuy07]

Perfect timing. I needed my fix of 90° left hand turns!

[@justScottyyy]

The thing I dislike about this track for Indycar is that the races felt more like lotterys on whether you got taken out or not. The crashes just made it seem like a clown show and the officials didnt help when giving out penalties, looking at Power pushing teammate Simon into the wall to cause a track blockage on a restart yet Simon was the one penalised... at least they've fixed the restart rules for this year. Personally ill find it difficult to justify this track on the calendar when we could go to tracks like Watkins Glen, Sebring or Sonoma.

[@ramblinman4197]

Bring back the Glen!

[@ZontarDow]

Lets prey the switch to the speedway remains permanent

[@CheetahLynx]

Can't believe you went the entire video without showing Marcus Ericsson's crash

[@E90_Alpine_White]

Love your comment at the end about the cool spectacle of the GT America race at dusk. Similar thing happened at St. Pete 2023 when I was there-the GT America race was during the sunset as well. My buddies and I went up to one of the suites at the top of the main straight grandstands that were all empty, and it was awesome to watch from there!

[@AuraHero]

The 2023 race really showed the potential of this circuit. It wasn't nearly as much of a crash fest as the previous two races and was quite fun.

[@andcho13]

100% agree with you. Good track, happy to get another oval. But would love to see this track return.

[@matthews4662]

Late to the video but you’re right about the GT races. We got to watch it from ramps leading up to the concourse of the stadium. Seeing those cars (and hearing that Lamborghini) as it got dark and the bridge lights come on as they went across was one of the most beautiful things I’ve been witness to.

[@joh2434]

Dallara's spare parts dept: Business is boomin'!

[@dodgeneon.]

10:36 LMAO same here man!

[@tecnoguy1136]

I actually loved this one. It’s a proper street circuit unlike a lot of modern ones that barely use roads. The traffic lights hanging over T1 was so cool.

[@xX_Gravity_Xx]

Look. I love these street circuits. Baltimore is still my favorite, as it is my home city, but I absolutely love this track as well.

[@jack4688]

It made IndyCar look amateur. You could argue that’s the drivers’ fault for not behaving themselves, but the layout of this place was just asking for trouble. Someone at some point will make a mistake, but it shouldn’t lead to track-blocking incidents. As a Brit, ovals still don’t make complete sense to me, but even I can see another oval is what IndyCar needs right now. If they can add another short track and return to Texas Motor Speedway for next year and hopefully some more the year after then IndyCar will be back to where it needs to be.

[@neblolthecarnerd]

They can't return to Texas because NASCAR is reconfiguring Texas into an Atlanta type superspeedway and indycar can't race at those

[@mmadaus]

I'm gonna miss this madness

[@lautarostempelet3778]

Could you talk about potrero de los Funes? Really cool argentine track around a lake where the GT1 raced twice, it was closed some days ago because complains of the neighbours

[@TiresBlocksandCountryballs]

Please do Mainz next. It’s not technically a street circuit but who cares

[@mesousagaby740]

Ah yes, the kitchen ladle circuit. What's funny is that Nashville Superspeedway isn't even a Superspeedway like Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta, it's more akin to Kentucky Speedway, I believe.

[@mattsisoler6125]

It is. It’s 1.33 miles in length, which is shorter than Kentucky or Chicagoland. So naming it a superspeedway has driven me mad for years, because it is not a superspeedway. Not even close.

[@mesousagaby740]

@@mattsisoler6125 If I recall correclty, it's named Nashville Superspeedway to differentiate it from the Nashville Fairgrounds, which is a short track.

[@ramblinman4197]

It is shorter than KY Speedway by a bit. KY is also wider and they usually didn't have difficulty running two wide there. Nashville, some years, was a one-groove track.

[@ramblinman4197]

@@mesousagaby740 you are correct.

[@minibus9]

awesome video

[@speedtracker9556]

I don't care if these street tracks that you mentioned in this series are failures! The street circuits are amazing!

[@patrickracer43]

Is it a "failure"? As they aren't going back until construction at Nissan Stadium is finished

[@maxb148]

True but the stadium will be finished in 2027 so it will be off the calendar for atleast 3 years but more likely Indy won't go back until atleast 2028 because I doubt IndyCar will put the track on rhe schedule until it is fully built not near completion because just incase it doesn't get finished in time for the race (or they just pull what they did year and swap it to the speedway)

[@TheWellRoundedWarrior]

The stadium super trucks on this course was fun to watch.

[@youtubeaccountlol4942]

This track was crazy amd that made it awesome

[@GeneralsAlert]

I personally attended the track each year And I loved it each time

[@jensen6249]

I’ve been to every race at this track and yes it was a bit of a mess but the event in person was amazing and I will miss it but I’m looking forward to the super speedway race.( and the gt races at night were incredible to see)

[@AndyS-kv2jh]

In a way it was IndyCar’s version of Daytona or Talladega in that it there were too many wrecks.

[@sharkk127]

As a nascar fan It feels so weird hearing a speedway called a superspeedway in indycar

[@dominicbarden4436]

Going the other way, I find it a little odd that in NASCAR Indianapolis, Michigan and (formerly) Fontana aren't known as superspeedway races, even though they're superspeedway tracks by definition. Interesting how the definition varies between series.

[@ramblinman4197]

In this case, I think some call it that because it is in the name of the venue. In past, IndyCar has only called speedways > 2 miles in length -- like Fontana, Michigan, and Pocono -- "Superspeedways." Nowadays, it is "super" if they are running at *any* speedway.

[@x-90]

There’s not that many 90 degree corners on this track actually

[@AlonsoRules]

I was looking forward to the longer run over the bridge this year

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

Terrible circuit. I’m glad Nashville SS is back! I hope the street race never returns. I hope to see Detroit Streets (2023-Present) shows up in this series in the future

[@Exponaut_R-01]

Man this track reminds me of the New York layouts with the Brooklyn Bridge in PGR. Wonderful sights as you take a break, possibly pull off a slingshot overtake while you’re there, then the section immediately after it tests your nerves before you brake for a… somewhat weird bit before heading right back onto the bridge again.

[@DerpSherman]

I don´t know if it counts as a "Street Track Failure",but the "Potrero De Los Funes Circuit"("Circuito de Potrero de los Funes",Argentina) was featured in the in the FIA GT1 World Championship (2010 and 2011) and the FIA GT Championship (2008),alongside several national series (Turismo Carretera,Super TC2000,Turismo Nacional,Top Race V6,and more),but after some legal disputes(mostly because is a turistic area),the track was longer active since 2019 and this year the demolition program started,with everything that could be taken to another tracks (like the fences) being moved on.

[@RedCometXIII]

I loved this track, that coming from someone who is not really a fan of street circuits.

[@psychlops924]

Ah Crashville. Was fun while it lasted I guess

[@burgerboi332]

I was at the first race they had there. It was amazing to be there in person, and yeah the first gt race was amazing

[@NBSV1]

The racing was decent, and it was fun having many other races going on as well. Coupled with being in downtown makes it a special event. Moving it to a circle track 45min away from downtown turns it into just another race not worth going to. It isn’t like the speedway has a long history like Indy. They also changed who was in charge of everything. With the road course they were organized from the beginning and had clear good ticket packages and add ons. Now, with the speedway it was a months long delay of no information. Then when tickets became available it wasn’t clear what package had what and they didn’t release everything at once. It is all disorganized along with being even more expensive than it was before. They also seem to be struggling selling tickets because I keep getting more emails about deals to try and get me to buy tickets.

[@andrewschmier6749]

How did you not include a clip of Ericsson popping a huge wheelie on a restart and then going on to win?

[@theflagstand]

The gt america stuff here was also brilliant bc bob varsha was in the booth

[@iamthedrumandbassfarmer8735]

Definitely need a look at that cruddy/overly technical/outright dangerous Nitrocross track in the Vegas car park which they have elected to be their finale for the foreseeable.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Indycar's Baku. A shit circuit that was only worth watching if you like stupid crashes. I hated how the winning formula for this event basically came down to: Run as low of an aero setup as possible, then make your last pitstop at the earliest possible moment. There would be more then enough yellow flag laps to ensure your fuel would last, and having a low downforce setup down the straight meant that no one could do anything to you on the only two real overtaking zones here. So you're never going to have any kind of decent race here, because normal overtaking is borderline impossible and strategy games are virtually nonexistant. Can't state enough how glad I am that this sh**stain is off the schedule and we're going back to a proper oval for the finale again.

Next: Vancouver and Edmonton please 🙂

[@ramblinman4197]

I liked Edmonton, but I will second the request for Vancouver. The chicane at the beginning of this video reminded me of one from some versions of that course.

[@davidmarecek1754]

I mean there's the opportunity it will return once that Titans stadium is built

[@justwiz4879]

I liked this track I just happen to be from Baltimore for wtv reason

[@ramblinman4197]

Calling it a "race" with a straight face would be difficult. It was an "event" at best. They were so obsessed with using the bridge as part of the design that the course got stuck with one of the worst sections of street racing "track" that has ever been used by IndyCar or CART/CCWS. The area where they turned to go back across the bridge was a joke that in places was barely one lane wide. Once the reconstruction at the stadium is complete, I don't doubt they will try to bring it back, though.

[@alieffauzanrizky7202]

Seeing Potrero De Los Funes is recently closing, i'm interested if you would make a video of it. Well it's technically not a fully street circuit but it's such a unique circuit that circles a lake

[@W123KartSport]

I got to flag this race in its inagural running in 2021. I was stationed at 8A (right before the bridge) and 8A COM (on the bridge) It was a cool but very hot expirance Things I witnessed: 1. Jimmie Johnson writing off 2 separate chassis in the same place at T4 2. Mario Andretti crash the 2 seater with the mayor onboard 3. 5 guys with shanks chasing a homeless man down the train tracks. Yeah, the track construction really pissed off the now displaced local homeless population and many of our porta johns were destroyed by them the night before racing started. Honestly, the race was a cluster in year one with one of the yellows being caused by the McLaren hospitality tent dumping melted ice from there beer coolers... on to the T3 apex. Not all of the grandstands were set up and screwed a bunch of ticket holders on Friday. And just general teething troubles. They were running the entire track to the NFL stadium rules so you could not bring a seat, had to have a CLEAR small plastic bag so all of your things could be seen, no backpacks (marshals had an exemption) but what really got me was you were not allowed to bring in water and many fans got super dehydrated.

[@musyarofah1]

not even close man, Nashville is probably the Indy's version of baku; a guilty pleasure track with zero boring races.

[@jeffreypostma6832]

The bridge and the first few corners are ok, but the rest was terrible for racing: too narrow, too slow and awkward corners that caused pile ups every time.

[@jaredturney2782]

Nashville was third in tv viewership besides Indy 500 and Long Beach. It wasn't a failure at all. It also gave an economic boost to the city.

[@Nateschatz97]

This was quick 😂

[@corbums3927]

1:35 “I think people in Nashville will see something they’ve never seen before” is an utter lie lol, Newgarden is from Hendersonville (20 minutes from Nashville) and apparently has never driven the roads here. Every single driver turns into an Indy car driver when some moron won’t go over the speed limit in the left lane, trust me, I live and drive here daily

[@davidmitchell2250]

Could you please do an episode on the Newcastle street circuit used by Supercars?

[@Jasongilliar]

The music city gp was my favorite race. A shame its out

[@chriswarner1523]

I think the street circuit is being used this year yet....

[@orionparish9858]

Alright. Who let Macau's track designer work on Nashville's street circuit? Some corner ideas seem taken right from Macau.

[@schuylerschultz804]

I don't think it's AT ALL a coincidence that the track layout LOOSELY resembled the outline of a banjo or guitar and hosted the "Music City Grand Prix"

[@DanielHarveyDyer]

Looking forward to "Oval Track Failures" and you saying "banked 180 degree left hander" over and over again.

[@ShadowWolfe]

Gosh the first race on this track being a red flag fest should've had it canned immediately and just gone to Nashville Superspeedway. It's an already established track, it's right there. (See also, Chicago Street Course but Chicagoland is right there.) It's an absolute miracle that no one had wrecked on (or off) the bridge. (But it was funny seeing Herta choke away a win.) Both NASCAR and Indycar thought they could capitalize on Street Circuits just because F1 tries to. It's ridiculous. Nothing's broken, don't try to fix it!

[@derimeri21]

Hey. I think you should make a dream city circuit. As in whatever city, f-buisnesses, everyday things etc. Just choose a real city and design the dream circuit.

[@nowind37]

street track failures paris when?

[@sdstewart87]

Personally cannot stand ovals. Left, left, left, left.... 😴 Wondering why Newgardens bonehead move wasn't included where he took out Grosjean? Perfect example of why the track wasn't great, and why Newgarden, a lot of the time, is an idiot

[@gherbo1609]

you sound a tiny bit like andy moore

[@makb_the_striker]

"The good street track could provide as much on-track action as an oval" - the keyword in your statement is "good" and the Nashville street circuit was a piece of crap. It needs too many major changes - a counter-clockwise layout, to avoid chicane on the stadium straight, a better after-bridge complex to provide fewer traffic jams, e.t.c.

[@imbored8072]

:)

[@BryanWolfe21]

i didn’t hate this track

[@PJBlick]

Okay, now do the new Detroit mess of a GP....

[@A.F.Whitepigeon]

If Formula E raced at Baku...

[@jimmyrecendiz4940]

This track suuuuuucked. The racing was constantly boring as for as passing

[@las10plagas]

hm open wheelers shouldn't race on street circuits. street circuits are for "actual" cars, not racing rockets 😛 at least in my opinion ;-)

[@rexthewolf3149]

So no Monaco.

[@las10plagas]

@@rexthewolf3149 yup. in monaco they drive on rails. almost no overtaking. F1 cars on regular streets just look too awkward, but that's just my opinion ;-)

[@paullilko41]

This track was garbage good riddance