IndyCar start times in Nashville: A few new track flaws await a new points leader as the NTT IndyCar Series arrives at the second annual Music City Grand Prix.
After a very successful but cautious first run, IndyCar officials and race organizers made some layout changes to avoid some of last year’s traffic and bottlenecks on the 3.1-mile, 11-turn street circuit.
The restart area has been moved from the start-finish line in front of Nissan Stadium to the exit of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge towards Turn 9, which is the best overtaking turn on the track.
Turn 9 has also been narrowed by 25 feet for one of several new suites that have been added to the street track, which is expected to draw more than 100,000 fans to downtown Nashville this weekend.
Marcus Eriksson got airborne on lap 5 on his way to victory at Nashville last year after pole sitter Colton Herta crashed out of the dominant car and crashed during a chase.
Eriksson could use another boost of momentum with four races left in the 2022 season, nine points behind Will Power (whose third-place finish at Indianpaolis Motor Speedway marked his fourth podium in five races).
Nashville native Joseph Newgarden is also strongly involved in the title hunt, taking to his home track after rebounding to fifth at Indy after a stunning crash at Iowa Speedway (and subsequent hospitalization due to a post-race crash).
Here are the details and start times for the IndyCar Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee (all times are ET):
INDYCAR NASHVILLE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX START TIME
TELEVISION: Sunday 3:00 pm ET on NBC and live on Peacock. NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com. Lee Diffie is the announcer along with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee, Dillon Welch and Dave Burns are reporters from the pit. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2022.
Peacock will also be streaming for both training and qualifying. (Click here to find out how to register with Peacock.)
COMMAND TO START ENGINES: 3:23 pm EDT
GREEN FLAG: 3:30 pm ET
LAST SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race is over, Peacock will air an exclusive post-race show with driver interviews, post-race analysis and a podium presentation. To watch the extended show after the race, go to Peacock’s special broadcast after Sunday’s race.
Peacock will also be broadcasting practices and qualifications. The race will also be streamed on Peacock (in addition to NBC Sports App/NBCSports.com and NBC broadcasts).
INDICAR RADIO NETWORK: Music City IndyCar and Indy Lights Grand Prix races and all practice and qualifying sessions will be streamed live on SiriusXM 160 network affiliates, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app.
EXERCISE: Friday, 4:15 pm (Premium Peacock); Saturday, 12:15 pm (Premium Peacock); Sunday, 10:15 (Peacock Premium)
QUALIFICATION: Saturday, 16:30 (Peacock Premium)
RACE DISTANCE: The race is 80 laps (168 miles) on a street track with 11 turns and 2.1 miles in Nashville.
PURPOSE OF TIRES: Six basic sets, four alternating sets, one additional set is available for beginners to use in their first workout. Teams must use one new set of main and spare tires per race. Teams must use one new set of main and spare tires for at least two laps of the race.
NEW ALTERNATIVE TIRE: Firestone will introduce a new and environmentally friendly racing tire made of natural rubber for the first time at the races. This compound will be used as an alternative racing tire (formerly known as the “red” tire) this weekend.
CLICK TO GO: 200 seconds total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. A pass is not possible at the initial start or any restart, unless it occurs in the last two laps or three minutes of the time trial. This feature increases engine power by about 60 horsepower.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it is expected to be 90 degrees with a 37% chance of green flag rain.
LIST OF INPUTS: Click here to view 26 riders from Sunday’s Nashville race.
Indian Race of Lights: Sunday 13:10 35 laps/73.5 miles/55 minutes (Peacock Premium)
INDY LIGHTS LIST OF PARTICIPANTS: Click here to see 12 introduced drivers.
INDYCAR NASHVILLE MUSIC CITY WEEKEND SCHEDULE START TIME
(All times eastern)
Friday, August 5
10:30: gate open
11:15: Trans Am practice
12:55: Practice GT America
14:15: Trans Am practice
3pm: Practicing Indy Lights
16:15: Practice IndyCar, Peacock Premium
17:45: Super Trucks Stadium qualifying
19:15: Practice GT America
Saturday, August 6
10 a.m: Gate open
10:30: Trans Am qualification
11:15: Practice Indy Lights
12:15: Practice IndyCar, Peacock Premium
13:30: Trans Am race
14:55: GT America qualifying
15:40: Indy Lights qualification
16:30: Qualification IndyCar, Peacock Premium
19:15: Super Trucks Stadium Race 1
20:25: GT America Race 1
Sunday, August 7
9 am: Gate open
10:15: IndyCar Warm Up Training, Peacock Premium
11:55: GT America Race 2
13:10: Indy Lights Music City Grand Prix (35 laps/73.5 miles/55 minutes), Peacock Premium
15:23: Engine Start Team at IndyCar Big Machine Music City Grand Prix “Drivers Start Engines”
3:30 p.m.: Green Flag IndyCar Grand Prix Big Machine Music City (80 laps/160.8 miles), NBC
18:05: Super Trucks Stadium Race 2
COVERAGE AT NBCSPORTS.COM
1 ROUND: Scott McLaughlin opens the season with a breakthrough victory in St. Petersburg
ROUND 2: Joseph Newgarden beat McLaughlin in the last corner to finish Penske 1-2 in Texas
ROUND 3: Josef Newgarden keeps Penske undefeated in 2022 with first win at Long Beach
ROUND 4: Delicate pass from Pato O’Ward secures win at Barbera
ROUND 5: Colton Hertha tames the rain at the GMR Grand Prix
6 ROUND: Markus Eriksson wins Indy 500 in two-lap shootout
7 ROUND: Redemption in Detroit for willpower in farewell to Belle Isle
TOUR 8: Joseph Newgarden receives $1 million bonus for winning Road America
ROUND 9: Scott McLaughlin takes on Mid Ohio as Andretti’s teammates feud
10th ROUND: Scott Dixon equals Mario Andretti on all-time list with victory in Toronto
11 ROUND: Joseph Newgarden continues to dominate Iowa Speedway
12 round: Pato O’Ward wins as Newgarden crashes and passes out in Iowa
13 round: Alexander Rossi breaks 49-race winless streak at IMS highway circuit
The viewer’s guide to the 2022 season
HOW TO WATCH INDYCAR IN 2022: Full schedule of NBC Sports
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Source: motorsports.nbcsports.com