Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 2021

A crowd of more than 140,000 spectators were in downtown Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Fans from all over the globe filled hotels throughout Middle Tennessee. The event reportedly generated over $20-million in revenue for Nashville and the 8-counties that surround the Metro area – and that number doesn't include the funds used to organize and set-up the 3-day race (Aug. 6, 7, 8, 2021).

Winning the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday evening was Marcus Ericsson from Sweden. Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, his Honda powered IndyCar won the race after smashing the nose of his ride into car number 14. 30-Year-old Ericsson finished within 1.5596 seconds of his teammate Scott Dixon.

View fullsize

Photography and Story by Scott Walker

View fullsize

Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge during Sunday racing in Nashville, Tennessee - Aug. 8, 2021.

One of the highlights of the race occurred when the 27-cars traveled over the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge. In fact, the bridge over the river was a first for the IndyCar circuit in the U.S. and one of only a few courses in the world to cross over a river the size of the Cumberland.

Known for their speed, the IndyCars were reported to have hit 185 miles per hour as they traveled 80-feet above the Cumberland River while crossing the 553-yard bridge (1,660-feet in length). The straightaway at the start and end of the bridge, including the roadway leading up to and away from the bridge, was approximately 2,200-feet, which made it the longest straightaway for IndyCar this season.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Lot’s of wrecks took place on the race course that included 11-turns in the 2.17-mile run. One of those wrecks (above) involved #48, Jimmie Johnson. Evidently, Johnson tweeted that the course was really “bumpy.”

Murfreesboro's MTSU played a role in helping to ensure safety measures were in place. The MTSU School of Concrete and Construction Management helped to design and build the racing barriers along the course and on pit row.

The Great Race stops in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro, Tennessee hosted a lunch stop on the 2017 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty. The cars stopped in Murfreesboro on Monday, June 26, 2017 at 12 noon. The stop was at the Cannonsburgh Village.

The Great Race, the world's premiere old car rally, brought 120 of the world's finest antique automobiles to Murfreesboro for the $150,000 event. The Stones River Region of AACA hosted the event.

In all, the participants in the race will cover more than 2,100 miles in 9 days. The start was on Main Street in downtown Jacksonville, Fla., on June 24.  The race will finish July 2 in Traverse City, Mich., on the banks of Grand Traverse Bay just off Lake Michigan as part of that city's annual Cherry Festival.

Teams and cars from Japan, England, Germany, Canada and every corner of the United States will be participating in their vintage automobiles dating back as far as 1916.

"There are more than 450 people just in our entourage from all around the world taking part in this incredible adventure," director Jeff Stumb said. 

Along the route, competitors will travel parts of the original Dixie Highway in seven states - Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. 

The Great Race, which began 34 years ago, is not a speed race, but a time/speed/distance rally. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret check points along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins.

One word... Lamborghini

Did you know that Ferruccio Lamborghini started Lamborghini Automobili as a company that built tractors? Well, I should back up just a hair. He founded Lamborghini Trattori as a tractor company in 1948 and Lamborghini Automobili followed in 1963. 

Mr. Lamborghini built his tractor factory and made millions in the late 40’s and the 50’s. However, he was not satisfied with tractors and wanted to domuch more. Lamborghini wanted to build sports cars. So, after World War II he founded a car company. Of course, he continued to make tractors that rivaled other brands and the company still does to date. In 2013 Lamborghini Trattori introduced the Nitro tractor that is sold in Europe for more than $440,000 (U.S. $). 

Looking back to the 1960’s, people thought Mr. Lamborghini was a mad man when he said that his next plan was to build a sports car that would rival Ferrari. He was already a multi-millionaire, but friends and family feared he would squander his money away building cars. 

Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first car to roll off the production line was the 1963 V-12 350 GTV followed by the 1965 350 GT and then the 400 GT. 

As time rolled on, Lamborghini proved to be a brand that was not going under and Mr. Lamborghini’s millions multiplied swiftly. Of course, he produced a few flops. But, the 1970’s was when Lamborghini built the Countach masterpiece. 

At the end of 1973 Lamborghini manufactured the first lime green Countach that came standard with a V-12 engine. The Countach, which was manufactured on a regular basis in 1974, became the backbone of Lamborghini. It appeared in movies, TV shows and more. 

Pictured is the V-10 Lamborghini Gallardo. This small demon does 0 to 60 in about 3.9 seconds. It was produced between 2004 and 2014. It was one of the best selling Lamborghini’s ever. A total of 14,022 were built. The Gallardo is named after a famous breed of fighting bulls.