INDYCar Racing Takes Over Downtown Detroit

Loud engines roaring and lightning-fast speeding cars were spotted on the streets of Downtown Detroit for this year's, The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. All weekend long local, national and even international car enthusiasts traveled from across the globe, just to visit the Motor City for the INDYCAR Races. This weekend and last year's racing that led to returning to the streets of Detroit, has history dating back to the early 1980s. So, the Grand Prix this year was more like a homecoming and returned connection to the city's heritage of car races.

This year's, 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, featured one of the most diverse lineups in racing. Race car spectators were able to witness the open-wheel stars of the NTT INDYCAR Series. Those who are race car fanatics saw recognizable sports cars from the across the world and the manufacturers that are in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with up-an-coming racers from the INDY NXT by Firestone. This year's 3-day event was one to be enjoyed by all, from novice to expert's fans of racing. No one was left out, for those in attendance. I would describe the weekend as this; I felt my childhood days of playing racing car games had come to life. That was the feeling that was felt all weekend.

When I saw no one was kept from having fun. There was an entire section dedicated to the fans experience. The Fans experience was filled with merchants ranging from food, games, drink and merchandise vendors. On-site there were even cars both racing and your everyday vehicle that you could get into. Those who owned Corvettes had the opportunity to showcase their personal vehicles and were able to drive the race track. Some drivers were truly testing out the horsepower in their Corvettes.

There were tons of people everywhere from the stands to the grandstands and others were seated in the suites section. There was a variety of passes and combinations of options that attendees could experience. Have you ever wanted to get right down in the pit, with the crew workers just to see all the action that takes place? Well, that was an option for attendees as well. It is definitely a sit to see, the behind the scenes of what intricate details that go into make sure these racing cars stay safe and at its optimal speed and condition for drivers.

Armand Berkshire, McClaren Team Member, told us, the Telegram News, "Detroit Grand Prix is different from other races around the country because of the variety of courses, it's a street course that provides a bigger challenge for drivers, which is different than road courses. He went on to say that, he likes the Motor City due to it being "the heart of the land, where history of cars has been made." Armand is also an avid lover of music and he has his hands in that arena back at home in Indiana as well.

So being in the city of Motown, that was an experience all by itself. He even had the chance to take in some jazz music while being downtown. Lastly, McClaren crew member Armand Berkshire, added that diversity and inclusion matters, here in Detroit that was more inclusivity, "We don't get it everywhere." That is one direct result of Detroit, no matter the background, we love it all in music, sports, etc. You will have a diverse crowd showing up.

Did you know that the Detroit Grand Prix began as a Formula One race and it became an annually from 1982-1988. It wasn't until 1989, that the Detroit Grand Prix welcomed Championship Auto Racing Teams as the primary series and it's first INDYCAR races were held from 1981-1991. For many Detroiters, it was the early 90s when memories start to flood the minds of adults as they recall watching the races on Belle Isle. Ending in 2001, a six-year hiatus happened and even though there were visions and partnerships that the race would return, it did not happen as quickly as people thought. It wasn't until 2012 with the support of General Motors and Chevrolet that they served as the event title sponsors. However, there were still more delays and it wasn't until after the global pandemic that the race officially returned to Detroit, MI in 2021 on the streets of Belle Isle. Ironically, after all of that time, it wasn't until last year that we saw the return of racing cars back on the streets in the heart of Detroit.

Despite the complexity of the track, Scott Dixon has managed to beat the streets and wins his 4th, Detroit Grand Prix race. Dixon born in Australia, who is a citizen of New Zealand is a six-time NTT IndyCar series championship. The win didn't come easy with nine cautions for 47 laps in the 100-lap event. Can you imagine that? For Scott Dixon, it is his 58th career win.

The 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear ended the weekend with having a festival like feeling for the entire family.

Photos by Xaiver Jones - Telegram Media Specialist