A Mt. Juliet Fan’s Guide to the Music City Grand Prix: Where to Stay, Eat, and Cheer
Most of the racing world will fly into Nashville, fight downtown traffic, and drive out to Wilson County for the Music City Grand Prix. Mt. Juliet families get to do the opposite: this year's biggest sporting weekend in Middle Tennessee is happening right up the road. When the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix takes the green flag at Nashville Superspeedway on July 18-19, no one has a shorter, sweeter commute to the show than we do.
The home-field advantage
The Superspeedway sits just east of us off Interstate 840, a quick hop from Mt. Juliet by way of I-40. While out-of-towners plan around 40-minute drives from the city center, most of us can be parked and in our seats in a fraction of that time. That proximity is the whole appeal: you can spend the day trackside soaking up the roar of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and still sleep in your own bed — or turn it into a proper staycation weekend without ever leaving Wilson County.
What's on the schedule
Saturday, July 18 is the warm-up act, with practice, qualifying, and INDY NXT support races that reward fans who show up early. Sunday, July 19 is the main event: the headline INDYCAR race under the lights, stretched this year to a full 400 miles for extra late-race drama, with the national broadcast on FOX capping a huge sports Sunday. It's a genuine marquee event, and it's ours to claim.
Bring the whole family
Race weekend is built to be family-friendly, and the pricing proves it: kids 12 and under get in for the entire weekend for just $15 with a ticketed adult. Pack ear protection for younger fans — the cars are gloriously loud — plenty of sunscreen and water for the Tennessee July heat, and settle in for a first-class introduction to open-wheel racing that won't break the family budget.
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Make a weekend of it
With crowds pouring into Wilson County, rooms near the track fill quickly — and staying close means skipping the post-race shuffle entirely. If friends or family are coming in for the race, point them toward a room on this side of town so everyone's just minutes from the action. Book your stay »
Local pride, on a global stage
For years, Mt. Juliet has watched its corner of Middle Tennessee grow from a bedroom community into a destination in its own right. A world-class motorsport event drawing fans from across the country to our doorstep is one more sign of how far the area has come. This July, the eyes of the racing world land on Wilson County — and the locals with the best seats, and the shortest drive, live right here.
