Previewing the 2024 IndyCar Series Championship Weekend with race promoter Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group

ROGER:

This is Roger Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans and insiders view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Auto Week and Speed Sport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind-the-scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers and teams that compete in the Indianapolis 500. It's off to Nashville for the final race of the 2024 season that will determine the NTT IndyCar Series champion. It's the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Super Speedway, IndyCar's first race at the 1.33 mile level since Scott Dixon won three straight at that track from 2006 to 2008. Dixon is one of just three drivers in the current IndyCar field that were in that race in 2008. The others are Will Power and Graham Rahal. In 2008, Power finished 11th, driving for KV Racing Technology, and Rahal was 12th, racing for Newman Haas Lanigan Racing. Nearly two decades later, Dixon is still with Chip Ganassi Racing, Power joined Team Penske in 2009 and is still with the team, and Rahal is with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. This year, the IndyCar Championship will be determined in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, September 15th. Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing takes a 33-point lead over Will Power and a 50-point lead over Scott McLaughlin, both with Team Penske. Those are the only three drivers that have a shot at the title with one race remaining. Maximum points in each IndyCar race are 54, so the math favors Palou. If Palou finishes ninth or better, he will clinch the championship for the third time and become the first back-to-back IndyCar Series champion since Dario Franchitti won three straight championships from 2009 to 2011. The man behind the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix is Scott Borchetta, the founder and CEO of Big Machine Label Group. Borscetta recognized talent when he saw it and when he heard it. In 2004, he met a young 14-year-old girl who had extraordinary talent. One year later, he started Big Machine and signed the girl to her first contract in 2005 as Big Machine's first client. It was Taylor Swift, unquestionably the world's biggest entertainer, who went on to win two Grammy Album of the Year awards for Fearless in 2010 and 1989 and 2016 while recording for Big Machine. Although Swift would eventually leave Big Machine, the company remains one of the most successful entertainment companies in the industry. But Scott Borchetta is a racer at heart. A competitive driver behind the wheel, Borchetta also owns a NASCAR Xfinity Series team and is the promoter of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, the championship race for IndyCar. Let's get to know more about Scott Borchetta as we preview the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in this exclusive interview for PitPass Indy presented by Penske Truck Realm. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Scott Borchetta, the CEO of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Scott, a little bit different than you originally planned. This race was supposed to be on the streets of Nashville, but instead it's going to be at Nashville Super Speedway. What can you tell us about how things are coming together so far?

SCOTT:

Yeah, things are going great. And, you know, I think when you are a fan of IndyCar and if you've been to a street course or a oval, as far as the actual fan experience, the oval is so much more easier to navigate. And, you know, you can see the track from just about any seat. You can see the whole track. And nothing against running downtown, that was a great experience. But for a fan experience, it was a bit challenging to navigate the whole footprint. So, you know, the excitement has been there for the fans, you know, who wanted to see us back on ovals. And in the season on oval and the fact that we're the season finale for the foreseeable future, just makes this race that much more important. And I think the fans are understanding that.

BRUCE:

But how are things going in terms of creating the vibe in both places? You're going to keep a lot of the entertainment you're engaging and activating in the Broadway entertainment area of Nashville Thursday night, Friday night, maybe even some stuff that you've got going on there on Saturday before all the action really shifts over to the track on Saturday and Sunday.

SCOTT:

Yeah. The great thing about Nashville is you don't need an excuse for a party. So we're going to, take over downtown Broadway on Friday, September 13th. We're putting Brantley Gilbert's new album out that day. So he'll be playing on a huge stage between 4th and 5th Avenue. Will be shut down all the way from 5th down to the river. And his new album, Tattoos, drops that day. So we're billing this as the world's largest album release party. And it's our fourth annual Freedom Friday concert as well. So we'll be honoring the military and working with General Huber again. And so we're keeping the aesthetic of Nashville very much in touch with the Grand Prix and then. out at Super Speedway, we've got a ton of great music as well. You know, Riley Green is headlining the post-race champions concert. Doctree will play pre-race on the front stretch. And Diplo is going to do his DJ set that's going to morph into a, you know, the driver introduction. So we've got entertainment coming at you from every angle and it's going to be a great weekend.

BRUCE:

With all of that that's going on downtown, though, how do you lure those people to go from downtown to go out to Nashville Super Speedway in Lebanon to actually participate and be part of the excitement for the final race of the NTT IndyCar Series season that will determine the championship?

SCOTT:

So the irony is it's only about 35 minutes away from downtown. And for anyone who's gone to the Indy 500, you can be three miles away, and it takes you an hour and a half to get in. So it's not really that far. And some of the things we've done around town is creatively, I'm really proud of this, we've got billboards up. And depending on where you are, if you're in Brentwood, we have a billboard that says at 204 miles an hour, you're only seven minutes away. So psychologically, it's a lot of fun, but it's also saying, hey, it's not that far away. It's very much connected to Nashville. And I think keeping the music and all the activations out at the super speedway is definitely going to feel like Nashville.

BRUCE:

I can attest for that because I drove from North Carolina to Gateway for the Bomberito Automotive Group 500. And I could see, you know, pretty far outside of Nashville when billboards started to pop up for your race. How much have you saturated the area in terms of media reach, trying to, you know, with billboards, getting local TV involved, commercials, things of that nature?

SCOTT:

Everything. You know, we have a huge TV campaign, huge billboards, huge socials, radio. We've attacked all media to make sure everybody knows about the big Machine Music City Grand Prix. The fact that we are now the season finale and, you know, it has been a full frontal attack. We have left no stone unturned.

BRUCE:

How has that translated so far to ticket sales?

SCOTT:

As of right now, we are 52% ahead of where last season ended. And so we're 24 days out right now in real time. So the fact that we're that far ahead is great. And we've got some big things coming. So selling out Sunday is not out of the question.

BRUCE:

So you're comparing the oval seating with the seating that you had for the street course?

SCOTT:

Yeah, just total grandstand seats sold.

BRUCE:

How many does the current Nashville Super Speedway hold at the moment? The last time I was there was back in 2008. They probably could do about 30,000 at that time. I know since NASCAR Cup Series has returned, they've added some. But what does the footprint look like for your race?

SCOTT:

Yeah, the way we've got the main grandstand with power suites and then the pit lane suites. And so all in, it's going to be in the high 20s.

BRUCE:

decisions quickly at the beginning of the year when it became apparent that the downtown street course wasn't going to be available, that a lot of the permits and things that had already needed to be determined were still a long way off from even being discussed by the city of Nashville. If you could go back to that time, what do you see as being really the pivotal moment that really saved this event?

SCOTT:

Well, there are a few, you know, the Titans have been great partners to the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix that has been central to our operations for the first three years. And they made it very clear that, hey, we're breaking ground on the new stadium in February and you won't be able to use this footprint. And in trying to navigate how we could continue to race downtown, starting to look at all the traps, the fact that this year the IndyCar Championship here falls the second week of the NFL. And the Titans made a request for us to have that weekend off. And Burke, the president of the Titans, was very clear. He said, Scott, look, I've asked for that weekend to be an away game. But at the end of the day, the NFL is going to do what the NFL does. And so it's like, okay, noted.

None:

Then I'm meeting with the mayor.

SCOTT:

And he said, Scott, with all due respect, if there's a home game, there's no way you can shut down a Korean vet's bridge, which is central to the downtown footprint, whether we're racing around the stadium or racing around the city. And that and a ton of other challenges with paving expense in the millions of dollars and a lot of other challenges and a lot of things that hadn't really been addressed by prior management with downtown businesses. I flew over to meet with Marcus Smith at SMI, and said, how would you like to host the IndyCar Championship? And he couldn't say yes fast enough. So we made the decision. It was a massive decision, a ton of work. But I got to tell you, there was no way for us to find out when that Titans game was going to fall, if we're going to have a home game or an away game. And I checked with my friends at the Cowboys and other NFL teams, and they checked around. They said, Scott, nobody will know until May 16th. So this is late February. I'm going, I cannot wait. Thank God we did, because there's a home game this year on the same day as our race. And had we tried to continue to roll it downtown, I would have had more egg on my face than you could imagine, because I would have had to tell everybody that the race is canceled, that we would not be racing in Nashville this year. Because by the time you get to mid-May, there's no way to move it out to the super speedway. So while it's been a tough decision and all that, it's absolutely the right one.

BRUCE:

Well, it does go to show that the NFL, that they really, there's been times at the Indianapolis motor Speedway where they've had events there in the fall when the Colts were playing at the same time. And it really does go to show that they pretty much, when they create their schedule, they're going to create their schedule based around their TV desires and around their agenda and, and things of that nature. But here's another question that I wanted to get at. You are so actively involved in the music industry, the entertainment industry, big machine records. You're the CEO of a major music label. But what is it about Scott Borchetta? What is it about auto racing that is so important to you? Because you're involved in a lot of different aspects of auto racing.

SCOTT:

Yeah, I guess we just don't do anything half-assed. You know, we are involved with IndyCar, of course, and NASCAR. I'm on the board of the Fairgrounds Museum Hall of Fame here in Nashville. I'm on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum board. And it's really, outside of music and racing, I'm probably not that knowledgeable about much. But it's in my DNA. And I also want to lift things up and make them as good as they can be. And it's just a drive and a passion that I have, and so many times over the years, something really interesting happens when you take somebody to a race for the first time. They either completely fall in love with it, or eh, and I'm okay with that, because the ones that fall in love with it are all in, and the ones who aren't, it's like, nope, no big deal. But the people who get this bug, once you have this racing bug, there's no way to get rid of it.

BRUCE:

Who were your heroes growing up? Because I know that there's a lot of different drivers from all different aspects of racing that you've been friends with.

SCOTT:

Yeah, it's really been an honor to be friends with most of my heroes. You know, Mario Andretti. And it's always great when you meet your heroes and they're wonderful people. You know, I can't say enough about Mario Andretti and just the Andretti clan. But the fact that we're friendly and he was nice enough to let us honor him on our big, our foreshadowed bourbon last year around the Grand Prix, came in and did the whole launch event with us. But he's always been a hero. Bobby and Alex are heroes. And Al, of course, good friends with Al, Jr. And we're launching his audio version of Checkered Past that we produced. Because I read the book and I'm like, there's no audio book here. let us produce one and I want you to do it in your own voice. So that's coming and you hear all the emotion of the stories because it is in Al's voice. So, you know, and Mr. Penske, I've always been a huge fan of, of Roger and the fact that we're friendly and in business now is really incredible on, you know, I got to know Dan Gurney in his later years. So I've really had the great fortune to get to know a lot of these guys, you know, at least be friendly. Jeff Gordon is an amazing person. Ray Everham is a dear friend. And, you know, just being able to interact with these people, do business with them, enjoy racing together with them is it's really, I would say a dream come true.

BRUCE:

So what was it about the current IndyCar series that you decided to get Nashville involved in it? You thought Nashville would be the perfect place for them to have their championship race.

SCOTT:

Well, that all came, that involved as far as us ending up with the championship. But, you know, having IndyCar here, you know, Nashville has become beat at city the last several years. And this adds another jewel to the crown. You know, we get this right. You know, Nashville has the world series of, we've got the Superbowl, the world series of IndyCar for the foreseeable future. And it's just another, feather in our cap to say we are the It City and this is the place you want to be and gives you another reason to come to Nashville during the year. If you're already a fan of the city, you know you're going to come and have a great time. And if you haven't been here, here's another great reason to come.

BRUCE:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

WILL:

This is Will Power of Team Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indie. Here is the second part of my exclusive interview with Scott Borchetta, the CEO of Big Machine Label Group and the promoter of this week's Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Super Speedway for Pit Pass Indie. But there's also a lot of other excitement. Anybody that really watched the end of the Bomberito Automotive Group 500, or even watched the entire race, you had to be encouraged by the great action. Because a lot of drivers and team owners and engineers predicted with the added weight of the car because of the hybrid engine, they didn't expect it to be more than a follow the leader type race. You're an oval. That was an oval. Oval racing is known in IndyCar for its wild action, its great passing. And we saw that with a record-breaking race at Gateway. So you have to be very encouraged that IndyCar has come up with the right formula to offset that weight differential created by the hybrid engine.

SCOTT:

Yeah, absolutely. Huge concern. And, you know, the drivers are always going to, they're in the car, they feel everything going on there. They're the ones at the end of the day who are the final test, the final box you have to check. And I was so pleased to see how good the racing was in St. Louis, because we're somewhat similar. We have a little bit higher bank and obviously it's a The cement surface, but just the fact that they're getting that added weight in the downforce figured out with the tire that can handle it, you know, it is mission critical and Firestone and IndyCar. have already done two tire tests at the Nashville Super Speedway to make sure that finale is the great show that we all want it to be.

BRUCE:

You brought up a good point there. You mentioned Firestone. Firestone and Bridgestone North America is based in Nashville. How key are they to being a partner with this type of race to really make Nashville an IndyCar, as you said, an IndyCar showcase?

SCOTT:

Yeah, you know, corporations like that aren't necessarily fan-facing. So it's a brand-facing. So I don't know that, you know, I think they're thrilled that it's here, but they make the same commitment to every racetrack. They've got to make sure that our series is competitive wherever we are, whether it's Indy 500 or Portland or Nashville, et cetera. So, you know, they're great supporters of the entire series. And I know that they love having it here, but there's also added pressure here. They have to get it right. If that race doesn't follow the leader, you know, we're going to be down on 3rd Avenue knocking on the door on Monday.

BRUCE:

So you're going to be at the Nashville Super Speedway for the next couple of years. The ultimate goal is to return to the streets of Nashville. The street race there has proven to be very popular. A lot of people turn out, a lot of big event people. They may not necessarily be race fans, but they're there because it's a big event in downtown Nashville. And afterwards, they can go across the bridge and back into the honky tonks on Broadway Avenue. That's a vibe that's very special to that event. And how important will it be? Do you see that maybe having it at the oval may provide a little bit better racing, but in some ways it'll only increase the appetite for some of the spectators to get the thing back downtown.

SCOTT:

in future years. The original vision was for this to become the Monaco of the South. And there's a lot of people who would like to see that happen. And there's a ton of things that have to happen institutionally and municipal situations downtown. The mayor and I've had some very positive conversations about that. And the reason there aren't a lot of street races is because there's endless things that need to be taken care of. And if you don't watch the expenses, it's like a fire hydrant that's open at the top of Broadway and nobody has the rights to turn it off. So there's got to be great planning. Everybody has to be all in. The city has to be all in. The titans will have to be all in. It's a It's a lot. And we were very fortunate those first three years to pull it off, but it's got to be better than it was. We did really well with our premium hospitality, but I think there's an even better job that we can do marketing. And that's what we're really experiencing this year in educating people about IndyCar. So yeah, it'd be great to have it back downtown. That's the hope. But we're racing at the National Super Speedway for the next three years. that's, that's the event we got to make happen for now.

BRUCE:

You mentioned the premium hospitality. So what are some of the premium hospitality elements that you'll have at the track?

SCOTT:

Oh, they're great. So just to begin with the, you know, SMI has done a great job of, you know, refurbing the tower suites. So all the tower suites are great. And we have the pit lane suites, and then we have our club RPM, which has been a fan favorite for the for the first three years and that sold out. We have a new champions club, which is more of a F1 feel. And, uh, that's, that's off the hook. And then there's another big activation with the green room. And, uh, that's, that's pretty much sold out as well. So pretty much all the premium, it's, it's just about all gone.

BRUCE:

At one point, IndyCar was going to have the championship celebration on Monday night at a major venue in Nashville since that time they've decided it's going to be in Indianapolis a couple of weeks later. What were the reasons why that was changed?

SCOTT:

Well, that was in the initial conversation that, you know, we would produce that. And I got to a place where I met with Mr. Penske and Bud Danker and Jonathan Gibson and their core team. And just to look, I need to be focused on selling a race ticket because the idea was we would have a banquet and try to sell tickets for that as well, which. In theory, OK, cool, maybe, but I don't want to confuse the conversation or what we're trying to sell any more than it already is for moving downtown after the super speedway. So we respectfully said, hey, we can't handle it this year. We've got to kill. We've got to nail the race.

BRUCE:

In your estimation, how close are you going to be coming to nailing the race?

SCOTT:

I think we're well on the way. I mean, really proud of the marketing and results of how people are responding. And really it's a, it's a massive education. So, uh, we'll have people there. So at the end of the day, yeah, we'll, we'll pray for great weather and a great race and crown a champion here in middle Tennessee.

BRUCE:

So you've been involved in all kinds of different challenges in the entertainment industry. So how would you compare this event to some of the major concerts, some of the personalities you've dealt with, uh, when it comes time to consigning them to a record contract?

SCOTT:

I've always looked at talent as talent, whether you're a musician, an actor, an athlete, there's a certain conversation, there's a certain way to work with those people to make sure you're helping them maximize their talent. So, you know, I look at it really pretty much the same talent is talent. And then what are we, what are we marketing? What's, what's the new album? What's the message? What's the race? Well, the race is the championship race and it's in the most exciting city in the world right now. So it's, it's really, what is the talent and what's the story you want to tell?

BRUCE:

So from the music side of your business, how are you able to compartmentalize both?

SCOTT:

I have no choice. So there's a lot of things that intersect because we have so many of our artists involved. Not only Bradley Gilbert, Riley Green, and Daughtry, but we also have a bunch of our new artists that are showcasing all over. So whether it's Chase McDaniel, or Mae Estes, or Mackenzie Carpenter, or Noah Hicks, or Shailene, you know, Brian Kelly, Gary LaVox. So there's a lot of conversation and it gets down to entertainment. But as far as what, you know, the record label is its own behemoth. But we're 19 years old, you know, that I've got wonderful people who understand the daily operations, daily mission. And we're building out a new Grand Prix management team because this wasn't planned. This was not premeditated. I did this to save the race. Otherwise, the race was not going to happen. And, you know, maybe it happens in a different construct, whatever. But I made the decision. It's like we're going to charge forward. and brought in some great people. And I won't have as much of a leadership role as far as day-to-day in future years. They'll still report up to me, but I'm bringing some great people to operate it so I can just cover it 50,000 feet.

BRUCE:

How did you get involved in the music industry?

SCOTT:

Oh, boy. So my dad, who is still alive, was always in it. So I was always around it. So if you're a fan of Malcolm Gladwell, I had 10,000 hours before we even knew what 10,000 hours was. And so it was one of those things that I literally fought off for years. And once I gave into it, I realized that that's where I was supposed to be. And so it's been a very natural thing for me to just be in the business and be part of it. Because growing up around it, I already knew the conversation. I already knew the mechanisms of how it works and understanding what a hit song is. And, you know, that's always evolving and changing, but there's still foundational things that are constant. So I, you know, it's fair to say that I was pretty much born into it.

BRUCE:

Do you recall your first race and where was it?

SCOTT:

So my first ever competitive race was BMX at Solidad Sand in Saugus, California.

BRUCE:

And were you a participant?

SCOTT:

Yeah. Oh, the first race ever attended was the first California 500 in 1970. And that race will forever be in my DNA. I mean, to this day, my stopwatch at a racing logo still has a lightning bolt to honor Al Unser and the Johnny Lightning. Because that car is a little boy. Me and my brother were just fascinated. Because it was Al and Bobby, and it was Mark and Scott. But that race, I have a really neat piece from that race. Gigi Garner, who's the late James Garner's daughter, become friends with her over the last several years. And James was the Grand Marshal for that first California 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway. He got a helmet that everybody signed, Dan Gurney, A.J. Boyd, Andretti, the answers right there for everybody signed it. And she gave me that helmet. So I have that full circle moment in my collection of that was my very first race. And, and here are all the guys who drove on it and this is the helmet they all found. So it's a pretty cool piece.

BRUCE:

Yeah. That's something that nobody, you couldn't put a dollar value on that, on what, what that helmet means. There's a lot of names on there that aren't around anymore.

SCOTT:

Oh, a ton of them. You know, you look down and yeah, most of them, unfortunately.

BRUCE:

But in other words, you got the same sensation going to the first race at Ontario motor speedway for Indy cars. And a lot of people probably get when they go to their first Indianapolis 500. Yeah.

SCOTT:

You know, and you know, to me, if, if you're a race fan and that's why we really focus on getting young people out to the races, because There's that moment in time where you don't ever forget your first concert. And if we do it right, you'll never forget your first race. And that's something we're very cognizant of and very specific with intent to bring your kids because they'll never forget this.

BRUCE:

And as we wrap up our show here with Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Music, and also the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. For fans that don't have tickets now that want to attend, what's the best way for them to get a ticket and see the big action at your track?

SCOTT:

Yeah, musiccitygp.com. Musiccitygp.com. And come and hang with us. I promise you're going to have a great time. The racing looks like it's going to be fantastic. We're going to crown a champion and the music's going to be off the hook. So we have a big, big weekend in store for you.

BRUCE:

Well, having been through Nashville and spent plenty of time in Nashville, the city is definitely on the rise and it's booming. And you can only imagine what the town's going to be like in 10 years from now, 20 years from now, because every time you go through that city, you're stuck in traffic because there's always another major construction project underway. But that just proves the growth of the city. Scott Borchetta, really appreciate your time. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you, Bruce. Take care. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

SCOTT:

Hi, I'm Scott McLaughlin, driver of the number three team Penske Chevy, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. On Tuesday, September 10th, Kyle Larson announced he would return to the Indianapolis 500 in 2025 with a combined effort featuring Errol McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports. Larson will make his second straight attempt at competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. His attempt in 2024 was impacted by rain as the Indianapolis 500 started four hours late. Larson was a contender for the Indy 500 win before he was penalized for speeding on Pitt Road. He finished 18th and was named 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Afterwards, he left for Charlotte Motor Speedway with the 600 already in progress. When he arrived just past the halfway point to replace fill-in driver Justin Allgaier behind the wheel of the No. 5 Chevrolet, it began to rain. The rain didn't let up and with it already passed halfway. NASCAR flagged the race as official and Larson never got to turn a lap. Let's hope for sunnier days and clear nights for his next attempt on May 25th, 2025. And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy. We want to thank our guests, Big Machine Label Group CEO and the promoter of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, Scott Borchetta, for joining us on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rattle keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.