Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta On Bringing Music & Racing Together For The Music City Grand Prix

Big Machine Label Group Founder and CEO Scott Borchetta pictured with Nolan Seigel. Big Machine … [+] hosts this weekend’s event at the Nashville Superspeedway

Courtesy of Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

Nashville is gearing up to do what it does best: host a major national/international event, add some incredible music, and make it an experience to remember. In this case, it’s the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. And while the city has hosted the event for the past three years, this year’s race is especially important to INDYCAR, as it’s the final race of the season. The 2024 INDYCAR champion will be crowned here this weekend.

“The fact that we’re the finale is incredible,” notes Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Label Group, the event promoter. “And we have really big stakes with Alex Palou and Will Power. It’s the first time in the history of IndyCar you have two guys who have won two championships and are going head-to-head for their third.”

Race winner Alex Palou chats with the media after the NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of … [+] Monterey on June 23, 2024 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, CA. (Photo by Larry Placido/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Will Power shown during an interview with NBC Sports after the NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito … [+] Automotive Group 500 on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by David Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

For Borchetta, the Music City Grand Prix blends two of his greatest passions, music and racing. He not only Founder and CEO of the record label, he’s intricately involved in the sport of racing. He has experience as a driver and owns Big Machine Racing based in North Carolina.

This year’s three-day event will feature both INDYCAR action and a long list of live performances from Big Machine artists like Brantley Gilbert, Gary LeVox, Brian Kelley, Daughtry, Riley Green, DJ Blanco, and many others.

Brian Kelley shown here performing onstage during the Big Machine Label Group Luncheon at the 2024 … [+] Country Radio Seminar at Omni Nashville Hotel on March 01, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Big Machine Label Group)

Getty Images for Big Machine Label Group

Daughtry

Credit: Darren Craig

Riley Green performs onstage for CMT Giants: Alabama at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on … [+] January 17, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMT)

Getty Images for CMT

“It gives us an opportunity to bring two really robust and excited fan bases together,” Borchetta says.”

Borchetta started Big Machine as a small independent nearly two decades ago and quickly gained success with some of his early signings which included Taylor Swift. Today his powerhouse label group is home to superstars like Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Sheryl Crow, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Riley Green, Aaron Lewis, and more.

Scott Borchetta, Founder, President, and CEO of Big Machine Label Group

Credit: Austin Hargrave

His love of music and racing have run parallel throughout most of his life.

“They really have,” he says. “I grew up with a dad in the radio record promotion business, so I had a huge education I didn’t even realize I was getting – early on. Back then they were building it and making it up as they went along. So, I got to learn from his successes, and even more importantly from his mistakes. Then, with racing, I went to my first race as a young boy, so both racing and music have always been part of my DNA.”

When Nashville began the push to bring the Grand Prix to Music City, Borchetta was an early investor with Big Machine signing on as sponsor. But when it came to a point of whether or not the race would actually go forward, he decided to step up and take it over.

“It’s a lot of responsibility and we don’t take putting this thing on lightly. It’s different than putting on a show. The racing fraternities are not something you just walk into. It takes years to earn credibility and respect, and I take that very seriously. I want to make sure everybody has a great time and it’s a success, so I might take it a little more personally than some of the other events we do.”

Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta talks with INDYCAR driver Palo O’Ward.

Courtesy of Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

Photo from the 2023 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via … [+] Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Music City Grand Prix started as a road race, and for the first three years took place on the streets of downtown Nashville. But this year, construction on the new Titans football stadium, right in the middle of the course, made it impossible to have the race downtown.

So, the race has been moved to the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, about 35 miles east of the city.

But Borchetta still wanted have some of the weekend action take place inside Nashville’s city limits, specifically along the bustling honky tonk strip of Lower Broadway. So, while everyone will head to the speedway Saturday and Sunday, Friday night is reserved for downtown Nashville where people will still see some racing and and get to enjoy live music.

“I’m really excited because we’re shutting down Broadway on Friday and will have the IndyCar Pit Stop Competition right there,” Borchetta explains. “Then we’ll kick off Freedom Friday Military Activations, we’ll have some of our artists performance (Brian Kelley and others), and we’re releasing Brantley Gilbert’s new album that day, so we’re holding what we’re calling ‘the world’s largest album release party.’”

Brantley Gilbert is set to take the stage for his free Friday night show at 9:15.

Brantley Gilbert performs free show on Lower Broadway at 9:15pm as part of Big Machine Music City … [+] Grand Prix festivities Friday, September 13th, 2024.

Credit: Alexa Campbell

Over the weekend, fans heading to the track will see INDYCAR practice and qualifying on Saturday, as well as live musical performances throughout the day. Then, on Sunday, there are music and racing events in the morning with the NTT INDYCAR Championship Race set to begin at 2:25pm local time (3:25pm EST).

(Pre-race coverage begins on NBC at 3pm ET/2pm CT.)

Borchetta says whether it’s music, racing, or any of his other Big Machine business ventures, the focus is always on keeping fans entertained.

“Everything we touch at the end of the day leads back to some form of entertainment whether it’s the record label, racing, our distillery brands, clothing brands, whatever it is, it’s all tied back to this culture.”

And true success comes, he says, in making every experience a memorable one.

Testing at the Nashville Superspeedway earlier this summer with Colton Herta, #26 Gainbridge Honda, … [+] and Pato O’Ward, #5 Arrow McLaren

Courtesy of Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

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