NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 17, 2022) – The second edition of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix made quite an impact off the track in the Nashville community ranging from a successful art auction benefiting the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to showing appreciation for military and first responders. 

Grand Prix partners were extremely active leading into and during the race weekend with activities including Southern Company’s $1 million pledge to the Helmets to Hardhats program and Knauf Insulation’s month-long glass recycling initiative.

“Nashville provides the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix an incredible platform to create a marquee festival of sound and speed,” Big Machine Music City Grand Prix CEO Matt Crews said. “It’s important that we use this platform to give back to the community. We are incredibly lucky that many of our partners have joined in this effort to make the city we love a better place.”

Among the community-driven highlights from the Aug. 5-7 event held around the Nissan Stadium campus:

• The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix raised more than $18,000 for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt from various fundraising efforts including a race-week art auction and an earlier golf tournament at Old Hickory Country Club. Seventeen-year-old Jordan Johnson (pictured above), a success story of the children’s hospital, served as Junior Ambassador of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix and also waved the green flag for the start of the Pit Stop Challenge at the FanFest event on Broadway. NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie driver David Malukas also made a special visit to the hospital Thursday of race week to visit and interact with the young patients. 
• Southern Company pledged $1 million during the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix to the Helmets to Hardhats program, which helps transition active duty military to skilled careers in the construction industry.

• Knauf Insulation, Inc. and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix partnered on a glass recycling initiative throughout Nashville’s Lower Broadway entertainment districts and on the Nissan Stadium campus through race weekend. The recycling program, which began July 1, collected more than 11,000 pounds of glass from 10 major Broadway and Midtown locations. The Knauf initiative prevented over 5.5 tons of glass from entering local landfills and will create enough insulation fiber to lap the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix circuit 35 million times. Knauf also had its glass “Krusher” machine at Loser’s in Midtown on Aug. 4 to support the program. Customers who used the “Knauf Krusher” to recycle their bottles received t-shirts and other giveaway items.
• Wesley Mortgage provided nearly 3,000 free tickets for Wesley Mortgage Freedom Friday – the event’s opening day – to active and retired military members as well as first responders (law enforcement, fire fighters, EMTs and frontline medical workers). They had the opportunity to enjoy the opening day of on-track activity as well as that evening’s tribute concert. Patriot’s Outpost, along with the American Legion, provided free hospitality and special NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver visits at the Bridge Building throughout the three-day weekend. Southern Company also donated more than 3,000 reserved grandstand tickets to active and retired military.

• Piedmont Natural Gas and Tennessee 811 provided 500 free tickets to Friday’s opening day for Nashville’s Warner Elementary Arts Magnet School. The group enjoyed a special STEM-based tour at the track with Paretta Autosport, Chevrolet and Firestone. On the first day of school, Paretta Autosport owner Beth Paretta and driver Simona De Silvestro visited the school for a special assembly with the fifth-grade class. Charitable partner Martha O’Bryan Center also hosted a free field trip to the opening day with East End Prep Middle School. The students visited with INDYCAR, Paretta Autosport and Firestone.
• Charlie and Hazel Daniel’s Veterans Center at MTSU received a $25,000 donation courtesy of the Harbaugh Foundation for the second consecutive year.
• 
• The second annual Mini Grand Prix pedal kart race held at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix FanFest raised $8,000 for Rocketown of Middle Tennessee, a faith-based youth outreach facility in the heart of downtown Nashville.
• Memories of Honor, in partnership with the event organizers and Black Rifle Coffee Company, held a patriotic military tribute athletic race event Saturday morning of race weekend to support the Tennessee-based, non-profit’s mission of making every day a Memorial Day. Participants, who also received a Fallen Hero Memorial bib, had the opportunity to bike, walk or military ruck the 2.1-mile race circuit.
• SRO GT America driver Robb Holland raised awareness for the Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue throughout the race weekend and also visited the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center for a second consecutive year to provide encouragement to the youths.