Friday Fountain Opening Among Several Planned Activities for What Would Have Been Grand Prix Race Weekend
DETROIT, Mich. (May 28, 2020) – While the COVID-19 global pandemic forced the cancelation of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear for 2020, the event will continue to make a positive impact in its community with several special activities planned for this weekend.
The Grand Prix has worked annually with one of its partners, DTE Energy, to reactivate the historic James Scott Memorial Fountain on Belle Isle and get it flowing for the first time each summer on the Friday of Grand Prix weekend. The Fountain, which actually turns 95 years old on Sunday, has then remained operational throughout the summer months for everyone on Belle Isle Park to enjoy. With Michigan’s Stay at Home mandates as a result of the pandemic, the Fountain wasn’t slated to flow until late July or early August. The Grand Prix worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), DTE Energy and its longtime engineer and “Fountain Fixer” Robert Carpenter, and on Friday the iconic landmark of Belle Isle will operate for the first time in 2020, ensuring parkgoers can enjoy the beauty of the Fountain at least six weeks earlier than planned.
“We are so excited to see the beautiful and historic Scott Fountain come to life on Friday,” said Bud Denker, Chairman of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. “This would have been a great weekend in Detroit to host the Grand Prix and celebrate the Fountain’s 95th birthday but it wasn’t meant to be. We were determined to keep the tradition of the Fountain flowing for the first time each summer at the Grand Prix alive, however. Thanks to the hard work of Robert Carpenter and the cooperation of our partners at DTE and the Michigan DNR, we have been able to make it happen. Scott Fountain will be flowing on Friday and we believe that will be a great symbol for how our city and Belle Isle is ready to come back after all we have been though over the last few months. We are also planning some other special activities with our fans to honor what would have been Grand Prix weekend.”
This evening, Grand Prix fans will have an opportunity to connect with some of the former champion drivers that have driven to victory on Belle Isle and celebrated at Scott Fountain in one of the most unique and special Winner’s Circle locations in racing. NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers and former Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear race winners Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal will talk about their memories of racing in Detroit and answer questions from fans in a special “Chat with the Champions” Zoom video conference tonight beginning at 6 pm ET that will be broadcast on both the Detroit Grand Prix and NTT INDYCAR SERIES Facebook pages.
Over the course of the weekend, the Grand Prix is also hosting a “virtual” Detroit Grand Prix on social media for charity. The event has invited some special guests to post a video narration of their two fantasy laps at the Detroit Grand Prix and the videos will be shared on Twitter over the course of the weekend. Each time the video posts are tweeted and retweeted using the hashtags #My2Laps at #DetroitGP, the Grand Prix will donate $10 to the Belle Isle Conservancy for improvement projects on Belle Isle with a total contribution of up to $5,000. Everyone is encouraged to share their video fantasy lap narration on Twitter to maximize this donation.
In addition, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will feature unique stories, photos and videos featuring the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear throughout the weekend on its social media channels as well as on its official website, www.indycar.com.
ABOUT THE CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY LEAR
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear is a 501(c)3 organization and a subsidiary of the Downtown Detroit Partnership. Scheduled for June 4-6, 2021, the event will include the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit featuring the cars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic with the exotic sports cars of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. Partners for the 2021 Grand Prix include General Motors and Lear Corporation. For more information, visit www.DetroitGP.com and follow our social media pages at www.facebook.com/detroitgp, www.twitter.com/detroitgp and www.instagram.com/detroitgp.
