ROARING CARS IN DETROIT
By George B. Eichorn
Downtown Detroit will be buzzing next week as the 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear zooms into town on the Streets of Downtown Detroit.
Led by the amazing Alex Palou of Spain – who owns two consecutive national IndyCar Series titles – the Grand Prix will delight thousands of racing fans who should pack downtown for a third straight year.
Palou is challenging the great A.J. Foyt and his 1964 record of 10 victories in 13 starts. Simply put, this is a remarkable start in the USA’s premier open-wheel series by Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing team. He’s won in California, Florida, Alabama and Indiana thus far. Palou has never won the May 25th Indianapolis 500; the lone remaining race before the Detroit Grand Prix.
Last year’s edition of the Grand Prix saw Colton Herta win the coveted pole position. A six-car pileup occurred on lap 1. Eventual winner Scott Dixon took the lead around lap 74 as he battled runner-up Marcus Ericsson who finished second. Marcus Armstrong was third.
Gates open at 8 a.m. all three days, May 30-June 1. Various ticket packages remain on sale yet the main grandstand is sold out. Call 888-811-7749 or www.detroitgp.com.
FOX Sports, Channel 2 locally, televises the Sunday, June 1 race starting at 12:30 p.m. with Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Additional local coverage features anchors Dan Miller, Woody Woodriffe and Jennifer Hammond plus anchors and feature reporters. WFDF-AM 910 in Farmington Hills broadcasts the June 1 race with Mark Jaynes and Davey Hamilton mikeside.
Searching for an underdog? A Series driver searching for his first IndyCar win since 2017 (on the Belle Isle course in Detroit) is veteran Graham Rahal of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Team. Local favorite Roger Penske (“The Captain”) brings his team of Chevrolet-sponsored drivers Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power to town.
The top six in points are Palou (248), Kyle Kirkwood (151), Christian Lundgaard (148), Pato O’Ward (148), Scott McLaughlin (137) and Scott Dixon (136). In addition to the NTT IndyCar Series race on Sunday, June 1, the NXT IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and INDY NXT by Firestone have practices, qualifying and races on the circuit.
Once the Saturday racing action finishes the Cadillac Square Entertainment Stage presented by Priority will light up with performances from two of today’s top EDM stars, powered by the Downtown Detroit Partnership. EVAN GIIA will get the party started when she takes the stage at 6:15 p.m. before electronic music sensation GRYFFIN rocks the Saturday night away. Concert ticket purchases are required; race event tickets are not valid for concert entry.
The 2025 Grand Prix official poster (measuring 24” x 36”) is a colorful creation that now joins the rich, four decades-long history of Detroit Grand Prix commemorative posters. The winning design was created by Eli Archer, an Indiana native and sophomore at Detroit’s renown College for Creative Studies (CCS), who tapped into his Hoosier heritage to capture the thrill of racing on the downtown streets while highlighting the Grand Prix’s connection to the local community and the summertime vibe of the Motor City.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com or @Sandsports99 on X (Twitter).
