The Detroit Grand Prix brings motorsports to the people
“We’re going to see the race cars!”
A dad smiled awkwardly across the crowded train car on Detroit’s Q Line. His arms were wrapped around an empty stroller, his two little boys marched along the aisle and made conversation with anyone in earshot. I mouthed “It’s fine” before asking the kid, “Do you know how fast the race cars go?”
His big brother recited “180 mph on the straightaway. That’s Jefferson Avenue.”
People watching the people watching the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix
There’s something magical about a road course. It’s impressive watching drivers handle race cars at 180+ mph anywhere, whether in Daytona or Abu Dhabi. But a downtown road course may include streets and corners from your daily commute. When you see just how fast the race cars navigate the same pavement (180 mph on Jefferson Ave, to be precise) motorsports become real. Tangible. It shows you exactly how fast the planet’s best drivers, in the world’s quickest machines, are.
That’s not the only magic at street circuits. Detroit’s Fox News expects 150,000 people to attend 2025’s Chevrolet Grand Prix. But the final head count is always anyone’s guess.
Thousands of us, like my new friends on the Q Line, decided to take the free train downtown at the last minute. When the conductor called “last stop” one stop earlier than usual, we walked down Woodward, through security at Spirit Plaza, and over the bridge across the track. The cars roared by beneath our feet. The metal bridge shook. Our bones tingled.
What’s it like watching a race on a street course?
Some of us had reserved grandstand seating or tickets to join the tailgate party atop parking garages. Others pressed our noses to the fences in the many free viewing areas. Mere feet from the open-wheeled, 800 horsepower cars.
Hart Plaza, in the shadow of General Motors’ Renaissance Center, was lined with carnival games and food trucks. Families waited in line for ring toss games and pretzels. More than once I heard someone ask “Where are the kids?” Someone else answered. “Still by the fence, watching the cars.”
Every corner of the track was mobbed with brand new motorsports fans. Some went home dreaming of assembling or repairing the next generation of Detroit sports cars. Others may be inspired by motorsports to study STEM and engineer future cutting-edge machines. Still others may be driven to join motorsports themselves. It all started when they watched a race car roar through the intersection of Woodward and Jefferson at 100+ mph.
Is there anything like the Detroit Grand Prix?
Grand Prix DT pic.twitter.com/Sz7R8yIshr
— Henry Cesari (@HenryCesari) June 1, 2025
It’s hard to imagine a more accessible major motorsports event. Sure, Michigan also hosts a NASCAR race. But the Michigan International Speedway is an hour and a half west of Detroit. Formula 1 Grand Prix races take over street courses in Montreal and Las Vegas. But sadly, they are among the most expensive and exclusive weekends on the Formula 1 schedule. The closest cousin to the Detroit Grand Prix might be NASCAR’s Chicago Street Course. In 2025, it will fall on the 4th of July weekend. The Indy Cars also take over Long Beach, California during the Acura Grand Prix; St. Petersburg, Florida during the Firestone Grand Prix; and Toronto, Canada during the Honda Dealers’ race.
See the highlights of this year’s Detroit Grand Prix in the video below:
