(WXYZ) — Will Power won the 2022 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, the final race on Belle Isle, and now the page turns to the future of the race in the heart of Downtown Detroit.
The NTT IndyCar Series and other racing series will return to the streets of Downtown Detroit on June 2-4, 2023, with a shorter course running right along the Detroit Riverfront. Last year, the Detroit City Council approved the plan for the race to return to Downtown Detroit.
One of the major plans with the return to the city will include more than half of the race's footprint to be open to the public, free of charge. According to race organizers, the free access will be along Jefferson Ave. and the Detroit Riverfront.
Fans will also have complimentary access to major activation areas including Spirit Plaza along Woodward Ave., Hart Plaza and the Riverwalk, which will have live music, food, games and more without the purchase of a Grand Prix ticket.
The race's return to Downtown Detroit is the first time since 1991. Formula One previously raced in Detroit from 1982 to 1988 and in 1989, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) began racing in Detroit. The first IndyCar races were held on the circuit from 1989-1991, before it moved to Belle Isle in 1992.
The track will feature 10 turns and will be 1.7 miles in length, shorter than the 13-turn, 2.3-mile track on Belle Isle. The start/finish line will be along Franklin St. and Schweizer Place. It will run along Franklin St., make a left on Rivard, a left on Jefferson Ave. and continue west to Griswold before making a quick left back onto Jefferson, a right on Bates and then a left on Atwater along the Detroit Riverfront. They'll make a left on St. Antoine and then a right onto Franklin down the front stretch.
The paddock area, often known as the motorsports locker room, will also be along the Detroit Riverfront in the parking lots to the east of the Renaissance Center.
