What to expect at first Grand Prix of Arlington: tickets, road closures, more
IndyCar’s Java House Grand Prix of Arlington will take place this weekend, and race president Bill Miller sat down to talk about what fans can expect ahead of this event’s inaugural run and how organizers made the streets race-ready.
Miller detailed what fans will see as they watch the cars race through the 2.7-mile course on the streets of Arlington around the Dallas Cowboys’ and Texas Rangers’ stadiums. Practice starts Friday, and the main race is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
“The three areas, really, of what you think of the entertainment district, the stadiums themselves, Globe Life Field, AT&T Stadium, and the entertainment district as a whole,” he said, “... was really, you’d say, a must because it highlights this area that is all about fun and excitement. And going through there, it’s just going to be an awesome sight.”
A street course going through the heart of the Arlington entertainment district also has to deal with local roads, and Miller talked about the work done to make the streets IndyCar-ready.
“We haven’t had to do a significant amount of infrastructure work,” he said. “There was one intersection at Randol Mill [Road] and AT&T [Stadium] ... that had a bump because it was made for running off water that we took that out and just did a slight, I think it’s a 4% grade, just so the water slide slides off there. That makes it smooth for the [race].
“The other things we did, we would do diamond riding, which kind of takes the depressions off any imperfections that may be up, and knocks them down and flattens them out. We did that. Outside of that, there’s maybe a few cosmetic [things], where there may be some filling of cracks. ... But overall, though, it’s been pretty darn good for a temporary road circuit.
“There’s always going to be imperfections, and that actually allows the drivers still to showcase their skills of of driving on these various surfaces.”
Grand Prix of Arlington road closures
There are road closures for the event affecting North Collins Street, Randol Mill Road, AT&T Way, Cowboys Way, Stadium Drive/Ballpark Way and Nolan Ryan Expressway, and people should consider using Highway 360 and Division Street to access parking.
Miller has teamed up with the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys for the race.
“All three of us working together as this cohesive unit to deliver this epic event around their facilities,” Miller said. “They have a lot of infrastructure in place, their staffs are there to do events inside the stadium as well as often outside the stadiums.
“... When you can attach yourself to the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers brands and work with them, along with the IndyCar brand to raise the profile of an event ... you impact a lot of people because they have a lot of followers that have a tremendous affinity for those brands, and so that only helps us build this big event experience all the way through.”
Grand Prix of Arlington vantage points for fans
MIller doesn’t want those who attend the race to stay in their seats. They will be able to move around the area throughout the event.
“We’re activating 36 acres,” he said. “... We have three representative areas. You have the pit lane, where the cars will pit during the race. We’ve got grandstands there, and our suites in two suites in clubs. Then you have the horseshoe, which has a combination of grandstands and general admission areas. Then we have all of these spectator general admission areas around the property that allow people to roam.
“We also have our seating in the speed trap ... and it has grandstands and general admission standing-room-only platforms. We like it where people aren’t necessarily tied to their seat, and they go out and experience all of these activities around. And that’s the beauty of this circuit,”
Grand Prix of Arlington tickets, TV information
General admission tickets (no grandstand seating) for the entire weekend start at $110, with kids under 12 years old gaining free entry with an adult ticket purchase. Those looking to only see Sunday’s race can buy tickets starting at $90, which includes the postrace concert headlined by T-Pain.
Reserved grandstand seats start at $195 for the three days or $135 just for Sunday.
The gates open at 9 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. Sunday, with the first 1,000 guests entering through gates 1, 2 and 4 receiving a special giveaway prize.
Racing in a variety of series will be held over the three days.
The main IndyCar series is holding practice Friday and Saturday, qualifying Saturday, and the race will start at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, televised on Fox.
