The NTT IndyCar Series will add a street race in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, to its 2021 schedule, announcing Tuesday that the inaugural Music City Grand Prix will be held Aug 6-8.

In a multiyear agreement, Nashville will be IndyCar’s first new street course in seven years (the last was in Houston, Texas, which lasted two years).

The 11-turn, 2.17-mile circuit will cross the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge twice over the Cumberland River (click here for the track map) and employ parking lots adjacent to Nissan Stadium as its paddock.

The straightaway across the bridge will stretch 3,578 feet with cars hitting a top speed of about 200 mph on a track whose width will vary from 37 to 80 feet and be surrounded by 9,600-pound barriers.

Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden, a native of the Nashville area who moved back to his hometown last year, was at a Wednesday news conference to announce the race.

“I can speak for all the IndyCar drivers and tell you this is going to be the No. 1 destination outside of the Indy 500 next year,” Newgarden said. “We always mark the Indy 500 as a key point for us. Every driver that I’ve spoke to that’s heard about Nashville, they want to come to this event and succeed.

“For me it’s going to be probably the second most pressure-filled event to get right. How do we win this race with Team Penske next year? I’m so excited, proud to be from Nashville. It’s a good coincidence. I never dreamed of being able to drive for Roger Penske one day in the IndyCar Series. Certainly to run a race in my own hometown with a great team behind me like this. It’s going to be a big year to come to Nashville in 2021.”

Penske Entertainment Corp. CEO Mark Miles said the remainder of IndyCar’s 2021 schedule was about two to four weeks from being announced. He has said next year’s schedule is expected to resemble the original 17-race schedule for 2020.

Introducing Music City Grand Prix, an @IndyCar race unlike any other. From August 6-8, 2021, experience top musical acts, the most delicious cuisine Nashville has to offer, and the greatest drivers around. Sign up for updates at https://t.co/d1CpianUZP. #MusicCityGP pic.twitter.com/xCPg1BJAxK — Music City Grand Prix (@MusicCityGP) September 16, 2020

“The Music City Grand Prix will be a one-of-a-kind experience anchored in the heart of Nashville’s action-packed, exhilarating downtown corridor,” Miles, who was part of an IndyCar delegation that met with race organizers last month, said in a release. “Nashville is a world-class city and global entertainment capital that provides an exceptional platform for our Series. From professional sports teams and top live music acts to a burgeoning food and culture scene, it is a perfect home for a racing event of this magnitude.”

Here’s the release about the IndyCar Nashville street race: