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Drivers head downtown Detroit for the Grand Prix

Jefferson Avenue, Detroit Grand Prix
Jefferson Avenue, Detroit Grand Prix

Some drivers heading to downtown Detroit for this weekend’s Grand Prix, hope a change of venue brings a change of fortune from their last race, at the famed Indianapolis 500. At Indy, driver Santino Ferrucci, racing for the legendary A.J. Foyt’s team, won fans’ hearts, and nearly won the 500, before a bad last lap restart left him finishing third.

Reduced to tears after the loss, Ferrucci says his spirits revved back up, at the thought of leaving behind Indy, and previous Detroit races at Belle Isle, for a new track on the streets of the Motor City.

“So Belle Isle is challenging ‘cause it was multiple different types of pavement – concrete…old stuff…new stuff…it was like a blend of everything. Versus this track that…you know…they’ve repaved most of the city…and changed everything. So this is actually a pretty wide street course…believe it or not. So this is gonna be really fast.” said Ferrucci.

Ferrucci praises the track’s designers, noting that street tracks typically are narrow, making it difficult to pass other cars.

Quinn Klinefelter is a host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET, anchoring midday newscasts and preparing reports for WDET, NPR and the BBC.