The Indianapolis 500 might be the belle of the ball for the IndyCar series, but the Detroit Grand Prix is the belle of its isle. As in, it takes place the week after the 500 at the Raceway at Belle Isle Park, a 2.35-mile temporary street circuit built by erecting concrete barriers alongside roads on the 982-acre, city-owned island park in the Detroit River. Before the checkered flag waves this weekend, we got an up close and personal look at the track with a couple of hot laps.
If you were expecting the hot laps to be done in a Corvette or a Camaro, you wouldn’t be alone, but race sponsor Chevrolet opted for its SS sedan in its last year on sale. There were a lot of media representatives requesting rides, so the Cadillac ATS-V was also pressed into service to handle the load (yes, there were some back-seat passengers). The SS we rode in has plenty of Chevy high-performance blood running through it to make for a thrilling ride.
After we signed a waiver and were fitted with a head sock, a helmet, and a HANS safety device, there was the choice among five different IndyCar drivers. Last year’s IndyCar champion, Simon Pagenaud, drew the biggest crowd, but Carlos Muñoz was our driver in the video below, and Spencer Pigot, Christian Fittipaldi, and João Barbosa were just as worthy.

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