Billings On Track: A Grand Prix Under The Big Sky

What if Billings, Montana, became home to a racing circuit? 150+ miles per hour flying through the streets of Billings, wheelbanging and swapping paint underneath the Big Sky.  Here’s my vision of a Billings Grand Prix, where twisting curves and engines roar through the open plains, crafting epic races that would live in the hearts of fans everywhere.

Envisioning Speed Under the Big Sky

Downtown Billings is home to my imagined Billings Grand Prix, a 3.53 mile counter-clockwise course featuring views of the Montana District Court, Yellowstone Art Museum, and starting beneath Skypoint. The 16-corner course features both high speeds and technical corners, with long straights down 1st Ave South and Montana Avenue. The unique pit lane (marked in pink) adds strategic complexity, with the shortened time-loss allowing for a multi-stop strategy over the “as few as possible” strategy required at most circuits. 

Learning from the Legends

Street circuits aren’t new to racing, with 3 of the major US motorsports (NASCAR, Indycar, Formula 1) already visiting these tight, technical tracks on their calendars. Inspired by the recent Indycar Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and the famous Baku Street Circuit of Formula 1, the Billings Grand Prix has room for F1’s DRS zones, as well as plenty of opportunities for push-to-pass to be of use in Indycar. And don’t worry, there will be plenty of paint-swapping—especially when the stockcars roll in.

Three Sectors, One Bold Circuit

Sector 1 begins with the starting line, right beneath Skypoint in downtown Billings. A quick left-right takes the cars down N 27th Street before the cars blast down 1st Avenue South and onto Minnesota Avenue. The end of sector 1 is the most interesting section of the track, as the cars dive down beneath the railroad tracks via the N 13th Street underpass. Sector 2 brings the cars back towards downtown, utilizing N 18th Street to send the vehicles down Montana Avenue from 1st Avenue South before turning onto N 25th Street and sector 3. N 24th Street begins the technical portion of the track, with an gauntlet of 90-degree corners navigating through 6th Avenue N and onto N 27th Street before the pit lane entrance and the start/finish straight on N 28th Street.

Can Billings Make the Grid?

While a Billings Grand Prix would be incredible, both for tourism and the economy, it’s not very feasible. Safety standards of these racing leagues leave a lot of infrastructure work for the City of Billings, projects which may cost more than could be recovered. Not to mention that Billings only has a population of 123,000, which would make it the smallest market on any schedule.

What’s Your Montana Motorsport Dream?

Do you have a racing series you’d like to see come to Montana? What other cities or layouts could be possible? Send me an email at caden.bjornstad@townsquaremedia.com and let me know your thoughts!