Martin Salisbury was covered head to toe in a checkered-flag pattern, eager to get to the stands at what would be his 11th IndyCar race.
Accompanied by his wife, who wore a matching checkered outfit, the 65-year-old super fan sat in a wheelchair as he was pushed closer and closer to the track.
The Dallas native attended 10 races at Texas Motor Speedway before the annual event 鈥� previously held at that Fort Worth track 鈥� was canceled in 2023. When he heard about the Arlington street race, he bought tickets immediately.
鈥淚鈥檓 impressed with all they鈥檝e done here,鈥� Salisbury said as he looked toward a barricaded Stadium Drive. 鈥淯nfortunately, I鈥檓 not going to get through all of (the track), but I think it鈥檒l be great for years. We鈥檒l be here, if I can.鈥�
Thousands of fans watched as drivers sped past sold-out grandstands in the Entertainment District during the final race of the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on a warm, blustery Sunday. The wind gusts reached a peak between 40 and 50 miles per hour according to , leading to an earlier start time for the race and the cancellation of a post-event concert.
The 2.73-mile street track that weaved through the heart of the city served as the course for a series of four different races over the weekend, as IndyCar鈥檚 return to North Texas brought in old and new fans.
Carlos Gonzalez and his family gathered on a viewing platform, in sight of the track鈥檚 speed trap turn. They wore matching Arrow McLaren team driver Pato O鈥橶ard jerseys, and one of them also sported a luchador mask.
The family traveled from Guadalajara, Mexico, to support O鈥橶ard who was born in that country.
鈥淗aving the opportunity to be at the first street race in Texas, it鈥檚 a historical thing,鈥� Gonzalez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a totally different experience from other races that I鈥檝e been to. I鈥檝e been in NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar, and I can tell that this is one of the most exciting ones.鈥�
Moises Reyes and Brisa Delgado made the trip to Arlington from Royce City. Both are avid Arrow McLaren fans and showed up on Friday with plans to stay through the weekend and support their team.
The duo frequently attends racing events, including NASCAR and Motocross. The race was the first IndyCar event for the two.
鈥淚t makes you get the chills, makes your hair stand up,鈥� Reyes said about experiencing IndyCar in person for the first time.
Reyes said the track needed a bit of work, particularly given how bumpy some of the street surfaces appeared to be.
鈥淏ut overall, I think it鈥檚 a good start,鈥� Reyes said while waiting for the race to begin near the speed trap. 鈥淣ext year, if they bring it back here, I think it鈥檇 be good.鈥�
Delgado, who rides bikes, said she loved the track outline and the straightaways down Randol Mill Road, Stadium Drive and Cowboys Way.
鈥淭hough the road is bumpy, I think it鈥檚 great,鈥� Delgado said.
The second-place driver, Chip Ganassi Racing team driver Alex Palou, said the race and the way the track was built had exceeded his expectations by 鈥�10 times鈥� despite the bumps.
鈥淭here are bumps you could avoid having, and there鈥檚 always small stuff that you can improve year by year,鈥� Palou said. 鈥淏ut this is by far the best street push race that I鈥檝e been a part of.鈥�
As drivers passed the checkered flag, Andretti Global team driver Kyle Kirkwood secured the win.
Kirkwood drove into the pit track, a crowd circling him. He jumped out of his car and into an embrace with Scott 鈥淪kid鈥� Marks, the team鈥檚 chief mechanic.
Palou and third-place winner Will Power, of the Andretti Global team, were the first drivers introduced on the podium. Kirkwood was introduced last as the crowd cheered. Red, white and blue star-shaped confetti shot into the air as each racer held up their trophies and sprayed the crowd with champagne.
Emiliano Hernandez, an O鈥橶ard fan from Mexico City said, despite his team not winning, he enjoyed the experience that the race had to offer.
鈥淔or the first Arlington Grand Prix, everything was on point,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淵ou really can see the traffic lights and everything that they had to cover up. It was great to know that tomorrow someone鈥檚 gonna drive here with their car.鈥�
As fans filtered out of the venue, Power said the race and its corresponding festivities set 鈥渁 new standard.鈥�
鈥淓very stand was full, like when you drive around, every area is totally, totally full,鈥� Power said. 鈥淭he track looked amazing, it just looked like a big event. This is setting a new standard of what our events should look like.鈥�
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
Bianca Rodriguez-Mora is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at bianca@fortworthreport.org.
