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 — previously held at that Fort Worth track — was canceled in 2023. When he heard about the Arlington street race, he bought tickets immediately.
"I'm impressed with all they've done here," Salisbury said as he looked toward a barricaded Stadium Drive. "Unfortunately, I'm not going to get through all of (the track), but I think it'll be great for years. We'll be here, if I can."
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 the National Weather Service, 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's 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's speed trap turn. They wore matching Arrow McLaren team driver Pato O'Ward jerseys, and one of them also sported a luchador mask.
The family traveled from Guadalajara, Mexico, to support O'Ward who was born in that country.
"Having the opportunity to be at the first street race in Texas, it's a historical thing," Gonzalez said. "It's a totally different experience from other races that I've been to. I've been in NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar, and I can tell that this is one of the most exciting ones."
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.
"It makes you get the chills, makes your hair stand up," 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.
"But overall, I think it's a good start," Reyes said while waiting for the race to begin near the speed trap. "Next year, if they bring it back here, I think it'd be good."
Delgado, who rides bikes, said she loved the track outline and the straightaways down Randol Mill Road, Stadium Drive and Cowboys Way.
"Though the road is bumpy, I think it's great," 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 "10 times" despite the bumps.
"There are bumps you could avoid having, and there's always small stuff that you can improve year by year," Palou said. "But this is by far the best street push race that I've been a part of."
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 "Skid" Marks, the team's 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'Ward fan from Mexico City said, despite his team not winning, he enjoyed the experience that the race had to offer.
"For the first Arlington Grand Prix, everything was on point," Hernandez said. "You really can see the traffic lights and everything that they had to cover up. It was great to know that tomorrow someone's gonna drive here with their car."
As fans filtered out of the venue, Power said the race and its corresponding festivities set "a new standard."
"Every stand was full, like when you drive around, every area is totally, totally full," Power said. "The track looked amazing, it just looked like a big event. This is setting a new standard of what our events should look like."
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.
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