Fans had a new way to watch the Detroit Grand Prix this weekend: for the first time, four downtown parking garages opened their rooftops to spectators as the race ran Friday to Sunday in downtown Detroit.
Linda Schmidt, who said she had been counting down the days since she attended last year, was among the first to take advantage of the view. “I couldn’t wait. This is my happy place,” she said, looking out over the 1.7-mile track as cars swept past General Motors Renaissance Center.
The rooftop access added a different kind of vantage point to a race that is usually watched from the grandstands or the street-level viewing areas. One of the garages, Port Atwater Parking Garage, overlooked a turn on the nine-turn course, and from there Bob Whelan of Oak Park said, “It’s pretty cool. You can see Canada, too.” The Windsor skyline was visible across the Detroit River, and he said, “I can see all over the track.”
The race weekend is not one event but three car races, with the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic held Saturday. That race, an endurance contest featuring prototypes of race cars, drew added attention as fans searched for the best place to follow the action. Some of the weekend’s most sought-after spots were the free viewing areas on the northern side of Jefferson Avenue and at Hart Plaza and Spirit of Detroit Plaza, where music, games and food vendors filled the scene.
What all of those spots shared was the noise. The Detroit Grand Prix is loud enough that even seasoned fans lean on foam earplugs or noise-canceling earmuffs, and Pat Schultz said he had learned that lesson after first attending in 2018. Wearing foam earplugs, he said, “It makes a big difference,” then added, “It’s loud. Really loud. You can’t hear yourself think.”
For fans like Schmidt, the new rooftop access made the weekend feel fresh without changing the race’s pull. The garages widened the view, but they did not soften the roar, and that may be why the best seats in downtown Detroit still come with ear protection. For more on how rooftop viewing is changing the weekend, see Fast Results draw fans to rooftop viewing at Detroit Grand Prix garages and Detroit Grand Prix 2026 opens rooftop viewing at four downtown garages.
