Mario Andretti was on hand Sunday for the debut of our new Formula One race track in Austin Texas.  Andretti drove the first official laps during an opening ceremony on Sunday and was the ribbon cutter at the official ribbon cutting ceremony. Andretti was the last American driver to win the Formula One World Championship in 1978. He is so excited that Formula One has come to Texas!

Many say that Formula One in Austin will be as large of an event as the Super Bowl.  That’s hard to believe, however, Formula One has quite a following of over a half billion people worldwide! The race is sold out, but you can still find tickets for sale online. The tickets are pricey though, as some start at $300 and most go for thousands of dollars.

Austin has also become a ‘McDreamy’ city!  For those of you that are fans of Greys Anatomy, you will be excited to know that McDreamy made it to Austin and to Formula One!  Just so you know, he won’t be just sitting around looking pretty or doing brain surgery.  He races!  Yep!  You read that right!  He did a test run of his car on Sunday as well. Patrick Dempsey is a sports car owner, road racer and sport team owner. He made comments that its a really good opportunity for F1 to come back to this country and start a new tradition.

Many hotels, restaurants, and event centers are sold out on Formula One weekend in Austin, which is Nov. 16-18, 2012. I was recently dining at Perry’s Steakhouse and the General Manager told us that Perry’s is sold out the week of Formula One.  This event is going to be great for Austin.  It will generate millions of dollars for the community.  Is Austin ready for Formula One?  You bet we are!  Bring it on!