Circuit of the Americas officials are "enjoying one long victory lap" after a U.S. Grand Prix weekend that "delivered in most every way," according to Kevin Lyttle of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. In its fifth year in Austin, the F1 event last week "faced steady declines in attendance and negative imagery" from the '15 "mudfest caused by torrential rains." This year the weather was "immaculate," and fans "turned out in track-record numbers," as COTA officials reported a combined weekend gate of 269,889. COTA Chair Bobby Epstein said, "It was a critical year. ... This was everything we hoped it would be ... and more." Epstein said that the "bounceback -- announced attendance was up" 20% from last year -- solidified the USGP on the '17 F1 calendar. Lyttle notes TV numbers for the event "suffered a bit," with 727,000 viewers on NBC, down 18% from last year. However, track officials "turned it into a full festival weekend," with concerts by Taylor Swift, Usher and The Roots, 20 local bands and "wide-ranging international entertainment acts," with Swift drawing a crowd of 83,000 for her Saturday night concert. Although COTA still has not released daily numbers, Epstein said that Swift made Saturday, not Sunday, the "best attended day." The Austin Chamber of Commerce "estimated the economic impact of this year's event" at $597M, which would lift the USGP to about $3B for its five-year run. Total attendance is now at 1,246,306 (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/27).
