Behind The Wheel

Adrenaline-fueled COTA party turns track into neon night to remember

Ask anyone in the event industry about their "bucket list" production, and you'll get a quick answer. For Fifth Street DMC, the dream began when Circuit of The Americas racetrack opened its doors in 2012.

Home to the annual F1 U.S. Grand Prix and Nascar’s Texas Grand Prix, COTA has always been a dream location for a truly one-of-a-kind event.

The owner's vision of hosting a large-scale dinner right in the heart of the action, within the paddock garages, took shape over years of attending events and collaborating with local partners like Fairmont Austin.

After years of sharing this dream with the COTA team and Fifth Street's production office, the stars aligned when one of the world’s top energy companies arrived in Austin in August of this year.

The end result is one for the history books. Nearly a year in the making, Circuit of The Americas played host to a 1,200-person group from around the world for an adrenaline-filled dinner and after-party — a logistical feat in itself.

Even Austin's first rain in over 45 days, which went viral on COTA's Instagram, couldn't dampen the spirits of this exceptional production.

Despite the rain, top AV, catering, lighting, and furniture vendors, all hand-picked from Austin's vibrant creative community, worked seamlessly to set the stage for an unforgettable experience.

Stepping off the bus onto the pit lane, guests were greeted by professional drivers doing hot laps, pumping adrenaline through the crowd. A few select winners from the group were chosen to do ride-alongs, adding an extra layer of excitement.

Amid cheers and camaraderie, guests savored hors d'oeuvres and custom cocktails from Contigo Catering, setting the stage for a grand reveal. The paddock garage doors lifted to unveil a stunning tablescape bathed in dynamic neon accents and vintage signs, a perfect reflection of the company’s industry and history.

This wasn't your ordinary catering affair; after months of menu tastings, the multi-course dinner featured delights like black pepper tri-tip, roasted chicken, and raspberry pie.

As dinner concluded, Fifth Street's team executed their second reveal of the night. The other side's garage doors ascended, unveiling an after-party that featured classic carnival games, ice cream trucks, and a private concert by '90s icon Sheryl Crow.

With this COTA dream now realized, the Fifth Street team is now poised for their next bucket list item. Undoubtedly, it will continue to support Austin’s culture and creative community, reflecting the vibrant spirit of our beloved city to visitors from around the world.

Watch a recap of the incredible night below:

Photo by Olexiy Kryvych

Guests were greeted by professional drivers doing hot laps.

Top of the class

UT Austin ranks among best U.S. schools for entrepreneurship in 2025

UT Austin, University of Texas at Austin, top Texas schools, best public universities, best colleges

Photo by Alexander Williams on Unsplash

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The University of Texas at Austin has earned two top-10 spots on The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur’s lists of the best graduate and undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship studies for 2025.

UT Austin's McCombs School of Business ranks seventh in the graduate category, and UT ranks second in the undergraduate category.

The school is no stranger to the prestigious national lists. In the 2024 rankings, UT also appeared as No. 2 among undergraduate programs, and No. 6 in the ranking for the best graduate programs.

This year marks the fourth time that the school has landed in the top 5 on the undergraduate side, and the 12th time in 15 years that McCombs has made the top 10 among graduate programs in the annual ranking, UT notes in a news release.

The only other schools in Texas to make either top-10 list for 2025 were Rice University (No. 1 graduate school) and the University of Houston (No. 1 undergraduate program).

Rankings for The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur’s 2025 lists were based on a survey of administrators at nearly 300 schools in the U.S., Canada, and Europe that offer entrepreneurship studies. Among the more than 40 factors used for the rankings were academic programs, faculty credentials, mentorship opportunities, and alumni entrepreneurship ventures.

"If the focus of the MBA program at McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin were to be summed up in one word, it would be 'collaboration,'" reads the 2025 graduate schools report. "Students in more than 20 concentrations uniformly crow over its 'incredibly collaborative culture,' citing the 'supportive culture' as a top reason they ultimately picked the program. As a 'top 20 school,' the 'rigorous academic[s]' and 'focus on clean energy,' 'technology,' and 'entrepreneurship,' are other stand-out elements of the program."

The top 10 schools on the list of 50 best graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies in 2025 are:

1. Rice University
2. University of California-Los Angeles
3. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
4. Washington University in St. Louis
5. Babson College
6. University of Washington
7. University of Texas at Austin
8. University of Virginia
9. Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands
10. University of South Florida

The top 10 schools on the list of 50 best undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship studies in 2025 are:

1. University of Houston
2. University of Texas at Austin
3. Babson College
4. University of Washington
5. Washington University in St. Louis
6. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
7. University of Maryland-College Park
8. Miami University of Ohio
9. Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico
10. Northeastern University

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The story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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