Welcome to Nashville

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Good morning from Nashville Superspeedway. There was quite a line to get into the track as I arrived about 25 minutes ago. If this is an indication of what attendance will be like, it is going to be a very good weekend, fan wise.

Like last year, the track and facility look great.

Today’s schedule, in Central time:

Indy NXT is on track now.

Christian Rasmussen and Callum Ilott have just been issued nine place grid penalties for engine changes.

The big news yesterday was Dale Coyne has partnered with Todd Ault, adn the Coyne cars in 2026 will both carry the liveries of Ault’s block chain companies. Rinus VeeKay will have the livery on the 18 this weekend.

Ault had an association with ECR the last couple of years, but ECr partnered with Ted Gelov. It is nice to see Dale Coyne get more financial backing. Coyne hopes to have his driver lineup set by October, ad he hopes to retain Rinus VeeKay. I honestly don’t see anywhere else for Rinus to be next year.

DC Race?

IndyCar is exploring the possibly of a street race in Washington, DC in 2026 as a tie in with the nation’s 250 birthday. With an already scrambled calendar shaping up, I don’t know where it would fit in. At any rate, don’t expect a full 2026 schedule anytime soon.

This race would be the third new race on next year’s schedule with the Texas event and likely Mexico City.. Three new races seems like quite a lot for a series to take on.

I will be back after morning practice.

Nashville Preview

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The championship was decided long ago, and as we hit the finish line on another all too short and early season, the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix still has some things to settle. I think the off track news may overshadow the on track happenings the next three days.

Th last race of the year always has a strange feel to it. The race winner, if the driver is not the series champion, gets very little notice. This year may be different since Alex Palou wrapped up the title three weeks ago and took a bit of the glory away from Will Power’s first win of the year.

Nashville has a tough act to follow after the great show at Milwaukee, but I think we will see another good race.

There is some intrigue surrounding the event and the results. Is Sunday Power’s last race for Penske? Does David Malukas move to the number 12 car in 2026? Will we get confirmation of the Mexico City race? Will there be any surprise announcements? I think there might be.

Rookie of the Year

Louis Foster leads Robert Shwartzman by eight points. All Foster has to do is finish ahead of Shwartzman to win the title. I believe Foster would win on a tiebreaker.

In Milwaukee last Sunday, Foster finished 17th and Shwartzman 17th.

Third Place

Scott Dixon holds a seven point advantage over Christian Lundgaard, and Kyle Kirkwood is 28 points behind Dixon. Kirkwood has faded the second half of the season and will likely keep fifth place.

Lundgaard gained six points on Dixon last week. If Lundgaard were to end up third, Arrow McLaren drivers would be second and third in the standings. Pato O’Ward clinched second place at Milwaukee.

Tenth Place

Scott McLaughlin leads David Malukas by eight points for the final spot in the top 10. A bad pit stop Sunday probably cost Malukas the 10th spot, but he can regain it this weekend.

Tires again may tell the story of the race, as teams are required to use two sets of alternate tires. Sticker alternates are not required. A late caution could result in another wild finish.

This week I think we will not see a first time winner, but Alexander Rossi will end the year for ECR with the team’s second straight win.

I will be heading to Nashville early tomorrow morning. I will post something in the afternoon, as I believe there will be some news by then.

Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot Fast Facts

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From IndyCar. My preview will be up later today.

Track: Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile oval in Lebanon, Tennessee

Race distance:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot: 225 laps/299.25 miles

INDY NXT by Firestone: INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix: 65 laps/86.45 miles

Media Links: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by Willscot Entry List (PDF) | INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix Entry List (PDF) | Trackside Media Guide (Interactive PDF)

Hybrid energy deployment parameters:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 155 kilojoules (kJ) per lap.

Firestone tire allotment:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and two sets of alternate tires during the race. One additional set is available for use during the group session Saturday.

INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets for use throughout the event weekend. A carryover set from the Iowa Speedway race in July may be used during the pre-qualifying practice session Saturday.

X: @musiccitygp, @IndyCar, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP

Instagram: @musiccitygp, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP

Threads: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT

Facebook: @MusicCityGP, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP

TikTok: @MusicCityGP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP

YouTube: @INDYCAR

Event website: www.musiccitygp.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2024 race winners:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)

INDY NXT by Firestone: Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Global)

2024 NTT P1 Award winner:

Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 AutoNation Honda), 47.5178 seconds, 201.520 mph (two laps)

2024 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner:

Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Global), entrant points after qualifying was canceled.

One-lap qualifying record:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Scott Dixon, 22.6952 seconds, 206.211 mph, July 18, 2003

INDY NXT by Firestone: Thiago Medeiros, 25.6508 seconds, 182.386 mph, July 16, 2004

FOX Sports telecasts: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 

Practice 1, 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live);

Qualifying, 2 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live);

Final practice, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2;

Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot, 2 p.m. ET, Sunday, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.

| INDY NXT by Firestone: 

Practice 1, 9 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live);

Qualifying, 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Race, 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ coverage of INDY NXT by Firestone alongside analyst Jack Harvey. Georgia Henneberry is the pit reporter.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman is the turn announcer. Jake Query, Michael Young and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot race (1:30 p.m. ET Sunday) can be heard live on network affiliates nationwide. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, INDY NXT by Firestone race (11:25 a.m. ET Sunday), NTT P1 Award qualifying (2 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices also air live on SiriusXM 218, www.indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (all times Central):

SATURDAY, AUG. 30

8:05-8:55 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 1, FS1

9:20 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Installation Laps

9:30-10:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice, FS1

11:35 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Single car, Two laps), FS2

1:05 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps), FS2

3:45-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Group Session (Two groups, 15 minutes each), FS2

4:30-5:30 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice, FS2

SUNDAY, AUG. 31

10:31 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”

10:35 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix (65 laps/86.45 miles), FS1

1 p.m. – FOX on air

1:40 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”

1:45 p.m. – Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot (225 laps/299.25 miles), FOX (Live)

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

  • Alex Palou became the first INDYCAR SERIES champion since Cristiano da Matta in 2002 to clinch the series title with two races remaining when he clinched his third consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES crown Aug. 10 at Portland International Raceway.
  • The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot will be the 17th and final race of the 2025 season. There have been six winners in 16 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2024 season. Alex Palou (Streets of St. Petersburg, The Thermal Club, Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Indianapolis 500, Road America, Iowa Speedway-2, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Kyle Kirkwood (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit, World Wide Technology Raceway), Scott Dixon (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Couse), Pato O’Ward (Iowa Speedway-1, Streets of Toronto), Will Power (Portland International Raceway) and Christian Rasmussen (Milwaukee Mile) have all won in 2025.
  • The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot will be the sixth oval race of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. The first four oval races were won by drivers from four different teams. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou (Indianapolis 500, Iowa Speedway-2), Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (World Wide Technology Raceway), Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward (Iowa Speedway-1) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen (Milwaukee Mile).
  • The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot will be the 10th INDYCAR SERIES event at Nashville Superspeedway. Scott Dixon and Colton Herta are the only former Nashville Superspeedway winners entered in the event. Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood won the three editions of the Music City Grand Prix held on the streets of downtown Nashville.
  • The race for NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year will be decided during the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot. Louis Foster of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing leads Robert Shwartzman of PREMA Racing by eight points (203-195) entering the event. Foster, the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion, won at Nashville Superspeedway in the INDYCAR developmental series last season. Shwartzman was named the 2025 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after earning pole position. 
  • Josef Newgarden has won 10 of the last 22 oval races on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Newgarden, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, raced at Nashville Superspeedway for the first time in 2024.
  • Twenty-two drivers have previous starts at Nashville Superspeedway. Scott Dixon has the most starts, with seven. Seven drivers have led laps at the track: Dixon 247, Kyle Kirkwood 67, Josef Newgarden 54, Alexander Rossi 32, Colton Herta 24, Pato O’Ward 21 and David Malukas 8.
  • Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 356th consecutive start, extending his INDYCAR SERIES record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 256th consecutive start, the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 219th consecutive start, the sixth-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Dixon passed Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for starts with his 408th start May 25 at Indianapolis and will extend his record to 419 with a start Sunday…Dixon’s win July 6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – his 59th INDYCAR SERIES win – extended two ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he holds: seasons with a win (23) and consecutive seasons with a win (21). Dixon has extended two additional ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he holds: podium finishes (145) and top-five finishes (216)…By leading 199 laps at Milwaukee, Alex Palou (1,718 laps led) passed Tony Stewart, Parnelli Jones, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tom Sneva and ranks 25th on the all-time laps led list.

INDY NXT by Firestone Race Notes:

  • Andretti Global’s Dennis Hauger has already clinched the INDY NXT by Firestone championship but can cap a dominant season with another win at Nashville. Hauger, a native of Norway, leads the series in wins (six), poles (seven) and laps led (391 of 592), while he is tied for the series lead in top-five finishes (11) and top-10 finishes (12) through 13 races.
  • The INDY NXT by Firestone at the Milwaukee Mile will be the series’ eighth race at Nashville Superspeedway. Previous INDY NXT by Firestone winners at Nashville include Cory Witherill, Mark Taylor, Thiago Medeiros, Jay Howard, Ana Beatriz and Louis Foster.

Schedule Rumblings- Another Track Rising from the Ashes?

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The 2026 schedule is not yet complete, but last night some information surfaced about certain parts of it. According to Nathan Brown of The Indianapolis Star, Phoenix will return to the schedule once again in a shared weekend with NASCAR.

Phoenix will replace Iowa, keeping the series at five oval venues, but one oval race less than this year.

As the schedule stands now, March will have four races in five weeks, starting with St. Pete March 1, Phoeni9x the following weekend, then the new race at Arlington, Texas, a week off, then Barber the last Sunday of the month. The March date will be the earliest in Barber’s history.

Long Beach will be the only race in April on the 19th, then the two IMD races and Detroit in May.

World Wide Technology Raceway is likely to fall on June 7, and Road America on June 21.

After that dates are not entirely clear, but tracks slated for July and August are Mid Ohio, Laguna Seca, Toronto, Mexico City, Portland, Milwaukee, and Nashville. The finale is September 6, and Milwaukee will likely be the week bfefore.

Laguna Seca and Mexico City will take place on successive weekends, and there will be a week off after Mexico City.

While I will comment on the schedule in detail after if is oficial, my first thought is that the Southwest is overloaded with races while the eastern part of the country is completely shut out. Mid Ohio is the furthest east in the United States the series goes. I’m hearing of a possible remedy for this situation in 2027, but not one that really satisfies me.

I will be back later today with a preview of Nashville. This weekend promises to be loaded with news,

iRacing Studios To Produce Standalone INDYCAR Video Game in 2026

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From IndyCar:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025) – iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations and INDYCAR are pleased to announce a long-term licensing agreement for iRacing Studios to produce standalone INDYCAR titles for console and PC.As part of the agreement, iRacing Studios will release an INDYCAR title for PlayStation, Xbox and Steam in the second half of 2026. The new product will mark the first dedicated INDYCAR game in more than two decades.
“INDYCAR fans have long been clamoring for a standalone title for consoles, and we’re excited to give them what they’re looking for in 2026,” said Tony Gardner, president, iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations.
“iRacing Studios’ standalone INDYCAR title will offer all the excitement of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and an immersive experience that fans of all ages can enjoy. We are already very excited about how the game is coming together.”Said INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles:
“The most competitive and challenging racing on the planet deserves a dedicated and widely available gaming experience. iRacing Studios is the ideal partner for us, trusted and known to our core fans and ready to share our sport with a wider and highly engaged audience.”
The iRacing Studios INDYCAR offering will join other iRacing Studios titles NASCAR 25 and the World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing games as officially licensed products that represent some of the top racing series in the world. The game will feature a robust, multilevel career mode, licensed drivers from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone, and online multiplayer. The new product will be built from the ground up, with a dedicated development team creating the game on iRacing Studios’ proprietary and enhanced Orontes engine
.“Our company has grown significantly in recent years with the addition of new development teams and studios,” Gardner said.
“Our INDYCAR title will benefit from this growth, as it will be the sole focus of one of these teams. However, the game will also incorporate elements like car and track assets, technology and driving characteristics developed from other iRacing Studios products.”
Real-world INDYCAR teams and drivers will be deeply involved in the creation of the new title, including Team Penske star and iRacing enthusiast Scott McLaughlin. Since transitioning to the series full time in 2021 from Australian Supercars, McLaughlin has won seven races and become a fan favorite.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the development process for iRacing Studios’ new INDYCAR title,” McLaughlin said. “It’s an honor to work with a team that has developed such amazing products to help deliver INDYCAR’s first dedicated title in quite some time. It’s already an exciting time to be an INDYCAR fan for so many reasons, and this game will take the fans’ at-home driving experience to the next level!”
The heritage of the relationship between INDYCAR and iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations dates back more than three decades. The company’s predecessor, Papyrus Racing Games, created the iconic Indianapolis 500: The Simulation in 1989, followed by IndyCar Racing and IndyCar Racing II in 1993 and 1995, respectively.A standalone INDYCAR title is the latest step in a continuously expanding partnership between INDYCAR and iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations.
Separately, the two parties have also extended their license agreement long term for the iRacing simulation. The extension ensures INDYCAR’s continued gaming presence on PC and consoles alike for years to come.To learn more about the full line of iRacing Studios products, visit www.iracingstudios.com. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.
About iRacing
The world leader in the online racing simulation and gaming market, iRacing was founded in 2003 by Dave Kaemmer, co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, and John Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club and co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. iRacing has developed dozens of formal partnerships in the motorsport industry to help create the most authentic racing simulation in the world, including with NASCAR, INDYCAR, the FIA, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, and numerous other car manufacturers, tracks, and racing series. Alongside its PC simulation, iRacing owns two additional game studios and produces the official console games of NASCAR, INDYCAR, and the World of Outlaws, as well as the all-ages title iRacing Arcade and fantasy off-road racing game ExoCross. Learn more at www.iRacing.com. 
 
 

Milwaukee Wrap-Up

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Two Notes

Photo: Penske Entertainment by Joe Skibinski

1.Dear IndyCar- especially Messrs. Penske, Boles, and Miles-

Keep Milwaukee on the schedule permanently. The last two years have seen three very good races. The track is a classic, pure IndyCar track. The fans will show up.

Yesterday the crowd energy was palpable. I haven’t felt crowd excitement like that since that race you run in May. 2025 can be built on. Thank you.

Sincerely, Every IndyCar fan in the world.

2. A huge shoutout to the staff at Wisconsin State Fair Park for putting on a great weekend. Promotion was outstanding as the crowd indicates. There were many logistical improvements from 2024. All this was accomplished while having to clean up from a flood two weeks ago.

Huge thanks to Snap-On for assuming the title sponsor role.

The Race

The Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 is definitely in contention for best race of the year. There was action throughout the field, three on track lead changes, including one for the victory, and a late race strategy decision that changed the event’s complexion.

I just watched the FOX replay, and my impression of the race became even better. More on the broadcast in a bit.

Not only should Milwaukee be awarded a long-term contract but yesterday was exhibit A for more oval races. Not necessarily double headers- I think Milwaukee worked better as a single event- but a variety of short and medium sized tracks.

Congratulations to Christian Rasmussen on joining the IndyCar Winners’ Club. I think this is the first of many for him.

From yesterday:

A Splenda’d Victory-Quick Thoughts on the Milwaukee 250

FOX Coverage

It has been a learning year for FOX, and the broadcast improves every race.

I loved the opening segments with the vintage clips and the billboards showcasing the greats who have won at the fairgrounds.

Jack Harvey has improved immensely through the season, and he is now very comfortable in his pit reporting role. I wonder if the grid walk allowed him to feel more relaxed as he could talk with his fellow drivers.

I liked the way the pit stop timer was presented, where I could check several pit stop times at once, but their inconsistencies in showing the timing got a bit annoying. WE did not see times for crucial stops at important moments.

FOX was in commercial during the last yellow when many drivers dove into the pits for fresh tires- the key moment of the race. Thew broadcast returned as cars were exiting the pits. The moment called for cut back to action and a makeup spot elsewhere.

I don’t know which producer had the prescience to follow Christian Rasmussen so closely all day. That was a great call. Rasmussen was a show all by himself all day.

The biggest disappointment was no post-race show for a race that deserved many interviews and analysis.

Every year after the Indianapolis 500 I begin anticipating the following year’s race. I am eagerly waiting for Milwaukee’s date in 2026 just as much now.

A Splenda’d Victory-Quick Thoughts on the Milwaukee 250

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I had a feeling history would be made today, just not the history that happened. Congratulations to Christian Rasmussen and ECR,

Christian Rasmussen used fresher tires to pass 2025 champion Alex Palou with 15 laps to go and easily drove to his first IndyCar win in the Milwaukee 250. It was the first win for Ed Carpenter Racing since Rinus VeeKay won the Indy GP at IMS.

Early on it looked to be David Malukas’s day when he passed Palou after an early restart. Palou retook the lead on lap 41 and appeared to be running away from the field. A bad pit stop took Malukas out of contention, but he fought back to finish eighth.

Pato O’Ward overcame a difficult pit stop to finish fifth and clinch second place in the championship.

Rasmussen made 48 of the 685 on track passes. 368 passes were for position.

In the post race conference, Palou and Scott McLaughlin agreed that the decision on whether to take fresh tires during th elate yellow was “50/50”.

Attendance was outstanding today. The grandstands were mostly full. This morning, more general admission tickets went on sale, and they sold out. HyVee sponsored this event last year, and I wondered how well attended this race would be.

It was agreat day all around for ECR with Alexandr Rossi’s fourth place finish.

The yellow for Graham Rahal’s slide in turn 2 was a bit quick. Rahal recovered and didn’t make contact.

The IndyCar season now has had six different winners in 2025, which is approaching a more normal number of winners. At mid season I had to wonder how few winners there would be.

That will do it for me today. I will have a wrap-up tomorrow after I watch the television replay. Thanks fo following along this weekend.

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