Final Practice

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Scott Dixon led the final warmup for tomorrow’s Music City Grand Prix. Practice ended about three minutes early when Will Power wiggled and slightly brushed the wall. power was able to bring the car back to pit road.

Callum Ilott had wall contact and a spin, and Nolan Siegel also made wall contact.

Pole sitter Pato O’Ward was 10th and David Malukas finished the session in fourth.

The top five:

Dixon

Newgarden

Armstrong

Malukas

Kirkwood

Sundays schedule:Times are Central

Indy NXT:

10:16 a.m. Grid Cars
10:21 a.m. Drivers to Cars
10:30 a.m. FS1 on air
10:31 a.m. Command
10:35 a.m. Green Flag

IndyCar:


1 p.m. FOX on air and Driver Intros
1:27 p.m. Invocation
1:28 p.m. Anthem
1:29 p.m. Flyover
1:33 p.m. Drivers to Cars
1:40 p.m. Command
1:45 p.m. Green Flag

O’Ward Wants Win from Pole

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Pato O’Ward has won poles. O’Ward has won races. He has never won a race where he started on the pole. He wants to win the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix tomorrow. Badly.

“I’m determined to make it happen tomorrow,” he declared.

O’Ward took his first oval pole today with a blistering first lap of 202.932 mph, and he averaged 202.621 mph for the two laps.

For the second week in a row, David Malukas qualified on the provisional pole and had to wait to see if any of the last 10 drivers to make their runs could top his 201.922 mph average.

Last week, Alex Palou, the last driver out, beat Malukas for the pole. This week O’Ward by just under seven tenths of a mile per hour.

A somewhat subdued Malukas said, “We’re gonna get there.”

Series champion Alex Palou will start fourh tomorrow.

Nolan Siegel posted the fast speed in the first group of qualifiers, then Josef Newgarden went to the top spot six drivers later. His time there lasted just five more runs until Malukas bumped him down. Malukas survived eight attempts until O’Ward’s scorching laps.

Notes and Quick Thoughts

All three Mclaren cars qualified in the top 10. Christian Lundgaard starts third, and Nolan Siegel rolls off seventh tomorrow.

Andretti Global dominated qualifying and the race last year with Kyle Kirkwood on the pole and Colton Herta winning the race, but they didn’t have the pace today. Kirkwood qualified 13th and Herta15th.

Christian Rasmussen qualified 16th, but will start 25th after serving an engine change penalty. It will be fun watching him come up through the field.

I can’t imagine the frustration David Malukas is going through to come so close to his first career pole and lose it at the last minute. He doesn’t have another chance for six months at St. Pete.

Silly season rumors continue to swirl. Herta going to F2 seems to be gaining momentum. He told FOX sports that he didn’t know if he will be in the number 26 next year.

I still think IndyCar needs to revamp oval qualifying and have the order based on practice speeds instead of point standings. I don’t think it would have changed much today as O’Ward would have been the last driver on track, and Malukas would have gone sixth from last. Still, with the points leader somewhere mid-session, there could be more drama.

Cars are back on track at 3:30 Central for high line groups, followed by a full practice at 4:30 Central. Both sessions are on FS2.

Practice 1 Complete; McLaren, Andretti Lead Close Results

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While Pato O’Ward turned the fastest time in practice1 for the Music City Grand Prix, Kyle Kirkwood led the bulk of the session. O’Ward’s lap 0f 202.357 mph nipped Kirkwood in the final five minutes by 0.0447 seconds.

O’Ward ran the entire session on the hard compound tires, but he plans to qualify on the soft tires.

“That feels good,” O’Ward said. “I’m happy to go with that into qualifying. We didn’t get a run in on the softs, which we’ll be qualifying on, but I think it’s just extra grip, or that’s what it seems like. I think we’re in good shape.”

O’Ward’s teammate Christian Lundgaard was third, Kirkwood’s teammate Colton Heta finished the session in fourth. Nolan Siegel in seventh put all three McLarens in the top 10.

Practice stopped for two cautions, one for Conor Daly, and one for Alex Palou. Neither car sustained any serious damage.

Eighteen cars topped 200 mph, with Marcus Ericsson’s 200.316 the slowest of the 18.

Next up for the IndyCar series is qualifying at 1 pm Central time. High line practice groups start at 3:30 pm Central, and a full practice begins at 4:30 pm Central. All three sessions are on FS2.

Results

I will be back after qualifying and then will have a wrap up after the final practice this evening.

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.