Tag: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

Too soon, as always, the IndyCar season comes to the end of its 2024 edition Sunday afternoon at Nashville Superspeedway. Also, NBC will end its fine coverage of the series after six years. FOX tkes over as the broadcast partner next year.

While the championship is still in doubt, there is also a fight for the final Leaders’ Circle spot. Alex Palou leads Will Power by 33 points. Assuming Power earns maximum points, Palou needs a ninth-place finish to clinch his third title. Power is also gunning for his third Astor Cup. A Palou championship would make him the first back to back champion since Dario Franchitti in the last decade.

At the end of the standings, Sting Ray Robb in the 41 A J Foyt Racing holds the final spot in the Leaders’ Circle by one point over the Ed Carpenter Racing 20 of Christian Rasmussen. The 51 of Dale Coyne Racing is 15 points behind.

Tire Twist

For just the second time on an oval, Indycar has mandated the use of an alternate tire. Road/street course tire rules are basically in effect, but the alternates must be used for two stints. This should make for a lot of strategic choices, and a roll of the dice should there be a caution with 20-25 laps left.

The alternate experiment was tried at gateway in 2023, but the alternate tire was not noticeably different from the primary.

Weather

The remnants of hurricane Francine loom as a huge factor as to how the weekend will proceed. Indycar said yesterday that the priority is practice, since only Power, Scott Dixon, and Graham Rahal have raced at this track previously.

That means if something has to give on Saturday because of delays, it will be qualifying, and the field will line up by entrant points. I would hate to see that with a championship battle as it takes some of the drama away, but as usual, safety first.

Nashville Superspeedway does have lights, and the series will go to great lengths to get the race completed on Sunday.

If you are going to the race, bring rain gear and know where to go ion case of lightning. The track has already issued a statement to fans regarding possible weather interruptions.

Loose Ends

If Power does not earn the pole in qualifying, it will be his first season with winning a pole since 2008. A qualifying rainout would end his chance, of course, and he would lose a valuable point.

Graham Rahal needs a fifth place or better finish to keep alive his streak of having at least one top five finish in every season of his career.

If Palou, Josef Newgarden, or Dixon win Sunday, IndyCar will have four drivers with three victories in the same year. Only seven drivers have won races in 2024, and I don’t think that number changes after Sunday.

I think Power wins the race, but Palou still is the 2024 champion.

Many thanks to NBC for arguably the best television coverage IndyCar has had since the early days of ABC’s tenure.

From Indycar:

Race weekend: Saturday, Sept. 14-Sunday, Sept. 15 Track: Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile oval in Lebanon, Tennessee Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge: 206 laps/273.98 miles INDY NXT by Firestone INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix: 65 laps/86.45 miles Hybrid energy deployment parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 140 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 upper/lower groove session Saturday. INDY NXT by Firestone Two new sets for use through the event weekend. A carryover set from the Nashville Open Test in August may be used during pre-qualifying practice sessions Saturday .X: @musiccitygp, @IndyCar, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP Instagram: @musiccitygp, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP Threads: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT Facebook: @MusicCityGP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP TikTok: @MusicCityGP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP YouTube: @INDYCAR Event website: www.musiccitygp.comINDYCAR website: www.indycar.com 2008 race winners (most recent event at Nashville Superspeedway): NTT INDYCAR SERIES Scott Dixon (No. 9 Energizer Dallara/Honda/Firestone) INDY NXT by Firestone Ana Beatriz (No. 20 Healthy Choice/Sam Schmidt Motorsports) 2008 NTT P1 Award winner (most recent event at Nashville Superspeedway): Helio Castroneves (No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone), 1 minute, 31.5320 seconds, 204.519 mph (four laps) 2008 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner (most recent event at Nashville Superspeedway): James Davison (No. 11 Lifelock/Sam Schmidt Motorsports), 51.8844 seconds, 180.401 mph (two laps) One-lap qualifying record: NTT INDYCAR SERIESScott 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 NBC Sports race telecast: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 15, NBC. Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. Universo will provide a Spanish-language telecast. Peacock live streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s telecast of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge will be simulcast on Peacock. The INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying shown on INDYCAR LIVE 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 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge (3 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix (11:45 a.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone at Nashville Superspeedway practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times Central): SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 9-9:30 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 1, INDYCAR LIVE 10-11:30 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice, Peacock Noon-12:30 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 2, INDYCAR LIVE 1:15 p.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps, Peacock 2:45 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Single car, Two laps), INDYCAR LIVE 4:15-4:45 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Upper/Lower Groove Session (Two groups, 15 minutes each), Peacock 5-6 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice, Peacock SUNDAY, SEPT. 15 10:55 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines) 11 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix (65 laps/86.45 miles), Peacock2 p.m. NBC on air 2:25 p.m. “Drivers, start your engines” 2:30 p.m. Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge (206 laps/273.98 miles), NBC, Universo and Peacock (Live) NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship facts: Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship entering a title-deciding finale for the second time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led the championship with a race to go in 2021 and won the championship. Palou, who clinched the 2023 championship with one race to go in 2023, has led the point standings after 11 of the 16 rounds this season. He took the point lead at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in June. Three drivers are still mathematically eligible for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Palou will clinch his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the last four years with a finish of ninth or better. Nashville Superspeedway will host the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale for the first time in 2024. Tony Kanaan (2004) and Scott Dixon (2008) are the only drivers to win in Nashville and claim the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season. Point differential: The 33 points separating Alex Palou and Will Power is the seventh-largest point margin with a race remaining since 2008. During that span, the average lead with one race remaining is 29.9 points. Key championship point statistic: Ryan Hunter-Reay overcame a 17-point deficit to win the 2012 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship – the largest margin made up by an INDYCAR SERIES champion in the finale since 2000. Dan Wheldon made up 19 points in the 2006 season finale at Chicagoland Speedway to tie Sam Hornish Jr. atop the point standings, but Hornish won the championship via tiebreaker. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge will be the 17th and final race of the 2024 season. There have been seven winners in 16 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2024 season. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Milwaukee Mile-1), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway-1, Milwaukee Mile-2), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500, World Wide Technology Raceway), Will Power (Road America, Iowa Speedway-2, Portland International Raceway) and Colton Herta (Streets of Toronto) have all won in 2024. The modern record (1946-present) for the most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge will be the seventh oval race of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Five of the first six oval races were won by drivers from Team Penske – Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500, World Wide Technology Raceway), Scott McLaughlin (Iowa Speedway-1, Milwaukee Mile-2) and Will Power (Iowa Speedway-2). The remaining oval race (Milwaukee Mile-1) was won by Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge will be the ninth INDYCAR SERIES event at Nashville Superspeedway. Scott Dixon is the only former Nashville Superspeedway winner entered in the event. But Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood won the three editions of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix held on the streets of downtown Nashville. Josef Newgarden has won 10 of the last 17 oval races on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Newgarden, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has never raced at Nashville Superspeedway. Three drivers have previous starts at Nashville Superspeedway – Scott Dixon, Will Power and Graham Rahal. Dixon has six starts, most of all drivers. Only Dixon has led laps at the track, leading 247 laps in his six starts. Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 339th consecutive start, extending his record streak. INDY NXT by Firestone Race Notes :Andretti Global’s Louis Foster has already clinched the INDY NXT by Firestone championship but can cap his historically dominant season with another win at Nashville. Foster, a native of England, leads the series in wins (seven), poles (six), laps led (297 of 575), top-five finishes (12) and top-10 finishes (13) through 13 races.

All times Central. Nashville is in the Central time zone

Friday- on Broadway in downtown Nashville

5-6 m Pit Stop Challenge

Cars 21, 9, 45, 60, 28, 78

Saturday:
10 am-11:30: IndyCar Practice 1
1:15 m: IndyCar Qualifying
415-4:30 pm Group A

4:30-4:45 pm Group B

5-6 pm Final practice- all cars

Sunday:
10:50 am: IndyNXT Race Peacock, IndyCar Live
2:25 pm Drivers, start your engines

2:30 pm Green flag 206 laps NBC, Peacock, Indycar Radi

• As of now, watch for some weather delays

From IndyCar:

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Sept. 6, 2024) – In partnership with Firestone, INDYCAR has announced the addition of Firestone Firehawk alternate-compound tires for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge on Sept. 14-15 at Nashville Superspeedway. Used in addition to Firestone Firehawk primary compounds, the softer alternate red-sidewall tires will provide another set of options, strategies and choices for drivers and teams as INDYCAR continues to enhance wheel-to-wheel racing action and turbocharge the championship weekend. In addition, rules for use of the weekend’s tire allotment also have been updated. Each NTT INDYCAR SERIES entry will receive: Six sets of primary-compound tires Four sets of alternate-compound tires NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams may use their weekend allotment unrestricted in practice and NTT P1 Award qualifying. In the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race, teams must use, in any order: One set of primary-compound tires Two sets of alternate-compound tires As on road and street circuits, cars must complete two laps on each set of required tires. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a minimum one-lap penalty. Also new to the event, there are no requirements whether the tires used in the race must be “new” or “used.” Additionally, there are no restrictions governing the use of new or used primary or alternate tires in NTT P1 Award qualifying. This is the second time alternate-compound tires have been used on an oval following the successful debut of the option Aug. 27, 2023, at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway. “Firestone has done a phenomenal job with this expanded format,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “It will be interesting to watch how the different strategies play out. We look forward to an amazing race and championship for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Nashville Superspeedway.” In addition to the combined 10 sets of primary and alternate tires, each entry will receive a third and different set only to be used in the high-line group practice aimed at adding additional grip to a second racing groove – a session that has produced favorable results in 2023 and 2024. “The time between the announcement of a new Nashville venue and the race itself was just seven months,” said Cara Krstolic, director, Race Tire Engineering and Production, chief engineer, Firestone. “Our Firestone team rose to the challenge of an extremely short design cycle and its shortest-ever production timeframe to produce tires for a now heavier hybrid-powered car on a track the NTT INDYCAR SERIES hasn’t competed on since 2008. “Following two tests on the Nashville oval, we worked with INDYCAR to create differentiation in tires that would provide fans and competitors with an exciting race. To achieve that goal, Firestone is providing an alternate tire for the Music City Grand Prix. Lessons learned from introducing alternates on an oval last season at St. Louis also contributed to our preparation. “The goal for the alternate tire is to have significant wear and degradation to the point that team pit stop strategies could change as tires may wear before the end of a fuel stint. They are also designed for the different grip levels of the two types of tires to aid in creating more passing opportunities.” Practice at Nashville Superspeedway begins at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 14, with NTT P1 Award qualifying scheduled for 2:15 p.m., high-line practice at 5:15 p.m. and the final practice of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season at 6 p.m. All sessions are available via Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Coverage of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, Sept. 15 begins at 3 p.m. on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

The permanent track with the briefest history of any on the Indycar circuit will make history next weekend when a three time IndyCar champion is determined. Either Alex Palou or Will Power will win their third title September 15.

Nashville Superspeedway has a strange, twisted history. The track was built in hopes of attracting a NASCAR Cup race, but the delays in its construction and the new tracks at Kansas and Chicagoland diminished those dreams. The addition of a Cup race at Kentucky Speedway killed any hope Nashville Superspeedway ever having a place on the NASCAR Cup schedule. It hosted its first race in 2001, then closed in 2011 because of poos attendance and deterioration of the facility. The track returned in 2021. IndyCar ran at Nashville from 2001-2008, Negotiations to renew the race for 2009 and beyond failed to reach an agreement

The series returns only as an alternative to the Nashville street circuit, which is not feasible because of construction of the new Tennessee Titans football stadium. Whether Indycar ever returns to the streets of Nashville is yet to be determined, but it won’t be until 2027 at the earliest.

Buddy Lazier won the first IRL race at Nashville. Greg Ray sat on the pole for the race. Scott Dixon won the last three races at the track, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Dixon also has two poles and is the only winner to start from the pole. He also has a second place result at Nashville. The lowest starting spot for a race winner is 6th, when Buddy Lazier won the inaugural event in 2001.

Indycar winners at Nashville Superspeedway

2008 Scott Dixon (148.072)

2007 Scott Dixon (164.030)

006 Scott Dixon (161.205)

 2005 Dario Franchitti (133.089)

2004 Tony Kanaan (134.975)

2003 Gil de Ferran (137.679))\

2002 Alex Barron (127.997

2001 Buddy Lazier (144.809)