Tag: Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville Wrap Up

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Some final thoughts on the final IndyCar race of 2025:

I honestly don’t remember seeing a better non-Indy 500 race. The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix had all the elements of a great race- side by side duels for the lead, an ever-changing front of the field, drama, disappointment, chaos, and 27 drivers with little to lose. The order of the top four spots are in doubt until the checkered flag.

If having Alex Palou winning the championship with two races to go creates what we have seen at Milwaukee and Nashville the last two weeks, let him clinch early every year.

I said after Milwaukee that Nashville had a tough act to follow. Now, Milwaukee, the ball is in your court for 2026.

Here is my breakdown of the race, the event, and the FOX broadcast.

The Race

Kudos to IndyCar and Firestone for hitting an aero and tire combination that was perfect. The racing was as good as I’ve ever seen. There were side by side battles, but nothing like the pack racing of the mid 2010s.

I just watched the race, and I studied the David Maukas/Louis Foster incident. While I agree with the blocking call on Foster, I trhink Malukas has some share of the incident. He came straight down on Foster. Malukas should have shown some patience, especially dealing with a rookie. I understand his urgency to try to get to O’Ward, who was leading, but patience is usually rewarded.

Foster had been lapped by O’Ward, so I don’t understand why he was fighting Malukas so hard. I can understand trying to stay ahead of the leader, but once the leader puts a car a lap down, that driver needs to let the other leaders through.

The top 10 finishers had an average starting position of 11.6. Runner-up Palou was the highest starer in fourth, and fifth place Conor Daly the lowest starter in 24th.

From yesterday:

The Long and Winding Road to Victory

The Event

Attendance was down from last year, which is puzzling considering the Titans were not playing at home as was the case in 2024. It was a better than both days at Iowa combined, but still lots of bare aluminum showed.

Tram service from the infield to the grandstands and back needws to improve in the event there is a huge crowd in the coming years. There two, maybe three trams running single cars which held 25-30 people, pulled by SUVs. The track needs to double up on the trailer cars, and have larger vehicles towing them so that fans do not have to wait so long for a ride.

The pickup/drop-off locations are quite remote, requiring a long walk to the grandstands. The outside location could be moved into the parking lot. I’m not sure if the infield station can be put anywhere other than where it is outside the paddock.

The event ran smoothly otherwise, and the fans there seemed to be having a good time. I hope the season finale stays at the Speedway, rather than moving back downtown.

FOX

I admit I was skeptical of how well FOX Sports would do televising IndyCar, and the first couple of broadcasts did nothing to lower my level of concern, but slowly and steadily the presentation improved weekly.

The network added graphics and improved the location of the in-car telemetry screen. They finally added a pit stop timer and made the drivers’ pictures more realistic. The Driver’s Eye is a great view.

I have always enjoyed Will Buxton, and he grew into the lead announcer role over the course of the season.

Jack Harvey relaxed and felt right at home covering the pits after a debut in which he was stiff and nervous. I think adding the grid run allowed him to get more comfortable. I think Jack will be even better next season.

It helped the broadcast that they brought James Hinchcliffe, Townsend Bell, Kevin Lee, and Georgia Henneberry over from NBC. They are consummate professionals, and they work well together.

Now we wait for Silly Season the 2026 schedule. I have a feeling there will be news tomorrow.

I will have a season review later in the week. Thanks to all who followed along this season.

The Long and Winding Road to Victory

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It is a gross understatement to say Josef Newgarden has had a difficult 2025. Penalties, mechanical failures, and accidents kept him mired in the bottom half of the points all season long. The entire Penske team had been in the doldrums all year. On the final day of his most arduous season, Newgarden finally won a race.

The victory in front of his hometown fans was not an easy one in a race that had more twists and turns than the Minotaur’s labyrinth.

“It was not an easy race. I mean, I did not have the car where I wanted it to start right away,” Newgarden said.

“Like, okay, we’re nowhere where we need to be. Let’s just be patient. And we kind of did our thing, like we always do. We just assessed everybody. We hung in there and we went when we needed to go, and we got the car within a really good spot. Now we gotta race with the car, so let’s close the deal. “

Pole sitter Pato O’Ward looked like he would dominate the race. he had by far the fastest car early and had no trouble getting through lapped traffic. But on lap 126, O’Ward hit the wall coming off turn 2, and the lead was fair game for anyone. Nine drivers led the race after O’Ward dropped out.

Newgarden first took the lead on lap 147, and he did not lead again until he passed McLaughlin with 20 laps left to win and keep his 10 year winning streak alive.

The race featured position battles at the front all day. Alex Palou and O’Ward battled side by side for the lead early. David Malukas also challenged for the lead until he was taken out of the race in an incident with Louis Foster.

Scott McLaughlin and Kyffin Simpson engaged in a fierce fight for third place in the final 10 laps, with Mclaughlin getting past Simpson with a lap to go.

Notes

Louis Foster won the Rookie of the Year by two points over Robert Shwartzman. Shwartzman finished 14th and Foster ended the day in 20th. A blocking penalty on lap 220 cost Shwartzman the two spots he needed to win the honor.

Will Power will meet with Roger Penske tomorrow. He finished 21st today after a pit penalty.

Today’s race ended with the top three positions in doubt, the final podium spot not decided until the final lap. There were great battles throughout the field with a lot of side by side racing.

The IndyCar season concluded with two great oval races, yet next year’s schedule will likely have one less oval race.

That will wrap it up for me at Nashville. I will have more thoughts on the race tomorrow, and a report on Alex Palou’s press availability. Thanks for following along this weekend.

INDYCAR Announces Nashville Grid Penalties 

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From IndyCar:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025) – INDYCAR has announced a nine-position starting grid penalty for the for the entry of No. 6 Arrow McLaren for an unscheduled engine change beyond the entry’s season allotment.
The entries were in violation of:
Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot Sunday, Aug. 31 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Race Day One Last Time

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Today’s schedule in Central time:

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. D rivers to Cars
1:40 p.m. Command
1:45 p.m. Green Flag

Good morning on a cool and cloudy race morning from Nashville Superspeedway. There was not much traffic coming in to the track this morning, and I fear attendance will not be great today.

What firsts are in store for today? Can Pato O’Ward win a race starting on pole? Will David Malukas get his first IndyCar win?

From last night:

Nashville Official Starting Lineup and Tire Choices

There could also be some lasts. Is today Colton Herta’s last IndyCar ride for awhile? Rumors seem to be gaining strength that he will drive in F2 next year to gain his superlicense points to drive for Cadillac F1 in 2027.

Is this Will Power’s last ride in a Team Penske car? I think the odds ar good that it will be, no matter how Malukas does today.

With Dale Coyne having a new source of funding, might Jacob Abel be out of the number 51? Abel brings money, and some team will welcome him, but it sounds as if Coyne is looking to shore up his driver lineup.

I think today’s winner comes from the first five starters. A 1-2 McLaren finish is possible. How far will Christian Rasmussen advance from 25th? Throw in a hungry for win drivers Josef Newgarden and Scott Mclaughlin, starting sixth and seventh respectively, and tody could be a great race.

I will be back after the race with a quick review and post more thoughts tomorrow morning. Enjoy the race.

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.