Tag: NTT Indycar Series

Quick Thoughts- Nashville Qualifying

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Photo by Travis Hinkle

It was worth the wait. Qualifying for the Music City Grand Prix produced an entertaining show with a couple of surprises and some drama in the finaltwo rounds. In the end, Scott McLaughlin won the pole for the second year in a row.

It took just two days for Linus Lundqvist to prove that he belongs in a full time Indycar seat. Friday’s practice was his first time in an Indycar at a race weekend. He finished 15th in the session. Today Lundqvist advnced to round 2 of qualifying. He starts 11th tomorrow. A top 20 finish would be great, but a top 15 is not out of the question.

Four drivers in The Fast Six also made the final round at Nashville in 2022. Besides Mclaughlin, Romain Grosjean, Pato O’Ward, and Alex Palou battled for the pole last year. Like McLaughlin, Palou also starts from the same spot he took the green flag from a year ago, fourth.

David Malukas is not sure which team he will be with in 2024, but he boosted his chances of a better seat today by earning a fifth place starting spot. It has been a tough year for the Dale Coyne/HMD driver. A day like today should help his barganing power. The next race at gateway is the site of his best career finish, second place.

It is rare to see Scott Dixon in the wall during qualifying. Dixon hit the wall with 18 seconds left in the round. the other five drivers were allowed one timed lap after the track was cleared. The timing of his accident may have kept WillmPower and Josef newgarden out of The Fast Six.

Notes

One the bigger shocks of the session saw marcus Ericsson starting in 20th. The team has been fighting brake issues this weekend.

Christian Lungaard rolls off 13th tomorrow. Lundgaard won the pole and the race at Toronto. It’s a disappointing result for a team that entered Nashville with a lot of momentum.

Mclaughlin’s pole helps Alex Palou by taking a point away from Josef Newgarden.

Reminder- Tomorrow’s coverage begins at noon eastern on NBC and Peacock with the green flag at 12:30.The IndyNXT race is on Peacock at 10:15 Eastern.

Results

1. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:14.6099 (101.327 mph)
2. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:14.9395 (100.881)
3. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:15.2416 (100.476)
4. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:15.2462 (100.470)
5. (18) David Malukas, Honda, 01:15.8703 (99.644)
6. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:15.9921 (99.484)
7. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:15.1384 (100.614)
8. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:15.1641 (100.580)
9. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:15.4862 (100.151)
10. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:15.5711 (100.038)
11. (60) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 01:16.0715 (99.380)
12. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:16.7692 (98.477)
13. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:16.0985 (99.345)
14. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:15.4638 (100.180)
15. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:16.1825 (99.235)
16. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Chevrolet, 01:15.5631 (100.049)
17. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 01:16.2203 (99.186)
18. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 01:16.0170 (99.451)
19. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:16.3356 (99.036)
20. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:16.0420 (99.419)
21. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:16.6416 (98.641)
22. (30) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:16.1193 (99.318)
23. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:16.6900 (98.579)
24. (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 01:16.3907 (98.965)
25. (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, No Time (No Speed)
26. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 01:16.4369 (98.905)
27. (20) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 01:17.2417 (97.875)

Ericsson Leads Brief Rainy Practice

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Marcus Ericsson paced a shortened practice in the rain as Indycar drivers prepared for qualifying for tomorrow’s Music City Grand prix in Nashville.

Practice was on hold for 40 minures as officials swept as much water as possible from the track. Cars went out almost on lone runs, some not taking to the course until just a few minutes reamined in the shortened time.

Qualifying begins at 2:45 Eastern time

The top six:

Qualifying Groups:

Qualifying Day- Will Staring Position Matter This Year?

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Today’s schedule All times Eastern

All sessions on Peacock

11:45 – 12:45 Practice 2

2:45 – 4:15 Qualifying

6:25 – 6:55 Final Practice

The final practice is the ususal race day warmup. Because of the early start time for the race, this practice period was moved to Saturday evening.I’m not sure how much information teams get for the race at this time of day. Qualifying has not been a reliable indicator of success in the race.

The winners of the first two races at Nashville have started 14th and 10th, which speaks to the chaotic nature of the races in the Music City. Pole winner Scott McLaughlin finished second last year. In 2021, Colton Herta won the pole but crashed near the end of the race.

Romain Grosjean started second in 2022, but finished 16th after wall contact on lap 74. In 2021 Scott dixon started second and finished second..

Schedule Hints

The IMSA Weather tech Championship released their 2024 schedule yesterday. It is a good schedule to look for because it gives some hints at dates for Indycar.

We knew that St. Pete was set for March 10. Long Beach is on the IMSA calendar for April 19-20. IMSA usually runs with Indycar at long Beach. Detroit was a given for Indycar on June 1.

The biggest surprise to me was the IMSA race at Indianapolis motor Speedway. I had heard it would become an endurance race, but I thought it would be at the expense of one of the traditional rnfurance events. Instead, the series added IMS to its Endurance Cup schedule.

With five possible schedule openings between St. Pete and Long Beach, Indycar has room for Texas and possibly the new date for Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Power Fastest in Friday Practice

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In Iowa Will Power finally took a pole position, his first and second of the year. His next task is to grab a win this season to keep his streak of winning at least one race a year since 2007. This weekend at Nashville is as good a place to get to the top step of the podium as anywhere.

“The car is really good,” Power said. “I think we’re in a good window. All the cars are pretty similar. It will be all about putting it together when it counts.”

Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin won the Nashville pole last year, but he lost the race by one tenth of a second to Scott Dixon. Dixon is also looking to keep his annual string of seasons with a win alive.

Power’s best lap of 1:16.4042 edged Alex Palou by 0.2452 seconds. Alexander Rossi was three tenths behind Power.

The session was clean until the final 15 minutes. Callum Ilott stalled in a runoff area. Just before time expired, Benjamin Pedersen clipped the and stalled. Power was not immune to touching the wall He grazed the barrier just past pit out and spun.

Linus Lundqvist had an impressive first day in Indycar. This week’s driver of the Meyer Shank number 60 ended in 11th place, less than a second off of Powerr’s time. Lundqvist had run as high as fifth during the session. He completed 30 laps, the most of any driver today.

Results:

Music City Grand Prix Race Preview

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First some personal news. My surgery which was originally scheduled for August 10 has been moved to the 22nd. I will be attending next weekend’s Gallagher Grand Prix at IMS. I hope to be well enough to get to World Wide technology braceway for that event, and i am scheduled to go to the final two races ion the West Coast.

Today’s schedule: Eastern Time

4-5:15 Practice 1

The Music City Grand Prix holds its final race iun the current track configuration. The race becomes the season finale in September of 2024 with a new track layout.

I wrote some of my thoughts about the changes for next year here:

The New Finale- Some Thoughts

A concern I did not mention last night is what happens when a Titans football game is scheduled for the same weekend as the finale? Hotel space would be tough to find, and I can onlynimagine the traffic mess. I don’t antici[ate a prioblem next year. I hope Indycar has a plan for that.

Indycar’s third attempt to run a clean race on the Nashville street course may again devolve into a crashfest. 2021 and 2022 saw a coimbined 17 yellow flags covering 43% of the two races. There were also three red flags over the two races.

Points

I think Alex Palou gets back some of the points lead he lost at Iowa this weekend. He finished third last year at Nashville. His Chip Ganassi Racing Team has won both races here, and Sunday could be Palou’s turn to win. Hs average finish at Nashville is fifth.

Palou’s closest rival, Josef Newgarden, has an average fibnish of eighth on his hometown track.

Andretti Street Strength

Andretti Autosport has been very strong on street circuits this season, but they only have one win to show for it. The team has won poles at St. Pete (Grosjean) and Long Beach (Kirkwood). Kirkwood won at Long Beach and Grosjean finished second.

Romain Grosjean needs a strong weekend as he begins a five race audition for an Iundycar seat for 2024. What was thought to be a certain contract extension has turned into an uncertain future for the former F1 driver.

Rahal Momentum

Rahal letterman lanigan racing had a very good weekend at Toronto, and they hope to continue the street course momentum in nashville. Christian Lundgaard won the pole and the race in canada. graham rahal also finished strong. The team began a rebound at Mid Ohio and I see no reason why they can;t keep improving obv=ver the final five races.

Lundqvist Debut

Finally Linus Lundqvist, 2022 Indy NXT champion, gets to make his Indycar debut. Lundqvist will sub for Simon Pagenaud, who will miss his fifth straight race as he recovers from the concussion he suffered iat Mid Ohio.

It’s a shame that thatb then previous year’s Indy NXT champ has to enter Indycar under this set of circumstances. I hope his first race leads o an opportunity for 2024 and maybe another race or two this season.

I am leaning toward Alex Palou winning again this weekend and shoring up his huge lead.

I’ll be back after this afternoon’s practice.

The New Finale- Some Thoughts

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Indycar and the Music City Grand Prix made official what everyone has known. Nashville will be the site of the season finale for the next three years. The September 1-15 weekend will run on an altered course since the currentrack layou will soon be consumed for the new Tennessee Titans footbal stadium.

I love going to Nashville. It’s a great vity with lots of fun things to do. I am not partticularly enamored with the race track as it is now nor the event itself. The new layout keeps the Big dipper profile but looks more compact, although the track appears to have a lot of square corners. I’m glad they kept the bridge. That is by far the best part of the course.

There are advantages to a finale in the central part of the country. Most of Indycar’s core fans live within five to seven hours of Nashville. The race will end around 4 pm Eastern. The finale at Laguna Seca ends after 6 pm Eastern, which means not many people are still watching to see the champion crowned. September weather in nashville is bound to be more pleasant than the hot humid conditions fans have had to endure the last two years. The wweather for this weekend’s race doesn’t look much cooler. And there is the vibe.

Weather Tech Raceway is a very cool track in avery remote location. I don’t feel much energy from the crowd there. The season finale feels like any mid season race. Nashville’s downtown is full of energy, and the first two races at Nashville had an excited group of fans.

The downside to a finale in Nashville, for me, is that i don’t think a street course is the fairest track on which to decide a champion. I would much prefer the finale take place on an oval. I hear there is a great one in Iowa. A street race can turn into a parade, and as we saw when Long Beach was the finale in 2021, a contender can be taken out by a back marker early.

I am hearing that Weather Tech Raceway will remain on the schedule. I’m guessing sometime after St. Pete. Who would like to see Long Beach and Weather Tech on back to back weekends? This writer would.

Overall the new finale venue I think is a good move for the series. Indycar does not move date lightly,especially as radically as they are doing for 2024. Let’s see how it works out.

Nashville Hosts 2024 Season Finale

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My thoughts up in a bit.

From Indycar:

New Circuit, Victory Lap Celebration in Music City among Highlights

INDYCAR and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix have announced the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES finale is moving to Nashville on Sept. 13-15, 2024.

All roads along the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will lead to Nashville, as the year-long championship battle will be settled and a champion crowned on downtown Nashville’s iconic Honky-Tonk row. The 2024 season awards ceremony will also take place in the Music City, on Sept. 16 at the iconic Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Big Machine Music City Grand PrixMore than 250,000 fans are expected to converge on downtown Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, which has quickly become one of the sport’s marquee events since its debut in 2021 and will become a championship-crowning celebration watched by viewers across the globe. The new 2.17-mile, seven-turn circuit will continue across the iconic Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge and route directly past the Country Music Hall of Fame. The racecourse will run through the city’s honky-tonk district, home to bars owned by the biggest names in country music, including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, John Rich and Blake Shelton. Each day of racing will culminate with a takeover of Broadway and a massive street party that only Nashville can throw, featuring live performances by many of music’s biggest artists.

Considered one of the world’s finest venues, Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center will host the 2024 INDYCAR Victory Lap Celebration on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Located in the heart of downtown Nashville, the building boasts distinctive design elements that pay homage to the history, culture and people of Middle Tennessee. The Schermerhorn has been a favorite venue for legendary artists spanning different genres, from country music stars like Dolly Parton to contemporary pop sensations like Harry Styles.

“Nashville and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix team are ready to host a can’t-miss, action-packed event that transforms the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale and elevates it to an even higher peak on the global stage,” said Mark Miles, president & CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. “Next year’s race in Nashville will be an unbridled celebration of the most fierce and competitive motorsport on the planet, set against the backdrop of an innovative and breathtaking stage that includes one of the premier global entertainment districts in the world. We’ll have more to share soon on an entire weekend of activities, both on and off track, that fully taps into the growing reach and relevance of an ascendant and marquee city.”

While the season finale is moving to Nashville, this year’s final venue on the 2023 schedule, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, will remain on the 2024 calendar. More details about the entire 2024 season schedule will be forthcoming.

“WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca remains a beloved, historic venue for our teams, drivers and fans in an important and scenic market,” Miles said.

“The fact that INDYCAR has chosen Nashville and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix as the crowning event is a testament to our fans, partners, stakeholders and truly the Nashville hospitality industry as a whole,” said Matt Crews, CEO, Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. “The ability to promote our city and state year-round and bring our race into the heart of Nashville is an absolute honor. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix continues to grow to levels that I never dreamed could have been possible.”

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix has become a marquee event for Tennessee and across the motorsport landscape, bringing fans from all 50 states and dozens of countries annually. With a global TV audience in over 200 countries and territories, the Grand Prix is elevated across a worldwide stage.

“Tennessee is already leading the nation in automotive manufacturing, hospitality and entertainment, and this announcement takes it to the next level, as the focus will be on world-class racing in the Volunteer State for the entire 2024 INDYCAR season,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “As the home state of two-time series champion and current Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden, it just makes sense that Tennessee would host one of the biggest races of the season. With the national and international spotlight on Nashville, the world will see what Tennesseans already know to be true – that there’s no better stage for racing than Music City.”

For more information and to receive future news on the 2024 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, please visit www.musiccitygp24.com.https://www.youtube.com/embed/4jb-GF45nho

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Fast Facts

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From Indycar

Race weekend: Friday, Aug. 4 – Sunday, Aug. 6
Track: Streets of Nashville, an 11-turn, 2.1-mile temporary street course in Nashville, Tennessee
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 80 laps / 168 miles | INDY NXT by Firestone: 35 laps / 73.5 miles / 55 minutes

Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation

Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. One additional set of primary tires may be used by teams fielding a rookie driver. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. A carryover set from the Mid-Ohio event may be used during the first practice.

Twitter: @MusicCityGP, @IndyCar, #MusicCityGP, #INDYCAR Instagram: @musiccitygp, @INDYCAR, #MusicCityGP, #INDYCAR Facebook: @musiccitygp, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR TikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR YouTube: @INDYCAR Event website: www.musiccitygp.com/ INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2022 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) INDY NXT by Firestone Linus Lundqvist (No. 26 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing)

2022 NTT P1 Award winner: Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Dex Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet), 1:14.5555, 101.401 mph

Qualifying lap record: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Colton Herta, 1:13.6835, 102.601 mph, Aug. 7, 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone No qualifications held in 2022.

NBC Sports race telecast: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, noon ET Sunday, Aug. 6, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee, Dave Burns and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters.
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 race telecast of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE. INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Alex Wollf and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race (noon ET Sunday), The INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix (10 a.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, Aug. 4
1:55-2:40 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE
3-4:15 p.m. — NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (75 minutes), Peacock

Saturday, Aug. 5
9:35-10:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE 10:40-11:40 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (45 minutes green flag time or 60 minutes), Peacock
1:05-1:25 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (eight minutes green flag or 15 minutes), INDYCAR LIVE
1:45 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock
5:25-5:55 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, Peacock Sunday, Aug. 6
9:10 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines” 9:15 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix (35 laps/73.5 miles/55 minutes), Peacock (live)
11 a.m. – NBC on air
11:23 a.m. – Big Machine Music City Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”
11:30 a.m. – Big Machine Music City Grand Prix (80 laps/168 miles), NBC (live)

NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship facts: * Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with five races to go for the second time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. He also led the 2021 championship with five races to go, winning the title that season. Palou, who took the points lead at the GMR Grand Prix in May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has led the point standings after eight of the 12 races this season. * There are 13 drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Will Power, Colton Herta, Christian Lundgaard, Alexander Rossi, Kyle Kirkwood, Felix Rosenqvist and Romain Grosjean. Any driver who trails the points leader by 216 points or more following the race will be eliminated from contention. * Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of Nashville in 2021, the winning driver has yet to win the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season.

Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the championship leader with five races to go has gone on to win the championship eight times. Those drivers were: Scott Dixon (2008, 2018 and 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2019) and Alex Palou (2021). Point differential: The 80 points that separate Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden is the second-largest point margin since INDYCAR SERIES racing was unified in 2008. Before this season, the average lead with five races to go since 2008 was 41.4 points.

CHAMPIONSHIP WITH FIVE RACES TO GO  
YEAR LEADER SECOND   LEAD CHAMPION
2008 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 58 Scott Dixon
2009 Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon 8 Dario Franchitti (-11) 2010 Will Power Dario Franchitti 41 Dario Franchitti
2011 Dario Franchitti Will Power 62 Dario Franchitti
2012 Ryan Hunter-Reay Will Power 34 Ryan Hunter-Reay
2013 Helio Castroneves Scott Dixon 31 Scott Dixon
2014 Helio Castroneves Will Power 28 Will Power
2015 Juan Pablo Montoya Will Power 46 Scott Dixon (-49)
2016 Simon Pagenaud Josef Newgarden 73 Simon Pagenaud
2017 Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves 3 Josef Newgarden (-23)
2018 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 62 Scott Dixon
2019 Josef Newgarden Alexander Rossi 29 Josef Newgarden
2020 Scott Dixon Josef Newgarden 96 Scott Dixon
2021 Alex Palou Scott Dixon 42 Alex Palou
2022 Marcus Ericsson Will Power 8 Will Power
2023 Alex Palou Josef Newgarden 80 ?        

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes: * The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will be the 13th race of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. There have been six different winners in 12 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Marcus Ericsson (Streets of St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway, Indianapolis 500, Iowa Speedway-1, Iowa Speedway-2), Kyle Kirkwood (Streets of Long Beach), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1, Streets of Detroit, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) and Christian Lundgaard (Streets of Toronto) have all won in 2023. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014. * The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will be the third INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. Chip Ganassi Racing has won the previous two races with drivers Marcus Ericsson (2021) and Scott Dixon (2022). The race is the fifth and final temporary street circuit race of the 17-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. There have been four different winners in the previous four events, with Chip Ganassi Racing claiming two of the four with Ericsson winning St. Petersburg on March 5 and Alex Palou at Detroit on June 4. Andretti Autosport’s Kyle Kirkwood won at Long Beach on April 18, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard won at Toronto on July 16. * Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 318th consecutive start, which would tie Tony Kanaan’s INDYCAR SERIES record streak … With his next win, Dixon will extend his INDYCAR SERIES record for consecutive seasons with at least one win to 19 … With his next win, Will Power will tie Michael Andretti for fourth on the INDYCAR SERIES all-time victory list. * 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Linus Lundqvist will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut at this race, driving the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing. Lundqvist, 24, from Sweden, is substituting for Simon Pagenaud, who is still recovering from an accident July 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and has not been cleared to drive by the INDYCAR medical staff.

INDY NXT by Firestone Notes: * Christian Rasmussen heads to Nashville looking for his third race win in 2023. The 23-year-old Danish driver reclaimed the INDY NXT by Firestone point lead by scoring a win at Iowa Speedway on July 22. Rasmussen leads rookie Nolan Siegel by 22 points with Jacob Abel of Louisville, Kentucky, 43 points behind the leader. * Push-to-pass could play a key strategic role at Nashville as INDY NXT by Firestone drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking, similar to the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds. * Matteo Nannini, Reece Gold, Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster became first-time winners earlier this season. Will another talented prospect like Jacob Abel, James Roe, Kyffin Simpson or Ernie Francis Jr. score a first series win in 2023 at Nashville? * Qualifying takes on a new look in 2023 with Saturday’s qualifying session featuring just eight minutes of green flag running or 15 minutes total, whichever comes first. Whoever sets the fastest lap will go in the record books as the first track-record holder as qualifying for INDY NXT by Firestone’s first race on the streets of Nashville was rained out last season.