Christian Lundgaard (photo, above) enters Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot fourth in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings, just seven points behind Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon.
Lundgaard, who joined Arrow McLaren this season after 52 starts with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing from 2021-24, was quick to point out the margin. He’s keeping close tabs.
“It’s always important,” Lundgaard said.
With Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing already crowned champion and Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren locked into second, the battle for third is shaping up as Lundgaard vs. Dixon — Arrow McLaren vs. Chip Ganassi Racing.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood trails Dixon by 28 points and Lundgaard by 21. Unless he has a breakout race, third will likely go to either Dixon or Lundgaard. Kirkwood, last year’s NTT P1 Award winner, starts 11th in the No. 27 Andretti INDYCAR Honda.
“Our goal is clear this weekend: race up front and do everything possible to secure third,” Lundgaard said. “My first year with Arrow McLaren has been really enjoyable. Changing teams, working with new people and driving a new car weren’t necessarily expected, so to end the season strong would be a nice bonus.”
Lundgaard seeks his first oval win and second career victory in Sunday’s 225-lap race (2 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
“We have to remember who we’re up against,” he said. “It’s Scott Dixon. He’s fast and has won three straight here before, so it’s going to be tough.”
Lundgaard climbed from 17th to finish sixth last weekend at Milwaukee, marking his third top-seven finish in five oval starts this year. His best oval finish in 17 prior starts was ninth at Milwaukee Mile in 2024.
Lundgaard starts third Sunday. Dixon, who has the fifth-most oval points this season and leads all active drivers with 24 oval wins, starts fifth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Three of those wins came at Nashville (2006–08).
Arrow McLaren has never placed two drivers in the top three of the final standings. Chip Ganassi Racing has done it seven times, most recently in 2023 with Palou and Dixon, respectively.
“Any position is meaningful,” Dixon said. “It’s not just for me. For us at CGR, the goal was a one-two. We came up short. Now the goal is two in the top three.”
Dixon Leads Final Practice
Six-time series champion Dixon was the fastest driver in the final practice (highlight video, above), which combined 30 minutes of action split into two groups and then a one-hour open session.
Dixon’s best lap was 198.759 mph. He will start fifth in the race Sunday. Fellow series chamion Josef Newgarden was second at 198.466 in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, with Marcus Armstrong right behind in third at 198.428 in the No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian.
SEE: Final Practice Results
NTT P1 Award winner O’Ward was 10th at 196.997 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Three drivers – Nolan Siegel, Callum Ilott and Will Power – made contact with the SAFER Barrier in separate incidents after sampling the higher racing line on the 1.33-mile concrete oval. In all three instances, the car understeered toward the wall due to chunks of tire rubber – “marbles” – in the upper groove. None of the drivers was hurt.
Rasmussen Rides Momentum into Nashville
Christian Rasmussen (photo, above) earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory last Sunday, capturing the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 in impressive fashion.
His celebration was low-key but meaningful — driving back to his Indianapolis home with his girlfriend, former USAC short-track racer Maria Cofer.
“We listened to some great music in the car,” Rasmussen said.
Six days later, Rasmussen was still all smiles after a week basking in his win with the Milwaukee race-winning trophy.
“It’s been great feeling everyone’s support,” he said. “It’s actually been a pretty normal week in a lot of ways, just a few more interviews and a new family member (his trophy) at home.”
“But now it’s full focus on this weekend. We’re trying to finish the season strong. We’re in the hunt for a top-10 finish in the championship and doing everything we can to make that happen.”
Rasmussen enters Nashville 12th in the standings, trailing Scott McLaughlin by 12 points for 10th place. McLaughlin starts seventh in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet, while Rasmussen is set to roll off 25th in the No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet. Rasmussen had qualified 16th but, along with Ilott, received a nine-position grid penalty for an unscheduled engine change beyond the season allotment following last Sunday’s race at Milwaukee. The No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Siegel also is moving back nine spots on the grid Sunday due to an unscheduled engine change.
Ilott tied a season-best ninth-place qualifying effort set at Road America. He starts 18th.
Despite the setback, Rasmussen remains confident in winning again Sunday.
He’s shown a knack for slicing through the field: climbing from 18th to sixth at the Indy 500, 25th to third at World Wide Technology Raceway, 19th to sixth in Race 1 at Iowa and 17th to eighth in Race 2 at Iowa.
“Should be exciting,” Rasmussen said. “If enough people start using the top lane like I do, then maybe we can have a really, really good race.”
Daly Ready To Climb Again
Conor Daly will start 24th in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet (photo, above), his worst grid position in six oval races this season. His previous low was 15th at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“I have no idea,” Daly said of his qualifying run. “I’ve never felt that in my life. It felt like the front wing was off.
“We’ve been pretty good at qualifying on ovals all year long, and that was like a complete flip of everything. But we obviously know we can race on these tracks. I’m really not worried about starting at the back on an oval.”
Just last week in Milwaukee, Daly surged from eighth to fourth on the opening lap. He’s hoping for a similar charge Sunday.
“Firestone tells me the third lane has the most grip, so I’m going to believe them,” Daly said.
Alternate Tires Return for Nashville
This weekend marks the return of Firestone Firehawk alternate tires to an oval for the first time since last year’s race at Nashville Superspeedway. This is only the third time alternate compounds have been used on an oval, following World Wide Technology Raceway in August 2023.
“I think it’s interesting,” Kirkwood said. “It adds a different strategic layer. The alternate tire is better for about 10 to 15 laps but wears more quickly. It’s fun, though, because it creates new opportunities.”
SEE: Starting Lineup/Tire Choice
Palou welcomes the return of alternate tires, especially compared to last year’s chaotic race where he was fighting to hang onto a championship. He entered Nashville 28 points ahead of Will Power last season. This year, he clinched his fourth championship, including three consecutively, on Aug. 10 at the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI.
“We saw last year that nobody knew what was going to happen,” Palou said. “We started on alternates, and a yellow flag put us a lap down. It was tough. This year, though, I’m not fighting for the championship, so I’m just excited to race.”
Each team received six sets of durable primary (hard) tires and four sets of the faster, but less durable, alternate (soft) tires. Race regulations require teams to use at least one primary set and two alternate sets during the race.
Drivers expect four pit stops during the race, making tire strategy a key factor in a winning formula. Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet) and Rinus VeeKay (No. 18 askROI Honda) are the only drivers among the 27 in the field starting on alternate tires Sunday.
Last year’s Nashville race with the alternate tires saw record numbers:
- 653 on-track passes
- 237 passes for position
- 117 passes in the top 10
- 42 passes in the top five
Aero Changes To Further Boost Overtaking
Along with the return of alternate tires, a new aerodynamic package is expected to improve racing Sunday at Nashville. The increased drag will help trailing drivers pass earlier. Downforce levels remain unchanged, with the goal of encouraging more passing.
“They did something similar at Iowa,” Kirkwood said. “But here, they’ve taken it even further because the racing at Nashville is already great. Let’s keep pushing in that direction.”
Three-time Nashville Superspeedway winner Dixon is optimistic about the changes.
“It’s similar to Iowa,” Dixon said. “They’ve increased drag to make the racing more exciting. It won’t be great for speed, but it will make for better racing.”
Honda vs. Chevrolet: Changing of the Guard?
Entering last year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at Nashville Superspeedway, Chevrolet had dominated the ovals, winning all six races on circle tracks. Team Penske claimed five of those victories, with Arrow McLaren taking the other. In both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Chevrolet won four out of five oval races.
Since then, Honda flipped the script, winning four of the last six oval events, including three of the five this season. The reversal of fortunes began at Nashville last season when Colton Herta won the season finale in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) was victorious this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway, while Herta’s Andretti Global teammate Kirkwood triumphed at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“It’s always ever-changing,” Herta said. “There are small things that both engines do better. Right now, it’s obviously working for us with Honda.”
Chevrolet had two drivers on the Milwaukee Mile podium and swept the top three starting positions for Sunday’s race.
FOX Sports’ INDYCAR Documentary Debuts Sunday
FOX Sports’ three-part NTT INDYCAR SERIES documentary featuring the battle for this year’s championship debuts on the FOX Nation streaming service before the 2 p.m. ET coverage of the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway.
The series spotlights drivers’ emotional experiences, career decisions and personal lives from Indy to the season’s final race at Nashville Superspeedway.
FOX’s Driver Eye Camera Returns
This weekend’s FOX Sports broadcast features the Driver’s Eye in-helmet camera. Herta and Felix Rosenqvist will represent the Honda drivers, with Lundgaard and Power carrying the micro high-definition camera among the Chevrolet drivers.
Racing Force Group supplies the cameras that debuted during the 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend in April. They were also used during the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
Odds and Ends
- The green flag for Sunday’s season finale is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET.
- All three Team Penske entries are carrying Karl Kainhofer tribute stickers (photo, above) in memory of the team’s first employee, who passed away last weekend.
- The top four in NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship starts inside the top five: Palou starts fourth, O’Ward on pole, Dixon in fifth and Lundgaard third.
- Newgarden starts sixth in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. His recent form in qualifying has improved significantly, averaging a 14 starting position over the last seven races, compared to 14.6 in the previous 10.
- Kyffin Simpson achieved a career-best oval qualifying result, starting 10th in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. His previous best on an oval was 13th at this year’s Indianapolis 500. He will start eighth due to penalties for unscheduled engine changes for two drivers ahead of him on the grid.