For the third time in series history, the NTT IndyCar Series heads to Nashville for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix this weekend.
In what has been an eventful two races with fireworks aplenty the past two years, Sunday’s race on the 2.1-mile temporary street course is bound to be a thriller.
Chip Ganassi Racing is two-for-two so far on the streets of Nashville, with 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson winning the event in 2021, and seven-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon winning last season.
Alex Palou, who also drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, enters Sunday’s race 80 points ahead of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden. With only five races remaining, every position matters for both drivers.
Here are some storylines to watch:
Quick Facts
Most Nashville Wins: Marcus Ericsson, Scott Dixon (1)
Qualifying Lap Record: Colton Herta, 1:13.6835, 102.601 mph, Aug. 7, 2021
Most Lead Changes: 4 (August 8, 2021)
Since 2008, the championship leader with five races to go has gone on to win the championship eight times. Those drivers were: Dixon (2008, 2018 and 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Newgarden (2019) and Palou (2021).
Dixon will attempt to make his 318th consecutive start, which would tie Tony Kanaan’s IndyCar Series record.
Last season’s Indy NXT champion Linus Lundqvist will make his IndyCar debut with Meyer Shank Racing, filling in for Simon Pagenaud, who will miss his fifth consecutive race after being injured in a crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Hometown Hero
After a perfect weekend at Iowa Speedway two weeks ago which saw the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet in victory lane twice, Newgarden returns home.
The nearby Hendersonville, Tenn. native chopped Palou’s points gap down by 46 markers after his sweep in Iowa, giving the Indy 500 winner much-needed momentum.
In two starts at the 11-turn circuit, Newgarden has two top-10 finishes, including a best result of sixth last season. Between the pressure of chasing Palou and racing in front of his home crowd, Nashville may make or break the 32-year-old’s title hopes.
Herta’s Breakthrough
Nobody’s been closer to scoring a victory in Nashville and coming up empty handed than Herta. In two races, Herta’s been a force at the front. The 2021 race saw Herta lead a race-high 39 laps before wrecking out of the lead after starting on the pole.
One year later, the Andretti Autosport driver climbed from 23rd on the grid to finish fifth by race’s end.
Herta remains winless this season and is eighth in the standings with only one podium (third) to his name in Toronto. Nashville may be the spark Herta’s been looking for to break into the win column.
A Rising Rookie?
With the bizarre races that Nashville has produced the past two years, this weekend may be a place for IndyCar’s first-year drivers to shine.
Current rookie-of-the-year points leader Marcus Armstrong has been strong in his non-oval schedule with Chip Ganassi Racing with four top-10 finishes, along with an average finish of 11.6.
Agustin Canapino has shown flashes of what the former touring car champion can do in open-wheel racing. The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver has four top-15 results this season.
While it’s been a struggle for Sting Ray Robb and Benjamin Pedersen, having a clean race may be the key to success.
Between the two previous races, Nashville has averaged 34.5 caution laps along with 8.5 caution flags. Needless to say, having a stout weekend on the streets of Nashville may be simply surviving to the checkered flag.