The Music City Grand Prix at the Nashville Superspeedway had been the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale for the better part of two years. However, this year, Nashville is making its appearance as the 12th race of the season, happening this weekend, with action starting on Saturday.
Last round in Mid-Ohio, it was Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward who took home the victory over teammate Christian Lundgaard, and their results earned the team its first-ever 1-2 finish. They’re going to look to keep their success going, but last year’s Nashville winner, Josef Newgarden, is going to look to earn back-to-back wins at home.
Nashville Superspeedway
The Nashville Superspeedway, located in Lebanon, Tennessee, is a 1.33-mile, D-shaped concrete oval and features 14 degrees of banking. It made its debut in 2001 and ran until 2008, and then returned as the season finale in 2024 and 2025. Its concrete surface poses drivers with a different challenge. Unlike standard asphalt tracks, concrete doesn’t cool or rubber in the same way. It gets slick as rubber builds up, meaning drivers have to fight the unpredictable tire grip.
The superspeedway offers a challenging grip profile for drivers, frequently resulting in sliding, tire degradation, and intense, close-quarters racing. One little mistake can be the difference between Victory Lane and the wall. Racing on an oval usually delivers considerable action, and last year’s Nashville race was exactly that. There were 284 passes for position, including 130 in the top 10 and 74 in the top five; all track records.
Last year saw four cautions in the 225-lap race, each caused by a driver either brushing or hitting the SAFER Barrier in turn two. These caution periods caused varying pit and tire strategies. It resulted in 12 of the 27 drivers leading at least one lap and 20 lead changes, both track records.
Home Sweet Home for Newgarden
Newgarden, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, will be looking to earn his second home race victory after winning it last year. He and the rest of the grid will have 300 laps to fight their way into victory lane.
Last year’s victory for Newgarden almost didn’t happen. It looked like it was going to be O’Ward, who, at the time, was a race-high 116 laps from the pole. Unfortunately, his race ended in heartbreak when a flat right front tire pushed him into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 on Lap 127. Newgarden, who started fifth, would take the lead on lap 205 and hold on till the very end to win his home grand prix.
Looking at Newgarden’s recent record, his last 10 victories have all come on ovals, making him a strong contender in this race. Another strong contender is Scott Dixon. The veteran has the most starts on the superspeedway, with eight. His record here includes three consecutive wins from 2006-08.
The FIFA World Cup
The start time for Sunday’s race is still up in the air, as it is set to follow the FIFA World Cup final on FOX. The championship match is slated for Sunday at 3 pm ET and will lead into the Music City Grand Prix as quickly as possible following soccer’s post-match ceremony.
Last year’s race averaged 1.142 million viewers and peaked at 1.338 million, making it the most-watched Nashville race since 2021. This year, with the World Cup match, which could potentially draw an audience of 40 million, there is hope that a large percentage of those viewers not only witness the start of the race but enjoy it enough to stick around.
Nashville Schedule
The schedule for the weekend is as follows. Please note that timings are in CEST.
Nashville is the second and final race in July before a three-week break. The winner of this race could shake up the entire championship fight and will leave the dust to settle until August 9th, when the series makes its way to Portland.