IndyCar: Nashville Motor City GP Preview
Buckle up! The Music City Grand Prix has returned to Nashville! The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is back this weekend for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, round 14 of the 17-race season.
The three-day festival of racing and music also includes Indy Lights, GT America, Trans Am, Stadium SUPER Trucks and Vintage Indy. The musical entertainment is highlighted by nightly on-site concerts featuring prominent artists and the Grand Ole Prix Opry show on Sunday.
Grand Prix Fast Facts
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
Entry List
|
CAR |
DRIVER |
HOMETOWN |
CAR NAME |
TEAM |
ENGINE |
|
|
1 |
2 |
Josef Newgarden |
Nashville, Tennessee |
PPG Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
2 |
3 |
Scott McLaughlin |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
DEX Imaging Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
3 |
5 |
Pato O’Ward |
Monterrey, Mexico |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
4 |
06 |
Helio Castroneves |
Sao Paulo, Brazil |
AutoNation/SiriusXM |
Meyer Shank Racing |
Honda |
|
5 |
6 |
Felix Rosenqvist |
Värnamo, Sweden |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
6 |
7 |
Alexander Rossi |
Nevada City, California |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
7 |
8 |
Marcus Ericsson |
Kumla, Sweden |
Huski Ice Spritz |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
8 |
9 |
Scott Dixon |
Auckland, New Zealand |
PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
9 |
10 |
Alex Palou |
Barcelona, Spain |
The American Legion |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
10 |
11 |
Marcus Armstrong (R) |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
Ridgeline Lubricants |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
11 |
12 |
Will Power |
Toowoomba, Australia |
Verizon Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
12 |
14 |
Santino Ferrucci |
Woodbury, Connecticut |
AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
13 |
15 |
Graham Rahal |
New Albany, Ohio |
Fifth Third Bank |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
14 |
18 |
David Malukas |
Chicago, Illinois |
HMD Trucking |
Dale Coyne Racing with HMD |
Honda |
|
15 |
20 |
Ryan Hunter-Reay |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
Bitnile.com |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
16 |
21 |
Rinus VeeKay |
Hoofddorp, Netherlands |
Bitnile.com |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
17 |
26 |
Colton Herta |
Valencia, California |
Gainbridge |
Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agaj |
Honda |
|
18 |
27 |
Kyle Kirkwood |
Jupiter, Florida |
AutoNation |
Andretti Autosport |
Honda |
|
19 |
28 |
Romain Grosjean |
Geneva, Switzerland |
DHL |
Andretti Autosport |
Honda |
|
20 |
29 |
Devlin DeFrancesco |
Toronto, Canada |
WOOOOO! ENERGY |
Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport |
Honda |
|
21 |
30 |
Jack Harvey |
Bassingham, England |
Kustom Entertainment |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
22 |
45 |
Christian Lundgaard |
Hedensted, Denmark |
Hy-Vee |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
23 |
51 |
Sting Ray Robb (R) |
Payette, Idaho |
biohaven |
Dale Coyne Racing with RWR |
Honda |
|
24 |
55 |
Benjamin Pedersen (R) |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
25 |
60 |
Linus Lundqvist (R) |
Stockholm, Sweden |
AutoNation/SiriusXM |
Meyer Shank Racing |
Honda |
|
26 |
77 |
Callum Ilott |
Cambridge, England |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
27 |
78 |
Agustín Canapino (R) |
Arrecifes, Argentina |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
All cars use fourth-generation NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis (Dallara IR12) with universal IR-18 aerodynamic bodywork, Chevrolet or Honda engines and Firestone tires. |
|
(R) – Denotes Rookie of the Year candidate |
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.