Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou moved one step nearer to a fourth consecutive – and fifth general – IndyCar Collection title after throttling to victory in Monday’s Borchetta Bourbon Music Metropolis Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway.
The Spaniard’s conquest got here after holding off Staff Penske’s trio, led by oval maestro and native boy Josef Newgarden, who received on the 1.33-mile concrete oval in 2025. The important thing second proved to be the warning at Lap 123 of 225, the lap after Palou pitted earlier than a number of frontrunners, biking to the lead on Lap 131 and by no means relinquishing it for the rest of the race.
There have been 395 whole passes, with 246 of these for place, together with 11 lead adjustments amongst seven completely different drivers.
Listed below are the winners and losers from the twelfth spherical of the season.
WINNER: David Malukas
David Malukas, Staff Penske
Picture by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures
It was an adventurous weekend for David Malukas. On Saturday alone, he crashed in opening follow, went to the hospital and missed qualifying, after which got here again to guide remaining follow. He already got here into the weekend with a nine-place grid penalty resulting from an unapproved engine change, and that recent powerplant was all the things he wanted to cost – on a bruised knee – from final.
The 24-year-old Chicago native’s tempo was relentless, and particularly seen when he opted to not pit throughout the first warning on Lap 19. Following the restart on the older, much less most well-liked major tires, he jumped to the lead on Lap 33 and was capable of fend off Staff Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who was on a set of more energizing alternate rubber.
Though an premature warning derailed an easy plan that doubtless may have netted Malukas the win, he nonetheless battled again to complete third – his fifth podium of the season. The end result additionally allowed him to reclaim second within the championship standings.
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LOSER: Kyle Kirkwood
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti World w/ Curb-Agajanian, Josef Newgarden, Staff Penske
Picture by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures
After beginning on pole place and main 24 laps within the #27 Andretti World Honda, Kyle Kirkwood was a significant participant for a podium – or perhaps a win – on Monday. Nonetheless, he received out by the premature yellow flag on Lap 180 whereas on pit lane, which dropped him simply exterior the highest 10. Though he clawed again within the closing laps to complete tenth, the tough luck of the warning negated what was en path to be championship factors gained on Palou.
The Florida native got here into the weekend second within the general standings, 56 factors behind Palou; he left Tennessee third in factors – falling behind Malukas – and now trails Palou by 87 factors.
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WINNER: Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Picture by: Penske Leisure
Mick Schumacher loved his finest weekend up to now within the IndyCar Collection after operating as excessive as sixth earlier than ending eighth in Nashville.
Whereas it marks Schumacher’s first prime 10 in North America’s premier open-wheel championship, it’s made all of the extra spectacular that it is available in simply his fourth-ever begin on an oval – one he had not beforehand examined at – and after beginning sixteenth on the grid.
The 27-year-old German rookie was the shining mild on an in any other case abysmal day for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), with teammates Louis Foster ending seventeenth – main 10 laps by advantage of not pitting throughout the first warning – and Graham Rahal nineteenth, retiring early after logging 209 laps.
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LOSER: Graham Rahal
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures
Whereas Schumacher had his finest weekend up to now in IndyCar, Rahal endured one in all his worst.
There was no velocity all through opening follow, then a gas strain downside saved him from qualifying, and Rahal’s issues had been compounded when he crashed the #15 RLL Honda in remaining follow. He went on to say there have been sensations within the automotive he’d by no means felt in his complete profession, which led the staff to finally discover there was a failure with the right-rear upright.
Whereas issues had been mounted for the race, Rahal by no means received comfy sufficient or had sufficient tempo to maneuver ahead. Ultimately, he was left gathering a prime 20 end.
WINNER: Alex Palou
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures
It’s fairly straightforward to place Palou on this checklist after successful his fifth race of the season in Nashville and increasing his championship lead by 27 factors to now maintain an 83-point benefit over Malukas.
It additionally marked his fiftieth profession podium and his third profession oval victory, whereas additionally delivering a monumental milestone for his staff, securing Chip Ganassi Racing’s one hundred and fiftieth all-time IndyCar win.
Oh, and he additionally received to get pleasure from his nation, Spain, win its first FIFA World Cup since 2010 after they beat Argentina on Sunday.
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LOSER: Christian Lundgaard
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Picture by: Perry Nelson / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures
Christian Lundgaard didn’t do himself any favors with regards to the argument that his oval talents are a hindrance in being a whole driver able to struggle for a championship or, what appears to be extra invaluable to Arrow McLaren contemplating his impending departure at season’s finish, the Indianapolis 500.
The Dane was nowhere to be discovered all through any a part of the weekend. He certified nineteenth and began twenty fourth after a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. Though he ran as excessive as third after not pitting throughout the first warning, he dropped like a rock on the following restart; falling 10 spots after simply two laps. Ultimately, he was credited with ending sixteenth.
In equity, all of Arrow McLaren ran exterior the highest 10 for almost all of the day, however teammates Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel nonetheless discovered a strategy to climb out of the mediocrity and run within the prime 10 late earlier than ending seventh and eleventh, respectively.
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