IndyCar Gradebook: Music City Grand Prix
- Dan Jones
- Sep 6, 2025
- 11 min read
Josef Newgarden finally claimed winning honours in 2025 at the last available opportunity as he found Victory Lane at his home race at Nashville Superspeedway after many of his rivals fell out of contention for victory. For one final time in 2025, DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 27 drivers' performances during the Nashville weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - A
In a year full of encouraging results for Simpson, this may be the pick of the bunch. With a previous best oval finish of 13th, ovals was certainly Simpson's achilles heel, but a fourth-place finish at Nashville may be the breakthrough that the 20-year-old needed. After qualifying eighth, Simpson ran a quiet race before suddenly breaking into the top five late on. He had a sensational duel with Scott McLaughlin in the closing laps and was unfortunate not to have stood on the rostrum. That said, Simpson should still be extremely pleased with another exemplary performance in his breakout season.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - B-
Dixon ends a remarkably odd year with a third-place finish secured in the championship with a 12th-place finish at Nashville. It was once again a bafflingly quiet weekend for Dixon - hence the strangeness of him ending up third in points! He did qualify well in fifth but progressively fell down the order with a late pit stop (in order to secure the pit stop award) meant he finished 12th at the chequered. An odd way to end an odd season.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A
There's absolutely no doubt now that Palou is one of the finest oval racers that the series has to offer. His second-place finish at Nashville secured him the unofficial 'oval championship', a remarkable feat for a driver who was never previously considered strong at ovals and had never won an oval race prior to this season. Palou once again qualified well in third and raced superbly against Pato O'Ward in the opening phases. He did well later on to now throw it into the barrier after he picked up his puncture and reaped the rewards for it. Palou was once again level-headed and picked the right battles to finish runner-up to Newgarden at the flag. 12 finishes in the top two across the course of the season is out-of-this-world statistics as he caps off one of the best individual seasons that motorsport has ever seen.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - A
Newgarden says that "he doesn't care" about continuing his win streak since 2015 but this must feel like a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. It's been well documented what a disastrous year 2025 has been for Newgarden and it rather felt that a winless year would only make it seem worse. He drove superbly though and took advantage of when his opposition faltered for various reasons and did not lose his head despite being under immense pressure during the closing stint. The result won't alleviate what a difficult season it has been, but Newgarden finally has something to smile about - a victory that he has long-deserved this season.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - A-
While his teammate was preventing his own winless season, that was the nail in the coffin for McLaughlin's hopes of winning a race in 2025. He may well feel that this was one that got away from him too. McLaughlin qualified eighth but cycled to the front very early and seemed instantly in podium contention. He raced through traffic extremely well and made decisive passes when he needed to. Just when we were staring at a Penske showdown for victory, an error at Turn 2 on Lap 205 forced him high and into the barrier, with McLaughlin escaping significant damage. He successfully out-duelled Simpson on the restart for his own caution to claim his third podium of the year but he must be frustrated that he threw away a chance to win in his own difficult season.
No.12 - Will Power - C+
It's a huge shame that Power didn't get the final swansong that he deserved with Penske after so many seasons of success with the team, after confirmation post-Nashville that he will move to Andretti Global in 2025. That said, this wasn't one to shout home about. Power qualified 12th but had cycled to the lead on Lap 127 after O'Ward's crash and looked to be the quickest Penske. However, he had a disastrous stop under the caution as he went long in his box, tried to restart in the wrong gear and received a drive-through for hitting equipment. A 21st-place finish wasn't the ending to Power's Penske career that he deserved but it certainly does not take away from 17 years of success with the team as he dawns on a new chapter at Andretti Global.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Colton Herta - B-
Similarly to Power, this was not the (for now) IndyCar farewell that Herta deserved - albeit we didn't know it at the time. Herta didn't qualify well in 15th, but certainly had a car that he could race with as he made huge progress in the opening laps. By Lap 100, he was in the top five and closing in on the podium. However, at a similar time to his successor's incident, Herta had more issues in pit road where he received another penalty for an unsafe release. He finished 11th at the flag in a disappointing defence of his first oval victory. It's a shame to see the American's IndyCar career cut short being one of the most exciting drivers in the series, but we'll see how he upholds the IndyCar name in Formula 2.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - B+
Andretti did not have the pace at Nashville that they did a year ago and maybe Kirkwood's case was most evident of that. Last year's polesitter qualified just 13th but had a quiet but solid showing throughout the 225 laps. As others faltered, Kirkwood made steady progress as he finished sixth at the flag. It was not quite the display showed last season but a solid way to end the best season of Kirkwood's IndyCar career so far.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - C
Ericsson qualified in 18th and finished in 15th, a lap down from the competition. It says a lot about his 2025 season that even that was one of his better showings this season. Maybe the greatest success from Nashville for the No.28 camp is that it marked the end of this nightmare season and that they can start from square one again in 2026.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - A+
It is a huge shame that O'Ward's season ended with him in the barrier through a tyre failure but that's not to take away from a near-perfect weekend in an excellent season. His run to pole was magical, being 0.7 mph clear of the field and it had looked like a race that O'Ward would dominate. He held off Palou excellently in the opening phases with more evidence of supreme defence on ovals. O'Ward was decisive in traffic and would always build a comfortable lead during every phase of the race. A tyre failure mid-way through put an end to his magical day though, a day where O'Ward did no wrong. Not the result deserved but more positives to take in an excellent year.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - C
Crashes have cost Siegel dearly on ovals this season and Nashville was no different. Siegel qualified very well in seventh, but crashed in final practice which forced him into an engine change. It was a quiet outing for Siegel who finished 17th at the chequered flag, one lap down. It's not been a superb first full season for Siegel and ovals remain a huge sticking point, particularly with the American being responsible for so many of his own accidents. He'll have a chance to make amends though in 2026.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - B+
Prior to the Milwaukee weekend there were huge question marks about Lundgaard's ability on ovals, but a combination of good weekends have quashed those question marks somewhat. Lundgaard qualified very well in third, but seemingly did not have the race car that O'Ward and some of his competitors had as he cycled progressively down through the top 10. A mechanical issue put a premature end to his day as he retired after 123 laps. A sad way to end a strong first season with McLaren, but he can certainly take encouragement from another good outing on an oval.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - D-
I've used the term 'moving chicane' a lot when discussing Rahal's oval performances in 2025 and Nashville was the same story but maybe to the worst effect all season. Rahal qualified poorly in 22nd and was running almost dangerously off the pace in race trim. He was checking up in front of the leaders mid-corner and was maybe fortunate to avoid incident and/or be parked by race control. Rahal finished in 22nd, five laps down. It remains an ongoing mystery into why the IndyCar veteran is regularly racing such uncompetitive cars on ovals.
No.30 - Devlin DeFrancesco - C
For the second consecutive weekend, DeFrancesco was the top driver at RLL, but that certainly isn't to say he had a good weekend. The Canadian qualified in 23rd and finished in 18th, one lap down from the lead. Question marks about his future still remain after an underwhelming return to the series this season.
No.45 - Louis Foster - D+
Although the race itself was a bit of a disaster for Foster, he does leave Nashville with a well-deserved Rookie of the Year award in the books. Foster qualified 24th and didn't have great pace at Nashville. He earned himself a blocking penalty after a dangerous move into Turn 1 when defending against David Malukas whilst being lapped seconds before the two collided. Foster earned himself a drive-through which put an end to any competitive running. He was fortunate that Robert Shwartzman gifted him the ROTY crown back after his own blocking tomfoolery but even after not the easiest of rookie years, Foster has some silverware to take home.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - B
It was a bit of a wild day to end the season for Rosenqvist, but he still left Nashville with a positive seventh-place finish. Rosenqvist started ninth but that didn't last long as he jumped the start and was forced to restart at the back of the field. However, with so many different drivers having so many different problems, it gave Rosenqvist an opportunity to slowly make his way up the order, meaning he ended up in seventh. It hasn't been a great second half to the year but this was a good day nonetheless.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - C+
We've had a full year of racing and I'm still not quite sure what happens in Armstrong's races and I think Nashville only adds to my confusion. Armstrong qualified poorly in 17th but had magically appeared up in third just after the mid-way point after the quietest of days. The proceeding pitstop cycle saw him tumble down the order though before he also picked up a penalty for blocking. That put Armstrong a lap down has he finished in 19th. It was another truly bizarre race for Armstrong but it doesn't take away from what has been an encouraging first year with Meyer Shank Racing.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - David Malukas - B+
It feels incredibly unfortunate that Malukas did not claim a maiden victory in 2025, especially after another chance went by the wayside in Nashville. For the second week in a row, Malukas helplessly looked on as he had pole position snatched from him but still lined up in second. Once again, Malukas would show well on ovals and would be very competitive as he raced in the podium positions. He made a small error on Lap 80 as he hit the barrier before colliding with Foster three laps later. Foster's move was inexcusable, but the actual incident felt more of a racing affair, with Malukas cutting down to Foster's line too quickly hence the penalisation in his grade. It was a relief to hear Malukas was okay though after being airlifted to hospital. He will look to finally win in 2026, with many expecting a move to Penske after Power's departure.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - B
Whilst his teammate continues to make headlines on ovals, Ferrucci seemingly can't make those same headlines he made last season. Ferrucci qualified in 14th, which is better than what he has managed in recent races but made scintillating progress in the early stages as he ran just outside the top five. However, he was forced to restart at the back of the field after entering the pits incorrectly under caution but recovered respectably to finish eighth. It was not a fantastic final stretch of races for 2025 for Ferrucci and it certainly wasn't a championship-contending year as he had so proudly proclaimed earlier on in the year.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - B-
It was a fairly quiet showing for Rossi after two strong races at Portland and Milwaukee. Rossi qualified 20th and ran off-strategy for most of the race. It didn't pan out hugely differently as he finished 10th at the chequered flag as he caps off a mixed first season with Ed Carpenter Racing.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - F
From hero to zero. After his magical victory in Milwaukee, a Lap 1 error meant Rasmussen found the barrier all by himself as he looked to create more headlines from 25th. His aggressive style of oval racing maybe went one step too far in Nashville and he didn't give the fireworks that so many hoped we'd see.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Conor Daly - A-
In a year where Daly has raced so well in ovals but has had little to show for it, Nashville felt like rather the opposite. Daly did not have as much pace as he has shown at other ovals, replicated by qualified 24th but made steady and effective progress throughout Sunday, despite losing out multiple times in pit cycles. Daly was fourth when the final restart went green but lost out to Simpson. Nonetheless, Daly still brought home a fifth-place finish in his best result of 2025.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - C
It was an unspectacular weekend for Robb who qualified 21st and finished 16th, one lap down. It has been an unremarkable season with Juncos, with his future in the series remaining undecided ahead of 2026.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Rinus VeeKay - C+
It was quite clear that Dale Coyne Racing did not have any form of pace at Nashville, much like their other struggles at higher-speed ovals at Indianapolis and Iowa. VeeKay qualified in 26th almost a whole mph off the next car. He did drive to 13th though, and stayed on the lead lap though. That 13th-place finish would have also equalled the team's best result of last season which shows the strides made under VeeKay. Those strides will come to an end though after confirmation post-Nashville that VeeKay will seek new ventures in 2026.
No.51 - Jacob Abel - D
Pace was a huge problem for Abel and Coyne as he qualified last - 1.6 mph off VeeKay and 2.4 mph off the next slowest car. Race day progress was limited too, with Abel retiring after 215 after he hit the wall late on. It's been an incredibly difficult rookie campaign for Abel, who is not expected to return to the team next season.
PREMA Racing
No.83 - Robert Shwartzman - C+
For the majority of the 225 laps at Nashville, Shwartzman had looked in an excellent position to snatch the ROTY title off Foster. He qualified five placed better in 19th and was on the fringes of the top 10 once again on an oval. Shwartzman raced well on an oval again until he blocked Ferrucci whilst running ninth with a handful of laps to go. Shwartzman's silly move earned him a drive-through and meant he missed out on the ROTY crown that he had in the bag. It'll be a huge disappointment being an award Shwartzman won't have the chance to win again.
No.90 - Callum Ilott - B+
It has taken a while, but things have finally start to click for Ilott and PREMA. Ilott qualified well in ninth before taking an engine penalty. That said, Ilott would recover to ninth as he took a fourth top 10 finish in five races to end 2025. It had been a miserable year prior, but Ilott carried huge momentum in the closing phases of the year and shows encouraging signs for PREMA's 2026 prospects (if they make the field).
Photos in this article were taken by DIVEBOMB Photographer, Dominic Loyer. You can find Dominic's work on Instagram (@dominicloyer_photography)
A huge thanks to all of you who have read the IndyCar Gradebooks this season. It has been a huge privilege to write and stay tuned for more off-season Gradebooks to review each team and drivers' 2025 season.
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