IndyCar Gradebook: Music City Grand Prix
- Dan Jones
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
Álex Palou rounded out a majestic weekend for Spain at Nashville Superspeedway as he took his first win at the oval to further extend his championship lead as he closes in on a fifth series title. He took home the guitar, but there were still plenty of stories throughout the rest of the field. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent Dan Jones grades all 25 drivers' weekends.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - B-
As has been the case throughout this season, it was a relatively muted weekend for Kyffin Simpson but nevertheless he comfortably brought home his fifth top 10 of the year and continued his encouraging oval development. Simpson qualified in 18th but had worked his way up to 12th prior to the Lap 180 yellow. That gave Simpson the opportunity to vault up the order, which secured a respectable ninth-place finish at the chequered flag.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - C
Scott Dixon's difficult run of races showed no signs of stopping at Nashville as a mid-race collision with Alexander Rossi left Dixon with a sixth consecutive finish outside the top 10. Dixon had shown an upturn in qualifying, having lined up fifth, but lost several positions during the opening stint and was generally conservative on restarts. By the time he collided with Rossi, he was running outside of the top 10, although he was completely innocent in the accident. He will hope his Ganassi farewell tour has a more positive ending.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A
If a fifth championship did not feel inevitable for Palou already, it does now, with a gut-punching victory toward his competitors. There's no secret this one had a bit of luck involved though. Palou had committed to his stop on Lap 123 just 0.3 seconds before the yellow came out before benefitting in the final pit stop cycle by having stayed out. That said, Palou defended his lead from Newgarden comfortably in the final stint and showed no signs of relinquishing the lead he had fortuitously had obtained. A top five finish would have been impressive nonetheless considering Ganassi's oval package but Palou's execution combined with a little bit of luck was an unstoppable combination.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - A
It was rather clear that a second-place finish was not good enough in Josef Newgarden's mind. His post-race frustration was abundantly clear but another strong oval weekend nonetheless. Newgarden led the Penske's in qualifying by lining up on the front row, and was competing within the top five for the entirety of the 225 laps. He was one of many to benefit from the Lap 180 caution but with overtaking difficult, there was no opportunity for him to navigate past Palou. Even though there was no visit to Victory Lane, Nashville marked Newgarden's typical oval performance as he continues his 2026 upturn in form.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - A
2026 has marked a tricky year for Scott McLaughlin but this was his best performance of his season thus far. He qualified well in third and then cycled to the front after an excellent stop under yellow. McLaughlin comfortably held his own from that point forward, but was caught out after pitting one lap before the final yellow. That said, McLaughlin made superb progress from 11th on the final stint on a racetrack where overtaking was difficult to bring home an impressive fourth place finish. The winless streak may continue, but it provides a huge boost of confidence for the rest of the year.
No.12 - David Malukas - A
Nashville proves a difficult weekend to grade for David Malukas, who made a superb recovery from 25th to third but was also the perpetrator of his own downfall after a Saturday morning crashed forced him to skip qualifying. Although his opening stint was quiet, the option to move Malukas onto the alternate strategy brought him into play quickly. It would have been the ultimate comeback story had Malukas found Victory Lane but ill-timed cautions proved costly as the young American had to settle for third. However, Malukas looked the most comfortable in traffic and proved why his reputation on ovals is so strong. A weekend to be proud of but maybe also a case of 'what could have been?'.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - C-
After a small upturn in form in recent races, Nashville proved another 2026 weekend to forget for Will Power. The Australian was the weakest of the Andretti cars in qualifying and never made any significant progress throughout Monday's race. His day became effectively done when he clumsily hit the wall on the Lap 140 restart as he sank to a miserable 20th place.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - A
The improvement of Andretti Global's oval package has been notable in the last 18 months and Kyle Kirkwood validated that further with another impressive oval weekend, even with no result to show for it. Kirkwood took a surprise, but impressive pole on Saturday and held his own within the opening stints in the race, nearly always running in the top two on the conventional strategy. However, a Lap 181 stop proved costly as he was caught out by the yellow. Kirkwood could not make up the ground that McLaughlin had done as he had to settle for an underwhelming 10th place finish. Nevertheless, a weekend to be pleased with from Kirkwood's perspective.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - B+
As has been the case on several occasions this year, it was a quietly good weekend for Marcus Ericsson, who came home with a sixth top 10 finish of the year in sixth place. Ericsson qualified in 10th and slowly made his way through the order through the opening stints. He had vaulted up to second after pitting under the final yellow although struggled to hold his own as he dropped the order to sixth, once again as the highest-finishing Andretti. It is weekends like these which make an Andretti return increasingly likely.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - C
A seventh-place finish will be seen as a mighty result for Pato O'Ward and Arrow McLaren in what otherwise was a disaster weekend at Nashville. The team who had dominated the event last year struggled throughout, with O'Ward qualifying only 12th before dropping back outside the top 15 in the opening two stints. It continued a position O'Ward stayed in for most of the race before he jumped into the top 10 after not pitting prior to the final yellow. That saved O'Ward from an otherwise disappointing result as he finished seventh at the flag. McLaren may have got away with one results-wise but there is still plenty to do to find more performance.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - B-
Not for the first time in recent races, Nolan Siegel looked the most comfortable McLaren driver throughout the entirety of a weekend, as he looks to find a drive for 2027. Siegel qualified just behind his teammate in 13th, but had the measure of him in the opening stages of the race. Although he benefitted from the final yellow, he could not hold onto his position with the top 10, as he fell to 11th by the finish in a result which did not fully tell the story. A better final stint may have meant a better result was on the cards, but Siegel continues an improved stretch of races.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - D+
Arrow McLaren's justification for their decision not to retain Christian Lundgaard for 2027 was his performances on ovals and although many disagreed with the decision, their claim looked a bit stronger after a disastrous Nashville weekend. Lundgaard was plagued by issues throughout practice and qualified just 19th. An engine penalty sent him to the rear of the field where he never made any meaningful progress with an alternate strategy gamble failing. He clung onto the lead lap with a 16th place finish in a weekend to forget at a crucial time of the season.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - F
To say this was a disaster weekend would be an understatement for Graham Rahal and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. A problem identified in practice meant that Rahal was significantly off the pace and without valuable track time before an issue forced him to sit out of qualifying. His race pace was so awful that he was effectively a hazard as cars tried to navigate around him before they decided to park the car. It has worryingly become a theme with Rahal on ovals and more thorough investigations need to take place to stop such embarrassment in future.
No.45 - Louis Foster - C
A 17th place finish did not tell the story of an eventful Music City Grand Prix for Louis Foster. The Briton qualified in 20th but made strong progress throughout the first stint, moving up to 14th within the first 19 laps. However, the decision to stay out under yellow plummeted him down the order and as soon as progress was being made again, he was caught out by a yellow before earning a penalty for colliding with Lundgaard on pitlane. That caused him to go a lap down, as he saw the chequered flag in 17th. Possibly unfortunate not to have been in a similar position to his teammate.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - A-
It has not been the smoothest of rookie seasons for Mick Schumacher and little expected his first breakout to be on an oval. But so it was as the German impressed throughout the weekend and showed oval experience far beyond his years. Schumacher qualified as the best of the RLL cars in 16th and looked competitive throughout as he made his was through the order, being unafraid to race side-by-side for extended periods. He was one who banked on the final yellow which earned him a first career top 10 finish after an impressive weekend.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - B+
Although he maybe did not get the plaudits he deserved, it was a superb drive through the field for Rosenqvist at Nashville, as he drove from a 17th place starting slot and came home with a top five finish. He was one of many to benefit from the final caution, but had made his was up to seventh even before then. The Swede lost a few positions after restarting third but still ended the day with a strong fifth-place finish.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - B-
It had been a fairly respectable weekend for Marcus Armstrong in Nashville until he had to retire after 106 laps with an engine issue, as he continued a frustrating stretch of races. Armstrong had qualified in eighth and continued in-and-around the top 10 positions for the opening stint. He had fallen back by the time of his retirement, even behind his teammate, but was helpless to prevent the issue.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - C-
Rossi's mid-race collision with Dixon will indisputably be what will be remembered of his Nashville weekend but it had been a mixed weekend up until that point. Rossi qualified well in sixth but had cycled down the order through the race running and had been outside the top 10 at the point of the incident. With the camera angle provided, it ultimately looked as if it was a miscommunication but Rossi ultimately has to take accountability. A difficult season continued for Rossi and ECR.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - C-
This one had been a long time coming. Despite good pace all weekend, including an oval-best seventh place starting spot it became quickly clear that Christian Rasmussen's No.21 Chevrolet was loose - even by his standards. That meant it was little surprise when he hit the barrier at the midway mark which gave him enough damage to retire when running inside the top 10. Not quite the oval heroics he has shown in the past.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - D-
Nashville marked a third oval retirement in four races in 2026 and this one can certainly be categorised as a rookie error for Caio Collet. The Brazilian had qualified respectably in 15th but crashed out all by himself after just 17 laps. A weekend to put to the back of his mind in what has been a tumultuous year.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - B+
Santino Ferrucci may be one who feels most aggrieved by the final caution as a potential best finish of 2026 fell out of his hands after a strong performance throughout. Ferrucci qualified decently in 11th but had progressively made his way up the order through the opening stints and by the time the final pit cycle came around, Ferrucci was running in sixth. However, he pitted just a lap prior and could not make the ground back up once the track went green, ending with a frustrating 13th place finish.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - A-
It was a similar story for Rinus VeeKay as it was for Ferrucci as a strong finish fell out of his grasp through the timing of the final yellow. Not for the first time this season, VeeKay and Juncos looked impressive on ovals, as the Dutch driver qualified in ninth and continued to progress through the opening stints. He had been running fifth for the majority of the race, even with an outside shot at a podium. However, the yellows did not fall his way as he had to settle for just 12th.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - C
Nashville proved a quiet weekend for Sting Ray Robb who's unremarkable year continued. Robb qualified just 21st and was a non-factor for the majority of the race. However, he remained on the lead lap and saw the chequered flag in 15th place - his second best result of the season, as well as his best on an oval.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - C
A 14th place finish seemed a bit of relief for Romain Grosjean and Dale Coyne Racing in what otherwise had been a difficult weekend. Grosjean lost valuable practice time with a crash and then qualified in just 22nd. However, he made good progress through the field on strategy to come home 14th - his best on a short oval this year.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - D-
A difficult stretch of races continued for Dennis Hauger at Nashville as his IndyCar future hangs in the balance. The Norwegian qualified last of those who set a lap and then saw his race become undone early on after he was penalised for leaving his box before service was complete. His day ended in the infield after hitting the Turn 2 wall in yet another difficult weekend.
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