Sweet relief finally arrived at home, sweet home after the most frustrating of seasons for Josef Newgarden. Nashville-area native Newgarden broke a 20-race drought dating back to August 2024 to earn his first victory of 2025 and 32nd of his illustrious NTT INDYCAR SERIES career at his home track Sunday, winning the season-ending Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot at Nashville Superspeedway.
Two-time series champion Newgarden drove his No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet to victory by .5021 of a second over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of four-time and reigning series champion Alex Palou, who celebrated with the Astor Challenge Cup for the third straight year in post-race ceremonies.
Scott McLaughlin finished third in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet after prevailing in a stirring duel down the stretch of the 225-lap race with Kyffin Simpson in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. It’s just the second time this season that Team Penske – the most winning team in INDYCAR SERIES history – put two drivers on the podium.
Simpson capped a strong second season in the series by holding on to fourth for his best career oval result. Conor Daly rounded out the top five in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet after starting 24th, gaining more spots than any driver in the race.
Louis Foster of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing hung on to clinch the series Rookie of the Year honors by just two points over Robert Shwartzman of PREMA Racing. Foster finished 20th in the No. 45 Desnuda Tequila Honda, while Shwartzman was 14th in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet.
Newgarden took the lead for good on Lap 205 when he passed McLaughlin when McLaughlin’s car drifted off the racing line and brushed the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2, triggering the fourth and final caution period of the frenetic race.
On the restart on Lap 214, Newgarden rocketed away while Palou – who remarkably clawed back to the front despite a flat right front tire early in the race – dove under McLaughlin for second place in Turn 1.
But Palou never could catch Newgarden over the final 11 laps, as the reigning series champion admitted he lacked the confidence to put his car in the higher groove where Newgarden, McLaughlin, Daly and others did some of their best, most breathtaking passing of the race.
The joyous relief was palpable for Newgarden after the race when he stopped his car on the front straightaway and climbed into the grandstands to exult with fans, reminiscent of his celebrations at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after winning the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 2023 and 2024.
It was a fitting ending to a race that featured so many twists, turns and heartbreak that nearly everyone who watched it probably needed a moment to exhale after the checkered flag. There were 284 passes for position, including 130 in the top 10 and 74 in the top five – all series records for Nashville Superspeedway.
McLaughlin wasn’t the only driver to lose the lead due to hitting the SAFER Barrier. NTT P1 Award winner Pato O’Ward led a race-high 116 laps from the pole in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, but his race ended in heartbreak when a flat right front tire pushed him into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 on Lap 127.
David Malukas was running in second on Lap 83 in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises when he backed hard into the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 after side-by-side contact from Foster, who was penalized for blocking. Malukas was awake and alert after the incident, according to INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Julia Vaizer, and was released from a local hospital following precautionary evaluation and advanced imaging.
Christian Rasmussen, who earned his first career victory last Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile, saw his chance for a repeat end on Lap 1 when his No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet wiggled in traffic and hit the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2.
The varying pit and tire strategies spawned by these accidents and caution periods resulted in 12 of the 27 drivers leading at least one lap and 20 lead changes, both series records at this track.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Palou 711, O’Ward 515, Dixon 452, Kirkwood 433, Lundgaard 431, Rosenqvist 372, Herta 372, Armstrong 364, Power 357, McLaughlin 356, Malukas 318, Newgarden 316, Rasmussen 313, VeeKay 305, Rossi 297, Ferrucci 293, Simpson 282, Daly 268, Rahal 260, Ericsson 234, Ilott 218, Siegel 213, Foster 213, Shwartzman 211, Robb 181, DeFrancesco 171, Abel 123, Takuma Sato 36, Helio Castroneves 20, Ed Carpenter 16, Jack Harvey 12, Ryan Hunter-Reay 10, Kyle Larson 6, Marco Andretti 5
Results Sunday of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by WillScot with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1/ (6) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 225, Running
2/ (4) Alex Palou, Honda, 225, Running
3/ (7) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 225, Running
4/ (8) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 225, Running
5/ (24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 225, Running
6/ (11) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 225, Running
7/ (9) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 225, Running
8/ (12) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 225, Running
9/ (18) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 225, Running
10/ (19) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 225, Running
11/ (13) Colton Herta, Honda, 225, Running
12/ (5) Scott Dixon, Honda, 225, Running
13/ (26) Rinus VeeKay, Honda, 225, Running
14/ (17) Robert Shwartzman, Chevrolet, 224, Running
15/ (15) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 224, Running
16/ (20) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 224, Running
17/ (16) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 224, Running
18/ (22) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 224, Running
19/ (14) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 224, Running
20/ (23) Louis Foster, Honda, 223, Running
21/ (10) Will Power, Chevrolet, 222, Running
22/ (21) Graham Rahal, Honda, 220, Running
23/ (27) Jacob Abel, Honda, 215, Retired
24/ (1) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 126, Contact
25/ (3) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, 122, Mechanical
26/ (2) David Malukas, Chevrolet, 82, Contact
27/ (25) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 0, Contact
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