Up to Speed: 2024 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Preview

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

LEBANON, Tenn. – Since rolling into the Music City in 2021, the NTT IndyCar Series has raced in the throes of the city, with both downtown Nashville and the Tennessee Titans stadium as a backdrop.

However, the grand plans of moving the race to a new street layout that would include a stretch of Broadway fell through, forcing the season finale outside the city to Nashville Superspeedway to contest the championship race at a track that the series has not raced at since 2008.

The 1.333-mile D-shaped concrete oval closes out the 2024 season in which Alex Palou is on the cusp of winning his third championship in the past four years.

The driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda currently holds a 33-point lead over Team Penske’s Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Should Power come away with max points and the victory, Palou only needs to finish ninth or better to claim the Astor Cup once again.

Palou has had a stranglehold on the IndyCar points lead since the series raced in Monterrey back in June, with the rest of the paddock playing catch up ever since.

In addition, IndyCar has announced that teams and drivers will have both primary and alternate Firestone tires available to them this weekend, with teams mandated to have to run at least two of the alternate reds during Sunday’s race.

Teams will have a Saturday full of activity to get their bearings around the facility, kicking off with morning practice, leading into qualifying in the early afternoon and a final practice to get things dialed in later this evening before turning around for race day on Sunday.

The track time on Saturday will be highly beneficial to the majority of the paddock that has never turned a lap at this track. A few teams have been able to test at the track, but Saturday will definitely have a learning curve for almost everyone.

By the Numbers

What: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, NTT IndyCar Series Race No. 17 of 17

Where: Nashville Superspeedway – Lebanon Tennessee (Opened: 2001)

When: Sunday, September 15

TV/Radio: NBC & Peacock 12:00 p.m. ET / INDYCAR Radio Network (SiriusXM Channels 85 & 160)

Track Size: 1.333-mile D-shaped concrete oval

Banking: 14 degrees in Turns, 9 degrees on front straightaway, 6 degrees on back straightaway

Race Length: 206 laps/273.98 miles

2023 Race Winner (Street Course): Kyle Kirkwood – No. 27 Andretti Global Honda (Started eighth, 34 laps led)

2008 Race Winner (Last Time IndyCar Raced on the Oval): Scott Dixon – No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Track Qualifying Record: Scott Dixon – 23.271 seconds, 206.211 mph – July 19, 2003

From the Timing Stand

Barry Wanser, Strategist – No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

“It’s great to have an opportunity to run for another championship certainly with Alex.

“The 10 car group is very focused. We have a lot of fun racing, and we’re looking forward to going to Nashville and with hopefully luck on our side. I know we didn’t have any luck in the last race with the early failure there on the parade laps, but hopefully all that is behind us, and we’re moving on to Nashville and the luck carries forward with us.”

Ron Ruzewski, Strategist – No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet

It’s been a really honestly pretty up-and-down season. Team Penske has had a lot of success this year. We have won a lot of races, but we’ve split them up between a bunch of drivers, which doesn’t help for the points.

Any time you can go into the last race with a chance, you have done something right, and you’re in play. We would like to be in a little bit better situation than we are.

Every team can say, Oh, if this would have happened or if that would have happened. Well, you know, it didn’t. So we’re just looking forward, and we’re going to give it our best this weekend, and hopefully have something for the Ganassi folks.

Last Time in Nashville

There’s something about Kyle Kirkwood and winning on street courses in last season.

For the second time in 2023, the newest member of the Andretti Global stable was cool, calm, and collected under pressure as he put on a masterclass in Nashville to win the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.

After starting eighth, Kirkwood cycled to the lead a couple of different times as pit stop strategy played out, but once he cycled back to the top spot on lap 54, it was his race to lose from there.

As the laps wound down, it seemed he would be on a Sunday drive to his second NTT IndyCar Series victory to go along with his win earlier this year in Long Beach, but he would have to contend with the infamous Nashville cautions and red flags before getting there.

He kept his cool on two consecutive restarts on lap 74 and 77, motoring away from pole sitter Scott McLaughlin on both occasions to secure the win. By the time the checkered flag flew, Kirkwood had led the most laps on the day with 34 circuits out front.

“It was phenomenal afternoon,” said Kirkwood. “I mean, we absolutely nailed everything it felt like, to be honest. We had a great strategy. Car was extremely fast. Through the entire race, I feel like we were probably one of the fastest cars. I look back, I have no idea, but I assume we were.

“Andretti Autosport, AutoNation Honda keep giving me a great car that’s good on street courses. This should be more than two wins, to be honest, on street courses given the cars they’ve given me.

“I’m thrilled with this one here today. This is kind of redemption from last year. A dumb incident. Redemption from Toronto. Redemption from Detroit.”

Weekend Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Saturday, September 14

• NTT IndyCar Series Practice No. 1 (10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Peacock)

• NTT IndyCar Series Qualifying (1:15 p.m. – Peacock)
• NTT IndyCar Series High Line Practice (4:15 p.m. – Peacock
• NTT IndyCar Series Final Practice (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Peacock)

Sunday, September 15

• Big Machine Music City Grand Prix (2:30 p.m. – NBC & Peacock)