Josef Newgarden took a stunning victory in Nashville after battling cautions, tire issues, mechanical failures and battles throughout the 225 lap race. With Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward having already secured 1st and 2nd place in the championship, the rest of the field drove elbows out on a hot day at the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix to finalize our 2025 IndyCar Season.
Recap: Key Takeaways from IndyCar in Milwaukee
Heat breeds tire issues in Nashville
It’s not abnormal that the IndyCar Season Finale in Nashville is a warm race. However, this year, the heat effected the Firestones of more than one driver across the weekend.
Most notably, after securing pole position and leading nearly all of the 126 laps of the race up to that point, Pato O’Ward ran into an issue on the high line with his front left tire sending him into the wall. Alex Palou faced a similar issue early in the race, pitting and confidently regaining position in the top 10. The 10 car team members believe that this could have been a tear from contact.
Firestone recognized that the tires have struggled throughout the weekend in Nashville. According to members of various teams, the teams were told to lower the tire pressure by 5% prior to the race to avoid ‘cracking’ of the rubber.
Who will be our third Penske?
Penske Perfect. It has been a while since that phrase has been written. However, in Nashville, a win for Josef Newgarden and podium for Scott McLaughlin spelled an exciting day for the team. Let’s talk about the subject that has been heavily discussed all season, though.
Will Power or David Malukas?
That question may not be entirely answered after the Nashville race. David Malukas lost his top 5 position at lap 82 with a crash caused by Louis Foster. A collective gasp was let out on track as Malukas was airlifted to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. Malukas is awake and alert – this is a preventative trip.
Similarly during the caution caused by Pato O’Ward’s tire issues and collision with the barrier Will Power faced pit stop issues. (The theme of this race… issues!) Power overshot his pit box and had to roll back before the pit stop could be executed.
According to Power, the drivers will find out about their fate after the race. As it stands after Nashville, a clear choice is unclear.
Disaster for Arrow McLaren
Arrow McLarent went into the Nashville race on Sunday ready to dominate. Pato O’Ward on pole position. Christian Lundgaard in P3. Nolan Siegel qualifying P7, then taking a 9 place grid penalty for an engine replacement.
However, it wasn’t just Pato O’Ward’s tire issues that plagued the team. Christian Lundgaard retired just a few laps earlier on Lap 123 due to mechanical issues. It has not been confirmed what those mechanical issues are as of yet, but as we’ve already discussed… tire and mechanical issues were rampant.
Foster clinches Rookie of the Year
Louis Foster beat Robert Schwartzman by just two points after his 20th place finish in Nashville.
“One of the main goals that we had this year was to win this title. It was closer than we wanted it to be. The RLL Team have been incredible – we’ve had ups and downs but we’ve been able to bounce back successfully.” – Louis Foster, Rookie of the Year
This was one of the closest 1:1 battles of the season… frankly the only ‘title’ up for grabs in IndyCar – considering the Palou of it all. Louis Foster and Robert Schwartzman each secured pole once throughout this season with consistent finishes throughout the season.
Looking forward, Louis is looking for “consistency and growth” to maintain his seat at the RLL Team.
Looking forward to 2026
Nashville marked the end of the 2025 IndyCar season. While the drivers, teams, broadcasters, and media are signing of momentarily, we expect much to come by way of the off-season.
There are a number of seats up for grabs including the aforementioned Penske seat. Colton Herta is yet to completely deny his potential move to Formula 2. Not to mention the stars of IndyNXT looking for seats, Dennis Hauger (Championship Winner), Myles Rowe, Caio Collet, and Lochie Hughes.
That’s also not to mention the fact that we do not yet have our 2026 IndyCar Season schedule.
Until we have more questions than answers, we’ll see you next season… in St. Petersburg.
Feature Image: IndyCar Media Centre
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