Scott HornerZion BrownIndianapolis Star
Updated July 17, 2026, 7:45 a.m. ET
The IndyCar Series heads to Nashville Superspeedway for a 300-lap race on the 1.33-mile tri-oval. Tennessee’s own Josef Newgarden won this race in 2025, and he owns two short-oval victories in 2026. Alex Palou owns a healthy points lead with seven races remaining as he seeks a fourth consecutive championship.
Here’s what you should know about the race:
When does the IndyCar Series race at Nashville? IndyCar Series schedule for Music City Grand Prix
(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)
Saturday, July 18
- 10 a.m.: IndyCar practice, FS1
- 11:30 a.m.: Indy NXT practice, FS1
- 3 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying, Fox
- 4:35 p.m.: Indy NXT qualifying, FS2
- 6 p.m.: IndyCar practice, FS2
Sunday, July 19
- 1 p.m.: Indy NXT race, FS1
- 5:35 p.m.: IndyCar race, Fox (green flag at 5:40 p.m.)
Where to watch the IndyCar race at Nashville? How to watch the Music City Grand Prix?
TV: Coverage begins at 5:35 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 19, 2026, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.
Predictions for the Music City Grand Prix IndyCar race at Nashville Superspeedway from IndyStar’s Zion Brown
- Who is best equipped to prevent yet another Josef Newgarden short-oval victory? “The answer has to be Pato O’Ward. After placing second in the 2024 Music City Grand Prix, O’Ward led for over half of last year’s race before a mechanical failure sent him into the wall. He’ll have the best shot to dethrone Newgarden.”
- Will Alex Palou’s championship lead remain over 50 points? “Kyle Kirkwood is my pick to win this weekend, so I’ll say no. I think Kirkwood gets the second oval victory of his career and creates a legitimate championship bout.”
How much are Music City Grand Prix tickets? How much are tickets for the IndyCar race at Nashville Superspeedway?
Who won the IndyCar race at Nashville in 2025? Who won the Music City Grand Prix last year?
Josef Newgarden fended off Alex Palou and Scott McLaughlin to earn the victory at his home track.
Who is leading IndyCar? 2026 IndyCar points, standings, results
Alex Palou has won four races, Josef Newgarden and Christian Lundgaard two each, and Kyle Kirkwood, Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward one each. (Points are for full-season entrants)
How can I stream the IndyCar race at Nashville? How to stream the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix?
How can I listen to IndyCar race at Nashville?
IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race). Mark Jaynes is the anchor, with driver analyst Davey Hamilton.
Will it rain during the IndyCar race at Nashville? Weather Nashville, Tennessee, forecast for IndyCar race
- Saturday: Mostly sunny with spotty storms possible, with highs in the upper 80s.
- Sunday: Humid, some sun with a greater chance of storms, with highs in the low 90s.
IndyCar schedule 2026
(*-street course; ^-road course; #-oval; all races on Fox, SiriusXM Channel 218; times are start of TV coverage, ET)
- March 1: St. Petersburg, Fla. * (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Saturday, March 7: Phoenix # (Winner: Josef Newgarden)
- Sunday, March 15: Arlington, Texas * (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood)
- Sunday, March 29: Birmingham, Alabama ^ (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Sunday, April 19: Long Beach, California * (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Saturday, May 9: Indianapolis road course ^ (Winner: Christian Lundgaard)
- Sunday, May 24: Indianapolis 500 # (Winner: Felix Rosenqvist)
- Sunday, May 31: Detroit * (Winner: Alex Palou)
- Sunday, June 7: Madison, Illinois # (Winner: Josef Newgarden)
- Sunday, June 21: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ^ (Winner: Christian Lundgaard)
- Sunday, July 5: Lexington, Ohio ^ (Winner: Pato O’Ward)
- Sunday, July 19: Lebanon, Tennessee #, 5:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 9: Portland ^, 4 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 16: Markham, Ontario *, noon
- Sunday, Aug. 23: Washington, D.C. *, TBD
- Saturday, Aug. 29: Milwaukee #, 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 30: Milwaukee #, 1 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 6: Monterey, California ^, 2:30 p.m.
IndyCar Series teams, drivers in 2026
(with team, car number and driver)
- A.J. Foyt Racing: 4, Caio Collet; 14, Santino Ferrucci
- Andretti Global: 26, Will Power; 27, Kyle Kirkwood; 28, Marcus Ericsson
- Arrow McLaren: 5, Pato O’Ward; 6, Nolan Siegel; 7, Christian Lundgaard
- Chip Ganassi Racing: 8, Kyffin Simpson; 9, Scott Dixon; 10, Alex Palou
- Dale Coyne Racing: 18, Romain Grosjean; 19, Dennis Hauger
- Ed Carpenter Racing: 20, Alexander Rossi; 21, Christian Rasmussen
- Juncos Hollinger: 76, Rinus VeeKay; 77, Sting Ray Robb
- Meyer Shank Racing: 60, Felix Rosenqvist; 66, Marcus Armstrong
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 15, Graham Rahal; 45, Louis Foster; 47, Mick Schumacher; reserve driver, Toby Sowery
- Team Penske: 2, Josef Newgarden; 3, Scott McLaughlin; 12, David Malukas
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.
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