Five races remain in the 2023 IndyCar season, with the next stop two weeks away. Josef Newgarden swept the doubleheader race weekend at Iowa Speedway, cutting into Alex Palou’s championship lead. The gap is now 80 points between the two drivers, with another street course up next. The series heads to Newgarden’s home town of Nashville for the third time, where Chip Ganassi Racing has won both races.
Marcus Ericsson won the inaugural race there two years ago and Scott Dixon enters the weekend as the defending race winner. Palou finished 7th and 3rd in his two starts at Nashville, and has finished inside the top-eight in every race this season. While the championship battle will be the primary focus at Nashville, every driver will be aiming for the checkered flag on Sunday.
Dixon will be aiming for a repeat after winning the race last year. The six-time series champion remains third in the championship standings after a pair of 6th place finishes this weekend at Iowa. His streak of 18 consecutive seasons with a race win is in serious jeopardy though, as the driver of the No. 9 Honda is still winless this season. Arrow McLaren is another team that is still searching for its first win the season, and has three capable drivers to get the job done.
The action begins on Friday with the opening practice session, which is the only on-track activity that day. A second practice on Saturday will be followed by qualifying for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in the afternoon. The race on Sunday will be the final one run under the current layout, as an alternate route will be constructed next year as the Tennessee Titans begin construction on a new football stadium.
Race weekend schedule (Eastern Standard Time)
Friday August 4
4:00 pm – Practice 1
Saturday August 5
11:40 am – Practice 2
2:45 pm – Qualifying
Sunday August 6
12:00 pm – Race
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