Alex Palou etched his name into the annals of North American open-wheel racing, securing his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge at Nashville Superspeedway. Palou’s 11th-place finish in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was more than enough to clinch his third Astor Challenge Cup in the last four years.
Palou’s closest competitor, Will Power, saw his title hopes dashed early due to a disconnected seat belt in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet, dropping him five laps behind. Power finished 24th, eight laps down, effectively ending his championship pursuit.
Palou, reflecting on the race, expressed gratitude for his team: “We just had to keep on going. I have to thank everyone working on the 10 car. Super proud. It’s been an amazing year, and I’m happy we got the championship back home.”
With the championship nearly decided just 13 laps into the 206-lap race, Colton Herta capitalized, overtaking Pato O’Ward on Lap 202 to claim his first career oval victory in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Herta’s Nashville-area win pushed him to second in the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings, 31 points behind Palou.
Herta, ecstatic after his win, said, “I’m so happy. We knew we were going to have a hot rod in the race. I just saw I finished second in the championship, which is awesome. Hoping to do a little bit better next year.”
Herta’s triumph also marked Andretti’s first oval win since Alexander Rossi’s 2018 victory at Pocono Raceway. Josef Newgarden finished third, while NTT P1 Award winner Kyle Kirkwood placed fourth after leading a race-high 67 laps. Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top five.
Palou, at just 27 years old, joined an elite group of 13 drivers to have won at least three championships, and only the seventh to do so in four years. He became the second-youngest to achieve this milestone, behind only Sam Hornish Jr.
This thrilling race also featured Herta’s masterful pass on O’Ward in the final laps, a pivotal moment that capped off a remarkable season for the young driver.
The Barn 