Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Kyle Kirkwood Takes Nashville Pole, Edges Newgarden by 0.0395 Seconds
Kyle Kirkwood took pole position at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, posting an average of 201.520 mph on the 1.33-mile concrete oval to edge championship rival Josef Newgarden by 0.0395 seconds. Kirkwood, driving the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, held his foot flat to the floor over the bump between Turns 3 and 4. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin qualified third, with title leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing fourth. Kirkwood enters Sunday’s 400-mile race trailing Palou by 56 points, with each finishing position critical as the championship battle enters its final stretch of the 2026 season.
Sources: IndyCar.com Motorsport Week Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
David Malukas Hospitalised After Heavy Nashville Practice Crash
David Malukas was transported to a local hospital after a heavy crash during opening practice Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway. The No. 12 Team Penske driver got loose in Turn 2, half-spun and backed hard into the outside wall, with the impact violent enough that his knee struck the steering wheel. Malukas exited the car with assistance from the AMR Safety team and walked under his own power. IndyCar confirmed he is awake and alert. The incident carries title implications: Malukas sits fourth in the championship, 66 points behind leader Alex Palou, and his ability to start Sunday’s 400-mile race remains unclear.
Sources: RACER Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Nashville Race Extended to 300 Laps, Six to Seven Pit Stops Expected
Sunday’s Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway has been extended from 225 laps to 300 laps — 400 miles — making it the season’s second-longest race behind the Indianapolis 500. The expanded distance will produce approximately six to seven pit stops, two to three more than last year, requiring teams to rethink their entire strategy approach. Firestone is also returning multiple tire compounds to Nashville: each entry receives seven sets of primary tires and five sets of red-banded alternates, and must run at least one primary set and two alternate sets during the race. The combination creates significantly more complex pit stop strategy.
Sources: IndyCar.com RACER Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
IndyCar Nashville Race Follows FIFA World Cup Final on FOX
Sunday’s 400-mile IndyCar race at Nashville Superspeedway follows immediately after the FIFA World Cup final on FOX, with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES taking the green flag after Spain and Argentina’s title match and trophy ceremony conclude. Motorsport Week reports that over 15 million viewers watched the World Cup semi-finals on FOX earlier in the week, with higher audiences expected for the final. The race start time will float to accommodate the match’s conclusion, including potential extra time or penalties. Last year’s Nashville winner Josef Newgarden called it “a big opportunity for us to introduce IndyCar racing to people that have never seen it.”
Sources: Motorsport Week Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Drivers’ Championship
After Round 11 of 18 — Mid-Ohio, July 5
1. Alex Palou — 404 pts
2. Kyle Kirkwood — 348 pts
3. Christian Lundgaard — 339 pts
4. David Malukas — 338 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 310 pts
6. Josef Newgarden — 270 pts
7. Felix Rosenqvist — 265 pts
8. Scott McLaughlin — 262 pts
9. Scott Dixon — 224 pts
10. Marcus Ericsson — 222 pts
11. Rinus VeeKay — 219 pts
12. Marcus Armstrong — 219 pts
13. Graham Rahal — 218 pts
14. Will Power — 209 pts
15. Kyffin Simpson — 194 pts
16. Alexander Rossi — 190 pts
17. Santino Ferrucci — 179 pts
18. Louis Foster — 159 pts
19. Dennis Hauger (R) — 148 pts
20. Nolan Siegel — 145 pts
21. Christian Rasmussen — 143 pts
22. Romain Grosjean — 139 pts
23. Caio Collet (R) — 132 pts
24. Sting Ray Robb — 108 pts
25. Mick Schumacher (R) — 108 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel (R) — 6 pts
30. Helio Castroneves — 5 pts
31. Ed Carpenter — 5 pts
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay — 5 pts
33. Katherine Legge — 5 pts
Teams’ Championship
After Round 11 of 18 — Mid-Ohio, July 5
1. Team Penske — 870 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 822 pts
3. Arrow McLaren — 799 pts
4. Andretti Global — 779 pts
5. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing — 505 pts
6. Meyer Shank Racing — 489 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — 338 pts
8. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 327 pts
9. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 311 pts
10. Dale Coyne Racing — 287 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 32 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports w/ AJ Foyt — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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