Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Palou Beats Three Penske Drivers to Win Music City Grand Prix at Nashville
Alex Palou collected his fifth victory of the 2026 IndyCar season Monday afternoon at Nashville Superspeedway, claiming the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at the 1.33-mile concrete oval in Lebanon, Tennessee. Starting fourth in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Palou took control just past halfway in the shortened 225-lap race and held off a charging Josef Newgarden over the closing laps, crossing the line 0.8731 seconds ahead. Newgarden finished second for Team Penske, with teammate David Malukas taking third. Scott McLaughlin rounded out a Penske 2-3-4 sweep in fourth, while Felix Rosenqvist came home fifth for Meyer Shank Racing.
Sources: motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Palou Stretches Championship Lead to 83 Points After Nashville Victory
Alex Palou's victory at Nashville Superspeedway on Monday stretched his NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship advantage to 83 points, with six races remaining in the 2026 season. Palou now holds 457 points to David Malukas's 374. Malukas moved up to second in the standings after his podium finish, leapfrogging Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, who is now third at 370 points. Kirkwood, who started on pole, finished 10th on the day after an ill-timed caution during the final stint hurt his track position. The four-time champion is firmly in command of the fight for a fifth IndyCar title.
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Rain Forces Nashville Race to Monday as Distance Trimmed From 300 to 225 Laps
The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix was postponed from its scheduled Sunday date after persistent rain swept through Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. Officials rescheduled the race to Monday at 3 p.m. ET, also reducing the distance from 300 to 225 laps due to forecast record temperatures and a projected heat index above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather disruption compounded an already complicated weekend, as the original Sunday broadcast had also been delayed by the FIFA World Cup final going to extra time. The rescheduled race ultimately ran to completion on Monday under dry but sweltering conditions.
Sources: Motorsport Week Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Malukas Drives From 25th to Third in Nashville Despite Crash-Filled Race Weekend
David Malukas earned one of the most dramatic results of his IndyCar career at Nashville Superspeedway on Monday, finishing third after starting from the back of the 25-car field. Malukas began the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix in 25th due to a combination of qualifying penalties and a heavy practice crash earlier in the weekend, which sent him to a local hospital for evaluation. Cleared to race by IndyCar medical staff, Malukas went off-strategy early in the shortened 225-lap event, cycling to the front and building a lead before fading in the final stint and ultimately securing a podium finish.
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Mick Schumacher Earns First IndyCar Top-10 With Career-Best 8th at Nashville
Mick Schumacher claimed his first top-10 finish in IndyCar competition with an eighth-place result at Nashville Superspeedway on Monday, the career best for the German rookie in his debut NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Schumacher, son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, was also the only rookie driver to see the checkered flag in the shortened 225-lap Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix. The result moves Schumacher out of last place among full-time drivers in the championship standings. He now sits 25th in the drivers' championship with 132 points through 12 races.
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Kirkwood Slips From Pole to 10th as Late Nashville Caution Derails Championship Bid
Kyle Kirkwood started the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway from pole position on Monday but ultimately crossed the line in 10th place after a late-race caution at lap 180 disrupted his strategy. The ill-timed yellow flag caught Kirkwood on pit lane, stripping him of track position in the final stint and leaving him unable to recover. As a result, Kirkwood slipped to third in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings, now 87 points behind leader Alex Palou. After running second in points entering Nashville, the Andretti Global driver now sits four points behind second-place David Malukas with six races remaining.
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Drivers’ Championship
1. Alex Palou — 457 pts
2. David Malukas — 374 pts
3. Kyle Kirkwood — 370 pts
4. Christian Lundgaard — 353 pts
5. Pato O'Ward — 336 pts
6. Josef Newgarden — 310 pts
7. Felix Rosenqvist — 296 pts
8. Scott McLaughlin — 295 pts
9. Marcus Ericsson — 250 pts
10. Rinus VeeKay — 237 pts
11. Scott Dixon — 236 pts
12. Graham Rahal — 229 pts
13. Marcus Armstrong — 225 pts
14. Will Power — 220 pts
15. Kyffin Simpson — 216 pts
16. Alexander Rossi — 197 pts
17. Santino Ferrucci — 196 pts
18. Louis Foster — 173 pts
19. Nolan Siegel — 164 pts
20. Dennis Hauger (R) — 157 pts
21. Romain Grosjean — 155 pts
22. Christian Rasmussen — 151 pts
23. Caio Collet (R) — 137 pts
24. Mick Schumacher (R) — 132 pts
25. Sting Ray Robb — 123 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
1. Team Penske — 780 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 760 pts
3. Arrow McLaren — 716 pts
4. Andretti Global — 678 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 521 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — 448 pts
7. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 360 pts
8. Ed Carpenter Racing — 348 pts
9. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 333 pts
10. Dale Coyne Racing — 312 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 32 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency