Graham Rahal left some litter on the Nashville Superspeedway track during testing.

-- Photo By James Black | Penske Entertainment

One race and two drivers. That’s what the NTT IndyCar Series championship picture has been whittled down to for the season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Sept. 15 at the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway concrete oval.

Despite finishing 29 laps down in the second race Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader, defending Series champion Alex Palou heads to Nashville with a 33-point lead over Will Power for the Astor Challenge Cup.

“It was not a great day, but it could have been a lot worse,” Palou told reporters after that Milwaukee race. “It could have been a lot better, obviously. On to Nashville.”

Scott McLaughlin, who won that Milwaukee race and is third in the points standings, trails Palou by 50 points and will be eliminated if Palou starts the Nashville race. Nashville residents Colton Herta and Josef Newgarden finished third and 27th, respectively, at Milwaukee. Herta is fourth overall in the standings and two-time Indianapolis 500 reigning champion Newgarden ranks eighth.

And while neither driver figures in the championship picture, both have plenty to race for – a spot on the podium – on the new home track for both drivers after the MCGP moved from a downtown street course. Both say they’re in it to win it and build momentum for next season.

“It’s nice when you can finish strong and have good results,” says Herta, who drives for the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. “You’ve just got to keep it going.

“Obviously, we’re out of the championship hunt now. If we can get a win or another podium in Nashville, it would be really good for myself and all the guys going into the offseason.”

When Newgarden spoke with the Ledger in June, he was asked what it would be like to possibly drive for his third IndyCar Series championship and first win in his hometown.

“Yeah, it would be unbelievable,” said Newgarden, who drives the No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet. “It would be a story book year if we could win the championship here. So we’re working hard to be in contention and hopefully we’re in the fight.”

Music City Grand Prix CEO Scott Borchetta says while neither driver is in title contention, either one could win the season finale.

“I think a bunch of people are going to come out and support Josef, who has a great chance to win. He’s the oval master,” Borchetta says.

“Then you also have Colton, who’s coming off a big win a couple of weeks ago. So there’s just all kinds of excitement and curiosity. And we want to fulfill that expectation.”

2025 Ally 400 date set

The 2025 date for the fifth annual NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at the Superspeedway has been moved up nearly a month to the triple-header weekend of May 30-June 1, which might give race fans a break from the scorching summer heat that has plagued the first four runnings of the event.

NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series race will be held May 30, followed by the Xfinity Series race May 31 and the Cup Series race June 1.

Times and TV coverage will be released at a later date.

“Hosting such an incredible action-packed weekend at the start of summer offers numerous advantages and is such an exciting way to kick off the season for Middle Tennessee,” says Superspeedway general manager Matt Greci.

Charlotte gets NASCAR Awards

After a four-year stay in Nashville (2019-2023), the Nov. 22 NASCAR Awards banquet is moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, to honor its champions in all three Series. They’ll air on The CW channel two days later.