For the first time since 2023, Nashville will not serve as the IndyCar season finale, with Laguna Seca closing out the 2026 season in just under two months time. Alex Palou leads the standings heading into the Speedway this weekend, but Kyle Kirkwood looms a race victory worth of points behind. The Speedway has no margin for error and with speeds exceeding 200mph for two hours straight, anything can happen. Here is everything you need to know for the upcoming Music City Grand Prix:
IndyCar’s biggest weekend
Since FOX bought a minority share of 31% of Penske Entertainment Corp, the broadcast giant has been on a quest to elevate the sport and increase its audience. The evidence of the impact FOX had on the sport was apparent when it was revealed that the series had a 27% audience increase year-on-year and a 41% increase in viewers watching the Indianapolis 500 in 2026.
The FIFA World Cup final will take place on July 19th, with coverage of Nashville taking place straight after the ceremony wraps up in New Jersey. This is significant for IndyCar, as the match is projected to reach over 40 million viewers, providing a perfect opportunity to introduce new viewers to the series – and what better track to grab a new audience’s attention than a fast-paced oval?
Significantly, on Tuesday, Alex Palou, David Malukas and Felix Rosenqvist visited the White House, where they met with President Donald Trump to promote the Freedom 250, whose inaugural race takes place in August.
Last time out
The 2025 season finale brought a dramatic race to end the season, with early exits and late upsets; Josef Newgarden claimed his only win of the season around the speedway. The ‘king of ovals’ brought his 20-race drought to an end after soaring to the lead on Lap 205; the win was hard-fought as he had a chasing Palou in his mirrors for the closing stint, but crossed the line with a marginal gap of 0.5021 seconds.
While the hometown hero took the trophy home, Palou sealed his fourth championship with easy conviction, 196 points ahead of Pato O’Ward. A year later, the Spaniard leads the standings, though with less assurance, with a gap of only 56 points ahead of Kyle Kirkwood.
Palou was the favourite heading into 2026, and he started the season off excellently, proving the odds correct. He started the season off by earning his 22nd victory and his second win around the streets of St. Petersburg; he also sealed his maiden victory around Long Beach, with two additional victories in Barber and Detroit.
Though, unlike last season, when the 29-year-old had five victories out of the opening six races, an unusual error from Palou cost him crucial points. Capitalising on the rare mistake, Kirkwood headed to Arlington and took his first victory of the season there. The Floridian has finished on the podium three other times, bridging the gap between himself and Palou; crucially, he finished third at Mid-Ohio, bringing the point gap down to a race victory apart.
What to expect at the speedway?
Newgarden is the overall favourite heading into the weekend, but who else could be in contention? A strong bet would be on the hometown hero’s teammate, Malukas, who almost etched his name into history with an Indy 500 win, but lost out late on. Last time out at Nashville, the 24-year-old narrowly missed out on pole to O’Ward. Malukas will want to rewrite the story in 2026 and earn his first victory in Team Penske overalls.
On the topic of last season, O’Ward ran an impressive weekend, which started strong with a 202.621 mph average that sealed him pole position. There were no celebrations on Sunday as right-front tyre failure resulted in heartbreak after dominating throughout the race. The Mexican will enter with a vengeance and hunger to not only claim a Nashville victory, but to also grab his second win of the season.
Is anyone else in play at the Music City Grand Prix?
It’d be silly to rule out Palou, despite his lack of results around ovals, but a first victory on the Iowa Speedway may be the confidence boost he needed to unlock his oval potential.
Christian Lundgaard may be a dark horse for this race too, as ovals have historically been his weakest area. But the Dane has enjoyed a multitude of success this season, with his consistent results meaning he is strongly in the fight for the championship. While he may not be a top pick for the win, Lundgaard is sure to put on a show, especially with his future looming after Arrow McLaren shockingly announced the pair would separate at the end of the season.
With it all to play for on Sunday, who will prevail?
Featured Image Credits: James Black, IndyCar Media Centre