The 17th and final race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season will be held at Nashville Superspeedway, as the 1.333-mile concrete oval hosts the final race for the second consecutive season. We enter the finale with four different winners in the last four races, and a new winner this weekend means we will end the season with seven different winners. IndyCar has had at least seven different winners in 15 consecutive seasons. There have been seven different winners in the nine races held at Nashville Superspeedway, and there were six different winners in the first six races held at the venue.
Coverage
Time: Coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday August 31 with green flag scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET.
Channel: Fox
Announcers: Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will be in the booth. Kevin Lee, Georgia Henneberry and Jack Harvey will work pit lane. Chris Myers will host pre-race coverage.
Channel: Fox
Announcers: Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will be in the booth. Kevin Lee, Georgia Henneberry and Jack Harvey will work pit lane. Chris Myers will host pre-race coverage.
IndyCar Weekend Schedule
Saturday:
First Practice: 10:30 a.m. ET (60 minutes)
Qualifying: 2:00 p.m. ET
High-Line Practice: 4:45 p.m. ET (30 minutes)
Final Practice: 5:30 p.m. ET (60 minutes)
Sunday:
Race: 2:45 p.m. ET (250 laps)
Sunday:
Race: 2:45 p.m. ET (250 laps)
FS2 will cover every Saturday session. Race coverage will be on Fox.
The Final Oval Race
Nashville is the sixth and final oval race of the season, and through five oval races there have been four different winners. Three drivers have finished in the top ten of all five oval races, and they are the top three in oval points. Any of those three drivers could end the season as the unofficial oval champion.
It should not be a surprise that Álex Palou has the most oval points. The man who clinched the IndyCar championship with two races remaining, won the Indianapolis 500 as well as seven other races and is the only driver to have won multiple oval races this season, has scored 211 points from the first five oval races.
Palou is 13 points ahead of Patricio O'Ward, who won the first Iowa race. The last driver mathematically eligible to be the top oval driver is the most recent winner, Christian Rasmussen who won at Milwaukee and is 43 points behind Palou entering Nashville.
For Palou to clinch the oval championship, all he will need is to finish second with at least two bonus points. While Palou has won two oval races, he has finished second, fifth and eighth in the other three races. O'Ward could finish level with Palou on points, victories and second-place finishes. The tiebreaker would go to O'Ward as his next best oval result is third. He has not finished worse than fifth on the ovals this season.
Rasmussen must win at Nashville to have any chance at the oval championship. Along with a victory, he would need Palou to score ten points or fewer, which can be achieved with a finish of 20th or worse, and Rasmussen would need O'Ward to score 23 points or fewer, which can be achieved with a finish of ninth or worse.
With his Milwaukee victory, Rasmussen became the 300th different winner in IndyCar history, and the first new winner in over two years. He is just the fifth driver since reunification to have his first career victory come on an oval and the first since Patricio O'Ward did it at Texas in 2021. Rasmussen's victory last Sunday was Ed Carpenter Racing's first victory since Rinus VeeKay won the 2021 Grand Prix of Indianapolis. It was ECR's first oval victory since Josef Newgarden won at Iowa in 2016.
Rasmussen has a chance to make another bit of history. The last driver to have his first two victories come in consecutive races was A.J. Allmendinger in 2006. Allmendinger had his first three races happen consecutively over Portland, Cleveland and Toronto. The most recent driver to have his first two victories come in consecutive races and both occur on ovals was Sam Hornish, Jr., who had his first two victories come in the first two races of the 2001 Indy Racing League season at Phoenix and Homestead. No driver has ever closed a season with his first two victories coming in consecutive races.
Outside of the top three, David Malukas is fourth in oval points on 143, nine points ahead of Scott Dixon. Santino Ferrucci has 116 points, three ahead of Marcus Armstrong, four ahead of Christian Lundgaard and five ahead of Conor Daly.
Despite his poor start on ovals, Josef Newgarden has recovered and is tenth in oval points on 105, two more than Felix Rosenqvist. Though he won at Gateway, Kyle Kirkwood has only 92 oval points, 51 of those from his Gateway victory. Kirkwood was disqualified from the Indianapolis 500 and relegated to 32nd. His other oval finishes this season have been 26th, 18th and 12th.
Scott McLaughlin has scored 84 oval points, two more than Robert Shwartzman and three more than Rinus VeeKay. Alexander Rossi has scored 76 oval points while last year's Nashville winner Colton Herta has only 75 points from five oval races this season, and Herta has yet to finish in the top ten on an oval.
Louis Foster is hoping to end his rookie season with his first career top ten finish. Foster has 69 points from the first five oval races, which is two more than Will Power and eight more than Marcus Ericsson, who rounds out the top twenty.
Kyffin Simpson (59), Devlin DeFrancesco (57), Graham Rahal (57), Jacob Abel (42), Nolan Siegel (42), Callum Ilott (39) and Sting Ray Robb (39) are the remaining order of the oval point standings.
Palou could become the first driver since 2010 to score the most points on ovals and the most points on road/street courses in the same season. O'Ward has twice scored the most points on ovals, doing it in 2021 and 2022. Rasmussen could become the second Ed Carpenter Racing driver to score the most oval points. Newgarden did it for ECR in 2016.
Season Finale Notes
For the second consecutive season, Nashville Superspeedway is hosting the IndyCar finale, and it is the first time the same oval has hosted the finale in consecutive seasons since California Speedway in Fontana, California hosted the final race for three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014. This is the first time an oval has hosted the finale in a year when the championship was already decided since the 2005 Indy Racing League season. Fontana also hosted that finale but Dan Wheldon had clinched the championship in the previous round at Watkins Glen.
Honda has won the last four season finales with three different drivers. Colton Herta won the 2021 season finale at Long Beach and last year's season finale at Nashville. Chip Ganassi Racing had won consecutive season finales in 2022 and 2023 with Álex Palou and Scott Dixon respectively. Both those races were held at Laguna Seca.
Herta has won three season finales in his career. He won the 2019 finale at Laguna Seca. Among active drivers, the only other one with multiple season finale victories is Dixon. Dixon has won three season finales. Along with his 2023 Laguna Seca victory, Dixon won the 2010 finale at Homestead, and he won the memorable 2015 finale at Sonoma, which allowed Dixon to win the championship on tiebreaker over Juan Pablo Montoya.
Since 1946, three drivers have won at least four season finales in their careers. Johnnie Parsons was the first to do it. Parsons won the 1948 finale, and then he won three consecutive finales from 1950-52. A.J. Foyt was the next driver to win four season finales. Foyt won the final race in 1960, 1965, 1971 and 1975. Tom Sneva matched Parsons' accomplishment of winning three consecutive season finales over the 1980, 1981 and 1982 seasons. Sneva's fourth finale victory came in 1984.
The only other active drivers with season finale victories are Will Power and Josef Newgarden. Power won the 2013 finale at Fontana. Newgarden won the 2020 finale at St. Petersburg.
Simon Pagenaud is the most recent champion to cap off his season with a victory in the final race. Pagenaud did that in 2016 at Sonoma. The Frenchman is also the most recent driver to win consecutive season finales. He won the final race of 2017 as well, which was also held at Sonoma.
The final race is not too late to get your first victory of the season. Álex Palou's only victory in 2022 came in the final race from Laguna Seca. This remains the most recent season Palou did not end up as champion. Prior to Palou, Tony Kanaan was the most recent driver to have their one and only victory that season come in the final race. Kanaan did it in 2014 at Fontana. Prior to Kanaan, Ed Carpenter won the season finales in 2011 and 2012, and each victory was Carpenter's only of the season.
Carpenter's victory at Kentucky in 2011 also doubled as his first career victory. He is most recent driver to close a season with a first career victory. Since 1946, 13 times has the season finale produced a full-time winner. Other notable first-time winners to come in the season finale were Tony Bettenhausen in 1946, Parnelli Jones in 1961, Dan Gurney in 1967 and Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2003.
A few notable names never won the season finale. Bobby Rahal has the most victories in IndyCar history to have never won a season finale. Rahal won 24 races in his career. Emerson Fittipaldi won 22 times, but Fittipaldi never won a season finale either. Of the drivers to compete post-World War II in IndyCar, the drivers with the next most victories to have never won a season finale are Scott Sharp and Patricio O'Ward. Both drivers have won nine times in their respective careers, but neither won a finale. O'Ward still has a chance to remove himself from that list.
Will Power Appreciation
The end of every season is not only the conclusion to a single year of racing. Intentionally or unintentionally, other things will end when the final race is over. Partnerships, sponsorships, and even driver contracts.
We could be heading into Will Power's final race with Team Penske, a relationship that dates back to the 2009 season. Power was hired to fill in for Hélio Castroneves, who was in the middle of a tax evasion trail. Power started the 2009 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the #3 Team Penske Honda from sixth position and he finished in that same spot. At the next race in Long Beach, Power started the weekend in the #3 Honda, and was fastest in first practice, but Castroneves was acquitted during practice and was on his way to California to return to competition. Despite this development, Team Penske entered an additional car for Power, the #12 Verizon Honda, the number Power has used ever since.
It might have been a different car, but Power qualified on pole position. He led 16 laps but would ultimately finish second. With Castroneves back, Power's schedule scaled back to a part-time entry. He was scheduled to run six additional races. After finishing fifth in the Indianapolis 500, Power was third at Toronto and then he won from pole position at Edmonton. He would finish ninth at Kentucky, but his abbreviated season was cut short even earlier after Power collided with the parked car of Nelson Philippe in practice from Sonoma.
Despite fracturing two vertebrae, Power was announced as a full-time driver for the 2010 season. He won the first two races of the season in São Paulo and St. Petersburg.
Power has made 271 starts with Team Penske and Nashville should be his 272nd start with the organization. He has won 42 times for Team Penske, the most-ever in IndyCar competition. Among all of Team Penske's drivers, Power ranks fifth behind only Brad Keselowski, Mark Donohue, Scott McLaughlin and Joey Logano.
Power is one of ten drivers to win an IndyCar championship with Team Penske. He is one of six drivers to win multiple IndyCar championships with the organization, and he is the most recent Penske driver to claim the title having last done it in 2022. In 16 full seasons with Team Penske, Power finished in the top five of the championship 13 times, including in 11 consecutive seasons from 2010 through 2020. He never finished worse than ninth in the championship with Team Penske.
In 2018, Power was responsible for Team Penske's 17th Indianapolis 500 winner. He is one of 13 drivers to win the race for the organization.
While setting a number of marks within the annals of Team Penske's history, Power was able to make an imprint on IndyCar in part due to his time with Penske. He is currently fourth all-time in IndyCar victories with 45, and he is only seven victories behind Mario Andretti for third. Power's 71 pole positions are an IndyCar record, and he is one of five drivers to have at least 100 podium finishes in a career. Power enters this weekend tied for fourth all-time in top five finishes with Hélio Castroneves. Each driver has had 142 top five finishes in their careers.
Power's first career start came on October 23, 2005 at Surfers Paradise in a third entry for the Derrick Walker-run Team Australia. In the #25 Lola-Ford-Cosworth, Power started 11th, but finished 15th after having an accident after completing 29 laps. Nashville will mark the 319th start in his IndyCar career, eighth all-time, and one behind Al Unser in seventh.
Potential Championship Bests and Worsts
The final race of the season means some drivers are on the brink of their best seasons in IndyCar that are full of personal bests. Others are on the verge of their worst seasons with hopes that one good race can flip the script and lead to a happy ending to an otherwise dismal year.
Patricio O'Ward might not be taking home the Astor Cup as champion, but he has locked up second in the championship, a personal-best. His previous best championship finish was third in 2021, though he went into that finale with a chance at the title before retiring due to mechanical issues.
Christian Lundgaard is guaranteed a personal-best in the championship regardless of what happens in Nashville. The worst Lundgaard can finish is fifth, and his previous best championship result was eighth in 2023 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Lundgaard has a personal-best six podium finishes this season, including three runner-up finishes.
As long as Kyle Kirkwood starts the Nashville race, he will clinch his best championship finish, although the only drivers who can pass him in the championship are Colton Herta or Marcus Armstrong, and that would require either driver winning with the maximum 54 points. Kirkwood could finish as high as third in the championship. Scott Dixon is currently third on 433 points, seven points ahead of Lundgaard and 28 points ahead of Kirkwood.
Marcus Armstrong enters the final race of the championship tied for sixth on 352 points with Colton Herta, and they are five points ahead of Will Power. Armstrong was 14th in the championship last year in his first full season. He has 11 top ten finishes this season, another best.
Along with Armstrong, Felix Rosenqvist is ninth in points and six points behind Armstrong. Though Rosenqvist could only match his personal-best championship finish of sixth, either Rosenqvist or Armstrong could give Meyer Shank Racing its best championship finish for a driver. They also have a shot at giving MSR its first-ever double championship top ten finish.
David Malukas fell out of the championship top ten after finishing eighth at Milwaukee, but he is only eight points out of tenth. This season will be Malukas' best championship finish. His previous-best was as a rookie in 2022 when he was 16th.
In five seasons with Ed Carpenter Racing, Rinus VeeKay never finished better than 12th in the championship. In VeeKay's first season with Dale Coyne Racing he enters the final race 25 points out of 11th and 33 points out of tenth. VeeKay has finished either 12th, 13th or 14th in the championship in every season of his career. He could drop to 15th, which would be his worst championship finish. VeeKay is only 18 points ahead of Santino Ferrucci in 15th.
Sandwiched between VeeKay and Ferrucci is Alexander Rossi on 276 points. Rossi is currently in line for his worst championship finish in IndyCar. He has never finished worse than 11th in the championship, and that was in his rookie season in 2016. Rossi has eight consecutive championship top ten finishes. For Rossi to finish at least 11th in points, he will need to make up at least 36 points on David Malukas.
Josef Newgarden will not have his worst championship finish, but he could have his second-worst championship finish if results do not go Newgarden's way. He enters Nashville 16th on 265 points. His second-worst championship result was 14th in his sophomore season in 2013. Newgarden is 22 points outside of 13th. No matter what, 2025 will go down as Newgarden's second-fewest top five finishes in a season. He enters with two but could end with three. His worst season was as a rookie in 2012 when he had zero top ten finishes let alone any top five results.
Marcus Ericsson will likely have the worst championship finish of his IndyCar career. Ericsson is 20th on 219 points. His worst championship finish was as a rookie in 2019 when he was 17th, but he missed the Portland race that season due to responsibilities as an Alfa Romeo Sauber reserve driver. Ericsson is 33 points from 17th and 36 points from 16th.
Callum Ilott has a slim shot of avoiding his worst championship finish as a full-time driver. In 2022 and 2023 with Juncos Hollinger Racing, Ilott was 20th and 16th in the championship respectively. He enters this year's finale 23rd on 196 points.
No matter what, Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman will end the season with their best championship finishes in IndyCar. That is the beauty of being a rookie. However, only one of these two drivers can be Rookie of the Year. Foster is the top rookie entering Nashville in 21st on 203 points, and he is eight points ahead of Shwartzman.
Foster has yet to finish in the top ten this season while both of Shwartzman's top ten finishes came on ovals. Through the first 16 races, Foster has finished ahead of Shwartzman nine times, including in the last three races, and Foster has finished ahead of Shwartzman in three of the first five oval races.
Indy Lights
Dennis Hauger clinched the 2025 Indy Lights championship with a race remaining after he finished second at Milwaukee. Hauger became the seventh Andretti Global driver to win the championship, and the second in as many years following in the footsteps of Louis Foster.
Hauger enters the finale with six victories this season and ten podium finishes from 13 races. He has finished first or second in six of the last seven races. He has finished second in the last two oval races, and he has started on pole position for all three oval races this season. He ended up finishing fifth at Gateway.
It is not unusual for the Indy Lights champion to have not won on an oval. Neither Kyle Kirkwood nor Linus Lundqvist won an oval race in either of their championship seasons in 2021 or 2022 respectively. In fact, five of the last nine Indy Lights champions did not win an oval race in their title seasons.
Caio Collet will not be champion, but he will be second as Collet is 59 points ahead of Lochie Hughes. Collet is coming off his second-worst finish of the season. He was seventh at Milwaukee, only the second time he has finished outside the top five all season.
Hughes has 436 points, and he is 29 points ahead of Myles Rowe. Salvador de Alba picked up his first career Indy Lights victory at Milwaukee, and de Alba has 374 points in fifth, 19 points ahead of Josh Pierson.
Callum Hedge's strong finish to the season continues. Fourth at Milwaukee was Hedge's fourth consecutive top five finish and he is now ten points behind Pierson for sixth in the championship. Niels Koolen has 262 points in eighth, 11 points more than Jack William Miller. Jordan Missig has 249 points, 17 points more than Bryce Aron, who is coming off his best finish of the season as Aron was fifth at Milwaukee.
The Indy Lights season concludes with a 65-lap race around Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday August 31 at 11:35 a.m. ET.
Fast Facts
This will be the tenth IndyCar race to take place on August 31, and the first since last year when Patricio O'Ward won the first race of the Milwaukee doubleheader.
This will be the tenth different circuit to host an IndyCar race on August 31.
The only track to host multiple races on August 31 is Elgin Road Race Course located in Elgin, Illinois. Elgin hosted two races on August 31, 1912. Ralph DePalma won both, a 254.1-mile race that took over three hours and 43 minutes, and then he won a 304.92-mile race that took over four hours and 24 minutes. The Elgin track was 8.47 miles in length.
This is the first IndyCar season to end in the month of August since 2015. The only other season to end in the month of August was 2014.
At 225 laps, 299.925 miles, this will be the longest race ever held at Nashville Superspeedway.
The average starting position for a Nashville winner is 4.667 with a median of 4.5.
Fifth on the grid has produced the most Nashville winners, three. Fourth has won twice. First, third and sixth have all won once. Last year, Colton Herta won from ninth.
Fifth starting position has not produced a winner since Will Power won at Road America last season, 26 races ago.
The average starting position for the oval winners this season is 6.2 with a median of sixth.
Both Iowa winners started in the top five. The three non-Iowa winners started outside the top five.
The driver who led the most laps only won once in the first nine Nashville races. That was Scott Dixon in 2007, who led 105 of 200 laps on his way to victory. Herta led 24 laps in last year's race.
The average number of lead changes in a Nashville race is eight with a median of nine.
The most lead changes in a Nashville race was 11 in 2001 and 2005.
The fewest lead changes in a Nashville race was three in 2004.
The average number of cautions in a Nashville race is 5.111 with a median of five. The average number of caution laps is 41.333 with a median of 37.
Every Nashville race has had at least three cautions.
The most cautions in a Nashville race was eight in 2002 and 2003.
Four of nine Nashville races had at least 25% of the laps run under caution.
Predictions
Álex Palou makes up for the missed opportunity at Milwaukee, and Palou gets his ninth victory of the season at Nashville. Andretti Global puts two cars in the top ten. Josef Newgarden will finish at least five spots worse than his starting position. Will Power will finish at least four spots better than David Malukas. Louis Foster holds on to claim Rookie of the Year. The first caution comes after the first pit cycle, and it will involve a driver outside the top fifteen in points. Christian Rasmussen experiences a slight hangover. Scott McLaughlin does enough to secure a top ten championship finisher. The final lead change will occur prior to 35 laps to go. Sleeper: Felix Rosenqvist.
