Written by Sean McKean
For the season-concluding return to Nashville, it was Colton Herta who snuck by the main contenders to take a victory to end his season in style. It was his first ever victory on an oval.
However, all eyes were on Alex Palou, who was crowned three-time IndyCar champion with an eleventh-placed finish. It was his second championship in a row and third in only his fifth season of IndyCar.
As it unfolded
Kyle Kirkwood led the way from pole, but outside-pole Josef Newgarden started pressuring the American immediately. However, Kirkwood eventually opened up a gap.
Within five laps, Will Power settled into fourth whilst Palou made his way up to 18th – having started towards the back of the field with an engine penalty.
The championship fight was flipped on its head, when Power pitted on Lap 12 with an unsecured seatbelt. The No. 12 Penske crew fixed the problem, but they subsequently fell five laps down to leader Kirkwood.
Otherwise, the opening stint ran clean until pit cycles on Lap 47. Takers included drivers on the alternates: Palou, Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon.
Leader Kirkwood switched to the alternates ten laps later, but right after his stop, the caution came out on Lap 56. Coming off Turn 2, Felix Rosenqvist experienced a right-front puncture, which sent him into the wall and out of the race.
The primary tyre runners went into the pit lane under caution. Newgarden came out first ahead of Colton Herta and David Malukas.
The green flag dropped again on Lap 68 with Newgarden leading the way. Although Herta briefly pressured him, the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion maintained the lead.
This stint also remained quiet until Lap 89, when Katherine Legge went for a spin off Turn 4. After being passed by Pietro Fittipaldi, the dirty air cut across her car, sending her into the wall and eventually through the class. Legge joined Rosenqvist in retirement.
Everyone on the lead lap elected to pit bar Rossi – with most switching onto the alternates. Newgarden beat the rest out.
Lap 99 saw the green flag come back out, with Rossi leading the way on old primaries.
Rossi peeled into the pits on Lap 124. He changed onto the alternates.
Pit cycles couldn’t unfold before the next caution on Lap 135. Like Legge, Marcus Ericsson washed up into the wall off Turn 4; although, the Swede continued on with some damage.
Most lead-lap drivers pitted, and little changed, with Newgarden coming out first.
O’Ward inherited the lead after staying out and led the restart on Lap 147. He eventually pitted on Lap 162, giving the lead to Colton Herta.
The leaders eventually pitted with 20 laps to go, and Herta still cycled out to the lead. He hung onto that lead to take his second victory of the season. O’Ward clung to second whilst Newgarden followed in third.
Behind, though, Alex Palou won his third NTT IndyCar Series championship with an eleventh-placed finish. It was his third in four years, having only lost in 2022.
Provisional Results:
Herta
O’Ward
Newgarden
Kirkwood
McLaughlin
Ferrucci
Armstrong
Lundqvist
Malukas
Daly +1 lap
Palou +1 lap
VeeKay +1 lap
Harvey +1 lap
Rasmussen +1 lap
Rossi +1 lap
Grosjean +2 laps
Dixon +2 laps
Siegel +2 laps
Lundgaard +2 laps
Robb +2 laps
Fittipaldi +2 laps
Simpson +6 laps
Rahal +6 laps
Power +10 laps
Ericsson [DNF]
Legge [DNF]
Rosenqvist [DNF]
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