Written by Archie O’Reilly & Dan Jones
There was a lot to determine in the final race of the IndyCar race of the 2024 season at Nashville Superspeedway as the series returned to the track after a 16-year absence.
At the top of the standings, a champion was to be crowned as Team Penske’s Will Power bidded to close a 33-point gap to Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou. At the opposite end, there were crucial Leaders’ Circle contracts to secure. And there was a final race win on the line too.
For one last time in 2024, DIVEBOMB unpicks the winners and losers from the weekend…
Winner: Alex Palou
There is little left to say about Alex Palou other than we are in the process of witnessing an IndyCar driver building a legendary legacy.
Sealing his third championship with ease amid Will Power suffering an early-race seat belt failure, Palou became the second-youngest three-time champion at 27 years and five months old - three months older than Sam Hornish Jr. He is the first back-to-back champion since Dario Franchitti won in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Incredibly, after only five years in IndyCar, and in the space of only four years with Chip Ganassi Racing, he is already halfway to teammate Scott Dixon’s six-title tally, which is bettered only by A.J. Foyt’s seven.
The Nashville weekend was not without hurdles. Palou qualified 15th and was demoted to 24th with an engine penalty, starting 20 positions behind Power. But the ever-unflappable Palou made the progress he needed early in the race and cruised home after Power’s problem.
Two victories did not match the five-win dominance of 2023 for Palou but supreme consistency remained. A total of 13 top-five finishes across the season negated losses from occasional rare-for-Palou adversity, with only an Iowa crash being his fault.
As Chip Ganassi said, Palou’s Ganassi journey - lawsuits, titles and all - has been “a storybook unlike any other”. And it is quickly becoming a great IndyCar story that will be told for the rest of time.
Archie
Winner: Colton Herta
A maiden oval win had felt like a long time coming for Colton Herta - even if his maiden oval podium was in the previous race at Milwaukee. Herta couldn’t have done it in finer fashion either, winning his hometown race with a late, daring pass on Pato O’Ward, who was lapping Sting Ray Robb.
It was a move that will be told for years to come, with Herta’s bravery evident in the overtake. But it capped off what was a fantastic 206 laps for Herta, and caps off what has been a much-improved season for the Californian. A personal best second in the standings with two victories - the most he has had since 2021, and dix podiums, the most he’s ever had in a season.
It’s races like this which makes you feel like the 24-year-old may be the complete package, and the sort of driver who could really put in a significant title bid for 2025. He’s clearly quick on street courses, and he’s now an established name on ovals too.
For much of Nashville, Herta’s victory did not look in doubt, and finally gave evidence that Andretti can give it to Penske in oval format. The important thing for Herta and Andretti is for that momentum to continue into 2025.
Dan
Winner: Scott Borchetta
If not for Scott Borchetta, IndyCar may have finished its season in Milwaukee.
Founder of primary event sponsor Big Machine Label Group, Borchetta moved into a leadership role for the Nashville event ahead of the 2024 season. Scheduled as the season finale, the race was set to be run on the streets for a fourth year.
But when Borchetta took leadership of the event, he discovered issues related to construction of a new NFL stadium for the Tennessee Titans nearby to the street course. With negligence from previous leadership, it had not been found that there was a lack of space to house teams and hospitality downtown.
By doing his own due diligence, Borchetta quickly realised it would not be feasible for IndyCar to continue in its plans to race on the streets in 2024 - and likely in years to come with construction taking precedence.
So Borchetta moved quickly. He secured IndyCar the same weekend at the nearby oval - less than an hour out of Nashville. And it was a vintage season finale, with side-by-side racing with passing records for IndyCar at Nashville Superspeedway.
With IndyCar initially supposed to race down Broadway on the street layout, Borchetta still put on ‘Freedom Friday’ downtown, featuring concerts and a pit stop competition.
Borchetta saved the event, promoted it excellently and put on an excellent event with a celebratory atmosphere as well as just a good race. He set a real example.
Archie
Winner: Christian Rasmussen
It was a brave call for Ed Carpenter to step aside the No.20 that he had piloted for so long, and give the opportunity to rookie, Christian Rasmussen, in order to help the entry’s push into the Leader’s Circle, but one that massively paid off for him - even if it may spell the end of his part-time IndyCar career.
A 14th place finish in Nashville was a million-dollar drive for Rasmussen, as he secured the team’s additional funding for 2025, so critical when the team’s recent concerns are taken into account. Rasmussen has been criticised for being over-zealous and aggressive, but that certainly wasn’t the case in Nashville, when it mattered most.
Rasmussen’s oval appearances have seen him 11th, 16th and 14th with a further 12th at the Indianapolis 500. Carpenter hasn’t had a top 16 oval finish in nine oval races, he hasn’t had a top ten outside the Indianapolis 500 since 2020. It was clearly the correct choice to put the Dane in, for owner and for driver.
It was a fantastic audition for Rasmussen to justify why he deserves the entry full-time in 2025, with strong oval performances displayed on all his 2024 outings. This decision may be felt overdue, but one that was correctly made at the crucial time.
Dan
Winner: Kyle Kirkwood
If things had panned out slightly differently, Kyle Kirkwood could well have defended his Music City Grand Prix victory from the streets last year.
The visit to Nashville Superspeedway saw Kirkwood deliver his best oval performance in three years in IndyCar. It kicked off as he took a first oval pole position - his first pole of the 2024 season too - as only one of two drivers to notch a two-lap average speed over 201 miles per hour.
Kirkwood managed a 201.520 mph run, ousting Josef Newgarden’s 201.352 mph two-lap average, as Andretti Global continued to make big strides forwards on ovals. Third-place qualifier Felix Rosenqvist was over 0.8 mph back from Kirkwood.
The early stages of the race saw Kirkwood go wheel-to-wheel with oval supremo Newgarden for several laps, holding onto the lead of the race. He would go on to lead a field-high 67 laps but strategy did not pan out for him as he was forced to pit for a late splash of fuel.
Narrowly missing out on the podium with a fourth-place finish, Kirkwood still recorded a first career top-five oval finish. He had previously finished seventh on an oval on three occasions across his two years with Andretti.
It was a positive way to end a season of significantly improved consistency, with 13 top-10 finishes. Kirkwood is encouraged despite going winless after two victories last year.
Archie
Loser: Will Power
Who would have thought a seatbelt would have ruined us of a championship showdown in 2024? It was a cruel end to what had been a much-improved season for Power, after a 2023 riddled with off-track issues and frustrations.
Power has had his fair share of misfortune this season, but this one came at the worst time, his seatbelt popping just 12 laps in, forcing Power into the pits and several laps down. “Man, if I hit the wall, what happens there?' If it's just popping off, a little bit of pressure from my body, I might get thrown out of the car.”
It would have been a miracle if Power was to win the title in truth, but this felt like an underwhelming way for it to all come undone. But the bigger picture is important, and although Power came fourth in the standings, he can look back on 2024 with immense pride, having seven podiums, and returning to victory lane on three occasions.
Power did the right thing. There was no point risking such potential consequences with such a danger in play - only worsened by the fact it unbuckled again late on - the team believing it to be a manufacturer fault which is currently being investigated. In the short-term, it sucked for Power, but with the championship almost out of reach anyway, Power can still look back on 2024 positively.
Dan
Loser: Sting Ray Robb
As Christian Rasmussen made the cut after starting south of the bubble in the No.20 Ed Carpenter Racing entry, Sting Ray Robb finished 20th and missed out on a Leaders’ Circle contract for the No.41 AJ Foyt Racing entry in his final race for the team.
Robb - a former Indy Pro 2000 champion and Indy Lights runner-up - displayed progress at points in his sophomore season. While somewhat off-strategy, he led the third-most laps in the Indianapolis 500 and brought home a first top-10 result at World Wide Technology Raceway after again finding himself at the head of the field for eight laps.
With 10 top-20 results this year, he has doubled his tally from his rookie year with Dale Coyne Racing. But with teammate Santino Ferrucci having managed 11 top-10 finishes and a ninth-place championship finish 11 positions ahead of Robb’s final position, and no financial boost from the Leaders’ Circle, Robb’s year does end on a sour note.
It is back to the drawing board for Robb - currently a free agent after a second one-year stint with a team. He made some progress in 2024, but especially given the necessity for teams to make the Leaders’ Circle, he will have more to find if he lands a seat for next year.
Archie
Loser: Swedish duo
It was a frustrating end for both experienced Swedes in the IndyCar field, both suffering tyre failures after what looked to have the potential for some strong afternoons in Nashville, but both left near-empty-handed.
Felix Rosenqvist was one of the standout performers in the early stages of 2024, but things have not gone his or MSR’s way in the second half of 2024. Just a singular top ten finish since Detroit looked to have a good chance at being rectified, starting third, and running in the podium positions before a front-right delamination caused his day to end in the barrier, leaving Rosenqvist 12th in the standings at seasons-end.
He won the ‘Battle of the Swedes,’ being three places ahead of Marcus Ericsson, who also found his day end in the Nashville barrier, after a bizarre accident, losing control into Turn 4, and bringing out the caution. It was a day that summed up Ericsson’s season. A day with much potential but very little outcome, similar to the events that transpired at previous races at Gateway and Milwaukee.
In both cases it’s been a disappointing end to the season overall. Rosenqvist may have been satisfied with 12th pre-season, but in both cases, it seemed like much, much more was on the table, not only in Nashville, but in 2024. Both will look to fight back in 2025.
Dan
Loser: Scott Dixon
It has been an underwhelming season for Scott Dixon, capped off by a challenging Nashville weekend. Dixon came into the event having won the last three races at the track and as only one of three drivers with experience there.
In the words of Alex Palou post-race: “He had a really tough year - I know because I’ve been inside the team with strategies. Like today, it was all going wrong for him.”
Dixon was out-qualified by younger teammates Linus Lundqvist and Marcus Armstrong - as was also the case at the Milwaukee Mile. He was confined to a 17th-place race finish after being caught off the lead lap early on.
The year started well for Dixon, with wins in Long Beach and Detroit, after which he led the championship. He ended the season with five podiums but did not finish with the same vigour as in 2023, when he won three of the final four races.
Aside from being taken out in Long Beach, Dixon finished no lower than seventh last year. But he only recorded 10 top-10 results in 2024, with five results outside the top 15.
Whether a pre-race hybrid failure at Mid-Ohio or first-lap Portland crash, Dixon has had misfortune - though as have many others. But he has not quite been able to match last year’s competitiveness and has finished outside the top four in the championship for only the second time in 19 years.
Archie
Loser: Farewell drivers
It wasn’t the farewell ceremony many were looking for at the conclusion of events in 2024, with many seeking pastures new as they depart their current employers.
Alexander Rossi will wave goodbye to Arrow McLaren with a somewhat underwhelming 15th place finish, being caught out by strategy in a late caution, which caused confusion on the No.7 stand and leaving Rossi a lap down. Rossi’s tenure at Arrow McLaren hasn’t been flashy, much like his race at Nashville, let’s hope this isn’t the last time we will see the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner in an Indy car.
Rossi’s shoes will be filled by Christian Lundgaard at Arrow McLaren in 2025, but the Dane suffered an equally disappointing 19th place at Nashville - his second-worst oval result of the season. There’s no secret RLL haven’t been strong on ovals in Lundgaard’s time at the team, but he must show he has the ability to perform on ovals heading into 2025.
Sting Ray Robb’s time at A.J. Foyt Enterprises was also an underwhelming end, as mentioned by Archie, the Idaho native failing to get into the Leader’s Circle.
There were better days for the likes of Marcus Armstrong, Conor Daly and Jack Harvey though, finishing 7th, 10th and 13th respectively. Now the attention turns to where the rest of the seats will be filled in 2025.
Dan