By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
The 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season ended in Nashville on Sunday, with Josef Newgarden ending his win drought at his home racetrack at Nashville Superspeedway. It’s the first win of the season for the two-time IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 champion, who throughout 2025, has experienced his worst season in the IndyCar series.
“This was a hard race to win today. There were no gimmes,” Newgarden said. “Got such depth across the board, everybody is so close as far as the competitive landscape, it’s just hard to find an advantage on anyone nowadays. This was a hard race to win. It’s satisfying when you win a race in this environment.Then to win it in my hometown was really gratifying.
I mean, I used to come here when I was 12, 13 years old and I would watch stockcar races, INDYCAR races. I’d watch anything that came here. I sat in those stands, wherever I was able to go at the end of the race. Had no idea that I would have a racing career at that point in my life. It’s cool to come full circle and to be so close to home. I love being here in Nashville, too, for the season finale. I like it for INDYCAR. It’s a great destination for us. Good for Nashville and certainly good for the series. I think we should continue that tradition. I love this track. Whether it’s here, somewhere else in the future, as long as we’re in the Nashville vicinity, I’m going to be a happy guy.”
Newgarden was able to take the lead on Lap 205 after Team Penske teammate, Scott McLaughlin, hit the wall exiting Turn 2. Despite McLaughlin’s incident, it was a double-podium for Team Penske, as McLaughlin ended the day in third.
“I dropped the right rear,” McLaughlin said regarding the incident in Turn 2. “I tried to save it. Went up the track a little bit. Then I knew I was definitely gone. I tried to sort of pedal it a little bit and straighten the wheel when I hit the fence. Thankfully that saved it.”
All four cautions in the race had Chevy drivers involved, all hitting the wall in some fashion in Turn 2. McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward suffered tire failures, while Christian Rasmussen, on Lap One and David Malukas, on Lap 83, both made hard contact with the outside wall. Malukas was transported to a local hospital for further tests, but was seen and released without injury.
Newgarden would lead 60 laps, the second most on the day. Pato O’Ward dominated after starting on pole, leading 116 laps. O’Ward would finish in 24th after a right front tire failure on Lap 127.
Alex Palou, the 2025 series champion, was in the middle of the Penske podium, putting bookend on an amazing season for the No. 10 DHL crew for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“Amazing season. Amazing five seasons with the team,” Palou said. “This season has been truly, truly special. Just felt like since day one the amazing work that everybody at CGR and Honda had done over the off-season was incredible, like starting the season winning in St. Pete, then Thermal, then I cannot remember. I remember it was a really good start. Then getting the Indy 500. Eight wins, then the championship. It’s been incredible. It’s been super, super fun. I’m just lucky enough to drive that No. 10 car.”
Palou had his challenges on-track Sunday. The Spaniard lost his right front tire on Lap 52, after contact early in the race, and clawed his way back to challenge Newgarden on the last restart of the race, but Newgarden pulled away from Palou.
“I was lucky enough that it started happening at the entry of the corner, so I was able to feel it slow down a little bit,” Palou said regarding the tire incident. “I was very lucky that it didn’t blow off in the middle of the corner. It waited until the exit. Yeah, I thought that I was going to end up in the wall. Obviously I thought we were going to lose a lot of places. But I think we were lucky enough that we were able to get a really fast pit stop, even though the tire was flat, and get really good out-laps and fast laps at the beginning before people started pitting. I think we only lost four or five places. It was one of those lucky moments, for sure. At the same time it was not lucky that we got a puncture while running second.”
CGR had a strong showing in Nashville, with Kyffin Simpson in fourth, the best oval finish for the sophomore driver. Throughout 2025, Simpson has improved, even landing on the podium in Toronto on July 20.
“It’s a crazy day,” Simpson told the media after the race. “After Milwaukee, I was pretty frustrated with how that race went and just how all the ovals have gone. Said a prayer, just hoping to improve on the ovals and God definitely answered my prayers on that one.”
Following Simpson in the top five, was Conor Daly. Daly drove from the 24th starting position, using the high groove from Lap 1. Daly earned his first top five and fourth top 10 of the season, ending a vastly improved season for the Juncos Hollinger Racing team.
SEE: Bourchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix Results
After Newgarden pulled away from Palou to take his 32nd career win, tying Al Unser Jr for ninth on the all-time win list, the win still does not change how he will look back on the ups-and-downs of 2025.
“No. I mean, probably not, if I really think about it,” Newgarden said when asked about looking back on the win and 2025. “Mostly because I’ve seen the win potential in this team all year, I mean, so many different times. Whether it’s Indianapolis or it’s a place like Long Beach or St. Petersburg. Actually, I think the glaring weak point for us right now is road courses. But there’s been a lot of strength across the calendar. This win, it’s not even like it’s validation. I saw the potential of it all year for the group. I don’t really feel differently about it being realized. I’m just happy for everybody. Happy that they’re able to enjoy it.”