The 2024 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix was the seventeenth and final round of the 2024 IndyCar season. The race was held on September 15, 2024, in Lebanon, Tennessee at the Nashville Superspeedway. Due to the construction of New Nissan Stadium, the race was moved from Nashville Street Circuit to Nashville Superspeedway, owned by Marcus Smith and his Speedway Motorsports group. This was the last IndyCar race aired on NBC. From 2025 onwards, the IndyCar series will be televised by Fox.
Following the race, Álex Palou would win the 2024 season championship.
Entry list
KeyMeaningRookiePast winner Driver Team Engine2 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Chevrolet3 Scott McLaughlin Team Penske Chevrolet4 Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda5 Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren Chevrolet6 Nolan Siegel Arrow McLaren Chevrolet7 Alexander Rossi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet8 Linus Lundqvist Chip Ganassi Racing Honda9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda10 Álex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda11 Marcus Armstrong Chip Ganassi Racing Honda12 Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet14 Santino Ferrucci A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet15 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda18 Jack Harvey Dale Coyne Racing Honda20 Christian Rasmussen Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet21 Rinus VeeKay Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet26 Colton Herta Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda27 Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global Honda28 Marcus Ericsson Andretti Global Honda30 Pietro Fittipaldi Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda41 Sting Ray Robb A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet45 Christian Lundgaard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda51 Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda60 Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing Honda66 David Malukas Meyer Shank Racing Honda77 Romain Grosjean Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet78 Conor Daly Juncos Hollinger Racing ChevroletSource:
Practice
Practice 1
+ Top Practice Speeds Driver Team Engine Lap Time 1 10 Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 00:23.9565 2 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 00:23.9583 3 26 Colton Herta Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda 00:23.9776 Source:
Qualifying Qualifying Classification
DriverTeamEngineTimeLapsLap 1Lap 2127 Kyle Kirkwood Andretti GlobalHonda23.748723.7702122 Josef NewgardenTeam PenskeChevrolet23.751823.80662360 Felix RosenqvistMeyer Shank RacingHonda23.836023.88283412 Will PowerTeam PenskeChevrolet23.837223.89294514 Santino FerrucciA.J. Foyt EnterprisesChevrolet23.855023.906214666 David MalukasMeyer Shank RacingHonda23.859623.90615778 Conor DalyJuncos Hollinger RacingChevrolet23.874523.9117685 Pato O'WardArrow McLarenChevrolet23.839223.9705793 Scott McLaughlinTeam PenskeChevrolet23.905723.919318108 Linus Lundqvist Chip Ganassi RacingHonda23.881923.956781126 Colton HertaAndretti Global with Curb-AgajanianHonda23.900823.954391221 Rinus VeekayEd Carpenter RacingChevrolet23.967923.980910139 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi RacingHonda23.969423.9985111411 Marcus ArmstrongChip Ganassi RacingHonda23.944124.0337121510 Alex PalouChip Ganassi RacingHonda23.880024.1124241677 Romain GrosjeanJuncos Hollinger RacingChevrolet23.992824.0141131720 Christian Rasmussen Ed Carpenter RacingChevrolet24.029324.0560251828 Marcus Ericsson Andretti GlobalHonda24.091424.0541151930 Pietro FittipaldiRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda24.063324.085216207 Alexander RossiArrow McLarenChevrolet24.112824.236126214 Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi RacingHonda24.339424.1915172215 Graham RahalRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda24.378824.4241192318 Jack HarveyDale Coyne RacingHonda24.526624.4538202445 Christian LundgaardRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingHonda24.494624.4952212551 Katherine LeggeDale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware RacingHonda24.909424.6864222641 Sting Ray RobbA.J. Foyt EnterprisesChevroletNo timeNo time23276 Nolan Siegel Arrow McLarenChevroletNo timeNo time27 Source:
Race
Coming into the race, 3 drivers were mathematically eligible to win the championship, Alex Palou, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin. However, McLaughlin was eliminated from contention upon race start since Palou started the race. Early in the race, Will Power came to pit road after his seatbelts came loose, in essence eliminating him from the title fight. On lap 55, Felix Rosenqvist ran high out of Turn 2, hitting the wall and bringing out the first caution. He was eliminated from the race. On lap 85, Katherine Legge hit the wall coming out of Turn 4, bringing out the second caution and eliminating her from the race. On lap 137, the third and final caution of the race came out after Marcus Ericsson hit the wall in Turn 4, taking him out of the race.
At the end of the race, Colton Herta fought off a hard-charging Pato O'Ward, who was on a different strategy, to take the win. This was his first win on an oval track.
Points leader Alex Palou finished 11th, securing his 3rd IndyCar championship. Colton Herta would finish 2nd in the standings (–31), and Scott McLaughlin came 3rd (–39).
Race results
Driver Team Engine Laps Total Time PitStops Grid LapsLed 1 26 Colton Herta Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda 206 01:43:15.2534 4 9 24 51 2 5 Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren Chevrolet 206 01:43:17.0640 4 7 21 41 3 2 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Chevrolet 206 01:43:17.2145 4 2 54 36 4 27 Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global Honda 206 01:43:19.9709 3 1 67 36 5 3 Scott McLaughlin Team Penske Chevrolet 206 01:43:23.0371 4 18 0 30 6 14 Santino Ferrucci A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet 206 01:43:24.4870 4 14 0 28 7 11 Marcus Armstrong Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 206 01:43:29.6404 3 12 0 26 8 8 Linus Lundqvist Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 206 01:43:29.9053 4 8 0 24 9 66 David Malukas Meyer Shank Racing Honda 206 01:43:30.5260 3 5 8 23 10 78 Conor Daly Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet 205 +1 Lap 3 6 0 20 11 10 Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 205 +1 Lap 4 24 0 19 12 21 Rinus Veekay Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 205 +1 Lap 4 10 0 18 13 18 Jack Harvey Dale Coyne Racing Honda 205 +1 Lap 3 20 0 17 14 20 Christian Rasmussen Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 205 +1 Lap 3 25 0 16 15 7 Alexander Rossi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet 205 +1 Lap 4 26 32 16 16 77 Romain Grosjean Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet 204 +2 Laps 4 13 0 14 17 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 204 +2 Laps 3 11 0 13 18 6 Nolan Siegel Arrow McLaren Chevrolet 204 +2 Laps 4 27 0 12 19 45 Christian Lundgaard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 204 +2 Laps 4 21 0 11 20 41 Sting Ray Robb A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet 204 +2 Laps 3 23 0 10 21 30 Pietro Fittipaldi Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 204 +2 Laps 5 16 0 9 22 4 Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 202 +4 Laps 5 17 0 8 23 15 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 202 +4 Laps 4 19 0 7 24 12 Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 198 +8 Laps 6 4 0 6 25 28 Marcus Ericsson Andretti Global Honda 137 Contact 3 15 0 5 26 51 Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda 85 Contact 2 22 0 5 27 60 Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing Honda 55 Contact 0 3 0 5Fastest lap: Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren) – 24.2869 (lap 165) Source:
References