RACE REPORT: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix
Race Notes
- The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season came to a close at Nashville Superspeedway this afternoon as 27 drivers took the green flag for the 225-lap event.
- After a difficult qualifying session yesterday, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson took today’s green from 13th, 11th and 15th.
- Kirkwood once again led the Andretti trio to the checkered flag, finishing sixth, with teammates Herta and Ericsson finishing 11th and 15th, respectively.
- The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix saw four caution periods, totaling 46 laps.
- The Andretti INDYCAR team wraps up the 2025 INDYCAR season with three wins, three poles and five podiums.
Race Results
Colton Herta
No. 26 Gainbridge Honda
P11
| Started | P12 |
| Standings | 7 (372 points) |
- Starting from the seventh row, Colton Herta looked to defend his title on the track where he captured his maiden oval victory last season.
- The Gainbridge Honda showed impressive pace as Herta climbed through the field, breaking into the top five by Lap 52 and even leading Lap 57 before making his first pit stop.
- Despite losing positions during his first stop, Herta stayed focused and maintained a consistent presence inside the top five as the race progressed.
- Herta later pitted under yellow on Lap 127, but contact on exit with the No. 51 led to a penalty for an unsafe release sending the No. 26 to the back of the field.
- After briefly retaking the lead on Lap 190 as the field cycled through final stops, Herta was called in for his last stop with 33 laps to go.
- The Gainbridge Honda crossed the finish line just outside the top 10 in 11th.
“It’s been a trying year. A lot of things didn’t go our way in a lot of races. I think it’s unfortunate, but I’m happy with all the work that everyone’s put in this year. The race cars are super fast, so that’s something to look forward to.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda
P6
| Started | P11 |
| Standings | 4 (433 points) |
- Taking the green as the highest Andretti INDYCAR starter, Kyle Kirkwood rolled off from 11th aiming to work the Sam’s Club Honda through the field.
- Kirkwood broke into the top 10 on the opening lap and broke into the top five by Lap 6.
- Running a four-stop strategy, he got caught up high and lost momentum before making his final stop on Lap 182 with hopes of regaining track position.
- By Lap 205, Kirkwood had climbed to sixth as the No. 20 pitted under yellow, but unfortunately couldn’t break back into the top five and ultimately took the checkered in sixth.
- Today’s finish marks Kirkwood’s 31st career top-five result and a career-best fourth-place finish in the INDYCAR Championship Standings.
“It was a good day after kind of a cold end of the season. We came out and had a really good shot here today and should have gotten a podium, but we had one thing that went wrong, and we got sixth. I’m still happy with our overall performance after qualifying 13th, driving through the field, getting up front, running things right and having good pit stops. Ultimately, we didn’t have everything for a win, but it was pretty close. So, we’re very happy with today. Finishing fourth in the Championship is also a huge positive, so we’ll take that and move on to the offseason. There are a lot of positives that came from this season and from this race. I’m looking forward to the 2026 season.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Browning Chapman Honda
P15
| Started | P15 |
| Standings | 20 (234 points) |
- Making his 44th career oval start, Marcus Ericsson gained a spot on the opening lap and settled into the middle of the pack for the majority of the race.
- The Browning Chapman crew delivered fast pit stop that helped the Swede climb toward the front, running as high as second with just 34 laps to go.
- Despite showing consistency throughout the race, the Swede struggled with grip on restarts and ultimately took the checkered where he started in 15th.
“It was quite an eventful race for us. First of all, the 28 crew did an awesome job in pit lane. We had so many good stops, and I’m so thankful for all their hard work this year. To finish up strong in pit lane is really a testament to all the work put in there. For us, apart from that, it was just a bit of a struggle on restarts. I don’t know why we were lacking so much grip on restarts, but it really compromised our race because we lost a few spots each time, and it’s just hard to get it back when things settle down. So, we need to dig in and understand why we’re lacking so much on those restarts because that was just costing us a ton.”
Rob Edwards
Chief Operating Officer
“This was a disappointing end to a disappointing season. The 26 car with Colton probably had the pace to be in the hunt for the win. I certainly understand INDYCAR’s decision with the incident in pit lane with the 51, but I definitely do not agree with it. The 27 car had a good run going until they got pushed up into the gray and lost some spots and momentum. The 27 car has been the strongest car all season, so it’s fitting that they were our best finishing car today at Nashville, but they certainly had the potential for a lot more. Marcus had an up-and-down day, and again, I think the 28 guys did good work in the pits. We probably missed some opportunities on track, but it was good to get all three cars to the finish. We will regroup, learn our lessons and get ready for 2026.”
