INDYCAR QUALIFYING REPORT: Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix
Qualifying Results
| Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix |
| Will Power | P14 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | P1 |
| Marcus Ericsson | P10 |
Qualifying Notes
- After a month away from oval racing, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to Nashville Superspeedway for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, marking the 12th round of the season and the Championship’s penultimate oval race.
- The race weekend kicked off Saturday morning with the opening practice session, where Kyle Kirkwood topped the speed charts despite an extended caution period.
- Later that afternoon, the INDYCAR field returned to the track for two-lap, single-car qualifying to set the starting grid based on the average speed of each driver’s two recorded laps.
- The pace Kirkwood and the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda showed in practice continued into qualifying as the Florida driver secured his first pole of the season, the sixth of his INDYCAR career and his second at Nashville Superspeedway. Teammates Marcus Ericsson and Will Power will start 10th and 14th, respectively.
- Today’s result marks Andretti Global’s 63rd INDYCAR pole position and the team’s second pole at Nashville Superspeedway.
- Fans can catch tomorrow’s 300-lap race live on FOX immediately following the FIFA World Cup Final.
Will Power
No. 26 TWG AI Honda
P14
| 4-Lap Average | 194.829 MPH |
“We obviously needed a little more speed in qualifying, but the TWG AI Honda actually had very good balance. We’ve shown a lot of improvement on the ovals this year, and with 300 laps tomorrow, there’s plenty of time for things to play out. We’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda
P1
| 4-Lap Average | 196.852 MPH |
“Hats off to the Sam’s Club Honda crew and the engineers because quite honestly us drivers just hop in this thing, hold it flat and hope it goes fast. Today our Sam’s Club Honda went fast, so that’s step one. We’ve got a long race tomorrow into the evening with changing conditions. It’s going to be a long race, so it’s not really going to matter where you qualify, if I’m being honest. Of course we like to get pole, and of course we like to know our car is very fast, but it’s going to be very important to keep our nose clean and get through all the pit stops. There’s going to be a lot of pit stops. Hopefully we’ll be at the front of this thing like we are at the start, but closer to the end. I’m happy to get a pole in the books this year. Hopefully it’s one of many more before the season ends. We’ve got six more races after this, but I’m happy to lead this Sam’s Club Honda to the green tomorrow.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Delaware Life Honda
P10
| 4-Lap Average | 195.389 MPH |
“It was a pretty decent qualifying run for us in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda. We had a clean run, and the car felt pretty good. The big thing was seeing the No. 27 guys take the pole. I think it was a team effort. Will and I both had decent runs and were able to give some good information, and then Kyle went out and executed a really good run. I’m looking forward to the race. I think we’re going to have three strong cars, and it’s going to be a long one. I’m looking forward to going racing tomorrow night.”
Ron Ruzewski
INDYCAR Team Principal
“Great way to start the weekend. Congratulations to all the guys. It was a real team effort to make sure one of our cars is on the front row. We’ve had some good test sessions leading up to Nashville, and it’s great to carry that momentum into the weekend and see Kyle secure the pole position. Starting up front is important, and we’ve put all three guys in a good position for tomorrow.”
