NTT IndyCar Series points leader Alex Palou held off a charge from oval ace Josef Newgarden to win under a scorching sun at Nashville Superspeedway. Palou started Monday’s (July 20) delayed race fourth and contended up front all day in a race that was increasingly impacted by tire strategy as the laps wound down.
The win is Palou’s fifth of 2026 and serves to extend his points lead to 83 over second-placed David Malukas, who finished third in the race.
Behind the top three, Scott McLaughlin and Felix Rosenqvist finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Marcus Ericsson, Pato O’Ward, Mick Schumacher, Kyffin Simpson and polesitter Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top 10.
Palou’s lead and win looked to be under threat in the closing stages of the race with the Penske trio of Newgarden, Malukas and McLaughlin lined up behind him on the softer Firestone Alternate compound tires. Clean air proved key, however, and the Penske cars’ tires wore out in the wake of Palou’s No. 10 Honda while the Spaniard was free to push on his preferred, more durable Primary compound tires.
Though Palou briefly had to deal with the lapped car of Louis Foster, he was more than able to manage air strategically, denying Newgarden a clean line and preventing the No. 2 from developing a serious run, all while the Tennessee native had to keep an eye on Malukas close behind.
Caio Collet drew the first caution of the day when his No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet drifted too far up the track and into the wall on lap 19. This brought Foster, Malukas and Christian Lundgaard, the drivers who didn’t pit under caution, to the front of the pack. Malukas quickly drove to the lead and held it over McLaughlin, the first car on fresh tires, demonstrating the premium on clean air in the day’s hot conditions.
The race featured multiple cautions for cause, the most shocking of which was an unusual collision on the backstretch between Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi. The two collided when Rossi started a dive toward pit road, slowing considerably with Dixon close behind, leading the No. 9 into the back of Rossi’s Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy.
“I was pitting. You have to slow down to pit,” Rossi told the media after the race. “I love Scott, I don’t want to say anything bad, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in that situation.”
Dennis Hauger also failed to finish, the first DNF of his young IndyCar career, spinning down the backstretch with a mechanical issue.
2026 IndyCar Nashville Results
IndyCar now takes two weekends off before heading to Portland International Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 9. The OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland will be covered by FOX starting at 4 p.m. ET.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.
Wait. What happened here? Josef is supposed to win all the ovals! lol Great drive by Malukas, though.