Nashville INDYCAR 2026 Qualifying Results: Pole Winner and Full Starting Grid

Nashville Superspeedway is a 1.33-mile concrete oval in Lebanon, Tennessee. The short lap placed a premium on small details. A minor steering correction, added tire scrub or a slight lift could cost several grid positions.

Every driver received one qualifying attempt. Each run contained two consecutive timed laps. INDYCAR ranked the drivers by their average speed across the complete 2.66-mile distance.

The afternoon conditions raised the difficulty. INDYCAR reported 94°F air temperature and a track surface near 130°F. That heat reduced grip and made the trimmed qualifying setups more nervous through the corners.

The top five finished within 0.2549 seconds. Moreover, Power in 14th and Collet in 15th were separated by 0.0005 seconds. Schumacher and Rosenqvist were another 0.0031 and 0.0046 seconds behind Power.

That density made Kirkwood’s pole more impressive. He did not win because the field was spread out. Instead, he found a clear advantage inside one of the year’s closest oval qualifying sessions.

Kirkwood entered qualifying as the Practice 1 leader. His Andretti Global team had already shown a quick low-fuel setup, and the driver had enough confidence to remain flat through the lap’s most difficult sections.

His first timed lap lasted 23.7104 seconds. That equaled 197.382 mph and was the only qualifying lap above 197 mph. The advantage gave Kirkwood a cushion before tire heat and surface friction affected lap two.

The second lap slowed to 23.8381 seconds. However, the combined 47.5485-second total remained 0.0508 seconds quicker than Newgarden. The average speed stood at 196.852 mph.

Why the first lap decided the contest

Kirkwood’s first lap was 0.0496 seconds faster than Newgarden’s. Their second laps were almost identical: Kirkwood recorded 23.8381, while Newgarden completed a 23.8393.

Therefore, the front-row margin came almost entirely from the opening lap. Kirkwood reached peak speed before the tires accumulated extra heat. He then protected the advantage with a clean second circuit.

The draw gave Kirkwood information, not free speed

Kirkwood ran second-to-last in the qualifying order. Palou followed as the final driver. A late draw allowed Andretti to study previous runs and temperature trends.

However, the surface was extremely hot, and later was not automatically better. The driver still had to control a low-downforce car over the concrete bumps. Kirkwood used the available information without giving away speed through hesitation.

The table below shows the complete qualifying classification before grid penalties. It includes both timed laps, total elapsed time and average speed. The gap column compares each total with Kirkwood’s 47.5485-second pole run.

The top six

Newgarden held provisional pole before Kirkwood’s run. His 196.642-mph average placed him 0.555 mph ahead of Penske teammate McLaughlin. The #3 Chevrolet completed its two laps in 47.7339 seconds.

Palou missed McLaughlin by 0.0090 seconds. Dixon followed at 195.802 mph, giving Ganassi fourth and fifth. Rossi ranked sixth and became the fastest ECR driver.

The closest midfield battle

Rasmussen and Armstrong were separated by 0.0016 seconds for seventh. Power, Collet, Schumacher and Rosenqvist then formed an even tighter four-car group from 14th through 17th.

Power beat Collet by 0.0005 seconds. Schumacher followed Power by 0.0036, while Rosenqvist was only 0.0051 behind Power. One small steering correction could have reversed all four positions.

Who lost the most speed on lap two?

O’Ward’s first lap was a competitive 23.9034 seconds. His second slowed to 24.0588, a drop of 0.1554 seconds. That fade left the Arrow McLaren driver 12th.

Collet slowed by 0.1512 seconds, while Rossi lost 0.1189. In contrast, Simpson improved on lap two by 0.0516 seconds. Rosenqvist also improved slightly.

The official starting grid differed from the qualifying classification near the back. Lundgaard qualified 19th but carried a nine-position penalty for an unapproved engine change. Because the field contained 25 cars, he moved to 24th.

Malukas did not attempt a qualifying run after his heavy Practice 1 crash. He also carried an engine penalty and was placed 25th. Rahal failed to run because his car could not maintain fuel pressure, but he advanced to 23rd once the penalties were applied.

Front row: Kirkwood and Newgarden

Kirkwood started from the inside, with Newgarden alongside. That front row matched the two drivers most closely associated with recent Nashville oval speed. Kirkwood also took pole at the venue in 2024.

Newgarden brought stronger recent oval-race form. Therefore, the first row combined Andretti’s qualifying benchmark with Penske’s established oval execution.

Second row: McLaughlin and Palou

McLaughlin started third, while championship leader Palou lined up fourth. The row paired another Penske Chevrolet with a Ganassi Honda.

Palou did not need pole to protect his championship position. However, starting beside McLaughlin placed him inside a group likely to fight for clean air and early track position.

Third row: Dixon and Rossi

Dixon occupied fifth and brought more Nashville Superspeedway experience than any other current driver. Rossi started sixth after producing the fastest ECR average.

Rossi’s position also gave ECR both cars inside the top seven, because Rasmussen qualified immediately behind him.

Each driver runs alone

Unlike road-course qualifying, drivers do not share the track in groups. One car leaves pit lane and completes its attempt without traffic. That removes slipstream effects and creates a direct comparison between cars.

The order usually follows a draw or series procedure. Conditions can change during the session, so the running order may affect grip and temperature.

Both timed laps count

INDYCAR adds the distance of two laps and divides it by the total elapsed time. The resulting average speed determines the ranking. A driver’s fastest individual lap does not decide the grid by itself.

Kirkwood’s run demonstrated the format clearly. His first lap created the advantage, while his second lap preserved it. If the second circuit had slowed by another tenth, Newgarden would have taken pole.

Why teams trim downforce

Teams reduce aerodynamic drag for qualifying. Less wing angle can increase straight-line and corner-entry speed. However, the car becomes more sensitive to bumps, wind and rear-tire slip.

Nashville’s concrete surface makes that compromise difficult. The fastest setup must remain stable enough for the driver to stay flat through both timed laps.

Why average speed is used instead of only time

Average speed is the traditional language of American oval qualifying. It allows fans to compare performance across tracks and eras. The official chart still records each lap and total time.

At Nashville, Kirkwood’s 196.852-mph average represented 2.66 miles completed in 47.5485 seconds.

Andretti Global: pole plus two midfield positions

Kirkwood delivered the headline result. Ericsson qualified 10th, while Power ranked 14th. Andretti therefore placed all three cars inside the first 14.

The spread showed one exceptional run rather than complete three-car domination. Nevertheless, the team’s practice and qualifying direction gave Kirkwood the confidence to attack.

Team Penske: two cars inside the top three

Newgarden and McLaughlin qualified second and third. Their combined result gave Chevrolet a strong front-row and second-row presence.

Malukas could not complete a run, so Penske’s third car appeared last on the official grid. The car’s earlier Practice 1 speed suggested the missing time reflected circumstances rather than a lack of pace.

Chip Ganassi Racing: fourth, fifth and 18th

Palou and Dixon filled the next two positions behind the Penske pair. Their lap totals were separated by 0.0605 seconds. Simpson placed 18th after improving on his second lap.

Ganassi did not win pole, but it secured two cars inside the top five. That offered strong strategic flexibility for the race.

ECR: the most complete two-car result

Rossi qualified sixth, and Rasmussen followed in seventh. Only 0.0194 seconds separated their totals. Both Chevrolets therefore began with clean access to the leading group.

The result also showed that ECR’s speed was not limited to one driver. Both engineers found a similar qualifying window.

Arrow McLaren: a difficult grid position

O’Ward qualified 12th, Siegel 13th and Lundgaard 19th. Lundgaard’s engine penalty then moved him to 24th.

The team lacked a car inside the top 10. O’Ward’s strong first lap showed potential, but the second-lap decline cost several positions.

Honda vs Chevrolet

The top 10 split evenly between Honda and Chevrolet. Honda took pole through Kirkwood. Chevrolet filled second and third with Newgarden and McLaughlin.

Across the full 25-car field, Honda powered 13 entries and Chevrolet powered 12. The balanced front group suggested no simple manufacturer advantage.

Why Rahal moved ahead of two cars

Rahal was listed 25th in the qualifying classification because he produced no time. However, the official starting grid applied penalties after the session.

Lundgaard dropped behind Rahal. Malukas also remained behind because of his no-time result and penalty. Consequently, Rahal started 23rd.

Malukas’ last-place grid position did not measure his speed

Malukas ranked third in Practice 1 after completing only four laps. He later returned to lead Final Practice. Those results showed that the repaired #12 Penske Chevrolet retained front-running pace.

The last-place start came from the crash, missed session and engine penalty. It was not the product of a slow two-lap qualifying run.

Schumacher delivered a useful rookie result

Schumacher qualified 16th in his first Nashville Superspeedway weekend. He missed Power by only 0.0036 seconds and beat Rosenqvist by 0.0015.

The result placed him ahead of two experienced oval winners in Rosenqvist and Dixon? No—Dixon was fifth. More accurately, it put him directly ahead of reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Rosenqvist. That was a meaningful benchmark for the rookie.

O’Ward left speed unused

O’Ward’s first lap projected a stronger position than 12th. The second-lap slowdown pushed him behind Ferrucci and out of the top 10.

Because both laps count, Arrow McLaren could not rely on the opening speed. The result created more traffic risk at the start.

1. Kirkwood’s advantage came from immediate commitment

The pole winner produced the session’s best first lap. His second lap was nearly equal to Newgarden’s, so the opening circuit created the decisive margin.

2. Penske surrounded the pole sitter

Newgarden started beside Kirkwood, while McLaughlin started directly behind. That positioning gave Penske two strategic options against one leading Andretti car.

3. Palou protected his championship position

Fourth place kept Palou near every major rival. He did not take the pole point, but he avoided the traffic risks faced by several championship contenders further back.

4. Qualifying and starting-grid tables must remain separate

Lundgaard’s penalty changed positions 19 through 24. A results article that publishes only the raw session order would give readers the wrong race lineup.

5. The field was closer than the headline suggested

Seventeen drivers were covered by less than half a second. Power, Collet, Schumacher and Rosenqvist were separated by only 0.0051 seconds.